Author Archives: Daniel J. Willis
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Interview: Tower of Power’s Emilio Castillo on returning to touring and the Bay
Tower of Power, courtesy. Tower of Power are legends. In the music world, yes, but especially in their hometown of Oakland, which has gone so far as to officially declare May 31 to be Tower of Power Day. Tower of Power 7:30 p.m., Sept. 3 Mountain Winery, Saratoga Tickets:$45…
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ALBUM REVIEW: Kool & the Gang show their maturity with ‘Perfect Union’
If you’re a casual follower of Kool & the Gang you probably know them for “Jungle Boogie” and, especially if you attend Oakland A’s games, “Celebration.” You think of the heyday of ’70s funk music; blaring horns, frenetic energy, the whole band shouting the chorus or even the whole…
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REWIND: Five love songs (of sorts) that aren’t complete garbage
“Round and Round” by RATT; need we say anything more? As our illustrious editor Roman Gokhman alluded to in last week’s column, I’ve got a girlfriend. Sorry ladies, but I’m off the market. It’s become somewhat of a Valentine’s Day tradition for me to openly loathe romance and love…
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REWIND: “Louie Louie” and other songs that keep our editor going
The Kingsmen do “Louie Louie.” The good news is that, after two consecutive weeks where I had to do tribute columns to musicians who had died, as of the moment I’m writing this I don’t have to do a third. That’s good, because we don’t need another run like…
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Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – Aug. 3
Clockwise from top left: Neutral Snap, Jared James Nichols, Caroline Romano, Hailey Whitters and ERNEST, Typhoid Rosie, and Amyl and the Sniffers. This week in Tuesday Tracks, Amyl and the Sniffers bring back ’70s punk, Neutral Snap bring back ’90s punk, Typhoid Rosie brings back rock, Jared James Nichols…
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REWIND: Honoring ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill with some Southern blues rock
Dusty Hill of ZZ Top performs during the Gang of Outlaws Tour at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 20, 2012. Courtesy Amiee Stubbs/NS2. Unfortunately, only a week after I wrote a tribute to Biz Markie, I have to write another tribute, this time for ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.…
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REWIND: Honoring Biz Markie with other irreverent rappers
Biz Markie performs at the Mecca Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Aug. 1, 1988. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images. Last week the world lost Biz Markie, the Clown Prince of Hip-Hop. I won’t go over everything from his obituary again but despite often being considered a one-hit wonder, Markie is…
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Rapper Biz Markie dead at 57
Biz Markie performs at the Mecca Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Aug. 1, 1988. Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images. Biz Markie, Clown Prince of Hip-Hop and artist behind “Just a Friend,” died Friday at age 57. Born Marcel Hall, Markie began his career in the mid ’80s as a beatboxer…
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REWIND: Bridge the gap between Marvel movies with their soundtracks
Loki, courtesy Disney+ and Marvel. This probably won’t come as a shock to anyone who’s ever been within earshot of me or read anything I’ve ever written, but I’m a huge nerd. And, since I’m a huge nerd, it probably won’t come as a shock to anyone that I’m…
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Interview: Jawny tells the other side of ‘For Abby’ with ‘The Story of Hugo’
Jawny, courtesy Alex Free. Before East Bay native Jawny could let his last project go, he had to finish the story. The Story of Hugo Jawny Interscope, July 15 That project—October’s part-album, part-mixtape, part narrative art project For Abby—was the fictionalized story of a man who was in a…