In Photos: “Weird Al” Yankovic at the Shoreline Amphitheater

“Weird Al” Yankovic, the ageless prankster whose song parodies still sound fresh and funny some 40 years into his career, is back out on the road this summer for his “Bigger and Weirder” tour.

Yankovic stopped by the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View on August 22 for a typically over-the-top performance. Deploying his normal assortment of outrageous costumes—each skewering pop culture touchstones from the past four decades—Yankovic proved once again that there is staying power in cheeky pun and dad hokes.

Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins was on hand to document the zaniness that is the “Weird Al” spectacle. A gallery of photos is below, all credited to Levy-Wolins. 

In Photos: Keshi at the Chase Center

Keshi, the talented multi-instrumentalist who infuses a unique blend of lo-fi sensibilities to his arena rock level sounds, stopped by the Chase Center last week for a headlining performance in front of thousands of fans.

 Fresh off his first Coachella performance and a triumphant two-month jaunt through Asia, the Houston-based artist (born Casey Thai Luong), has been touring nearly nonstop since the release of his 2024 album, “Requiem.”

 Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins captured the exciting energy of the August 12 show. A gallery of photos is below, all credited to Levy-Wolins.

In Photos: Gogol Bordello at the Mountain Winery

Gogol Bordello, the enduring cabaret-punk collective led by frontman Eugene Hutz, stopped by the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on July 30 for a typically raucous and memorable performance.

 Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins was there to document the uproarious show. A gallery of photos is below, all credited to Levy-Wolins.

In Photos: Legendary Hip-Hop Trio Deltron 3030 Take Over the Regency Ballroom

Deltron 3030, the longtime hip-hop trio composed of producer Dan the Automator (Dan Nakamura), rapper Del the Funky Homosapien (Teren Delvon Jones) and DJ Kid Koala (Eric Yick Keung San) stopped by the Regency Ballroom on July 24  to play their legendary self-titled debut album in full. Lealani kicked off the night with an opening set accompanied by DJ Kid Koala.

A space-opera set in the dystopian future year of 3030, the album imagines the title character (Deltron Zero) rebelling against an oppressive society controlled by rich corporate interests and machine learning overlords (okay, so maybe these guys were just 1000 years early on their predictions.) As Nakamura grew up in San Francisco and Jones in Oakland, this was a hometown show of sorts for the group.

Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins was on hand to chronicle the spectacle. A gallery of photos is below, all credited to Levy-Wolins.

Broken Dreams Club Video Premiere: “Bastard” from Galore

Photo credit: Marisa Bazan

Anyone who dares sneak a peek at the news these days can understand why a rage room would be a nice place of refuge.

These oases of destruction are designed for people to take out their frustrations by smashing inanimate objects—glass bottles, air conditioners, old computers, you name it—to little bits and pieces. It’s a wonderful way of shoehorning catharsis into anti-social behavior, because, c’mon, everyone deserves to completely fuck something up at some point.

Galore, the great indie rock quartet out of San Francisco, fittingly stopped by a local such establishment recently to film the music video for their terrific new single, “Bastard,” the second release off their upcoming album, “Dirt.” That video is premiering now on Broken Dreams Club.

Like all Galore songs, “Bastard” defies easy convention. It’s lean and unadorned, full of crisp guitar lines and steady rhythm movements, recalling sleek and slender acts like The Feelies or The Clean. But guitarist and singer Griffin Jones’ clear, ringing vocals belie the slacker insouciance of those bands and her earnest delivery adds depth and poignancy to the song’s lyrics of self-loathing. 

Because as one could expect from a song called “Bastard,” the track isn’t exactly an ode to the human spirit. Jones catalogs her various shortcoming in a haltingly reflective manner, highlighted by her declaration that she’s “the bastard of almost everything.”

In their press materials for “Bastard,” the band astutely notes that the song is about, “in so many words, being a fuck up.”

“We’ve all messed up. I try to grow and learn from my mistakes,” Jones said in the release. “Getting older is crazy. You learn that life isn’t a joke. It feels more like a casino, fun but full of calculated risks.”

Those are heavy words of self-realization, but this song isn’t a morose dirge about disappointment. In fact, it’s fun as hell at times, no more so when the whole Galore gang—Griffin, bassist Ava Rosen, guitarist Ainsley Wagoner, and drummer Hannah Smith—jump in together for some inspired group vocals. 

