Some people look to surf pop as their go to summer soundtrack. But what if, for once, you were to venture off the shore and in to the deep blue sea? You will need a sailboat and a perfectly warm, hazy breeze to put wind to your nautical journey.

Tennis — made up of husband and wife duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley along with drummer James Barone — is an indie-rock band from Denver that began on board during the couple’s eight-month sailing expedition. Read more »

In case you hadn't noticed, Frankie Rose's got the Internet goin' nutz. The 33 year-old has served time in two super buzzy groups of girls (Dum Dum & Vivian) and NYC critical darlings the Crystal Stilts and is about to kick off a tour with Real Estate.

The blogosphere's thickest rims have been falling over themselves to praise her sparkling sophomore LP, Interstellar (Slumberland, 2012), and on Saturday night, Rose took herself and that buzz (I hear it needs its own van) to a sold-out Brick and Mortar Music Hall for an brief yet enthralling 10-song set. Read more »

As the guitarist for Hole, Eric Erlandson was at the center of the alternative rock explosion of the early 1990s, a member of one of the most popular and controversial bands of the time, and a friend and confidant to one of the scene’s most influential players, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. Read more »

Localized Appreesh is our weekly thank-you column to the musicians that make the Bay. To be considered, contact emilysavage@sfbg.com.

There are plenty of socially constructed gender division duos out there in pop music (Matt and Kim, Mates of State et. al.). One boy, one girl, how cute, blah blah blah. Street Eaters – bassist John Mink of Fleshies and drummer Megan March of the Younger Lovers – needn't worry about such fluff. In fact, they don't seem to busy themselves with any sort of fluff, mainstream expectations or extra, unnecessary background instrumentation. Read more »

The stars aligned in a sinful sort of way this past weekend when warm weather coincided with the 4/20 holiday. I spent the evening at Bender’s for a night billed as: KUSF-in-Exile’s Blown Out, Blowout Benefit show.

And yes, someone’s old “magic” cookies found their way out of a deep freeze and made the rounds. But no cookie could steal the spotlight from any of the bands Friday night, especially Uzi Rash.Read more »

It can be hard to take comedians and comic actors seriously as musicians. Particularly when you consider the questions posed by earlier models. Did Eddie Murphy’s girl really want to party all the time? (And if so, why didn’t he?)

In his last few albums as Childish Gambino, Donald Glover, the writer-actor best known for portraying lovable goof Troy Barnes on NBC’s cult sitcom Community, has combated the typical skepticism with a self-aware, post-Kanye confessional style of hip-hop. His show at the Fox in Oakland last Thursday made it clear that no matter how funny Childish Gambino’s lyrics are, as a performer, he’s serious. Read more »

Despite a relentless touring schedule, and an intense side-project, scoring the upcoming SFIFF-presented evening of Buster Keaton shorts at the Castro Theatre with Oakland-based guitar virtuoso Ava Mendoza, Merrill Garbus, the artist otherwise known as tUnE-yArDs, gave us a great interview, and not all of it could fit in this week's print feature on Garbus and St. Vincent.

While currently living in Oakland, Garbus hails from the East Coast, and has also lived in Kenya and Montreal, a combination of influences that allows her and her singular, quixotic music to avoid falling into a trap of regionalism or simple categorization. Catch tUnE-yArDs with Ava Mendoza at the Castro on April 23, and at the Fox Theater April 24, in concert with St. Vincent. Read more »

Records nerds take heed: limited record releases from the Flaming Lips, Neon Indian, Jack White, Mark Sultan, Xiu Xiu with Dirty Beaches, and more await thee. If you're a lover/supporter of independent music, you'll be celebrating Record Store Day this weekend with the rest of us. Err...that is, buying up some new vinyl.

And why not? The US-wide event, which began in 2007, keeps getting bigger and better, with even more releases, and even weirder vinyl variations (liquid, colored, etched, can Laffy Taffy grooves be that far away?). Read more »