Lucinda Williams, “Stories From a Rock N Roll Heart.” Lucinda Williams had a tough 2020. The 67-year old Grammy-winner lost her home in a tornado and later had a stroke. It impaired her motor skills on her left side, which interfered with her ability to play guitar. Williams has…

Chris Stapleton performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, Calif. on June 18, 2022. Sean Liming/STAFF. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Outside of Bay Area fans of Rage Against the Machine or My Chemical Romance, few have had to wait for a pandemic-delayed concert as long as fans of country…

Clockwise from top right: Olivia Rodrigo, Shawn Mendes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Stapleton, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, HAIM, Roger Waters, Tyler, The Creator, Billie Eilish, Lorde and John Mayer. After the pandemic canceled concerts in 2020, we crossed out fingers that our favorites would be rescheduled. Slowly, they’re…

Loretta Lynn, “Still Woman Enough.” Country icon Loretta Lynn is about to release her 50th solo studio album and one thing that remains obvious, at 88-years-old, is that she’s still a reigning queen in country music. She sets out to prove just that on Still Woman Enough, inspired by the…

Margo Price has become the roots foil for the likes of Kane Brown with her commitment to thoughtful storytelling and wholesome musicality. Pop country’s current affinity for snap-tracks threatens to extinguish whatever connection it had to its past—so Price’s approach serves as a reminder of “real country” as an artistic…

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters perform at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Oct. 5, 2019. Photos: Steve Carlson. SAN FRANCISCO — Tens of thousands crammed into the meadow in front of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass’ Towers of Gold Stage to see the…

In 1968, American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry recorded her sophomore album, The Delta Sweete. It dropped a year after her no. 1 single, “Ode to Billy Joe,” but never took off. The album became a hard-to-find talisman for the few lucky musicians and music lovers who happened upon it in obscure…

Caitlyn Smith photographed at BottleRock Napa Valley on May 25, 2018. Photos: Martin Lacey. For every star Music City churns out, there are 100 other artists struggling to break through. Even many of the success stories have rough beginnings, like Chris Stapleton, Margo Price or Maren Morris, all of…

Photos: Joaquin Cabello and Shawn Robbins SAN FRANCISCO — The Weeknd put on a headliner-caliber show to close out the first day of Outside Lands on Friday. It’s hard to believe the Canadian artist was just another YouTube singer only eight years ago. His polished neo-R&B vocals were accompanied by…

Photo illustration: Alessio Neri and Roman Gokhman Since 2008, concertgoers in the Bay Area and beyond have carefully planned out their Outside Lands itineraries. With numerous music stages, the Barbary comedy tent, wacky culinary GastroMagic stage, pop-up performances (that throw a wrench into everyone’s carefully sculpted, laminated schedules), not…