Louda y los Bad Hombres, Sue Problema, and Juanny Depp to play our first showcase of 2022
Also check out new music from Larry June, Stunnaman02, La Doña, Fake Fruit, Plastic Candles on Paisley Shirt Records, and Boyish (ft. ASTU, Ozer, and Jada Imani)
Primavera!
Okay, it’s technically still winter, but with nine days to the spring equinox, we’re super excited to announce Primavera, the next live music showcase hosted by White Crate.
Primavera will feature DJ sets by Sue Problema and Juanny Depp plus a very special live performance by Louda y los Bad Hombres. Aside from being our punniest lineup ever (and hella Latin), the talent here is undeniable. As part of Chulita Vinyl Club, Sue Problema spins everything from the most delectable dance punk to retro-meets-avant-garde cumbia. Likewise mixing and matching styles old and new, Juanny Depp produces a deep, irresistibly unique blend of house, techno, dembow, and reggaeton. (Check out their latest release DADA.) Finally, made up of a handful of masterful musicians, Louda y los Bad Hombres blends hip hop, jazz, reggae, cumbia, and punk into a dance party you don’t want to miss. (Try “Dejanos en paz, capitalistas.”)
Sat Apr 16
3-8 PM
Secret, sunny backyard in the Mission
DM your best friend for details :)
Peace,
ronny
THAT NEW NEW
“If you stand out by the Cliff House on one of those perfectly partly-cloudy days; when the fog helps to put things in perspective, rather than blotting out your view. Over there, near the Camera Obscura & Holograph Gallery, you’ll get gusts of wind and ocean spray from the waves below.”
That’s the vibe on Dust by Plastic Candles, the home-recording project by SF artist David Diaz, who also plays guitar in April Magazine. Inspired by J.D. Salinger and Leonard Cohen, the album is hazy, thumping, warped, and wondrous, sounding as if it were sung through rusty old pipes, strummed through seashells, and recorded inside a giant sea anemone. Highly recommended for fans of the city’s lovely lo-fi rock revival.
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Boyish—an experimentation hub focused on artist ownership, education, collaboration, and community—released amapiano-inspired single “Wasting Time”, featuring a supergroup of indie Bay Area artists: OHMi, ASTU, Bianca Brown, Nikbo, AroMa, Ozer, Sandu Ndu, Mia Pixley, Stoni, Isaiah Mostafa, Tofu Jack, SundaY, and Jada Imani. It’ll have you humming the melody after just one play, I promise.
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“Penas con Pan” b/w “Down That Road” is the new double single from SF artist La Doña, featuring the artist hunting mushrooms in the forest, taking them home, and concocting a special brew for a mysterious friend. It’s magical and delightful, and (no complaints here) not the artist’s first shroom-inspired song: See “Setas y Ceros.”
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“True to the original, but it’s sporting new haircut energy, an extra spring in its step.” Fake Fruit released “No Mutuas”, a Spanish language version of “No Mutuals,” the super duper catchy lead single from their self-titled debut released last year. It’s still as good as ever, and just more reason to see the group play live.
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“Arriving after his self-imposed isolation in the jungles of Nicaragua during 2020” comes “Night Swim” b/w “Semillita” by SF producer Izzy Wise, released by Lips & Rhythm Records. Acknowledging the influence of “so-called world music” on the producer’s work, these are low-key house tracks drawing from the sonic palette of Latin and South America, including plucked guitars, entrancing flute, and gorgeous Spanish vocals.
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Look, it’s no big mystery. If you put a grainy, dark photo of yourself standing in front of the Port of San Francisco on your cover art, I’m probably going to feature it here. And that’s even if your music video is clearly not shot in the city. In any case, “Leave It Up to Me” is a great, laidback single from Compton rapper Jay Worthy with SF’s Larry June.
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When I interviewed Professa Gabel as part of his performance with Brycon on Lower Grand Radio last month, I asked him who some of his favorite local artists were. “Stunnaman02,” he said, no pause, no stutter. Released by Still Winnin and EMPIRE, IT’S BIG is the newest album by Stunnaman02 and Drew Banga, all high-rolling, walloping party music. With just two guest appearances—Bay Area rappers Lil Kayla and Su’Lan—it’s the number one party soundtrack for your weekend around the Bay. The album launch is happening tomorrow at Vanity in SF. Get us on the list?
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With a lock on SF atmospheric rock, TREASVRE is set to release their full-length album Stick the Knife In on April 8. One month out, the group released the second single and video for “Run Away”, featuring huge slashing guitars, twittering synths, and cathartic, crooning vocals.
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Xyla will always hold a special place in our hearts. That’s because their debut release Ways, was also the first music I wrote about when White Crate launched in 2020. This week, the classically-trained, queer bpoc artist returns with “On & On”, described as “hope-induced Crunk ‘n B.” With the world the way it is, a little hope in our funky ambient techno is just the thing.
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Sabor! Mexico City label Super Spicy Records, which specializes in disco and funk, dropped Liberation EP, the latest dancefloor thriller from production duo 3kelves and We Are Neurotic. “Liberation” on the A-side is fast-paced but sparkly, freeing house music. “Beep Beep” on the B-side keeps up the pace and bumps up the volume for a heavy metal, French touch-inspired sound ideal for summertime fist pumping.
MAYBE MISSED
“A fresh approach to Joplin that emphasizes the range of his compositions and avoids mechanical ‘nostalgic’ arrangements.” — Allmusic
One of the COVID hobbies I picked up in 2020? For the first time, I found myself living in a house with an actual, real, wooden upright piano—and so I felt I had no choice but learn how to play it. As anyone who has ever played piano could easily guess, you know there came a point where I would spend days trudging through and gradually improving upon a meager, childish performance of Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag”—much to the dismay of my wife, dog, and neighbors.
But no matter what you think of ragtime, no one can deny the influence and staying power of Scott Joplin, whose music has permeated pop culture over the past century and also been performed by many of the world’s greatest pianists. Reflections: Scott Joplin Reconsidered is a new, well-deserved tribute from Lara Downes, who serves as Resident Artist for Classical KDFC in SF and Classical KUSC in LA. In addition to performing the famous pieces (“Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer”), Downes covers Joplin’s wide range, from waltzes and tangos to an excerpt from Treemonisha (1911), considered to be the first opera by a Black composer. Featuring small wind ensembles that (according to Allmusic) would be standard in Joplin’s time, the performances are far less stiff than typical ragtime performances. This is old music made new, dynamic, and full of life.
CLASSICS
“Bobby Black is one of the greats at his chosen instrument and one of the last members of the first generation of players to introduce it to American music. And he is definitely the only member of that club who spent most of his life in Northern California, San Mateo to be specific.”
When an anthology made the East Bay Times’ best Bay Area albums of 2021, I was a bit skeptical. After all, isn’t there more than enough new music to fill up the list?
But at the same time, I’m thankful for its inclusion because it served as my introduction to Bobby Black, a pedal steel guitarist who has made amazing music in the Bay Area since the 1950s. On 70 Years of Swinging Steel, a compilation released by Little Village Foundation, you hear Black weave through Western swing, rags, boogie woogie, jazz standards (“Take the A Train”), and honky tonk—a wide range of old-time music made cohesive by the artist’s Hawaiian steel-based sound.
Bobby Black will be performing at Armando’s in Martinez on March 17.
SHUFFLE ON
Listen to a megamix of the best music from the Bay Area in 2021.