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November, 27 2009 11:00 AM - The Laurie Berkner Band @ Paramount Theatre
, Oakland, California - $25 - $35
November, 27 2009 09:00 PM - Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California - $25
November, 27 2009 09:00 PM - Simian Mobile Disco @ Mezzanine
, San Francisco, California - $22.50 Adv / $25 Door
November, 28 2009 09:00 PM - Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California - $25
December, 2 2009 08:00 PM - Ten Out Of Tenn @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $13 Adv / $15 Door
December, 3 2009 08:00 PM - A Holiday Benefit: Music for the Kids @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $20 ADV | $35 VIP

buildOn Presents: Through the unique duality of its programming, buildOn empowers U.S. high school students to improve their own lives and communities, as well as to take an active role in the construction of schools in developing countries. buildOn works in some of the poorest and most isolated regions in the world, empowering communities to overcome the crippling cycle of illiteracy, poverty and low expectations by opening the door to education.
December, 4 2009 09:00 PM - Dragon Smoke @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $30

More than straight funk (which they surely served up), Dragon Smoke is about soul music in its many-faceted variety – from inhibition softening slow numbers to blazing shack Bayou fare to Clintonian Chocolate City numbers. Their diverse influences, supreme confidence and stellar chops offered us a playful, well-maneuvered cross-section of where funk and soul have traveled since Ray Charles, Professor Longhair and Motown began to spread regional offerings onto the national scene.
December, 5 2009 09:00 PM - Drummer @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California - $15
December, 6 2009 01:30 PM - Imagination Movers @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, California 94610 - Floor- $39.50, Mezzanine- $29.50, Balcony- $19.50
December, 6 2009 04:30 PM - Imagination Movers @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, California 94610 - Floor- $39.50, Mezzanine- $29.50, Balcony- $19.50
December, 8 2009 07:00 PM - Metallica @ Arco Arena
One Sports Parkway, Sacramento, California 95834 - $52-$72
December, 9 2009 08:00 PM - Bruce Hornsby @ Palace of Fine Arts
3301 Lyon St., San Francisco, California 94123 - $52.50

On August 7, Bruce Hornsby made his long-anticipated instrumental jazz debut on Legacy Records with “Camp Meeting,” featuring a trio of all-stars: bassist Christian McBride and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Hot on the heels of last year’s five-disc career retrospective and this year’s acclaimed bluegrass collaboration with Ricky Skaggs, the grammy-winning musician revisits his jazz roots with an 11-song collection of originals and re-envisioned tunes by Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell.
December, 9 2009 08:00 PM - Rosie Thomas @ The Independent
628 Divisadero Stl, San Francisco, California 94117 - $15

Possessing a homespun familiarity, many of the songs on These Friends of Mine are characteristic of Rosie’s other work, with her fragile falsetto lilting over sparse piano arrangements, like on “Kite Song,” a hushed, near-lullaby that attempts to find the supernatural in simplicity. Rosie’s music typically exists in the intangible realm of memory where childhood idylls meet adult expectations, and this album is largely no different. But These Friends of Mine finds Rosie more often channeling the concrete – the actual concrete, the streets and sidewalks of New York City.
December, 10 2009 08:00 PM - Espers @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $13 Adv / $15 Door

Espers Neo-psychedelic folk trio the Espers began appearing in the Philadelphia area in early 2002. With a core provided by singer/songwriter Greg Weeks, Meg Baird, and Brooke Sietinsons and rounded out by numerous collaborators, their heady blend of chamber rock, baroque pop, and late-’60s British folk won them a small but devoted following both locally and nationally.
December, 11 2009 02:00 PM - Star Wars: In Concert @ HP Pavilion
525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, California - $35 - $75
December, 11 2009 09:00 PM - Hut at the Hut IX @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $20

*Proceeds will benefit the SF Food Bank and the DA Taylor Charitable Foundation Hut at the Hut is back, spreading Merry Mayhem across San Francisco for our ninth year!
December, 12 2009 07:00 PM - Metallica @ HP Pavilion
525 W. Santa Clara St, San Jose, California 95113 - 52.50-72.50
December, 12 2009 09:00 PM - Garage A Trois @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $20

