OK, now. We are Under The Stars, people. You know the drill, lovers of music and culture. This quasi-weekly column stays on message with strong-ass opinions, presenting new music releases and upcoming shows, hustling with the changes. Hop in—thanks for spending some time with us.
Oh, one more thing: We Break News Every Week! Let’s Go!
JIMETTA ROSE, METTASUN (NIGHT DREAMER)
Such a funny thing. In this year, 2026, marking the 100th birth anniversary of both Miles Davis and John Coltrane, which inspired global centennial celebrations, tribute concerts, and reissues, I consumed more Sun Ra music than ever before. Between attending both Sun Ra Arkestra’s two sold-out concerts at The Chapel on February 28 and March 1 as part of the 33rd annual Noise Pop Festival, and taking in the American Masters, Sun Ra: Do The Impossible documentary that originally aired in February on PBS—it was a Sun Ra-heavy year. But actually? Right on time.
Ra, forever the poet, philosopher, and music visionary, probably foresaw the political climate we are inhabiting right now.
So to have the LA-based vocalist and musician Jimetta Rose reimagine Sun Ra on ‘MettaSun,’ full of the cosmic jazz pioneer’s iconic recordings through Jimetta’s unique lens, delivers clarity, hope, and just a bit of humor, desperately needed in these mostly unfunny times. As always, full of those tones and frequencies, bearing witness, exquisite Black voices performing upliftment in a choir setting, MettaSun speaks to 2026 a bit more directly than Coltrane and Miles ever could, through that avant-garde meets melodic, graceful, conversational way.
This slipped by me at the end of September; don’t let it slip by you. Pick it up here.
MILD UNIVERSE, JOEL ROBINOW, PATEKA AT BOTTOM OF THE HILL, NOVEMBER 18
This is the type of show we call a three-fer… Actually no. It’s a throwback to a time when three incredibly talented Bay Area bands somehow got the luck, the sweat, or pristine timing to share one bill. It used to be more commonplace when there were local venues that could invest, strictly, in local talent.
I digress. Mild Universe continues in that certain historical sonic formula that some Bay Area bands adhere to; it’s the combo amalgam. That smattering of rock, funk, trippy-dippy shit, disco, jazz, and a chef’s kiss of foggy collectivism—a combined calling amongst adverse thinkers in song. San Francisco’s Mild Universe, the six-to-seven-piece combo outfit that formed in 2019, is comprised of musicians who opine with shine.
Joel Robinow, formerly of Once & Future Band—damn, I loved that group—is an accomplished performer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and still has that voice that speaks to anyone inquisitive. Pateka, the Richmond-based fusion quartet, praised by Jazz Times, brings serious chops and auditory unexpectedness, if not downright silliness, to the experimental art-rock milieu.
In total, all three acts hold their own weight and show promoters and venues how you build an impressive night of LOCAL music. Get here early; you don’t want to miss anybody. Grab tickets here.
WENDY EISENBERG
It’s that time of the year when Noise Pop announces the first phase and release dates, and we, SF music writing people, make assumptions about who we think is playing the festival but just have not as of yet been announced. If you notice in the mantra of this column, we’ve added the tagline: “We break music news every week.”
I’ve just recently started listening to Wendy Eisenberg, who describes herself in her Bandcamp profile as “an improviser and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer, and the voice.” Her recent companion album, Wweennddyy Eeiisseennbbeerrgg, takes two previously released songs and stretches them into about 46 minutes of beautiful, lush, ambient folk arrangements, meant for immersive listening.
With a date at our Four Star Theater on Tuesday, February 23, 2027, you can assume she’s performing as part of Noise Pop, and it seems it’s already sold out. So call your buddy Sketchy Jay, who always has an in to the show, because you’re going to need him. But keep your eyes peeled here just in case.
WHITNEY’S PLAYLAND, BOTTLED LIGHTNING (DANDY BOY RECORDS)
Bay Area quartet Whitney’s Playland returns with a 7-song EP that was recorded and mixed by the band across their home studios, packing some self-described “swirly power pop, deconstructed lullabies, and buzzing ballads with a bone to pick.” The lead single “Bottled Lightning” rolls around with garage-fuzz textures and smooth, steady, and effective rhythm.
The new EP is out November 20 on Dandy Boy Records. Pre-order it here off the sampler, which pays tribute to Little Hill Saloon.
NABIHAH IQBAL, “HEAVEN CAN WAIT” (GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL)
Brit Nabihah Iqbal took a couple of years to follow up on her 2023 album DREAMER, but she’s returning with a new single, label, and country of residence, here in the US. The new single “Heaven Can Wait” continues with the post-punk New Wave textures she’s known for. Her SF debut at Cafe du Nord in the summer of 2023 merged those sonics with indie-rock and house.
About the new work, Iqbal said in a press statement, “It’s a song about the happiness of friendship. It’s about loving life, feeling good, and appreciating all the positive things that this world has to offer. The song is inspired by summers in London and New York City: it’s about having fun with your friends and really, truly feeling alive. I wrote the song in a small, quirky basement studio in the East Village, Manhattan, and I wanted to channel the energy and freedom of this iconic New York neighborhood.”
Iqbal is currently a resident DJ at New York’s Public Records. Pick up the single here.
THUNDERCAT AT FOX THEATER, NOV 17
Thundercat is a consistent live act: If you care about contemporary pop music and have a hankering for the weird and wonderful out-jazz multiverse—Old Thundie is for you. It’s difficult to name a peer or contemporary who can serve up his type of hits but also supply context and access points for a young and budding jazz fan.
Currently out on tour in support of the new album Distracted, which gives this Grammy-winning artist and producer bandwidth to play big-sounding jazz arrangements, making tributes to jazz heavyweights McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea alongside crooning ballads about his ‘Dragonball Durag.” That’s range, baby! Grab tickets here.
