Tag Archives: San Francisco Concerts

Treasure Island 2016: 12 Must See Acts — SF 10/15-16 [Festival Preview]

Posted by Ash El Gamal - October 12, 2016

If you’ve been following The Music Ninja over the last few years, you already know that Treasure Island Music Festival reigns atop our list of best music events in the Bay Area. Rounding out peak festival season, TIMF consistently avoids the repetitive lineups that plague competitors while offering an ideal environment for attendees worn out from over-crowded events. 2016 is an important year for the festival marking both its 10th anniversary and final year taking place on Treasure Island itself as a result of upcoming real estate development. Thankfully it will not be the end altogether for the SF staple, which will be relocating to a TBD destination come 2017 (the SF Chronicle even has a poll where you can vote on where it should be).

With those milestones in mind, Noise Pop have stepped up their already fantastic curation bringing what may be our favorite lineup to date. Our best advice would be to catch as many artists as the schedule permits, be prepared for the rain and stop by the Silent Disco. Although we know and love pretty much every artist on this weekend’s bill, we’ve curated our top picks for each day below. Hope to see some of you Ninjas on the island! Continue reading →

Event Preview

[Event Review] ODESZA’s Dazzling Victory Lap at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium–SF, 12/10

Posted by Ash El Gamal - December 15, 2015

ODESZA
Memories That You Call (feat. Monsoonsiren)

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Since the release of their 2014 album, ODESZA have grown into an omnipresent force in dance music appearing at nearly every major music festival and making their way across the globe on an extensive headlining tour. This year has been particularly pivotal for the Seattle duo—they’ve dropped several massive remixes, continued to expand their live set (including a full marching band at Lollapalooza) and launched the Foreign Family Collective. Through Foreign Fam, they’ve helped introduce like-minded artists such as Big Wild and Jai Wolf to larger audiences. As huge fans, the Ninja staff have had the pleasure of covering the Seattle duo’s upward trajectory and interviewing them a couple times along the way.

In the last two years alone, the TMN writers have probably seen ODESZA a combined 20 times—my best guess for myself is 6. So, going into their show last week, I frankly wasn’t sure there was much more to see and, even if their performance hadn’t evolved, I would’ve admittedly left happy. Once again, though, ODESZA put together an awe-inspiring set fit for Bill Graham Auditorium’s grand stature. As the set began, members Harrison and Clayton emerged with their parallel MIDI and drum setup offering some words about their admiration for the SF crowd, who have shown out every time they’ve come to town. Musically, “Koto,” a gorgeous and low-key track, set the tone before the first high point hit with their remix of Sia’s “Big Girls Cry.” Granted a nearly 2-hour set, ODESZA was able to dig deep in their catalogue playing standouts from their oft-overlooked debut, Summer’s Gone, such as ”Above the Middle” all the way through the fan-favorite remixes of opener Hayden James’ “Something About You” and Zhu’s “Faded.” Continue reading →

Music at the Museum: NightLife LIVE at California Academy of Sciences, SF May-October [Event Series Preview]

Posted by Ash El Gamal - May 12, 2015

If you live in the Bay Area, chances are you’ve already been to the California Academy of Sciences either to check out one of their various one-of-a-kind exhibits or for a drink at their weekly Nightlife series, easily one of the best ways to spend a Thursday night in San Francisco. As if an aquarium, planetarium and fully-functioning rainforest weren’t enough to pique your interest, the Academy of Sciences is kicking off its second annual Nightlife LIVE concert series this week, which will transform the museum into a full blown concert venue one Thursday a month through October.

Teaming up with various local promoters and music festivals, Nightlife LIVE has assembled a lineup that features a dynamic collection of both established and up ’n coming artists across genres. The selection of artists are from all over the world, but the Bay Area and west coast are definitely the most well represented with a number of exciting local and regional bands featured. Keeping in the spirt of science, the outdoor stage setup promises to be an experience all its own with an immersive installation from Domestic Data Streams that will use real-time data from the audience to source a piece of digital art. Aside from the attractions inside the museum, there will also be several mini-exhibits from various organizations along other activities at each show. To prepare for this Thursday’s opening and get all our ninjas up to speed, we’ve broken down the acts performing at each show below. You can find some more info and buy tickets here.

May 14: Machinedrum & B. Bravo

’Braille – Everyone’s Crazy (Machinedrum Remix)’

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’B. Bravo – Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)’

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Lineup presented by: DJ Dials

Machinedrum’s complex, atmospheric take on drum ’n bass music couldn’t be a better way to open an event series honoring science. With a full live setup, he’ll be bringing his latest album, Vapor City, to life cover to cover. While Machinedrum’s sure to take us on a sonic journey, LA-based producer B. Bravo, who will be opening, should get the dance floor moving with his funk-influenced electronic jams. Continue reading →

[Event Review] GRiZ and The Floozies Tear the Roof off Mezzanine with Future Funk, SF 5/2

Posted by Ash El Gamal - May 7, 2015

Article by Ash, Photos by Dom Powell

’GRiZ – The Anthem (ft. Mike Avery)’

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Since Funk’s inception in the mid-60s, it’s been reborn countless times particularly in hip-hop and, most recently, electronic music. Although it certainly possesses distinct composition elements, funk’s cross-genre transcendence also stems largely from its showmanship, quirkiness and the underlying attitude which it catalyzed. In some genres, this sort of evolution, or appropriation, is looked down upon, but funk is quite the opposite. George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic, for example, was constantly changing adding young members to keep its sound fresh. Even now, Clinton, widely considered one of funk’s founding fathers, continues supporting and working with a diverse set of artists who keep funk alive and well.

In the realm of electronic music, few artists have done a better job of carrying on the funk tradition than the sax-wielding GRiZ, whose “future funk” combines the enormity of electronic bass music with big-band funk of the 60s and 70s. The Detroit producer is in the midst of his most ambitious year yet releasing a stellar album with Say it Loud and launching All Good Records to give like-minded artists an opportunity to expand on the movement. We were lucky to catch GRiZ along with label mates The Floozies at their jam-packed show at Mezzanine in San Francisco over the weekend and it was a perfect reflection of an exciting moment in their respective careers. Continue reading →