Have you ever wondered what a musical that roaches would put on after hours in a black box theater would sound like? Welcome to Juicebumps. Self described as “the Bay Area’s favorite hard to listen to spank-rock band, they excrete a signature blend of hot garbage & vaseline that goes down thick and leaves you hankering for less.” Opening song “Scatterbrain” sets the expectation: “My scatterbrain is in a million little pieces.” Juicebumps make it super clear from the start: this music is Weird with a capital W! It’s a radio show from the otherworld and it’s a great time.

The album feels like the muppets took over public access on Mars. “Supercool” sounds like a video game made by someone who got fired for putting inappropriate jokes in Metroid. “Dead Asleep” features gutter philosophizing, where tin foil hats are the height of fashion. Lasers fire “Supercool” into uncharted regions of electromagnetism. Music theory nerds get plenty to chew on (and probably spit out), with piles of dissonance, abrasive timbres, and collage like rhythms.

No vocal is un-affected, either by actual audio effects or general attitude. Voices and characters chime in on the Adult-Swim-core “Soopermart,” finally concluding “put me in the freezer looking for a good time one of us will die here.” The lyrics all come from whatever substation their cosmic antenna is tuned to. A bludgeoned Devo riff spines “Monosodium Glutamate” (I definitely already knew what that title means, I totally didn’t have to google it.)

They end with the banger-ballad-banger that is “Kanker.” As a whole this is fusion from smart minded bad students who didn’t respond to that book learnin’ but liked the creepy man who followed them to class. There’s some Primus, some Slint, some Ty Segall in his off kilter moods. It’s angular, it’s sharp, it’s dense, it’s playful, and it’s silly. There’s lots to love. Pairs well with Scary Scare, Nina Durango, and Gumby’s Junk. 5/5 🤖🤖🤖🤖🤖 

The name of this album "Incandescent Fire," by the incredible Katsy Pline, is one of the first things that made me curious about the music contained within. Fire is by definition incandescent (or rather, emitting light created by heat). However, incandescent can also mean "full of strong emotion, passionate". Katsy Pline is the incandescent fire, still burning after all life has nearly disappeared. On the title track, singer Evie B. sings, "Molten flows of dreams... fill my flesh with incandescent fire." That hope contained within even the saddest and most bereft tracks on the album are what keep these masterful songs ever-giving. I find something new and fresh every time I listen.

"Incandescent Fire" seems to be a straightforward Americana album, until you start noticing the odd time signatures, the synthesizers, the jazz compositions that float beneath the western sound like gentle waves. Like the best country music, this album manages to be uplifting amidst palpable sorrow and regret. On the first track, Evie B. quavers in a gorgeous falsetto "Well she's long gone and I just can't sleep/And I close my eyes, well it's her that I see." I felt saddened and moved to tears when I heard her signature yodel in the song "Guess I'm Always Leaving" which is the album's breakout hit. There is really deep emotion woven into the arrangements of my favorite songs which include "Do You Ever Miss Me" and "Standing All Alone." On the latter track, she sings "I'm dancing with my shadow" as a shimmer of eerie arpeggios flutter all around these lonely figures. You really begin to wonder, are there actually two people in that lonesome embrace, or just one? Katsy Pline has a way of making lost loves and ghosts seem as real and alive as the living. 

All throughout Katsy Pline's works (Incandescent Fire is the third album from this talented band), it is obvious that Katsy the person (aka Evie B.) has suffered, pined, cried, screamed, and wondered the proverbial why? This is probably showcased the best on the final track, "Lost and Lonesome Too," which is a sweet folk song conveying child-like innocence in a big mean world. There isn't an ounce of anger, just a longing mixed with a child's curiosity, and maybe even a little resignation. To end the album here is truly the checkmate of this sophisticated work of art.

