Noise-Pop booking suggestions, Bay-Area hip-hop documenting a moment in time, New Year’s suggestions, and new music from TOKiMONSTA….
It’s Under The Stars people, spend some time with Us.
Happy Holidays…. Let’s go!
COMBO TEZETA SHOULD OPEN FOR CYMANDE AT NOISE POP 2025
Combo Tezeta, a talented band from Oakland, is the perfect choice to open for the legendary British group Cymande at the 32nd Noise Pop Festival in 2025. With their extraordinary fusion of funk, soul, reggae, rock, African music, calypso, and jazz, Cymande deserves an opener that can support their dynamic energy and musicality. Currently, no opening act has been confirmed, making this the ideal opportunity for Combo Tezeta to showcase their skills and elevate the festival experience for everyone.
Combo Tezeta informed 48hills that they do not have any plans for bookings in the next three months due to their schedule for completing their next record.
Folks who are looking for a holdover fix from this Bay Area septet’s highly danceable blend of instrumental cumbias, chicha, and música tropical inspired by the psychedelic late ’60s and early ’70s in Peru, can and need to pick up the special hotness that is “Ritmo Interestelar” on the San Francisco Mission district based label Discodelic.
The band made it clear that if they were allowed to open for Cymande—who rarely tours and seldom makes it to the United States—they would be honored and ready to take the slot. The San Francisco/Bay Area is home to various musical artists that align perfectly with well-known international Noise Pop acts. Last year’s event featured San Francisco’s own Seablite performing their impressive new album at a sold-out Noise Pop-sponsored show at The Chapel, where they opened for Laetitia Sadier, the vocalist from Stereolab performing solo. This event turned Valencia Street into a vibrant local and international music hub.
Combo Tezeta, invited by NPR to perform on the Tiny Desk Concert Tour at Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma in June, had a breakthrough year, performing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and then being selected by Noise Pop to open for R&B and blues singer Lee Fields, as well as the talented math-rock and fusion bassist Thundercat.
After witnessing their performances in Golden Gate Park, many of my friends reached out to ask, “Wait, they’re from Oakland?” The answer is yes. Combo Tezeta’s performance showcases the rich melodies and hypnotic rhythms that emerged from the Afro-Latin diaspora, creating a sweaty, polyrhythmic, and laid-back energy for dancers. The metrics align, and on paper, it all makes sense. However, the final decision rests with Noise Pop.
LATEEF THE TRUTHSPEAKER & NICK ANDRE, EXPERIMENTAL SLAP
Nina Simone’s sentiment that “an artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times” echoes powerfully as you listen to Experimental Slap the highly anticipated collaboration between Bay Area hip-hop icons, emcee Lateef the Truthspeaker and producer Nick Andre.
Crafted during the pandemic, this album captures the rich tapestry of emotions and experiences that defined life in The Bay during that tumultuous time. It’s playful and intelligent, raw yet authentic—like sushi—and conveys that undeniable energy of resilience we all needed to make it through the day.
The liner notes highlight a vital truth: this project is infused with community spirit. It embodies humility, generosity, and collaboration, making each track knock with profound humanity.
With the project dedicated to the recently passed away Bay Area emcees Timothy Parker AKA The Gift of Gab of Blackalicious/The Mighty Underdogs/Quannum and Steve Gaines AKA Zumbi of Zion I, the mega posse cut “Life is Awesome Part 2” will catch you when you hear those voices—Lil B, Zion I, Casual, Grouch, and Lyrics Born—come with that Bay grit and gravitas; it’s epic. The album is packed full of features including The Gift of Gab, Slug from Atmosphere, Deuce Eclipse, Aima the Dreamer, Phesto from Souls of Mischief, and more.
Don’t miss the chance to experience this booming document that gets your head snapping through the full gamut of beats.
Pick it up here.
CON BRIO AT RICKSHAW STOP NEW YEARS EVE
This just makes sense. Con Brio has become a Bay Area go-to for making sweat-drenched shows a spiritual thing. This seven-piece band can roll out rock, disco, soul, and even New Wave, then reel it back in with everyone in the audience doing their version of shaking that thang. And listen, they’ve gotten all the accolades from the Washington Post, Pop Matters, etc and hey, that’s fine. It’s well-earned. But I’ve seen them on their home turf, perform before fans at The Independent, who have been attending their shows for years. Con Brio still delivers.
Nothing is mailed in. No way, buddy.
Between that veteran rhythm and horn sections and bright and crisp vocalists keeping the crowd energized, there are no lags in energy; It is proper to describe them as a cross between Sly and the Family Stone and Alabama Shakes. I call them the professionals.
This is a NYE party that shall maintain that jubilant energy all night.
Secure your tickets now here.
TOKIMONSTA, “FOR YOU” FEATURING KAELIN ELLIS
TOKiMONSTA has shared her newest single, “For You,” a collaboration with multi-instrumentalist and producer Kaelin Ellis. It’s the fourth release from TOKi’s forthcoming studio album, Eternal Reverie, now scheduled for release in 2025 after it was postponed earlier this autumn. “For You” taps into the instrumentalist side of both artists and for my taste, the version that makes TOKi such a musical Swiss Army Knife that can conquer so many lanes in electronic music.
It’s one of those tracks that doesn’t necessarily proclaim itself house, hip-hop, or broken beat… it just has steady rhythms pulsating, that make you move by way of live percussion, sparse basslines, and atmospheric piano chords swirling about.
This is the version of TOKiMONSTA that reminds fans of Jennifer Lee, the classically trained pianist from Los Angeles, who started working on beat production while in college when she participated in workshops by Leimert Park’s Project Blowed and Low-End Theory.
Along the way, becoming the first female producer to have records released on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint. If this track is any indication, we’re returning to those types of productions; well, 2025 can’t arrive soon enough.
Pre-order here.
