Coachella’s expansion to two weekends over the past few years doesn’t really prove that more listeners than ever crave a weekend in a remote town at the mercy of desert weather, so much as it affirms the dominance of festivals in the summer’s musical landscape. The Bay Area and its more temperate climes is a principal stop for many such tours and the hometown, so to speak, of other fests. (Added bonus: unlike a certain SoCal desert extravaganza, purchasing tickets to most of these events does not require a payment plan.) One of the largest dance music festivals in the United States, Beyond Wonderland, makes its home in Silicon Valley… read more
In a landmark illustration of serious progress, the seventh annual SubZERO Festival will now be two days, Friday and Saturday, June 6-7. With an ever-evolving urban subcultural smorgasbord of creative trajectories, SubZERO already seems much more successful and multifaceted than any of the original SoFA Street Fairs back in the 1990s. I probably just lost 100 friends by writing that, but it’s my opinion. Your acreage may vary. When Brian Eder and Cherri Lakey first steamrolled into downtown, relocating their Anno Domini Gallery into the old Camera One building nine years ago, any seasoned futurist of that block of the street could sense a revolution in the works… read more
Summer 2014’s films show how well the studios learned the lessons taught by Paranormal Activity-which made $100 million off a found-footage gimmick and a $350,000 pick up price. 2014 may be the last summer the everyday movie watcher registers the difference between a selfie-cellphone shot and a tracking shot. All genres are subject to this new aesthetic. John Legend is working on a found-footage musical planned titled Breaking Through. The Sacrament (June 6) directed by Ti West, revisits Jonestown as if filmed by a Vice Media crew; the taste is iffy, but that’s producer Eli Roth for you. As Above So Below (Aug. 15) takes the hand-held camera to the depths of the Paris catacombs, which turn out to have a few living gargoyles in them… read more
Theater | Festivals, Fairs & Events | Jazz & Concerts | Outdoor Concerts
