Looks are deceiving when it comes to BottleRock Napa Valley, the four-day music, comedy, food and wine festival in May that was suddenly announced in January.
Co-producer Gabe Meyers, 42 — who conceived the 60-band, 12-comedian event with longtime real estate partner Bob Vogt (who turned Napa’s languishing Uptown Theater into a popular concert hall) — admits that although they had been planning it for a long time, they were working under the radar and so the event seems like it “came out of nowhere.” When people inquire how long, he’s ready with the same witty response
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As is typical, the lineup for the 31st annual San Francisco Jazz Festival is expansive and fun. Announced by SFJazz officials last week, the festival runs June 12-23, with most concerts in the new SFJazz Center at 201 Franklin St.
The opening concert June 12 will present the Stefano Bollani Trio, featuring the acclaimed Italian pianist.
Latin jazz highlights include singer-songwriter-guitarist Milton Nascimento on June 13-14, percussionist Pedrito Martinez on June 16 and the Bay Area’s Pacific Mambo Orchestra on June 15.
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King of Los Angeles’ electronic underground, Daedelus brings a new and improved fourth “Magical Properties” tour to The City on Sunday, promising a superbly curated night of thoughtful, bass-driven electronica and a hypnotic new light show called “Chaya.”
The 35-year-old Venice resident — aka Alfred Darlington or Alfred Weisberg-Roberts — has hand-picked Two Fresh, Ryan Hemsworth and Samo Sound to open the show at the Independent for him. It’s part of a run of North American winter tour dates before he works on releasing a new 2013 LP.
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It always felt awkward to Jamie Lidell, trying to capture his huge, thumping techno-soul ideas in a cramped British flat. After years of what he calls “flaccid bedroom recording,” worrying about neighbors and “tiptoeing around like a bloody idiot,” the singer moved to Nashville, Tenn. He conceived his new, self-titled fifth album (featuring synth-based R&B standouts such as “Big Love” and “Why_Ya_Why”) in a house in a part of the city populated by hard-partying college kids, who never complained about the sound.
Why move to Nashville?
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British protest singer Billy Bragg doesn’t rattle easily, although he admits to having a crazy time after singing a duet of Bob Dylan’s “If Not For You” with Olivia Newton-John on a BBC TV variety show, then returning to his posh London hotel — where Justin Bieber also was staying.
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After being shot down by judges on “The X Factor” last year for being too “cabaret,” San Francisco singer and songwriter Jason Brock is back on track doing what he loves best: performing his very own lounge act.
Starting Saturday at Martuni’s, his show includes all-new material about life after his experience on the hit reality show, and after moving on from exes.
“I hope none of my ex-boyfriends will show up,” Brock says. “That would be really awkward if that happened,” he adds with a laugh.
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Beirut-born artist Mika didn’t go looking for a major movie role. It found him.
After his multiplatinum 2007 debut, “Life in Cartoon Motion,” made him an international pop sensation, the photogenic, Freddie Mercury-voiced singer began traveling in increasingly lofty social circles.
One night, he was dining with his good friend Christian Louboutin, who had been designing stage shoes for him, and seated at their table was famed French actress Fanny Ardant.
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Ghostly International recording artist Shigeto joins labelmates such as Com Truise and Dauwd for a rare, thrilling night of tastemaker electronic music Friday at 1015 Folsom.
The Detroit-based Zach Saginaw, who grew up with influences including Motown, jazz, hip-hop and techno, mixes them with inviting, melodic, vividly textured electronic music production, accompanied by live drums.
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In mid-1970s London, the Sex Pistols had anger as a motivator, punk rock as a movement and the Malcolm McLaren-Vivienne Westwood boutique SEX as a hipster hangout. Copenhagen claims a modern equivalent: The Joy Division-urgent punk quartet Iceage, which leads a wave of teen and 20-something malcontent outfits dubbed “the new way of Danish f*** you”; the scene revolves around the Posh Isolation record label and store. Members play in multiple bands, says Iceage drummer Dan Kjaer Nielsen, 21, who’s also in Sejr. But it’s not punk rock, per se, he clarifies.
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Carly Ritter is proud to be listed on the Internet Movie Data Base, just like her father, the late comedic actor John Ritter, although she says it’s a fluke. One entry refers to a crawl-on cameo for a film about parenting; others were for appearances in two recent shorts, “Slice” and “Monsieur Balloons.”
“Those were just friends asking me to play little roles, so I don’t know how well I did for them,” she says. “I didn’t get that gift from my family — my brothers are both amazing, and my little sister has it, definitely. But I think it might’ve missed me somehow.”
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