Music
Forrest Theater
Forrest Day’s smoldering album The Second – released today at Carmel Bar & Grill – refuses to be pigeonholed.
“When people want to know what kind of music we play, I usually say highly engaging, stimulating and exciting,” says Forrest Day drummer Jasper Skydecker. “Those are the words I use because it is so ...
Family First
He’s My Brother She’s My Sister’s music brings a virulent mélange of everything.
What began as a publicity photo shoot under a bridge in Los Angeles turned into He’s My Brother She’s My Sister’s first gig. Their audience? Just your everyday under-the-bridge-dwelling hobos. “They really enjoyed it; they ...
Strange Days
The eccentric and elusive Ariel Pink brings his catchy brand of lo-fi, psychedelic pop to Big Sur.
Beneath Ariel Pink’s (Ariel Rosenberg) drug-hazed façade and mop of tousled blonde hair – sometimes dyed pink – emanates a beam of persistence and songwriting virtuosity that has been active since he was 10. That’s ...
Endless Riffness
After more than four decades, Richard Thompson’s songwriting remains sharper than ever.
“If you think about the number of songs on the planet written every day, it’s scary,” Richard Thompson says. “If you think about the number of songs written in Nashville alone every day, it’s even ...
Full Bluhm
Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers are endowed with an uncanny devotion to their craft.
Last winter, Nicki and the Gramblers were caught in the climax of a monstrous snowstorm in Wyoming. Through the flow of diagonally falling snowflakes, it appeared as though the snow extended from the front of ...
Doing the Wave
Moss Landing’s Hallway Ballers look to the sea for guidance.
Everything always comes back to surfing for the Hallway Ballers. “Last night we were watching the bay and appreciating how fortunate we are,” says bassist Nate Hydie. “There’s a camaraderie because we surf together every ...
Mariachi Muchachas
Authentic heritage music and feminine inspiration is what Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles does.
It took more than 100 years, but Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles broke the glass ceiling in 1994 when they became the world’s first all-female mariachi group. The group’s founder and musical director Jóse Hernàndez ...
Made in Americana
The Easy Leaves’ affinity for the Americana tradition has infectious results.
The Easy Leaves’ version of Americana is more than just a blend of American roots music – it’s a force of nature that can come to life around a campfire with a couple guitars and ...
Magical Mystery
Medeski Martin and Wood have been delivering memorable live performances for more than 20 years.
A conglomeration of chimes and global percussive instruments – plus a melodica, push organ and upright bass – coalesce into methodical chaos in Medeski Martin and Wood’s live acoustic version of “Doppler” before ultimately bleeding ...
Caribbean Cool
CSU Monterey Bay’s Annual Heritage Music Fest brings Grammy nominated percussionist John Santos and his sextet.
In 1976, percussionist John Santos joined Santana’s band as the timbales player. Three weeks later, he was fired. It was the best thing that could’ve happened to his career. “That was my blessing in disguise,” ...
Hot Dream Pop
One-woman songwriting machine Natasha Khan dispenses dream-pop ballads with Bat for Lashes.
Bat For Lashes, the moniker that multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan goes by, has one of those beguiling voices that can hypnotize a room full of people no matter where she’s playing. During a show last February ...
Back from the Dead
Seminal Australian world fusion duo Dead Can Dance lives on.
After selling nearly a million records and performing to soldout audiences around the world, Brendan Perry says Dead Can Dance’s biggest honor came when its single “Nierika,” off Spiritchaser, achieved Most Played Song on American ...
Galloping Pop
Alt-country rockers Band of Horses’ Monterey stop comes sandwiched between two sold-out weekends at Coachella.
“At every occasion, I’ll be ready for the funeral,” croons a harmonizing Band of Horses. “The Funeral,” the first single off BOH’s 2006 full-length debut Everything All the Time, is soaked in irony: BOH don’t ...
Intense New Direction
Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor gets weirder with How to Destroy Angels, coming Wednesday to downtown Monterey.
On March 5, Trent Reznor and the other members of How to Destroy Angels – Atticus Ross, Mariqueen Maandig and Rob Sheridan – took part in an online Reddit Ask Me Anything session. Besides Reznor ...
Quiet Legend
Musician Jaime Kyle has been a one-woman songwriting machine since she was a teenager.
Jaime Kyle was caught off-guard when she found out Heart wanted to cover one of her tunes. The pop ballad “Stranded” – featured on Heart’s 1990, multi-platinum Brigade – went on to reach number 13 ...
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