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......

We're doing our part for the SFist Holiday Gift Guide this month as well, by bringing you some extra special music giveaways. Barsuk Records is home to a lot of amazing artists, including San Francisco's own John Vanderslice. One of their newest signings is Portland's Menomena, a trio who manage to blend post-rock and pop in a deliciously haunting manner. Download the title track of their newest EP "wet and rusting" and see them......

Beach House likes our Burritos, and we like them. We've always trusted Jennifer's taste in music. After all, she led us to the Grizzly Bear show at The Independent in September, and more recently she played us some of Alela Diane's haunting vocals, which have been banging around in our heads since we first heard it. So when she told us we shouldn't miss the Beach House playing at the The Hemlock on Tuesday night, we listened to her, even though we had our hearts set on seeing one of our favorite local bands, Vetiver, at 12 Galaxies. ...

Last week we got to see one of our favorite new bands Scanners twice, in two different cities. At Cafe Du Nord there were maybe 50 people in the house, but in New York we were sardined amongst a few hundred sweaty, sweater-clad CMJers. No matter the size of the audience, frontwoman Sarah Daly pouts, glowers, stares and gives it her all. This band is talented, comely, exciting, dynamic both live and on record, and......

Whew, it's finally Halloween - is it just us or has Halloween become a multi-day holiday like Hannukah or Kwanzaa? Of course, we'll be eating our words (and half-price Halloween candy) tomorrow when stores start preparing for 2 months of Christmas. But tonight is Halloween, so cue the Halloween stuff to do. Space Gallery and The Hemlock are having a mini-block party with the closing reception for PHANTASM: (in)visible bodies & haunted spaces, an......

There sure are a lot of fans of The Decemberists, judging by the fact that they're about to play tonight and Friday night here at the relatively giant Warfield Theater. If you haven't heard their new album The Crane Wife, we're giving you a chance to win a copy of it plus a 20"x10" lithograph signed by all 5 members of the band. We'd show you a photo of the lithograph if we had one,......

This week we're giving away an EP by promising up-and-coming local band Finest Dearest. We're excited to watch where this comely and talented co-ed group's bright future takes them. Fans of female-fronted indie rock should preview a few tracks here or here and pick up your own copy of their EP when they play the Hemlock this Friday night. (Contest ends Wednesday 10/12.) Hipsters unite at the Bill Graham Civic Center tonight for Franz......