See it Live:
Thursday, September 9: Top 40 R&B crooner Trey Songz is coming to the Warfield this Thursday. Getting your girlfriend tickets to this show can go one of two ways. Either she’ll love you eternally or she’s going to leave you in hopes of marrying Trey Songz. Tickets start at $42.25, seduction begins at 8:00pm.
Friday, September 10: Singers Ray LaMontagne and David Gray are playing a show at the Greek theatre in Berkeley this Friday, which is a perfect venue for their soft and easy sounds. Music begins at 7:00pm, tickets begin at $39.50.
Friday, September 10: Benny Benassi has been both a pioneer and ambassador and electronic music. The Italian DJ is spinning at Ruby Skye this Friday for $55, starting at 9:00pm. This show is 21 and up only, which is great news or horrible news depending on who you are.
Saturday, September 11: It’s supposed to be sunny this Saturday, which means there’s no excuse not to make it out to GGP for the 12th annual Power to the Peaceful. Hippies and smiles a plenty, the day will be headlined by Michael Franti and Spearhead, with Rebelution, Crystal Bowersox, and others opening. PTTP asks for a $5 donation to enter the festival, which goes from 9am to 5pm. Check it out in Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park.
Sunday, September 12: The Scissor Sisters may make ‘pop’ music, but they make it “Filthy/Gorgeous” as one of their song titles would say. The New York band is coming to the Fox Theater Oakland this Sunday, and you can join the disco for $39.50. Show starts at 8:00pm.
Monday, September 13: The Swedish folk sensation known as The Tallest Man on Earth is headed to the Fillmore this Monday. I’m not sure how tall he actually is, but the moniker is false. Regardless, tickets for the show are $18.50 and it starts at 8:00pm. Nothing like some Swedish folk music to cure those Monday blues.
Monday, September 13: There’s no denying that Willie Nelson is the man, and the ticket prices to his show at the Wente Vineyards in Livermore can attest to that. Tickets start around $108 and go on up to a little over $300. Education begins at 8:15pm.
Listen Here!:
Crocodiles aren’t from San Diego. But the crazy band under the same name is, and they like to give us free music. The noisy punks have a new album coming out September 14, but they’re passing on a four song EP to ease our new music pains. Get it here.
The music tastemakers that go by NME put out a list of 2010’s top new bands. But according to Stereogum their list wasn’t received well, some of the bands were “old”, some they flat out didn’t like. So Stereogum put out their own list filled with lots of of funny, abstract names I’ve never heard of. But hey, they give us downloads so we can discover and learn. Check it out.
San Francisco’s very own Bassnectar brings us his “2010 IDJ Mixtape.” The cleverly titled mixtape opens with a crazy space station dialogue and blasts off from there. He brings in some new sounds, some old sounds, but as always he turns it into a mind melting cluster of bass and awesome. It’s the next best thing to seeing him live, download it here.
Heard it Through the Grapevine:
Snoop Dogg has been making some outlandish (but business smart) decisions lately. The Long Beach gangster recently revealed he runs his music past David Beckham before its released, and now Snoop has said he’s releasing a sequel to 1993’s Doggystyle. That’s pretty gutsy, considering it could horribly wrong and possibly kill his career. Though, he does have Swizz Beats producing the album, and he’s been on quite a high lately, and he’s riding the momentum out.
The xx won this years Mercury prize, which is given to the top British or Irish artist of the year. The band won the $30,000 prize for their self-titled debut album, beating our the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Corinne Bailey Rae. Past winners of the award include Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand.
T.I. is back at it again, and I don’t mean the studio, I’m talking the court house. The rapper – who not to long ago served time for a guns charge – was pulled over in Hollywood on Thursday for making an illegal U- turn in his Maybach. T.I. and his wife were in the car along with guests when they were pulled over, and the officer reported smelling marijuana. The car was searched as a result and a substance thought to be Ecstasy turned up. Both T.I. and his wife were arrested. His lawyers say he is most likely going to meet with a judge, which in lawyer-speak means he’s going to court.
I don’t think Panic! at the Disco has ever done something so awesome. The Vegas band recently covered a song from the play about a man eating plant – ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – and it’s over the top and epic, just as Vegas and the play are. Listen here.
In 2009, 50 Radiohead fans equipped with Flip cameras set to record the bands concert in Prague. They had plans of turning it into a movie, and now, it’s here. The scheme wasn’t originally endorsed by the band, but it now has their support as they gave the editors an audio recording from the concert. Check out Spin for directions on how to download it. Happy viewing.