Garage a Trois actually came together as an afterthought. The unholy jazz/funk/R&B trinity of Stanton Moore, Charlie Hunter and Skerik first convened in New Orleans in the spring of 1998. The three musicians shared a common vision for a totally new and innovative concept: an all-live, dubbed-out trio playing club-ready but sample free grooves. They sound like the future and the past at the same time. While common wisdom suggests that a musical trio is, by definition, subject to certain limitations, they have proved to be no place for common wisdom. The three multi-instrumentalists managed a careful balance guitar, bass, keys, sax and drums that sounded like the work of a half-dozen players.
December, 13 2009 08:00 PM - Mew @ Mezzanine
1807 Telegraph, Oakland, California 94610 - $20

Mew is an innovative purveyor of Danish space-pop who performs turbulent complex soundscapes, building from skeletal guitar arpeggios to universe-quaking crescendos. Redefining both "album" and "concept album," And The Glass Handed Kites is a mind-blowing 60-minute rock maelstrom flinging musical ideas, distorted nightmare images, and heartbreak choruses at the listener with skull-cracking ferocity. What initially sounds like 10 bands playing 10 different albums at the same time, tuned in and out of sync by some ADD-riddled studio engineer, reveals itself after repeated listening as a remarkably sustained and unified work, picking up the experimental challenge of cutting edge Britpop from Wire to Kid A and drenching it in Mew’s otherworldly sonic brew.
December, 14 2009 07:30 PM - Lady Gaga @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
99 Grove St., San Francisco, California 94102 - $48 ADV / $50 DOOR

For the new tour for this album, fans will be treated to a more polished version of what they saw (and loved) at her critically acclaimed Lollapalooza show in August 2007 and Winter Music Conference performance in March 2008. “This new show is the couture version of my handmade downtown performance of the past few years. It’s more fine-tuned, but some of my favorite elements to my past shows – the disco balls, hot pants, sequin, and stilettos – will still be there. Just more fierce and more of a conceptual show with a vision for pop performance art.” On The Fame, it’s as if GaGa took two parts dance-pop, one part electro-pop, and one part rock with a splash of disco and burlesque and generously poured it into the figurative martini glasses of the world in an effort to get everyone drunk with her Fame. “The Fame is about how anyone can feel famous,” she explains. “Pop culture is art. It doesn’t make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it’s a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle.”
December, 15 2009 08:00 PM - Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam @ The Independent
628 Divisadero Ave., San Francisco, California 94117 - $15

Every so often a truly explosive, blues-steeped star comes slamming down the pike. The ‘60s were filled with acts from Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page but each generation has since added to the legacy. Know it is Davy Knowles. Fronting his band Back Door Slam, the 22-year-old British phenomenon with an encyclopedic grasp of blues-rock draws on influences from Robert Johnson to Rory Gallagher, gives it a fresh Celtic feel along the way. As a songwriter, Knowles puts the muscle back into the blues but also offers a progressive, folk-bluesy slant in the brilliant new album, Coming Up for Air. And it doesn’t hurt that the Grammy-winning Peter Frampton produced it.
December, 17 2009 08:00 PM - El Vez & Los Straitjackets @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $20

El Vez: El Vez may not be the King, but he’s undoubtedly "El Rey" of Mex-Americana. For the last eight years, he has wowed crowds worldwide with revues that combine the histories of American music and Chicano culture, putting the tequila in musical shots, the salsa in grits, and the Memphis in the Mariachis.
December, 18 2009 09:00 PM - Lee "Scratch" Perry @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $25

"I’m an artist, a musician, a magician, a writer, a singer; I’m everything. My name is Lee from the African jungle, originally from West Africa, straight to Jamaica through reincarnation; reborn in Jamaica..." Lee "Scratch" Perry is a Grammy award-winning reggae and dub artist, who has been highly influential in the development and acceptance of reggae and dub music in Jamaica and overseas. Arguably the first creatively driven, "artist-producer" in modern recorded music, Lee "Scratch" Perry occupies the highest level of music making - standing comfortably next to pioneers like George Martin, Phil Spector, and Brian Wilson.
December, 19 2009 09:00 PM - Nat Keefe Concert Carnival @ The Independent
628 Divisadero Ave., San Francisco, California 94117 - $20 Adv / $35 VIP Reserved Table

