This Sunday in Golden Gate Park, at the Speedway Meadow, see Brett Dennen for free. It’s the Green Apple Festival (which could be fun?). The other artists I’ve never heard of…
*Mickey Harts Mass Drums
*Yonder Mountain String Band
*Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks

This is San FRAN… couldn’t they find anyone better? Ugh. I’m pretty stoked for that little red headed singer/songwriter though, he’s fantasmastic. It all starts at noon.

The Stern Grove Festival is one that takes place in San Francisco at 19th and Sloat inside of the Sigmund Stern Grove. Yet to release their lineup for the summer (coming May 1st), the festival is sure to be promising. Concerts take place every Sunday at 2pm (beginning June 15th) and the admission is free. If you are a bay area resident, be sure to catch a few shows. The festival is in it’s 71st year, which is quite impressive to me. The past performers are grand, and I’m quite sad that I missed these acts last year.

*Huey Lewis and the News *Breathing Under Water *San Francisco Ballet *San Francisco Opera

Come on now, I’m not a complete pussy. Getting to see some amazing acts that you normally wouldn’t pay for isn’t all bad. Cultural and musical diversity are good things. May 1st I’ll be posting the lineup. For more, follow pic.

This could be the best festival out there this year. The bang for your buck is ultimate, especially since Radiohead is headlining. I figure you have to see them once up close and personal in your life. At least that’s what all my friends tell me. I’ve yet to experience the brilliance.

Maybe because it’s in my own backyard, but as I looked down this list, it quickly became a quick favorite. I never go to festivals for headliners, rather for the artists I might discover or already know of that are very underground. Radiohead and Tom Petty are easily worth the money, although I’d pay that much to not see Jack Johnson. (insert agitated surf-music content here)

Some under radar performers that I’m totally stoked about are….Regina Spektor, Devendra Banhart, bay area hip hop rapper Lyrics Born, Andrew Bird, rap/hip-hop group Little Brother, rock band Dredg, and of course my latest love, Bon Iver. I will be attending this amazing festival with bells and whistles on. More information to come on it very shortly.

Out of the ashes of other bands often come great bands. If you actually look at your favorite bands and trends, rarely is your first band gonna make it. Such is the case of Simian Mobile Disco, which is a great project. Lately I’ve really gotten into their music, and look forward to their show here in San Francisco at Mezzanine on April 26th. Typically I haven’t been one much for electronica or techno, and maybe as I get older, I get wiser, and my ears become smarter.

Through a friends recommendation who ‘was sweaty dancing away’ to Cut Copy at SXSW, I took the time to check out their tunes as well, and to paraphrase a former roommate, ‘absolute brilliance’ shines through. I found myself in the car on the way to work spinning imaginary glow sticks, possibly scaring the bejesus out of my fellow commuters.

Once I hit up the show, I’ll give you all an update of how it was. Currently, if you get in before April 7th to Itunes, Cut Copy has the selected single of the week. You can also find a couple of their songs on selected indie podcasts. KEXP song of the day has them featured awhile back, as well as the IndiePOP podcast feed. Check out those two bands and what ya think.

Zooey Deschanel, our loveable human wanna get lost from Hitchhikers will be on a short tour this year, first in LA, then in New York, then in my house!!! At the Oyster Festival in May…

http://www.oreillysoysterfestival.com/

tickets are $25 bucks. for zooey is worth it.