Skip the Needle: Decades of East Bay soul and punk
"Oakland just seemed like a cauldron of creativity and expansiveness, like there were no rules and everyone wanted to break […]
William Johnston: From sideman to Extravagant Superband-leader
"It's like working every job at a fast food restaurant before becoming a manager, knowing the difficulties of each station […]
Frankie Maston: Tanzanian roots, sound healing, and radical queer joy
"When we find our joy, we become harder to break. We remember who we are, even in moments when the […]
Spencer Noble: Long-time collaborator turns to a “Cute” solo debut
"I wanted every instrument to be informed by the vocal part - 'lifting up the words' so to speak. Since […]
Full lineup for Total Accord Fest with Brijean, The Seshen, AroMa, Jammy, and more
Kicked off last year by the upstart creative agency Total Accord, this festival is one of our favorite celebrations of […]
New music by Jammy, AroMa, Marika Christine, and other artists playing Total Accord Fest 2026
Total Accord Fest takes overs a bunch of SF venues from June 3-20 with an amazing variety of live concerts, […]
Submit your music to Bay Beats! Selected artists receive a $300 honorarium
Now through May 31, Bay Area artists are invited to share their music for the chance to be featured on […]
“Not taking things too seriously” Alex Shen of Lower Grand Radio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUK_BauDWhA Alex Shen is the founder and station manager of Lower Grand Radio, the Oakland-based online station he launched from […]
“I’ve been in 18 different bands!” Alicia Vanden Heuvel of Speakeasy Studios SF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SwY1HOBS7o Believe it or not: Alicia Vanden Heuvel is a prolific musician who has been in more bands than Tony […]
Our favorite 25 Bay Area albums of 2025
Here it is. Yet again, we've done the impossible and ill-advised, narrowing down our favorite Bay Area releases of 2025—across […]