We are pleased to announce the third annual Concert Carnival! Produced by the guitarist of Hot Buttered Rum, the Carnival is a multi-media, cabaret-style variety show, and will feature members of the David Grisman Quintet, New Monsoon, Everyone Orchestra, Heavyweight Dub Champion, BLVD, Poor Man’s Whiskey & Jambay, plus Whipped Cream & Nuts Burlesque, Shakti SunFire hula hoops, Busy Bee trick dog show, the Hella Fools, video & much more!
December, 20 2009 05:00 PM - Vienna Teng & Alex Wong- 2 shows in 1 day @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $25

$5 of each ticket will go to Bay Area Food Banks & Up On Top Show 1 at 5:00pm Show 2 at 8:00pm Vienna Teng shares her name with the Austrian home of Mozart and Beethoven. And she herself studied classical piano from the age of five. But there’s nothing old-world about the music of Vienna Teng, whose Zo/Rounder Records debut brings to mind artists as diverse as Tori Amos, Simon & Garfunkel and Radiohead. "People used to ask what kind of music I played and I never knew how to answer that," says Teng. "I work a lot with classically trained musicians, but most of my influences are from 1970s-era folk music. So now I call it chamber folk." She adds: "I’m always looking for the perfect pop song combined with an unexpected amount of depth; that’s my idea of great music." Alex Wong is a Brooklyn based songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who likes to keep himself very busy. In 2008, he co-produced and arranged Vienna Teng’s latest album, Inland Territory, and co-wrote a song with her.
December, 26 2009 09:00 PM - Eek-A-Mouse & Pato Banton @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $25

What joy to see Eek-A-Mouse and Pato Banton both in one magical night! Pato Banton is a spritely man who seems possessed by the music at times and lights up an entire city when he smiles. Eek-A-Mouse is larger than life with a subtle flair and he fills the stage as he sings and waves to people in the crowd. Both are huge crowd-pleasers – each interacts with the audience and encourages an irie atmosphere. But that’s where the similarities end. From their backing bands to their backgrounds, these two reggae artists are worlds apart. The overall experience satiated every hope and expectation from a reggae show.
December, 28 2009 08:00 PM - Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $23

Cracker: Cracker, the group that veritably introduced brash irreverence and irony into alt-rock, are back and in top form on their 429 Records debut, Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey. This rich new trove of sharp-witted songs showcases a bristling, late 70’s – early 80’s power pop punk aesthetic, which hits as hard as it did at the band’s formation 17 years ago. Eight albums (one platinum and three gold) and a barrel full of anthemic hit songs later, Cracker endures, using their ability to weave decades of influences into an album that is seamlessly rivetin Camper: Camper Van Beethoven was one of its era’s most original and influential indie rock bands. The quintet effortlessly combined an iconoclastic, irony-laced lyrical stance with a free-spirited eclecticism that encompassed a dizzying array of stylistic influences, from punk to folk to psychedelia to all manner of world music. Camper’s visionary embrace of disparate genres established them as innovators, while their songs’ combination of barbed satire and poignant humanism stymied those who’d attempt to pigeonhole them as a mere novelty. The album ‘New Roman’—on the band’s own Pitch-A-Tent label, the same imprint that issued much of Camper’s seminal ’80s work—is a vivid, emotion-charged song cycle that merges the group’s sense of musical adventure with a fanciful rock-opera storyline that’s rife with parallels to America’s current political landscape.
December, 30 2009 07:30 PM - Furthur @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
99 Grove St., San Francisco, California 94102 - $45

featuring Grateful Dead legends Phil Lesh and Bob Weir with Jeff Chimenti, Joe Russo, John Kadlecik and Jay Lane
December, 31 2009 07:30 PM - Furthur @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
99 Grove St., San Francisco, California 94102 - $65

featuring Grateful Dead legends Phil Lesh and Bob Weir with Jeff Chimenti, Joe Russo, John Kadlecik and Jay Lane
December, 31 2009 08:00 PM - Brett Dennen & Friends @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, California 94610 - Balcony- $39.50, Mezzanine and GA- $49.50

With Guests ALO & SambaDa Brett Dennen: With the release of Hope For The Hopeless, the folk and rock influenced singer/songwriter’s authenticity, willingness to weave meaning into his melodies and reputation as one of the best new live performers, Brett calls to mind his influences. Drawing on a deep appreciation of Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and World artists, Hope For The Hopeless is a narrative-rich album from an artist who was aptly summed up by Grammy winning musician John Mayer, who said, "He’s timeless. He’s probably twenty-five but he seems like he’s twenty-five in 1972."
December, 31 2009 09:00 PM - Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ The Independent for New Years Eve!
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $85