Just like her namesake Patsy Cline, our Katsy could easily be found at the bar crying away her mascara, or dancing on the table in drunken (or perhaps hallucinogenic) delight. Although I suspect the musical arrangements are more technical and complex than they might seem, there's a beautiful simplicity in the delivery of each song. The production makes no bones about showcasing Katsy Pline's best feature: Evie B.'s delicate vocals and poetic songwriting. It is at once wonderful and tragic, capturing the moment that heartbreak becomes heart-opening. Hard to forget, and hard to leave behind, "Incandescent Fire" is one of the most glamorous albums I have heard coming out of the Bay Area music scene in a long time. Someone hand me a whiskey because I'll drink to that.
5/5 🥃 🥃 🥃 🥃 🥃 

A song called “Blondie’s Gonna Die” kicks down the door to an album of 12 fiery songs in a taut 33 minutes. Lead singer Tess Stevens radiates rizz and decides she’s going to tackle you with her pain and leave you on the floor when she runs out the door. The songs are sharp and the laser production makes every tom hit and guitar strum shine through without ever covering up the real magic: Tess’s voice.

The world she sings about is a world of too many drinks, titular runaways, damaged people and the damage they do. It’s a dark world, but it’s also an irresistibly fun world. I saw them over the summer at Trixie Rasputin's Ever Higher Festival at Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. Tess & The Details really brought it, crackling with energy and filling the summer afternoon with thrilling rage, turning their aches into raucous shout along choruses.

There’s so much to love in this pop punk burst of an album. “Take a Number” is a shit-kicking pit starter before down shifting to deliver its message, then punching you in the face with the ending. “Unnatural Disaster” soundtracks a yet to exist coming of age movie. “Jester” rips power chords out of guitars like pages from a diary, and ends with a turn-up-the-dial key change. Whoa-oa-oas get deployed like weapons. Tess can turn a phrase on a dime: “it makes you want to cry so turn your eyelashes inside out tonight” “I’m hypercritical borderline pitiful but goddamn I know how to lie” and one of my favorites: “I only sing in the key of the dead.”

The band's mission is to use its platform via lyric messages and social channels to address vital topics such as mental health, gender equality, and the promotion of optimism. A strong emphasis is placed on fostering connections with their audience. The only thing I don’t recommend is trying to do your taxes while you listen to it (it’s been a multitasking day). It’s a blast! 5/5 horns 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘 

Alchemy, according to Webster's Dictionary, is "the medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy whose aims were the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for diseases, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life." Like the alchemist that she is, Tess Posner has transformed pain into pleasure on her truly inspiring EP 'Alchemy'. 

I was first introduced to Tess Posner around the time that 'Alchemy' was released in September of 2023. She brought wildflower seed packets to her EP release show in San Francisco as a gift to each attendee, something that made me feel instant magic and connection. I had not yet listened to the music but I remember thinking right then that this was a confident and mystical artist, already a unique voice rising above the din. Once inside, It felt like I entered a secret society, or maybe even a witches' coven. Rose Haze was there that evening, and Joyce Lee, and it occurred to me that perhaps some kind of female revolution was happening, or needed to happen. Perhaps it was the beginning of alchemy in the Bay Area music scene.

What I often notice is that women are speaking the language that men speak, but it is rarely the other way around. Why is that? Is our secret female language actually our power? There are many ways to turn this question around in your mind, but I would recommend listening to 'Alchemy' before you draw your final conclusion. The first song, 'Feral Child', is a deeply descriptive story of finding intimacy with the hidden parts of ourselves. The fragility of Tess' voice and lyrics on this opening track bring you into her world like a finger beckoning through a slowly opening door. From there, the critically acclaimed song 'Volcano' suggests that a woman's fury might actually be the source of life. "What if I can't control it/I don't want this world to choke/On the anger that has smoldered/Into ash and smoke... I'm a volcano/When I let my fire go/I make diamond sands, fertile lands/You will know, you will know." It's so visceral, and I think every person can relate to the unpredictable mother figure in this song.

​All of the music on this EP is darkly danceable, but the lyrics are never lost in the music. Her producer Rob Wells keeps Tess' pristine voice up front on every track. 'My Heart Is Dry' is a greatly metaphorical song about lands that have dried up due to neglect, with only a single wildflower to give this arid landscape any hope of returning from the brink. This leads into 'Ghosts,' a song which gathers it's strength from a less is more approach to the music. With just a piano and voice, we are taken through a dimly lit hallway, or maybe a cemetery, and it is up to interpretation whether meeting the ghosts is something to fear, or something to cherish. Finally, the EP comes to it's conclusion with the song 'Black Cloud' and it is the perfect ending. After you hear this song, you realize that the EP is just a slice of a larger epic. As listeners we have been invited into the middle of story. There was more where it came from, and after our main character goes through the "black cloud" of someone else's pain, there is an inevitable cliffhanger. You know that she makes it through the harrowing journey to the center of herself, but what is next? Can she save the drowning on her way back home? If we are lucky, the next album will give us the answer.

Alchemy does everything it promises for the listener. It squeezes water from stones and turns pain into power. Like the volcano she professes to be, Tess doesn't hold anything back simply because she is not able to do so. This is a brave artist who is going to speak her truth at all costs. With flawless production and music that is satisfying to listen to over and over again, this EP puts Tess Posner in a league all her own. 
5/5 🌋🌋🌋🌋🌋 

Ready to get hot and heavy? Because I feel like another title for this EP could have been “Smash Time.” It’s sweaty, it’s erotic, it’s oozing sex and it doesn’t hide behind metaphors. Here’s an example: “Open up my body let you satisfy me sexually.” I mean come on! That’s from “Look at What You’ve Done to Me,” a cosmic trip to a warehouse party orbiting Saturn. Cardboard People want to feel good and they want you to feel good too, so get ready!

Opening track “Devour” invites you to get lost in ecstasy, while also asking the question what planet are we on? This is R&B from the future, this is sultry cyborg music, this is a club scene from Ready Player One. If the goal of Interstellar was finding a new planet for smashing instead of living, this would be the soundtrack.

“Bend It Ova” makes things even more clear. This is actual blood-sugar-sex-magic, this is a celebration of bodies and how good they can make each other feel. “Lovecraft (Mind Games)” is the party at the end of “Return of the Jedi” but zoomed in on all the babies that were being made. And if all that weren’t enough, final track “Push Up” tempts us to skip the Netflix and get right to the chill. Personal favorite lines are “get with the times got this ass in cyberspace” and “I ride the cocky good.” Love it.

Cardboard People is the alt-pop-r&b project of vocalist Yunoka Berry and producer Jim Greer. Their music ranges from deeply cerebral to extraordinarily funky, somewhere between hip hop and avant-garde pop music, landing on a genre planet orbiting alt-indie-soul-artpop. Influences can be heard from Prince, Stevie Wonder, Tyler the Creator, Kate Bush, and Hieroglyphics. For this EP I humbly submit the genre name: Rhythm & Butts. Pairs well with Enon, LOUIZA, Melissa Jones, and Extra! Extra! It’s awesome.
​5/5 moans 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 

Marika Christine has been steadily making headway in the Bay Area Indie Folk scene since her album Puzzle World was released in 2021. She has been an easy choice for several Noise Pop shows (including this year's Bender's Happy Hour on Feb. 28th), and her sound fits well on female fronted bills, indie rock shows, or even with dreamy dance bands. The whimsey of Marika's songwriting along with acoustic guitar and piano-synth driven arrangements remind me of New Zealand songwriter Aldous Harding. 

To my ears, the songs on Soft Like an Apricot capture feminine songwriting without being explicitly girly. Marika's voice is soft (like an apricot), but her gifts as a musician suggest there is something tougher in the center. Rhythmically there are quite a few Easter eggs on this album too, which makes it a fun listen. For example, in the track 'Rational Reaction' there are faint jungle sounds, or perhaps beach shells, that softly punctuate the music at precise moments. The track 'Apricot' opens with a round robin of vocal ahhs and a whirly swirly flute. This is a supremely talented artist who is not only writing great music, but might actually be an important teacher of the language of women. This whole album plays like a sweet lullaby that comforts the way only a mother could... and is tough the way only Mom ever could be.

