Will Craven

a ridiculously cute small dog curled up with a tote bag featuring nine cartoon drawings of coyotes by Ace Ty, all with different facial expressions. It reads “how are you feeling today?” And has “independent journalism with a BITE!” at the bottom along with @coyotemediacollective

a flyer for a happy hour that reads “COYOTE x BFF.fm, happy hour, December 2, 2025, 5-8pm, Casements Bar, 2351 Mission St, San Francisco” with a cartoon coyote wearing headphones and carrying a boom box on a purple background

TONIGHT! SF! Join us at Casements in the Mission for food, drinks, a live DJ set from @bff.fm, priceless gossip with journalists and indie music folks, tote bags… what more could you want, truly luma.com/f2jy4dho?tk=...

He's such a blowhard. Eno's worst friend (don't say Ferry, or Bono).

Door 154, by Jack Erin Brown 10 track album

Jack Erin Brown, "Door 154": The title cut to an epic soundtrack, described by Brown as an exploration of the contrast between soft psychedlia and hard beats, it’s no surprise that Jack is soundtracking a snowboard film, because this is fucking tubular.

jackerinbrown.bandcamp.com/album/door-154

Novel Tea, by Luke Sweeney 12 track album

Luke Sweeney, "Probably Me": Bay indie’s greatest jump shooter has decamped for the hoops of Nevada City, and the Bay Area will be a little more full of shit in his absence, as he sings here: “Out of all the Luke Sweeneys I know only one will be me.”

lukesweeney.bandcamp.com/album/novel-...

Beatcuntz, by Beatcuntz 6 track album

(con't)... And something new out of the guitar.

beatcuntz.bandcamp.com/album/beatcu...

Beatcuntz, "No Interest": Leave it to these Croissant, Drama, and Irma all-stars to bring you that no wave hit you’ve been craving, is Mabuhay Gardens open because Beatcuntz has a Flipper-like ability to make something groovy out of the void...

It's a Lot, by Fieldress 8 track album

Fieldress, "You Never Know": Subtitled 'for the giddy love peeps', this song is its album in microcosm: musically unpredictable, rich with incident, lyrically giddy, and soaring.

fieldress.bandcamp.com/album/its-a-...

MISS HITS, by Miss Hits 6 track album

(con't)... but to quote Lauryn it is also gloriously about that thing, that thing, that thing.

miss-hits.bandcamp.com/album/miss-h...

Miss Hits ft. Veotis Latchison, "Daydreams": The like eleven things this song is doing is basically a recipe for a happy life— slow way down, emote in tribute to your lover, trill your windchimes, reflect on your feels...

Place of Words Now Gone, by Distant Reader 7 track album

15) Distant Reader, "Landscape with No Near End": When a song’s passion appears to strain the limits of recorded fidelity; when a member of The Noriegas releases a singer-songwriter album that matches that band’s gaze and intensity; what a beautiful world.

distantreader.bandcamp.com/album/place-...

ghetto grimoire, by ayodele nzinga 14 track album

(con't)... Like two trains running, the play rendered the past as present, and Nzinga’s poem “Beyond Capacity” went out on the ledge, to look back, and dare us forward.

ayodelenzinga.bandcamp.com/album/ghetto...

14) Ayodele Nzinga, "Beyond Capacity": In August I saw Ayodele Nzinga’s Lower Bottom Playaz perform August Wilson’s 1990 play Two Trains Running, and the next week Rocks in Yer Head Records released Nzinga’s Ghetto Grimoire...

СНЕГ, by MOEBAR HAYES track by MOEBAR HAYES

13) MOEBAR HAYES, "СНЕГ": Walk around with this song in your head for a month, then we’ll talk.

moebarhayes.bandcamp.com/track/--5

Arrow of Love, by Hectorine 10 track album

(con't)... Yet in the up-step of the chorus, in the extended bridge, in the begging of the question, I hear this song answer an equivocal but sincere ‘no’, that at least love’s illusion is real enough to live on, that it is felt.

hectorine.bandcamp.com/album/arrow-...

Arrow of Love, by Hectorine 10 track album

12) Hectorine, "Is Love an Illusion": It made me nervous at first that the song would dare ask “Is Love an Illusion?”, like I feared that to voice the question would be to tempt oblivion...

The Pennys, by The Pennys 6 track album

11) The Pennys, “One Million Things”: When R.E. Seraphin and Tony Jay went on tour together and someone called it the Whisper Tour, it clarified a kindred sensitivity between them, on each side of the Bay, and here united for this kindred classic.

mtstmtn.bandcamp.com/album/the-pe...