*Open bar included in price of admission Rare indeed is the artist with the virtuosity to draw the unqualified respect of some of the most iconic legends in jazz and the ability to deliver a high-energy funk rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is one such artist - and there is no one else like him.
January, 2 2010 09:00 PM - Beats Antique @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St,, San Francisco, California 94117 - $13 ADV | $15 DOOR

BEATS ANTIQUE, an oakland based group featuring ZOE JAKES, DAVID SATORI, AND SIDECAR TOMMY, have stumbled down the rabbit hole and emerged anew on the other side. COLLIDE is a product of that absurd adventure, forging a curious alliance between middle eastern traditions and potent west coast circus, underground hip hop, breakbeat brass band, downtempo, glitch and dubstep. BEATS ANTIQUE’S second album has brought the paradox of electro-acoustic music into the future.
January, 8 2010 09:00 PM - Dengue Fever @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $18

L.A.’s Dengue Fever has perhaps the strangest cultural cross-pollination of any band in recent memory. They are left-field enough for a group of white musicians to cover psychedelic rock oldies from Cambodia, but finding a bona fide Cambodian pop star to front the band is the kind of providence that could only touch a select few places on Earth. Dengue Fever’s roots can be traced to organist Ethan Holtzman’s 1997 trip to Cambodia where he was introduced to the sound of ’60s-era Cambodian rock. The standard sound bore a strong resemblance to Nuggets-style garage rock and psychedelia, heavy on the organ and fuzztone guitar, and with the danceable beat of classic rock & roll. It also bore the unmistakable stamp of Bollywood film musicals, and often employed the heavily reverbed guitar lines of surf and spy-soundtrack music.
January, 9 2010 07:30 PM - Weezer @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
99 Grove St., San Francisco, California 94102 - $49.50 ADV | $52 DOOR

As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer received equal amounts of criticism and praise for their hook-heavy guitar pop. Drawing from the heavy power pop of arena rockers like Cheap Trick and the angular guitar leads of the Pixies, Weezer leavened their melodies with doses of ’70s metal learned from bands like Kiss. What truly set the band apart, though, was their geekiness. None of the members of Weezer, especially leader Rivers Cuomo, were conventional rockers -- they were kids that holed up in their garage, playing along with their favorite records when they weren’t studying or watching TV. As a result, their music was infused with a quirky sense of humor and an endearing awkwardness.
January, 9 2010 09:00 PM - Locura @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $13 ADV | $15 DOOR

Spain. Cuba. Jamaica. California. This extraordinary group of musicians mixes grooves and melodies from Flamenco, Reggae, Cuban Son, and North American Folk. To the stage they bring the mysterious and passionate world of Flamenco, combined with the driving, full sound of a salsa band. LoCura creates an original blend of irresistible, high energy music that bridges cultures and transcends borders. Mesmerizing flamenco footwork and solid bass lines, fiery guitar and hard-hitting percussion support rich vocals with soaring harmonies, creating a vibrant collage of sound and movement. Emotionally charged music that ignites a pulsating dance party, provides food for the soul and uplifts the spirit...a sound track to feeling alive!
January, 13 2010 08:00 PM - Cross Canadian Ragweed @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $17

Let’s get this straight right off the bat, though it should be obvious to any and all who have been listening over the last decade or so: Cross Canadian Ragweed are a rock’n’roll band. “They may be the last great Southern rock band still stomping the boards,” says All Music Guide, while USA Today proclaims that “this ferociously rocking band is one of the better-kept secrets around.” But not a secret for much longer, as their seventh studio album, Happiness and All The Other Things, amply proves. Their utterly natural Southwestern rock style abounds on this 12-track opus. The album opens with a one/two punch/kiss combo that sets the band’s wide parameters: The fiercely rocking road tale “51 Pieces” followed by a sweet taste of the Texas Hill Country springtime on “Blue Bonnets.” And then it only gets better.
January, 14 2010 09:00 PM - Anthony B @ The Independent
628 Divisadero Ave., San Francisco, California 94117 - $25

Draped in the rich colours of African cloth, his trademark staff in hand, and his dreadlocks wrapped regally on his head, Anthony B embodies all that it is spiritual and proactive about Reggae music. This artiste has been steadfast in his mission to represent the poor and oppressed, using sharp lyrics to confront political injustices and bring the issues of the people to the forefront. In the process, he has raised the quality of performance standards and lyrical content for the industry, through the release of 13 albums, over 1000 singles and appearances on over 100 albums in the last 14 years.
January, 16 2010 09:00 PM - 2 nights! Rebirth Brass Band & Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $25

2 Nights! January 16th and 17th at 9PM Simply put, The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans institution. Formed in 1983 by the now infamous Frazier brothers, the band has evolved from playing the streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all over the world. Rebirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show. Their signature brand of heavy funk has not only won over several generations of music lovers, it has become the soundtrack to an entire city. In the wake of the sometimes-stringent competition amongst brass bands, Rebirth is the undisputed leader of the pack, and they show no signs of slowing down. Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk is a group of musicologists that transcend age and styles in a free-flowing approach to their art. Dumpstaphunk weaves a vocal and musical tapestry from key members of Dave Matthews & Friends, Trey Anastasio, Jewel and the Neville musical families. The band’s music incorporates drops of Sly and the Family Stone and Meter-esque jams as well as other diverse influences into a spicy musical gumbo.
January, 22 2010 07:00 PM - A Celebration of a Life: Tribute to Norton Buffalo @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakland, California 94610 - $49.50 | $65| $125

Mr. Buffalo, who appeared on more than 180 albums and spent 33 years as a member of the Steve Miller Band, was diagnosed with cancer in September. His life will be celebrated Jan. 23 at the Fox Theater in Oakland in a benefit concert starring the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers, with special guests Huey Lewis, George Thorogood, Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Raitt.
January, 23 2010 07:00 PM - Tribute to Norton Buffalo @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, California 94610 - $65 GA | $125 LOGE | $65 MEZZANINE | $49.50 BALCONY

2 nights! January 22nd and 23rd! Mr. Buffalo, who appeared on more than 180 albums and spent 33 years as a member of the Steve Miller Band, was diagnosed with cancer in September. His life will be celebrated Jan. 23 at the Fox Theater in Oakland in a benefit concert starring the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers, with special guests Huey Lewis, George Thorogood, Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Raitt.
January, 24 2010 08:00 PM - Mindy Smith @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $17

Mindy Smith’s debut is a stunningly powerful document of a brave songwriter and innately expressive singer tackling life’s biggest issues with unfettered honesty. Personal in tone, yet universal in reach, Smith’s songs delve resolutely yet delicately into the most tender aspects of relationships, spirituality, loss and perseverance. With One Moment More, Smith makes it clear: She’s a uniquely talented songwriter and singer with a vision perfect for pulling people inward and reminding them of how to face the challenges we all confront.
January, 28 2010 08:00 PM - Bowerbirds @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $12 ADV | $14 DOOR

The Bowerbirds sit on the dividing line between the freak folk contingent led by Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom and the more straightforward sunshine pop of Lavender Diamond: for all the self-conscious quirkiness of their lineup and instrumentation, there’s an unfeigned positivity to their music that’s refreshingly direct. The roots of the Bowerbirds lie in the indie rock trio Ticonderoga, who was led by singer and guitarist Phil Moore. Him and his girlfriend, Beth Tacular, now have their own band, the Bowerbirds, with Tacular teaching herself how to play the accordion and acquiring a marching band-style bass drum to keep rudimentary time.
February, 6 2010 09:00 PM - Rhett Miller With The Serial Lady Killers @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $20

Already widely loved for his work as frontman and main songwriter of the hard-charging rock ’n’ roll quartet the Old 97’s (of which he is still a member), Miller revealed a more introspective side with his acclaimed 2002 solo debut The Instigator. The Believer takes its predecessor’s achievements several steps further, with a dozen deeply-felt, craftily melodic tunes that demonstrate the Texas-bred artist’s knack for using accessible songcraft to address complex emotional issues.
February, 11 2010 08:00 PM - Wild Beasts @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California 94117 - $12 ADV | $14 DOOR

Wild Beasts being of the modern, being of the renaissance, being baggy pantsed, being tight pantsed, being in a scene and being in a place. So we bent our backs and leaned hard into our chores, like an old slugger working the ring, the furious fist of fate swung his swing and we took the lot - full on the sweet spot.
February, 11 2010 08:00 PM - Alice In Chains @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakland, California 94610 - $39.50

A metal band with an alternative-rock edge, Alice in Chains was among the biggest to emerge from the grunge scene that spawned Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The group’s dark, bitter songs, laden with references to drug addiction and death, occupy a musical landscape somewhere between Metallica’s dense head bangers and Pearl Jam’s grinding anthems.
February, 27 2010 08:00 PM - The Magnetic Fields @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave,, Oakland, California 94610 - $32.50

"Three-Way," the opening song on Distortion, introduces, in a deceptively exuberant blast of pop noise, the themes and obsessions of Magnetic Fields’ eighth album. The lyrics simply consist of gleefully repeated exclamations, by male and female voices, of the song title. While "Three-Way" may summon images of Twister-like physical exertions in a situation where three is not a crowd, the subsequent material describes scenarios in which desire itself is twisted into dark, alluring shapes and love remains tantalizingly unrequited. Using a modest number of instruments, composer and producer Stephin Merritt creates a veritable wall of sound. He employs no synthesizers; instead, he generates waves of feedback that envelop every track like a spiky black gift-wrapping.
March, 1 2010 08:00 PM - The Magnetic Fields @ Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, California 94102 - $32.50

"Three-Way," the opening song on Distortion, introduces, in a deceptively exuberant blast of pop noise, the themes and obsessions of Magnetic Fields’ eighth album. The lyrics simply consist of gleefully repeated exclamations, by male and female voices, of the song title. While "Three-Way" may summon images of Twister-like physical exertions in a situation where three is not a crowd, the subsequent material describes scenarios in which desire itself is twisted into dark, alluring shapes and love remains tantalizingly unrequited. Using a modest number of instruments, composer and producer Stephin Merritt creates a veritable wall of sound. He employs no synthesizers; instead, he generates waves of feedback that envelop every track like a spiky black gift-wrapping.
March, 5 2010 08:00 PM - Tegan and Sara @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, California 94610 - $35

Tegan and Sara’s sixth studio album – Sainthood – addresses secular themes of devotion, delusion, and exemplary behavior in the pursuit of love and relationships. Inspired by emotional longing and the quiet actions we hope may be noticed by the objects of our affection, Sainthood is about obsession with romantic ideals.
April, 13 2010 08:00 PM - Mark Knopfler @ Paramount Theatre
, Oakland, California - $49.50 - $99.50
April, 15 2010 09:00 PM - Miike Snow @ The Independent
628 Divisadero St., San Francisco, California 94117 - $20

Up to this point they’ve remained pretty mysterious, proving nearly impossible to find any information about, photographic or otherwise. Man? DJ? Robot? Miike Snow is a band consisting of Swedish duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg. Miike Snow is intelligent pop music that has the ability to cradle taste making purists and reach anthemic heights. Showcasing melodic songs built for the anything goes environment of the club, Miike Snow will make anonymity an impossibility.
April, 16 2010 08:00 PM - Hot Chip @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave,, Oakland, California 94610 - $29.50

The music making partnership of Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Owen Clarke, Al Doyle and Felix Martin came into existence in gradual stages, and has culminated in their third album Made In The Dark the follow up to the UK gold selling, Mercury Music Prize nominated album The Warning. Clarke’s signature guitar and keyboard riffs, Doyle’s high calibre musicianship and Martin’s programming skills have combined with the considerable talents of Goddard and Taylor in a way making the songs even more propulsive, repetitive, rhythmical, methodical, wonky, intimate and beautiful than before.
April, 17 2010 08:00 PM - The Avett Brothers @ Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, California 94610 - $35

I and Love and You, The Avett Brothers’ big-label debut, is delivered in a style that defies pigeonholing but might be described as a rootsy amalgam of folk, country, bluegrass, rock and pop - even a jab of punk-style dynamics here and there. Drawn by the naked honesty of their songs and the rousing intensity of their live shows, legendary producer and talent scout Rick Rubin signed the Avett Brothers - consisting of siblings Scott and Seth, plus bassist Bob Crawford - to his American Recordings label in 2008.
April, 17 2010 09:00 PM - Collie Buddz and The New Kingston Band / Devin The Dude @ The Independent
628 Divisadero, San Francisco, California - $28
April, 18 2010 08:00 PM - The Avett Brothers @ Grand Sierra Theatre
, Reno, Nevada - $27.50 GA