Simple Minds (Jim Kerr third from left). Courtesy Dean Chalkley. To introduce Simple Minds fans to the next chapter of their band, vocalist Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill wrote a song that looks backward. “Vision Thing”—the first single from new album Direction Of The Heart, as well as…

Courtesy: Tessa Angus As Black Rebel Motorcycle Club was recording 2013 album Specter at the Feast, the trio was still reeling from the 2010 death of one of their own. Michael Been, the father of frontman Robert Levon Been, had died suddenly at one of their shows. The elder Been,…

Franz Ferdinand performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on April 28, 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. This is the fourth in a five-part series. Read how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” acts in PART 1, the runners-up in PART 2, and 15 through 11 in PART…

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, courtesy: James Minchin. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has a sold-out show coming up at the Fillmore on April 22, but it was a different performance I was more interested in. Robert Levon Been is stepping in his late-father Michael Been’s shoes and joining his father’s bandmates…

The Call with Robert Levon Been, courtesy. Seminal ‘80s Santa Cruz rockers The Call disbanded in 2000 when frontman-bassist Michael Been decided to focus his energy on his son’s fledgling career. So in a roundabout way, Robert Levon Been is returning the gesture, when he briefly steps away from…