Pop Quiz: Kreayshawn

Aidin Vaziri | Kreayshawn, the petite Oakland rapper who got everyone worked up this summer with her crude rap single "Gucci Gucci" (27 million views and counting on YouTube), is coming home. The 22-year-old daughter of Elka Zolot, guitarist for San Francisco's garage rock outfit the Trashwomen, is playing a New Year's Eve show at the Regency Ballroom. Kreayshawn (born Natassia Gail Zolot) has a lot to celebrate - her skills behind the microphone landed her a reported $1 million deal with Sony, while her distinctive style put her on the cover of just about every trendy magazine on the racks. Her first full-length album is due next year.

Kreayshawn
Q: Are you really going to make an album?
A: What are you saying? You don't think I'm going to make an album?
Q: I'm just saying it's been a while since the single came out.
A: I toured for three or four months, and then I did hella press. It's only this month that I've been able to get into the studio. Stop pressuring me.
Q: I'm not pressuring you. I just want to hear some more songs.
A: I have more songs. When I make them, I want to put them out, but I have to put them on the album. It's finally getting to a number of songs where it's going to be enough to make an album. I want to get them out because I want to shut everyone up.
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Field Notes From 10 Concerts in 2011

Biggest Bay Area concerts of 2011: Aidin Vaziri | Field notes from 10 major Bay Area concerts in 2011: Rihanna, Oracle Arena, June 30: "With her shock of orange hair, Rihanna moved effortlessly between the dizzying number of set changes foisted upon her by the production crew, managing to keep an off-the-cuff air about her among the tight choreography and musicianship. For 'Skin,' she pulled a young man up and proceeded to give him the lap dance of a lifetime."
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Review: 'Emmett Tinley'

Review: Emmett Tinley, 'Emmett Tinley': Aidin Vaziri | Emmett Tinley is the man behind one of the great lost albums of the late '90s, the Prayer Boat's "Polichinelle." An exquisitely produced, soul-searching set of songs that aimed for the midway point between Jeff Buckley and David Gray, it should have made him a star. Instead, the Irish singer-songwriter has spent the past decade adrift, just now getting around to releasing his second album. The self-titled effort (it's available in physical form only in the European Union Benelux countries, digitally worldwide on Amazon) reveals Tinley hasn't lost his sense of cynicism about love, nor his delicate touch in the studio. "Sooner or Later" is a gorgeous, minimally arranged showcase for his hurting tenor with a devastating trumpet solo, and "Takes a Long Time to Heal" was made for cold winter nights spent splayed on the living room floor wondering where it all went wrong.

Review: Trent Reznor, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'

Review: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' : Aidin Vaziri | Was there a better sight this year than seeing Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails' resident howling psychopath, wearing a tuxedo and giving up his best Hollywood smile at the Academy Awards? He even got to pick up a little golden man for best original score for his soundtrack to "The Social Network," a collaboration with Atticus Ross. The pair reunites for the same purpose on director David Fincher's remake of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," a project Reznor has described as "some of the most beautiful and disturbing music of our careers." But without the visuals, much of the three-hour set feels like mere mood music. His touch emerges in the creepy air that suffuses "Revealed in the Thaw," the menacing buzz of "A Thousand Details" and the taut industrial racket of "An Itch." But the highly mechanized take on Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," with Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O mimicking Robert Plant, feels a little too reverent, while the dated cover of Bryan Ferry's "Is Your Love Strong Enough" with side project How to Destroy Angels seems to have been tacked on primarily to draw attention to the singer Mariqueen Maandig - a.k.a. Mrs. Reznor.

Carrie Brownstein: Lost In 'Portlandia'

Aidin Vaziri | After teasing fans with a handful of hilarious clips over the past few weeks, the second season of "Portlandia" kicks off in earnest on the IFC channel Jan. 6. But first Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, the creators and co-stars of the hit sketch-comedy series, are going on tour. Hitting just six cities (including a sold-out stop at the Mezzanine on Friday), the live show will feature musical performances, sneak peeks at the new season and personal anecdotes from Armisen, who is also a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," and Brownstein, formerly of Sleater-Kinney and currently a member of the band Wild Flag. She tells us what to expect.