This album has several stand out songs, like 'Music and Heart,' a keen confession about being a grown-up but not quite. Sorrowful oohs and aahs sail over lighthearted music as Marika sings "It's hard to be young in San Francisco". No kidding sister! KQED caught wind of 'Buckle Up Baby', a jaunty Ben Folds-esque song that is reassuring and fun, while admitting that sometimes the road of life can be quite bumpy. There is a distinctive throw-back feel to much of this music, like maybe we really can wear flowers in our hair and relive the summer of love. Artists such as Marika Christine give me hope that a better vision of the world is more than just a fantasy. For more about Marika's development as a songwriter, the article from KQED is a quick and illuminating read. 

A strong young lady with beautiful ideals, I expect that Marika's solo show will be as captivating as watching the full band. The Bay Area music scene is lucky to have another artist I would place on par with Ellie Stokes, Christine McCann, Kate Ramsey and Tess Posner. Flawless production, sophisticated songwriting, and clear sense of self makes 'Soft Like an Apricot' excellent on every level. Highly recommended! 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

SInce Covid, we have been desperate for entertainment that doesn't involve Netflix and chill. I mean, we've already binge watched Big Mouth three times, and we want more meaningful experiences than doom scrolling every night before bedtime. Am I right!? If you feel like I feel, you want more nights out, you want more art, and you want more live music. The problem is, what options are there to see live performances in a post-Covid world that is still experiencing a sense of risk every time we leave the house? 

Well, for starters, you can see quite a bit of live music online these days. Many local outlets arranged for streaming during the pandemic, and some of them are still going strong. One such place that has been hosting live-streams all year is The Complex, a recording and art production space in the heart of San Francisco. A multitude of excellent local musicians have recorded in this space, and given viewers an intimate look at performances filmed in high definition. Check out this rocking video made in-studio of Alvie and the Breakfast Pigs performing their original song, "Tokyo". To see more from The Complex archives, where I have discovered many of my favorite bands, I recommend going to their website and linking up to their social media. The featured musicians in their live streams are some of the best of the Bay!
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Now, that kind of quality gets me pretty jazzed up. I love the sound, and the filming gives the sense that you're right there in the room! But what if you want to actually be IN the room? Well, grab your cutest mask and your dancing shoes, and head over to the Trixie Rasputin Presents Facebook Page for a comprehensive list of upcoming shows taking place IN PERSON at local Bay Area Venues! From the underground vibes at Amado's, to the living history inside Bottom of the Hill, there's bound to be a destination for every one. All of our local venues are adhering to mask and vax policies so we can safely enjoy live music together again. Every time you attend a show in person, you are supporting a small business, as well as breathing life into the passion and dreams of local bands. After all, without an audience there is no show. The music community thrives off of the support of fans like you!

Finally, there's one other great option for live music if you live in the Bay Area, especially if you like Happy Hour. Every week you can catch FREE live music at Toy Soldier in downtown San Francisco, or at Blue Light in SF's Marina District. Performances take place every Thursday and Friday from 5:30-7:30pm, and the acts range from acoustic trios to full Latin jazz bands. If you want to get a weekly reminder of who is playing, and where to find this free live entertainment, get on the email list! An announcement goes out every Tuesday afternoon. Not only will you have access to the list of free happy hour shows, but you'll also get updates for radio interviews with local musicians, announcements for free music in the park, and other fun events taking place all over the Bay.

It has not been the easiest year for our social lives, but rest assured that live music is alive and kicking at a venue, bar, or streaming platform near you. Keep tuning in to find out who will be the next big band to come out of San Francisco! And as always: Music is life, life is love, and love is music.