League of Distortion, courtesy. This week we’ve got some quality metal from League of Distortion and Low Flying Hawks, some fantastic ’90s throwback courtesy of Lips Speak Louder, a good but hard to describe gem from St. Lucia and fun jangle pop by Peach Pit, before we we bring…

St. Lucia performs at August Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 28, 2022. Mike DeWald/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Dance pop quintet St. Lucia, touring new album Utopia, brought a kaleidoscopic performance to August Hall Friday night. The group, led by guitarist Jean-Philip Grobler and keyboardist Patti Beranek, front-loaded the…

Derek Hoke, courtesy Alex Berger. Synth-pop takes over Tuesday Tracks, with songs from Alex Lilly, Emily Afton, Quinn Christopherson and St. Lucia, as well as experimental music from Jesca Hoop, Americana rock from Derek Hoke, blues rock revival by the Stone Foxes and folk-pop by Madison Cunningham. Alex Lilly,…

Patti Beranek and Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia photographed in South Africa in February 2022. Courtesy Gabrielle Kannemeyer. All other photos courtesy of Jean-Philip Grobler. Editor’s note: Friend of RIFF Jean-Philip Grobler, of newly indie band St. Lucia, has been chronicling his and his wife and bandmate Patti Beranek’s…

Patti Beranek and Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia photographed in South Africa in February 2022. Courtesy Gabrielle Kannemeyer. Jean-Philip Grobler and Patti Beranek, the primary songwriters in synth-pop band St. Lucia, have kept a low profile for the last few years. After concluding several tours for 2018’s Hyperion, the…

André Allen Anjos (RAC), Courtesy: Jules Davies. It’s March 48 (who’s keeping track, though?) and musician-producer André Allen Anjos, better known as RAC, seems happy to see a new human face. After several weeks of keeping indoors at his Portland, Oregon apartment, Anjos, like most of us, is living…

Carly Rae Jepsen performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on June 28, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. SAN FRANCISCO — Carly Rae Jepsen hardly gave fans at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium a chance to catch their breath on the second night of her tour in support…

OAKLAND — New York synth pop band St. Lucia has always lived up to its name in philosophy rather than sound. The quintet exudes a carefree anything-is-possible glow. But on its current “Intimate & Acoustic Tour,” supporting a new EP of reimagined songs, St. Lucia at times sounded like…

Messing around with COIN at BottleRock Napa Valley on May 25, 2018. Photo: Roman Gokhman. I think this column is morphing into more of a “my favorite Roman stories” list, but what still holds true is that memorable interviews still lead better stories. I tell the RIFF staff, which…

St. Lucia performs at August Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2018. Photos: Gary Chancer. SAN FRANCISCO — A show that began inauspiciously turned worse for St. Lucia frontman Jean-Philip Grobler Monday when he fell and injured his ankle on the second of two shows at August Hall.…