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.…

St. Lucia. Courtesy: Shervin Lainez. Jean-Philip Grobler still dreams of having the biggest band in the world. The St. Lucia frontman acknowledges that the time may not be right for his earnest, heart-on-sleeve pop music. Even when he was in the middle of writing his band’s third record, Hyperion, there…

Enigmatic dance pop has proven a strong suit of South African New Yorker Jean-Phillip Grobler. The St. Lucia frontman built up his classical chops singing in the Drakensberg Boys’ Choir. His training coincided with an ardent side-affinity for ‘80s legends like Phil Collins and Michael Jackson. Hyperion St. Lucia Sept. 21…

Foo Fighters perform at BottleRock Napa Valley 2017. Alessio Neri/STAFF. NAPA — In the end, the only thing that could stop the Foo Fighters at BottleRock Napa was a strict 10 p.m. curfew. The rock band that headlined the final night of the fifth annual festival was about a…

St. Lucia Looking back on my interviews over the past 12 months, the first thing that surprised me was just how busy I stayed: nearly 50 interviews of 10 minutes or longer, about a dozen more than 2015, which had seemed much busier. Interviewing artists is just one part…

This is the final in a three-part series. Read how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” acts in PART 1 and 13 through 8 in PART 2. Favorite Shows 2015 | Favorite Shows 2014 Favorite Shows 2013 | Favorite Shows 2012 7 – STURGILL SIMPSON at the Fox Theater – Nov. 19 Two weeks ago,…

Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia at Outside Lands on Aug. 7, 2016. Che Holts/STAFF. As a successful Emeryville-based studio knows all too well, it’s possible to take an inanimate object, give it life and make children and adults alike laugh and cry by telling a good story. That was…

St. Lucia frontman Jean-Philip Grobler chats with RIFF at Outside Lands on Aug. 7, 2016. Photos: Che Holts Midway through Brooklyn synthpop band St. Lucia’s set at Outside Lands last week, frontman Jean-Philip Grobler lied down on the stage, collecting his breath. But within seconds, his band launched into ’80s-drenched,…

Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia. Courtesy. Jean-Philip Grobler has been playing in rock bands since he was 10 years old, though that may not be clearly evident considering he’s best known as the mastermind of Brooklyn-based breezy dance-pop band St. Lucia. Prior to moving to New York for a…