By: Kayalani DeGrave

Nestled on the shore of Doheny State Beach in Orange County, California lies the annual Ohana Festival. Recently named Pollstar’s 2025 Music Festival of the Year, Ohana Festival — founded by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder in 2016 — provides more than just memorable musical performances. Featuring indigenous and environmental speakers, activist nonprofits, art galleries, local food vendors, and some of music’s most iconic acts, Ohana Festival is dedicated to merging the impact of music and activism in the local community and beyond.

By: Kiara Mack

As the U.S. music charts have been swarmed by country music and hollow radio ballads this year, a new kind of British invasion led by women in pop has emerged to save the day for the girls and the gays. Among this class of British pop stars getting their long-overdue mainstream breakthrough is Victoria Beverly Walker, a Y2K-inspired singer, songwriter, and producer who goes by the stage name PinkPantheress. In between her four sold-out shows at The Wiltern last week, she became a two-time Grammy nominee for her 2025 album Fancy That. Sunday’s LA show served as a victory lap by way of dance party that more than proved PinkPantheress is a pop icon here to stay.

By: Dylan Simmons

This fall, I met virtually with the mononymous Jordana to chat about her new EP, Jordanaland, out November 7. What ensued was a giggle-filled conversation on therapy, sobriety, shitty dads, and her artistic process. From making lo-fi bedroom pop in her teens, to co-authoring fan favorite TV Girl record Summer’s Over at 21, to releasing back-to-back solo hits with Lively Premonition and Jordanaland, Jordana’s creative evolution by just 25 has been mesmerizing to watch. 2024’s Lively Premonition was a full-length album featuring whimsical storytelling, unique violin melodies, and some of Jordana’s most impressive vocal demonstrations yet. So, I was shocked when she managed to outdo one of my favorite 2024 releases with Jordanaland, her latest EP. Jordanaland takes a more serious and soul-bearing direction, while still maintaining Jordana’s optimistic pop sound and playfully witty lyricism. In the following conversation on her new EP, I tried my best to encapsulate Jordana’s charisma in writing, but her wit, humor, and charm truly shine in person. Soon after the EP’s release, you can catch Jordana in a city near you on The Jordanaland Tour in 2026!

By: Sofie Foster

After attending the past three Outside Lands, coming back to the Bay this summer felt needed and timely. I have become accustomed to anticipating the lineup with my family months in advance, snatching up our Eager Beaver passes out of our hard-earned devotion to the festival. What keeps me coming back is not only the lineup of great artists and musicians, but the culture, the food, and the environment. For one of the first weekends in August, Golden Gate Park is transformed into a mecca for music, art, fashion, food, and an overall atmosphere of creativity and community.

By: Dylan Simmons

Illuminated by stars and nestled in the Hollywood Hills lies the Greek Theatre, packed tonight with shades of blue and yellow. The venue is welcoming Faye Webster in performance of her latest record, Underdressed at the Symphony, which was released in March. In anticipation for her set, the stage is lined with racks of blue clothing and rows of washing machines, which have become this album’s iconography throughout her tour. The audience is filled with eager fans in similar shades of blue and a surprisingly large number of teenagers in minion costumes.

By: Jordyn Feenberg

Known to most as the effortlessly charming Steve Harrington, Joe Keery is much more than a Stranger Things heartthrob. Under his musical alias Djo (the “D” is silent), he’s built a world of retro synths and an ever-growing cult following. I recently restarted Stranger Things to prepare for the fifth and final season set to drop this Thanksgiving. Whether I’m listening to my Djo mix on Spotify or investing in the rewatch, I witness a lot of Joe Keery day-to-day.