Then there's Home for the Holidays which is Christmas-y but actually about Thanksgiving (1995)

Rock Paper Scissors Collective Presents: Small but mighty Reception: Friday Dec. 6-9pm Exhibit Dates: Dec 5 - Jan 11 2120 MLK Jr. Way, Oakland

Exhibiting artists Zoelle Egner Zakia "Z" White Yudan Ding Sophia Pousson Sonia Nockles Raquel Lowell Rachel Gelenius Rachel Anne Nolte t.a.d. Mari Amend Maira McDermott Laurie Caird Katie Anderson Julia LaChica Joanna Kao Jimi Evins Jiaqi Liu Jennifer Boyuan Han Gregory Alan Kingman Hom Ezra Schill Emily Gordon Cara Esten Hurtle Angela Bau Alexandra Sarette Small in stature, but stronger together, RPSC's December exhibit will feature small artworks that are 10" or less. Come check out these small but mighty pieces.

EAST BAY FOLKS!

I'm gonna be in this show at Rock Paper Scissors Collective in Oakland next week! come out and say hi and see my piece (and a lot of other cool art too!)

Draw Near, by Aux Meadows 11 track album

10) Aux Meadows, “Permanent (for now)”: Every choice in an Aux Meadows track feels consequential, the beat here is conspicuous and so is the way the band slides into song with it, but maybe the band is in the moment and the songs are blessed for it.

auxmeadows.bandcamp.com/album/draw-n...

the dark is still around, by MUFFLER 5 track album

9) Muffler, “Scheduled Depopulation”: Another life-changing bummer from Muffler, anthems for the negative zone never sounded so... Appropriate. I sure listened to this song a lot this year.

muff1er.bandcamp.com/album/the-da...

Doin' Fine, by Josiah Flores 10 track album

8) Josiah Flores, “Southside”: Flores follows up debut album Awful Feeling with this year’s Doin’ Fine and so are we, as he leads us on a shuffle down the 101 to south San Jose, where “there’s something in the southside wind, seems to blow my pain away.”

josiahflores.bandcamp.com/album/doin-f...

Come and Get Me, by Ryli 10 track album

7) Ryli, “Break”: Call them Yea-Ming & the Heartbreakers for how they punch through each turn in the song, delivering an urgent chorus which this year felt far from hypothetical: “If I asked you to/ Would you break me out of here?”

dandyboyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/come-a...

SALAZTLAN, by Flaco El Jandro 8 track album

6) Flaco El Jandro, “Tio Gabriel”: Salinas’ own delivers the guitar performance of the year, while chronicling state terror against our loved ones: “Somos humanos y hasta más Americanos que el agente del hielo.”

flacoeljandro.bandcamp.com/album/salazt...

The Importance of Daydreaming, by Wife 13 track album

5) Wife, "Until Then I'll Be Flying": If debut Starla’s Theme was a series of brief, uncontrolled detonations, this year’s The Importance of Daydreaming finds Wife wielding uncommon chemistry for some very special effects.

recessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-im...

Guns on Television, by whine 14 track album

4) Whine, “Gauntlet”: I really can’t say it better than Cartier-Bresson in the intro to this song, nor could my words possibly compare to Whine for the rest of it, you just kinda gotta hear it.

whine42069.bandcamp.com/album/guns-o...

park n forth, by heavy lifter 5 track album

3) Heavy Lifter, “Glo0m”: Weird shapes at odd angles cohere to perfection on debut EP Park n Forth, this band is vaguely magical and assuredly rocks.

heavylifter.bandcamp.com/album/park-n...

In The Waves, by Malaphor track by Malaphor

2) Malaphor, “In the Waves”: Malaphor’s maiden release floats romantically free of time or hurry, and in the twinkle of a rogue’s eye, assuredly leaves all our bullshit behind.

malaphoroakland.bandcamp.com/track/in-the...

Wealth & Hellness Vol. 1, by Pleeay 5 track album

1) Pleeay, “No”: Sure, you might encounter this type of transcendent peak on Side 3 of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but it’s not that common otherwise and I’m rather stunned. Song of the year.

pleeay.bandcamp.com/album/wealth...

I Luv Mondays I Luv Mondays with Will on BFF.fm. Listen to show archives, or tune in live Monday 10:00 – 11:00am. BFF.fm is a San Francisco community radio station supporting emerging and underground artists and br...

bff.fm/shows/i-luv-...

10am sharp on @bff.fm

I Luv Mondays' HITS OF THE BAY 2025 pt 1 !

All my favorite songs, all the songs that saved me.

Follow along here for the tracklist: