While she rolls through the questions like a champ, Chicago singer-songwriter Xoe Wise expresses frustration that she’s still being asked questions such as “What is it like being a woman in rock?” The 27-year-old says she’d like to see a day when the music industry and society has moved past all that.…

Hundreds of musicians worldwide are participating in Sofar Sounds concerts on Sept. 20 to benefit Amnesty International’s “Give a Home” campaign to protect refugees. The San Francisco branch of the secret show organization will host five concerts in the Bay Area. The fundraiser follows the same format tested by Sofar London over…

What Uber did for transportation and Airbnb did for lodging, Sofar Sounds aims to do for concerts, according to Sam Toizer, a lead booker for Sofar San Francisco. He started volunteering with the organization in 2013 when he lived in Chicago. Eight months ago, he started booking shows for…