Twenty One Pilots perform during radio station Live 105’s Not So Silent Night at SAP Center in San Jose on Dec. 7, 2019. Merry Christmas! I guess this means I have to write another Christmas music column. As I’ve expressed every year I’ve had a column, I hate Christmas…

Twenty One Pilots perform during a livestream even on May 21, 2021. Images courtesy: Maestro. By Mason Meyers Twenty One Pilots dip into the world of coronavirus-necessitated livestreams is quite possibly one of the best to have been crafted. Have a favorite song? They played it! Have a favorite…

‘Scaled and Icy’ by Twenty One Pilots. Twenty One Pilots‘ latest album, Scaled and Icy, isn’t quite the groundbreaking concept album for which the band has become known. Some highlights notwithstanding, it at times comes across as muddled, forgettable and even a bit cringe-worthy—as if it’s an attempt to appeal…

The Raconteurs perform during radio station Live 105’s Not So Silent Night at SAP Center in San Jose on Dec. 7, 2019. Photos courtesy RADIO.COM. SAN JOSE — Some of the biggest names in alt-rock descended on the SAP Center on a soggy Saturday night in the South Bay…

Twenty One Pilots perform at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco during the Outside Lands Music Festival on Aug. 9, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello, Holly Horn and Roman Gokhman. SAN FRANCISCO — The annual Outside Lands Music Festival kicked off Friday with Twenty One Pilots, The Lumineers and dozens…

P-Lo performs at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco during the Outside Lands Music Festival on Aug. 9, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. Best: I fully expected to hate Blink-182. I wasn’t even a fan back in the ‘90s when they were new; they were poser pop-punk that was ruining…

Twenty One Pilots perform at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on July 21, 2016. Photo: Paige K. Parsons. Alt-rockers Twenty One Pilots and R&B superstar Childish Gambino will join the previously announced legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon as headliners at the 2019 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. The three will…

I’m excited to present my installment of RIFF’s year-end staff lists of the best albums of 2018. This year was one of transition and experimentation for artists, and I’ve used fairly simple criteria to narrow down my top 10 albums. These are the ones I found myself loading up…

Twenty One Pilots perform on the Bandito Tour at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Nov. 11, 2018. Photos: Steve Carlson. OAKLAND — One of the most anticipated concerts of the year arrived in the Bay Area Sunday night as Twenty One Pilots‘ Bandito Tour came to Oracle Arena. Fans…

Sufjan Stevens. Photos: Paige K. Parsons. Photographer Paige K. Parsons is one of the most recognizable faces at concert venues throughout the Bay Area. Other photographers frequently remark about her skill of capturing the best possible shot while staying out of everyone else’s line of sight. And RIFF is…