The best albums of 2020 include Washed Out, the Mountain Goats, Ethan Gruska, Tom Petty, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, Logic, The Strokes, Moses Sumney, Fleet Foxes, Willie Nelson, Yves Tumor, Nicolas Jaar, Ed O’Brien, Charli XCX and Blackpink. After nearly a decade of living through 2020, we’re finally…

Novelist William Faulkner famously wrote, “The past isn’t dead. It’s not even past.” The maxim is not simply applicable to the study of history. People are haunted by the things they have and haven’t done, as well as those they’ve known. Artists are haunted by their influences, desperate simultaneously…

Perhaps John Rzeznik and the Goo Goo Dolls had the best foresight out of anyone during lockdown. As other musicians were writing about claustrophobic isolation, the Goos decided to press fast-forward on the rest of 2020—right to Christmas with the band’s first holiday album in its 30 years. And…

Wildflowers, the Tom Petty album from 1994, was—not surprisingly—his most personal work to that point, and as it turned out, of his career. Born of the emotional turmoil of a collapsing marriage, it truly was a “solo” album, as judged by the songwriting alone, even if three of the Heartbreakers played…

OAKLAND — During its heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Fleetwood Mac was nearly as famous for drama as for music. Despite big egos, love triangles and a penchant for indulgence, the band managed to crank out hit after hit and establish itself as true rock-pop royalty. Following a widely publicized…

Tom Petty and Mudcrutch perform at the Fillmore in San Francisco on June 19, 2016. Photo: Roman Gokhman The year 2016 was bad, for so many reasons, not the least of which was the loss of both David Bowie and Prince. The year 2017 may have been worse; we…

Photo: Jay Demetillo 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 10 through 6 in PART 2. Favorite Shows 2016 | Favorite Shows 2015 | Favorite Shows 2014 Favorite Shows 2013 | Favorite Shows 2012 5 – TOM PETTY at BottleRock…

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers perform at BottleRock Napa Valley in Napa on May 28, 2017. NAPA — Tom Petty may have largely stuck to the hits at BottleRock Napa Valley Saturday, but the sheer quantity of those familiar songs spoke volumes about Petty’s amazing songbook. After opening with…

The producers of BottleRock Napa Valley don’t like to make fans wait. Monday they released the daily lineups for the annual festival, which kicks of May 26, as well as the individual day ticket prices. Maroon 5 headlines Friday. The same day includes hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and a handful…

The producers of the BottleRock Napa Valley music and wine festival today announced the lineup for the 2017 incarnation of the event, which will take place May 26 to 28 at the Napa Valley Expo. The 80-plus artist lineup will be headlined by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo…