Ahead of Astronauts, etc.’s U.S. tour next month, mastermind Anthony Ferraro tells us how the band has grown from a studio project recording the group’s debut album, Mind Out Wandering, to an adept team interplaying live throughout the psychedelic pop tunes.
As the year winds down, we too are slowing our roll and looking back at everything 2015’s given us. In this spirit, we asked some of our friends and family to tell us what their favorite albums of the year have been — new or old — and why. We got in on the fun too. This isn’t a best-of ranking by any means, just a dabbling of what’s moved us. How Nice.
Rachel Fannan of Only You shares her love of Michael Jackson's Thriller for our Hit City Record Club series. "My inner spirit is always waiting for an MJ bump," she writes — whose isn't?
We spent last weekend up north at the second annual TBD Fest in Sacramento, hosting our own Hit City U.S.A. stage and it was great. In spite of the near 100° temperature, a day of sets by Shy Girls, Papa, Avid Dancer, James Supercave, O and Hit City DJ’s kept things plenty cool.
In advance of Astronauts, etc.'s Mind Out Wandering release this Friday, we asked band leader Anthony Ferraro to introduce us to the photographer behind his album's subtly evocative imagery. He sat down with Ginger Fierstein, who he met years ago around the Bay Area music scene, to discuss his friend's creative vision.
We all have different sides to ourselves, provoked by our surroundings. It is an act of physical space affecting our mental space — for Pearl Charles, like a lineage of amazing musicians before her, an important place for inspiration is the desert around Joshua Tree, California.
When we stopped by our favorite local guitar shop, Old Style, recently we were shocked to hear from owner Reuben Cox that the whole thing started basically by accident. And a bit of an odd one at that, considering he's not even really a musician himself.
It was by random chance we happened on Jeff Ogiba’s “Things I Found in Records” Instagram account but were immediately smitten by his collection of oddities discovered in album sleeves. His super specific concept makes for amazing bits of micro nonfiction, almost like music-collector archeology.
A week after the summer solstice, we're full on into the seasonal vibes. And, it seems, we're not the only ones. SoKo is onboard too, we're glad to say, as she's shared with us a playlist to welcome these long days — morning to night.