Chanting, “Oh no, not me/What’s that I see/Smoky doorways/Lit windows/Who’s there,” the band sounds defiant and cheeky, evoking New Wave bands of the 80s or the kiss-off anthems of outfits such as The Breeders and Grass Widow (a beloved local act cited by Galore as an inspiration.) 

As evidenced by their highlight reel of smashery, Galore clearly had a great time making the video for “Bastard,” which was directed and edited by Taylor Giffin with camerawork from Juan Urrea. Rosen and Wagoner handled the titles for the video.  

An absolutely dynamic single, “Bastard” will only heighten the anticipation for “Dirt,” Galore’s long-awaited second LP. That effort will be released on July 25 through Speakeasy Studios SF, a San Francisco label managed by longtime musician and local mainstay Alicia Vanden Heuvel.

The late-July date can’t come soon enough, and for those who think that 3 ½ weeks is too long to wait for the new record, we might advise a visit to a rage room for some anxiety relief.

In Photos: Metallica Lights Up Levi’s Stadium

Thrash metal legends Metallica returned to the Bay Area for two headlining shows at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara last week, and Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins was there to capture the band’s triumphant performance on June 20.

Oh yeah, nu metal survivors Limp Bizkit also made an appearance.

A gallery of photos is below, all credited to  Levy-Wolins.

In Photos: Panda Bear Brings Pop Bliss to the Chapel

Panda Bear, the recording moniker of Noah Lennox, stopped by the Chapel for two nights of Beach Boys-inspired pop bliss last week. A founding member of the legendary freak folk/avant-garde institute, Animal Collective, Lennox was touring behind the amazing new Panda Bear album, “Sinister Grift.”

Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins was on hand to snap up pictures of the May 20 performance. A gallery of photos is below, all credited to  Levy-Wollins.

In Photos: Model/Actriz and Dove Armitage Deliver Smoky, Steamy Atmospherics At Rickshaw Stop

Broken Dreams Club photographer Aaron Levy-Wolins was on hand Tuesday night to take pictures of the Model/Actriz – Dove Armitage show at the Rickshaw Stop.

Befitting the band’s great new album, “Pirouette,” a blurry collection of noir-ish, late night industrial tracks, the Model/Actriz performance on Tuesday night was a hazy, dimly-lit affair. Dove Armitage’s opening act was similarly drenched in ambience.

A gallery of photos is below, all credited to Levy-Wollins.

Model/Actriz

Model/Actriz

Model/Actriz

Model/Actriz

Model/Actriz

Model/Actriz

Dove Armitage

Dove Armitage

Dove Armitage

Dove Armitage

Soccer Mommy Delivers Predictably Great Performance at the Fillmore

There are few things more reliable than a Soccer Mommy record. 

For the past seven years, Sophia Regina Allison, the brainchild behind Soccer Mommy, has released a series of vulnerable and elegantly crafted indie pop albums. Her 2018 debut album, “Clean,” introduced her as an emotionally raw, lovelorn singer-songwriter. Subsequent Soccer Mommy releases have added more gauze and sonic layering to the barebones, lo-fi offerings of that initial record, but the basic template has remained the same—Allison singing plaintively about heartbreak, loss and self-doubt over fuzzy tunes that recall 90s alternative rock acts such as Hole and Liz Phair. 

On Saturday night at the Fillmore, Allison and her band brought that same dependable energy to a sold-out crowd, the second of her two gigs at the venerable venue as part of her headlining slot for this year’s annual Noise Pop Fest.

Drawing heavily from her celebrated 2024 release, “Evergreen,” Allison performed faithful, emotive versions of her studio albums, blasting through her setlist with the able backing of her four-piece touring band.

Other than a few friendly thank-yous to the receptive Fillmore crowd, Allison kept the stage banter to a minimum, befitting an artist whose priorities always seem to favor substance and productivity over performative, superficial statements.

The crowd reacted warmly to the nine songs Allison performed off “Evergreen,” but perhaps the biggest response came to her set closer, “Your Dog,” the defiant screed against abusive relationships that’s long been a “Clean” favorite.

Following a brief sojourn backstage (very brief—Allison really doesn’t seem to have time for silly theatrics), the band came back for a two-song encore. She closed out her performance with a fiery performance of “Don’t Ask Me,” a powerful shoegaze track from 2022’s acclaimed album, “Sometimes, Forever.”

It was a thrilling end to a predictably great show. We’ve been trained to expect brilliance from Soccer Mommy, and on Saturday night Allison and company more than lived up to that promise.