Nicole Atkins starts this week off strong with some soulful tunes from the Jersey shore over at The Independent, starting at 8pm. She's crazy-cool and has a voice of gold. If you're more of a rocker, than get to Cafe du Nord early to see Cold Hot Crash and Filter play. It looks like the only way you can buy tickets is at the door and there's not too many of them. A Fine Frenzy, an alternative singer-songwriter and pianist headlines at Cafe du Nord on Tuesday night. She'll be supported by the talented Ferras and the English rock band, Ben's Brother. Again, get there early, the only way you'll get tickets is at the door. more ›

Gearing up for the big New Year's Eve bash, several artists are playing mini-residencies (two or three night stays) this weekend including: Cracker, The Radiators and ALO. If you schedule correctly, you could probably see everything that you want. Though New Year's Eve has some rocking concerts, we are going to cover those shows later in the week. more ›

Judging from the range of performers this week, there is something for everyone. Starting first, in our weekly recommendations, is New Zealand singer-songwriter, Brooke Fraser. Prior to this post, we knew nothing about this accomplished 19 year-old but a quick visit to her MySpace page and we were hooked. Tuesday, you can catch this gorgeous, pop-writing sensation at Cafe du Nord. If not, download her latest release, Albertine on iTunes. Wednesday, we are welcoming... more ›

The BAGeL Radio 4th Birthday Party was a blast last Thursday, with great music, cupcakes and even a reunion with one of our childhood best friends who we hadn't seen since we were three and a half feet tall. We saw great sets by Birdmonster and Division Day (unfortunately we missed Two Seconds) and a good time was had by all. Despite the fact that we killed BAGeL Radio for about five full minutes during our debut radio show last week (damn DRM), for some reason Ted still wants us around and our second show airs today at 4pm. Tune if you dare! more ›

Tonight we're wishing a great big Happy 4th Birthday to DJ Ted and his baby BAGeL Radio. The party is at Bottom of the Hill with performances by Birdmonster, Division Day and Two Seconds, and yes there will be cupcakes! The show is 18+ and only $10, but for those of you who aren't in the city tonight you can still listen in to the party performances thanks to the fine folks at Lala.com. Speaking of tuning in, this SFist is debuting her weekly radio show on BAGeL this afternoon at 4pm Pacific time. Hear yours truly playing indie singer-songwriters, be they solo artists or band leaders, plus their classic influences. Today's show includes Jose Gonzalez, Jesse Sykes, PJ Harvey, a special sound-a-like between Spoon and Edwyn Collins and more. more ›

We headed to Cafe Du Nord last Friday to catch the sold-out early show by Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton. By the 9pm showtime, the band was still soundchecking behind closed curtains and didn't start playing to the crowd until an hour later, but it was worth the wait. Haines crouched behind the keys, bird-skinny and soft-voiced, embodying the delicate yin to her animated Metric persona's yang. Eerie old black and white film clips played in the background while she drenched the crowd with slow, forlorn song movements. This introverted version of Haines was just as intense as you'd expect her to be. Between songs she debated whether or not she should talk to the audience more, and when a woman in the crowd encouraged her to, Haines thought and then replied, "I don't feel like it." Then she let the songs speak for her. more ›

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