Carrie Brownstein
Q: Not too many television shows begin a new season with a live tour. What's the idea?
A: For the most part, the live show is an opportunity for Fred and I to interact with the audience - to take the sensitivity and earnestness of the show and share it with people. It's not "Portlandia" live. It's not comedy. It's more akin to Fred and I hanging out in the living room and playing songs, telling stories and showing clips from the second season.
Q: The great thing is the shows are sold out so you can come out, sit on a couch and hit "play" on the DVD.
A: That's so crass. Don't think we haven't thought of it. No, really, we were very surprised and flattered when the shows sold out. People's faith in us has only made us want to work harder.
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Pop Quiz: The Naked and Famous

Aidin Vaziri | The biggest thing to happen to New Zealand since Peter Jackson's makeover? The Naked and Famous, a ridiculously handsome band that in the past year went from supporting small indie acts to playing major festivals around the world (Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Treasure Island). The five-piece group, whose first CD, "Passive Me, Aggressive You," bursts with giddy electro-pop tunes such as "Young Blood" and "Punching in a Dream," returns to San Francisco for the first of two shows tonight at the Independent. We spoke to band member Aaron Short.

Aaron Short of the Naked and Famous
Q: You were still working a day job at this point last year. When did you quit?
A: It was when we signed our deal with Universal. We realized things were going to get a lot bigger. So we prepared to live in hotel rooms and buses.
Q: It sounds like you miss the normality.
A: I occasionally think back to it. It was comforting getting up at 8 and coming home at 5. When touring life is so hectic and crazy, you take comfort in those thoughts, but I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything.
Q: Do you guys fight a lot over the stereo in the van?
A: A majority of the time the van is in complete silence because every person has their headphones on. We see and hear so much of each other, it's a good opportunity to drift off into our own worlds.
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'I Want My MTV': The Year Nirvana Broke

When Nirvana's music video changed the rules: Aidin Vaziri | In the excellent new oral history "I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution," authors Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum focus on the golden age of the music video network when it, like, actually played music videos. The credo for the time was big budgets, big ideas and big hair. That is until 1991 when a video debuted by a band that set out to destroy everything that came before it. The following excerpt describes the firestorm that circled Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
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Pop Quiz: Tony Bennett

Aidin Vaziri | This year, Tony Bennett turned 85 and scored his first No. 1 album ever. Not a bad start for the dapper New York singer, who has been at this for more than six decades. It helps that "Duets II," which made him the oldest living artist to top the Billboard 200, features collaborations with Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Amy Winehouse. But that's not all. It seems as if Bennett is intent on making Justin Bieber look like a slacker. There is also a new boxed set, "The Complete Collection," that brings together all 70-plus of his studio albums; plus another compilation of his most popular holiday songs, "Tony Bennett: The Classic Christmas Album."

Tony Bennett
Q: Barring the present moment, do you have a favorite Tony Bennett era?
A: Wow, that is a tough question. I loved the time I lived in London in the '70s, as I got to work with the master Robert Farnon.
Q: I read a quote where you said, "I was the Justin Bieber of my time." Does that mean he's going to be around for 60 more years?
A: I hope all the young artists of today have the chance to have long careers. I think it is very tough to do that as the emphasis is on the next big thing and there is so much pressure on artists in today's music business to sell millions of albums right away and fill stadiums the first time they go on tour.
Q: What do you think would happen if, just once, you left the stage without singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"?
A: I think as an entertainer your job is to please the audience, so I have been blessed with a beautiful signature song that has made me a citizen of the world. I love to perform it for everyone.
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Review: Charlotte Gainsbourg, 'Stage Whisper'

Review: Charlotte Gainsbourg, 'Stage Whisper': Aidin Vaziri | With the saucy back catalog of her father, Serge Gainsbourg, serving as clear inspiration, French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg returns with a companion piece to last year's excellent "IRM." This double album collects leftovers from those sessions, produced by Beck, along with a handful of more recent studio ventures and nearly a dozen live tracks from her first-ever tour. It's a mixed bag, to be sure, but "Terrible Angels" finds her doing sleazy electro-pop just as well as Goldfrapp, and "Memoir" is a lovely folk ballad perfectly suited to her chirpy voice. Then there's the breathy cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman," performed in concert, which should be mandatory on the playlist of every zinc-topped bar in Paris.

Live Review: Metallica at the Fillmore

Metallica review: Band turns 30 at the Fillmore: Aidin Vaziri | James Hetfield thrusts one leg forward, pulls back one of his tattoo-covered biceps and holds his guitar dangerously close to his chest - the universal pose for a guy who is ready to kick butt. But something is clearly wrong with this picture. It takes a few minutes to figure it out because it's late, kind of smoky and, well, it just doesn't look right. But the front man for Metallica - once regarded as the fiercest heavy metal band on the planet - is smiling. It's not one of those satanic smirks, either, but the kind of full-on Invisalign grin you see in the waiting room at the dentist's office. If you want to get technical about it, it might even be an actual grin. What has the world come to?
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Pop Quiz: Jane's Addiction

Aidin Vaziri | Barring any more breakups - hey, the band has had a few - Jane's Addiction is set to headline Live 105's Not So Silent Night on Friday at Oracle Arena. Celebrating its first new studio album in eight years, "The Great Escape Artist," the full-time rockers (and part-time reality show stars) will put an exclamation point on an eclectic concert that also inludes Mumford and Sons, Florence and the Machine, Young the Giant and Bush. We spoke with Jane's guitarist Dave Navarro, 44, from his Los Angeles home.

Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction
Q: You haven't made an album together in a few years. Was it difficult getting reacquainted in the studio?
A: No. We had been together and performing for a number of years prior to this. I don't have any anecdotes about the making of the album. It was just in the studio. But I'll tell you we are pretty psyched about this San Francisco gig.
Q: Jane's Addiction isn't the first name to pop up when I think about the holidays. Do you guys actually celebrate anything?
A: Music is a year-round art form that's celebrated at any time. I don't think any of the other bands on that bill are going to be performing Christmas carols.
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Review: Amy Winehouse, 'Lioness'

Review: Amy Winehouse, 'Lioness': Aidin Vaziri | Amy Winehouse struggled for years to make a follow-up to her breakthrough second album, 2007's "Back to Black." Just five months after her untimely death at the age of 27 from alcohol poisoning, one magically appears. The lack of imagination is evident before you even press play on this 12-track set of songs, heroically polished up and pieced together by her go-to producer, Salaam Remi. He certainly tries to make the best out of a terrible situation, but it's hard to do Winehouse's legacy any justice by building entire tunes around old studio scraps ("Halftime," "Our Day Will Come"), one-take covers ("The Girl From Ipanema," "A Song for You," the Leon Russell composition) and obvious filler (a rerun of her duet with Tony Bennett, "Body and Soul"). She deserves better - and so do her fans.

Lumps of Coal: The Latest in Holiday Music

Christmas music: Lumping together the best, rest: Aidin Vaziri | Scott Weiland, "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" The trouble-prone Stone Temple Pilots singer takes an unlikely career turn with this apparently sincere solo album of holiday standards. Never mind that he looks sloshed on the cover, the familiar bulldog growl of "Interstate Love Song" and "Plush" is gone as Weiland does his best Michael Bublé impression over hotel lobby jazz arrangements of "The Christmas Song," "White Christmas" and the title track.
Justin Bieber, "Under the Mistletoe" The Canadian teen pop star's inevitable holiday offering features guest appearances by Boyz II Men and Busta Rhymes - the first names on anyone's seasonal playlist - along with an oddly tender duet with mentor Usher on "The Christmas Song." The originals, such as the quietly pumping "Mistletoe," come off better than the covers, particularly when one simply features Bieber scatting over Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Read more.

Pop Quiz: Liam Gallagher of Beady Eye

Aidin Vaziri | Liam Gallagher didn't waste any time starting a new band when Oasis called it quits after one last brawl with his brother Noel backstage in Paris in 2009. "It took about four beers," he says, confidence unscathed. Beady Eye (which also includes Oasis guitarists Andy Bell and Gem Archer and drummer Chris Sharrock) released its first album, "Different Gear, Still Speeding," earlier this year.

Liam Gallagher of Beady Eye
Q: You're not playing any Oasis songs. Isn't it a bit like Paul McCartney going out and just playing "Pipes of Peace"?
A: I could if I wanted to play it, but we started out this band saying we're not going to play those songs. We're going to stick with it. It's a lot more than can be said by Noel Gallagher. He'll never know if people are coming to hear him or Oasis. We're getting people who want to see Beady Eye. That, to me, is success.
Q: Do you regret that you and Noel can't work things out?
A: No, I don't want to work anything out. He took the ball and left. The reason we split up is I'm not on his payroll. He could sack everyone else in the band, but he couldn't do that with me. I told him how f- it was and the only way for him to go was leaving the band. So he left. I don't miss being in a band with Noel. I actually like who I am and what I stand for. He's a bit of a social chameleon. He wouldn't look out of place in Coldplay's band.
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Review: Hot Chelle Rae, 'Whatever'

Review: Hot Chelle Rae, 'Whatever': Aidin Vaziri | Hot Chelle Rae couldn't have existed at any other moment in time. The young Nashville quartet's sound is tethered to contemporary hip-hop and mall punk; made by kids raised on Facebook and the Disney Channel; and driven by a collective philosophical inspiration that maybe goes as far back as the last Ke album. The title of the band's second full-length release comes from a line in its huge breakthrough hit "Tonight, Tonight," the most Disney-sounding pop song not to actually come from a Disney star. The rest of the album, made up of shouty songs like "I Like It Like That" and "Beautiful Freaks," falls in line with Hot Chelle Rae's impossibly cheery outlook and terrifyingly synthetic soul. The good news? The nightclubs of Las Vegas have a go-to soundtrack for the next six months.