September 19, 2026

Stereolab

Poundsign at Thee Stork Club (07 Jun 2024)d3b65894200b

Summer Songs of Nostalgia for an Oakland Weekender

Robin Lapid June 10, 2024

Summer in June is lovely in theory, but every true Bay Area local knows that our mercurial microclimates beckon us east this time of year, away from San Francisco’s gloomy June and through the BART tunnel, surfacing in Oakland for snatches of sunshine. The same holds true not just for the weather but for lovers of indie pop. As art lovers and party people packed Uptown’s Telegraph Avenue for the First Friday art scene, music scenesters packed Thee Stork Club on Friday for night 2 of Oakland Weekender, the yearly music festival. “Festival” may seem like a stretch, as it all takes place in the cozy, dive-y environs of just the one bar, but the stellar lineup did make the weekend feel and sound larger than life. From the lo-fi, ‘90s pop nostalgia of Santa Cruz’s #Poundsign# to the honeyed, atmospheric melodies of San Francisco’s Seablite, the Weekender’s Friday night lineup had music fans basking in the sounds of an indie-pop summer. It was the kind of indie pop night where lyrics and words took a backseat to music, mood, and sound.

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Stereolab

Desert Daze Festival 2019 – Our Modern Day Woodstock (11 Oct 2019)

weheartmusic October 19, 2019

Crowds gathered seamlessly this year into the Moreno Beach area of Lake Perris for the autumn ritual of camping, yoga, swimming and the hottest bands you’ll see all year. In its 8th go-around, this was a vast improvement from the insane parking situation and nasty weather of 2018, thanks be to the gods. Desert Daze is quite often referred to as the greatest festival ever, and in all my years of music festivals (and believe me, there have been many) I have to concur that this one undoubtably tops the charts. From art instillations that will dazzle your mind to tea ceremonies in tents under the desert morning sky, this festival is for the light of heart, the TRUE music lovers, and the seekers. While I was mesmerized by the first DAZE I attended at the Metaphysics Institute in Joshua Tree in 2017, there is something magical about the festival continuing on with its desert theme while adding a sparkling lake that you can drift in whenever you please. It’s also an hour and a half away from sunny Los Angeles, so fellow Angelenos should consider themselves pretty blessed 🙏.

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Desert Daze: October 11-13, 2019

weheartmusic October 7, 2019

It is said that autumn is a time of rebirth, reflection and revitalization the soul. It’s a time of coziness, togetherness and ease as the cooler weather blankets our everyday lives. For some this means pumpkin spice lattes and dinners with friends by a fire and for some, it means an expansive weekend long music festival filled with a wonderland of modern-day rock legends. It means a perfectly curated playground of psychedelic art and communion with the promise of an all-around good freakin’ time. For some, the allurement of this season is the sprinkling of rock tunes on your tongue and a whole new version of Woodstock. Rock, my friends, is not dead.

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Adron and Helado Negro photo courtesy of Jayme Halbritter

Helado Negro – Island Universe Story at Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul (21 March 2015)

JohnC@weheartmusic.com March 25, 2015

Helado Negro is actually the musical nom de plume of Roberto Carlos Lange, a South Florida native of Ecuadorian descent, who along with some carefully chosen friends brought the world premiere performance of his Island Universe Story (Cuentos del Universo Solitario) to the Ordway Concert Hall in St. Paul.

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