Influenced by Queens of the Stone Age, Black Sabbath, Rush, Herbie Hancock and The Meters, The Alive is a California rock band launched between surf and skate sessions in 2018.

Roman Gokhman is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of RIFF. He has been covering music in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2006, first as a staff writer for the Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times ...

SACRAMENTO — Orange County metalcore quartet Dayseeker didn’t plan to make a Halloween record; it just turned out that way. The band walked into a studio last year and it took this long to make ...

Ben Schultz is a freelance writer and journalist in Boise, Idaho. He has interviewed and written about a wide range of artists, including Aimee Mann, Jessica Lea Mayfield and Mike Watt.

SACRAMENTO — There’s not much that can derail the train for heavy metallers Trivium. The band has weathered the last-minute departure of its drummer and a tour mate dropping out of a high profile run, ...

Addison Rae performs with Arca during Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. on April 13, 2025. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella. SAN FRANCISCO ...

Lala Lala (Lillie West). Photo: Ariel Fish. This week we bring you high-energy pop from Chloe Qisha, propulsive rock by Dogpark, earnest American by Drayton Farley, a hypnotic reverb-drenched tune by ...

Lorde performs at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Oct. 19, 2025. Matt Pang/STAFF. BERKELEY — About halfway through her sold-out show at the Greek on the UC Berkeley campus, Lorde sat center stage, ...

This week’s lineup features a West African groove from Cheikh Ibra Fam, dark pop from Magic Wands and foamboy, Massachusetts emo from Good Sleepy, lighthearted pop from GIULIA BE and introspective alt ...

Buckethead performs at the Warfield in San Francisco on Oct. 17, 2025. Photo by @bucketheadrocks. SAN FRANCISCO —This week has provided many electric rock guitar laden shows with Judas Priest, Richie ...