Will this be our first/last time putting Bad Bunny in a headline? Probably
Get some Bad Bunny genre-bending edits by Maitre D plus sweet folk by Sophia Yau-Weeks, cutting lyricism by Professa Gabel, free jazz by Karl Evangelista, and more
Two things:
First of all, have you heard of the Free Key Choir? It's a special treat for lovers of Bay Area indie music as it's a choir made up of members from amazing local artists, including Boy Scouts, Ariel Wang, Rowan Katz, Sucker Crush, Katsy Pline, Cole Pulice, Emily Brown, Sour Widows, and Cuntstomer Servixxx. And! They sing their own music. Such a cool idea. They’re playing tonight and tomorrow night in Oakland and Sunday in San Francisco. Get tickets here.
Second, Noise Pop’s Summer of Music is kicking off tomorrow, bringing free live music to small businesses around SF every Saturday 2-5 PM. It’s an ambitious project, so we’ll be curious to hear what the city thinks of it.
— White Crate
BAD BUNNY SIN GENEROS
You’re not sick of Bad Bunny yet, right? You’re not allowed to be. He’s the reigning king of the pop music universe, whether you like it or not, so may as well roll with it. But if you want to hear him a little differently, there’s always the edit. PLAY BAD BUNNY EDITS is a new edit pack by Maitre D, mashing up the Puerto Rican rapper’s verses with some of the best (and most random?) hits from the decades. “Yo Perreo Sola” meets Pharrell’s “Beautiful.” “Coco Chanel” meets Kanye’s “Slow Jamz.” “La Romana” meets Outkast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious.” There’s even Kool & the Gang and Offspring mashups. It’s just the thing if you want to throw Bad Bunny into a non-reggaeton set.
— Ronny Kerr
LADYBUGS & BUTTERFLIES
“The project explores, in celebration and rumination, the relationships with the people and world around me, while drawing sonic inspiration from folk and alternative artists from the 90s and early 2000s. Ultimately, the driving force behind my work is the desire to reach and relate to others, building community and genuine connection.”
Produced with and engineered by Maryam Qudus (Toro y Moi, SASAMI, Spacemoth) at Tiny Telephone Recording Studio in Oakland—and featuring another local favorite Marika Christine on bass—Without You is a gentle, lovely indie rock EP released last month by Sophia Yau-Weeks. Born and raised in Oakland, the singer-songwriter flutters through the trio of pieces laid out like movements in a concerto (fast song, slow song, fast song), and it makes for a cohesive, complete set. It’s all down to earth, not just because of the ladybugs and butterflies, but because Yau-Weeks meditates on everyday emotions surrounding relationships, love, and friendship through folky, homey jams.
— Ronny Kerr
CUTTING LYRICISM & BRAGGADOCIO
“This album is all about Vibin. All about doing your thing not overthinking it and truly praising #thedude that is PG. Shout out to me ✈️”
I saw a friend fresh from the Family Not a Group takeover of Sofar Sounds this week, and her excitement about the performances was contagious. “SundaY was there! And Ozer! And um.. some professor guy? He was great.” Yeah, it’s like that when you see FNG, it’s almost overwhelming how much talent they can put up onstage in a single night, and it’s even more impressive the love and friendship exuding from the group. No egos, just building.
Of course, the professor guy is none other than Professa Gabel, who just dropped The Bay Lebowski with guest appearances by Stunnaman02, Grand-O, EaSWay, Serg2x, and Zemyran. Produced by Adeyemi, it’s all classic Bay Area-flavored slaps, dressed and drizzled in Gabel’s cool, cutting lyricism and laidback braggadocio. Oh, did I say no egos? Well, this is hip hop. Rappers been building themselves up before y’all called it self-care.
— Ronny Kerr
JAZZ POETRY IN THE NOW
“In the Filipino language Tagalog, Ngayon translates to ‘now.’ Appropriately, this sophomore effort from Karl Evangelista’s Apura is intended to capture the feeling of an abstract and transcendent present – a moment apart from the desperation and uncertainty that afflicted the past several years of human life.”
There’s literally nothing quite like this present moment. This one. Right now. How do you capture it? Many ways: For example, you could lose yourself in the stunning mantra of repetitive minimal techno blaring on the dance floor of some underground rave. Or, perhaps on the other end of the spectrum, you might unfurl your soul along the threads of some wild and free experimental jazz poetry, no two bars ever identical.
This latter is what’s achieved on Ngayon by Karl Evangelista’s Apura, a band featuring Andrew Cyrille (drums), Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), Rei Scampavia (piano), and Francis Wong (saxophone). The group plays as one led by Evangelista’s holy guitar, surging forward into the present, the ever-changing present. We weren’t lucky enough to catch the album release show at the Lab a couple weeks back, but we hope some of you did. If not, there’s always the studio recording if you want to listen… now.
— Ronny Kerr
LONELY BACK IN OAKLAND
Anyone familiar with Jayda G’s Oakland connections? Though the artist hails from the small Canadian town of Grand Forks, British Columbia, she’s lived all over—LA, Vancouver, Berlin. But on her new album Guy there’s a track called “Lonely Back in O” where the hook finds her “lonely back in Oakland.”
It’s a highly personal album: The title is her own last name—inherited from her father William Richard Guy—and the album is inspired by video recordings of him telling his life story before he died 20 years ago. As for the music? All Jayda G glory. Funky disco house soul spectacular dance party. A celebration of love and life. And one of the highlights is “Lonely Back in O,” a melodic groovy midtempo piece that meditates on “questions and secrets,” the mysteries of unraveling relationships, and the ensuing loneliness.
— Ronny Kerr
SHOW RECS
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[classical] Free Key Choir — June 16-18 in Oakland and San Francisco
[rock] April Magazine, Cave Diver, Figure Eight, Sucker — June 16 at Eli’s Mile High Club
[club] Ritchrd, DJ Juanny, Rayreck, Varsha — June 16 at Mothership
[club] Jaage, Moto Tembo, J. Medina — June 16 at Slate Bar
[club] Lane 8, Le Youth, Jerro, Ocula, Avoure — June 17 at the Great Northern
[hip hop] Family Not a Group ft. Ozer, Afterthought, Zaldy — June 17 at El Rio
[jazz] Jose James Sings Erykah Badu — June 17 at SFJAZZ
[experimental] Cyberfeminism Index ft. Evicshen — June 17 at the Lab
[club] Goldie, Jamal, Method One, bastiengoat, DJ Lethargy — June 17 at Public Works
[jazz] Snarky Puppy, Isaiah Sharkey — June 18 at Stern Grove
[rock] Orchestra Gold — June 18 at SFJAZZ
[experimental] Garden of Memory — June 21 at the Chapel of the Chimes