I have to admit that I haven't watched a lot of the music based prime time TV shows that I hear people talking about. I've never seen an episode of Glee and I think I could name you 2 American Idols, but my ears perked up this week when I heard that a song from Oakland based Oona was featured on So You Think You Can Dance last week. The soulful pop ballad Tore My Heart provides the foundation for a very mysterious and haunting choreographed dance. Since the show aired, the song broke the Top 100 iTunes singles which is a pretty big deal for any independent musician.It's good to know that the big media corporations are paying attention to independent artists in the Bay Area.

-Nicole

James & Evander Presents: Peter Stanley, The Waste Band, & Silian Rail at Book Zoo.

All bands will be playing acoustic sets and there will be a reading by Andrew Macy. The best part is that it's free! Now that it's the holiday time, free is a good thing.

Saturday, December 5th. Book Zoo [6395 Telegraph Avenue Oakland, California 94609]. Free!

Just in time for the holidays, Bay Area Girls Rock Camp will host its first ever silent auction featuring art, handmade crafts, and seasonal treasures donated by local artists and popular Bay Area institutions such as Pixar, Oaklandish, and more. All proceeds will go towards our programs that serve girls all over the Bay Area.

The night will be an exciting evening of art, music, and festivities and is open to the whole family. Do all of your holiday shopping while raising money for BAGRC! Camper alumni band Poison Apple Pie will play an enchanting set of original and cover songs and the female-owned and operated Local 123 Cafe will provide snacks and beverages.

Friday, December 4th, 7-10pm Local 123 Cafe [2049 San Pablo Ave, Oakland].

This entry is from our open blog. You can post about your Bay Area band band by visiting this site.

The third full-length offering from British born songwriter Southway was recorded in a variety of hotel rooms and bedrooms in South Korea whilst touring Asia. On Suitcase, Southway, a seasoned multi-instrumentalist/producer and longtime San Francisco resident, exposes his powerful voice and songwriting expertise from a palette of raucous guitars reminiscent of the glory days of Brit-pop before Radiohead discovered drum machines and the Gallagher brothers Oasis had bank accounts. The resulting 11 tracks are modern rock fueled by the road and lost love, but with Southway's perpetual optimism, there's always a chance that good times are right round the corner.