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Top 5 Parties in S.F. This Weekend

By Derek Opperman
Small Stories Outpace the Big Stars at Pop-Up Mag

By Rachel Swan
Janelle Monáe Channels MJ With the SF Symphony

By Tamara Palmer
Chipotle Is Throwing a Free Music Festival?

By Ian S. Port
Bands Feel Like a Sideshow at Pricey Bottle Rock

By Ian S. Port
The 10 Worst YouTube Covers of "Get Lucky"

By Cory Sklar
Top 8 Ways a Stones Concert Is Like Living in SF

By Ian S. Port
The Rolling Stones at Oracle: Pricey Imperfection

By Ian S. Port
How to Celebrate Jawbreaker Day

By SF Weekly
Stern Grove Fest Announces 2013 Lineup

By Ian S. Port

2012 Music Lists

The 20 Best San Francisco Concerts of 2012, According to Us

By Ian S. Port Thu., Dec. 13 2012 at 9:13 AM

Categories: 2012 Music Lists, Critic's Notebook, Last Night, Lists, Navel Gazing, Photos

Christopher Victorio

Bassnectar fans at Bill Graham Civic in October.

Whether you preferred the dancefloor at Mighty, the plush environs of Bimbo's 365 Club, or the dewy late-night fields of Outside Lands, there were plenty of great concerts in San Francisco and the Bay Area in 2012. We reviewed many of them, from "secret" shows at semi-legal clubs to sprawling, three-hour sets by all-time greats like Stevie Wonder. But even we couldn't catch everything. So first, check out our list of the 20 best local concerts in 2012. Then, in the comments, tell us what we missed. Here's to another great year of show-going in 2013.

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Best San Francisco Concerts of 2012, Grimes, Metallica, PJ Harvey, Wilco

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Critic's Notebook

Is San Francisco Too Obsessed with Garage and Indie Rock?

By Ian S. Port Thu., Mar. 10 2011 at 1:50 PM

Categories: Critic's Notebook, Navel Gazing

Hey! Any music writers in that crowd?

In an interview this week with the excellent British music website The Quietus, San Francisco electronic artist oOoOO (real name: Christopher Dexter Greenspan) commented on the local popularity of garage/indie-rock:

On the subject of synths, you're from San Francisco. Your music isn't a brand I would assimilate with the usual sun-fried sound that emanates from the area.

CDG: Yeah, San Francisco is really big on garage rock right now, and rock/punk/guitar music in general. It's a weird place to be for me musically. People in New York and London -- even people in L.A. -- expressed an interest in what I'm doing before anyone in San Francisco. Even now, I get asked to play shows and do stuff way more often in New York than here. I did a DJ set in Chicago a few weeks ago and it got more press than I've got over the last year in San Francisco.

Leaving aside the fact that there is a ton of synth-based music coming out of S.F. -- and that the city has long been a hotspot for electronic music of all intentions (dancing or otherwise) -- Greenspan raises an interesting question here (not that he's the first):

Are we, both Bay Area music fans and journalists, too obsessed with the local garage/indie-rock scene? Is our obsession causing us to overlook other worthy local happenings?

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