Nicole Baptista

According to the journal I kept in second grade, I wanted to be one of two things when I grew up —
a journalist or a "well-educated singer." I have a really bad voice.

I'm an accomplished storyteller — journalist, technology and innovation writer, music reviewer — with a relentless curiosity about people. From spending two years covering an infamous murder trial in Marin County to interviewing innovation leaders from all over the globe, I continue to ask questions aimed at driving change, boosting business, and bettering the world.

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SF Sonic • 27th November 2018

New Orleans' Big Freedia and Tank and the Bangas Electrify Sold-Out Crowd

By the time the Queen of Bounce hit the stage, thunderous bass shook the floor of Berkeley’s UC Theatre and a roaring crowd were already shakin’ that ass. Three backup dancers, dressed in black booty shorts and leopard crop tops, started gyrating behind Big Freedia, bending over and twerking to the beat. It wasn’t long before a spotlight lit up a ledge on the side of the floor — a nearly-naked dancer bent over and shook from above. The crowd went nuts.

SF Sonic • 25th April 2019

Gang of Four Awaken Anarchist Spirit at The Chapel

“Gang of Four” projected just atop the red arch that mounts The Chapel’s stage in San Francisco. It was the only light illuminating the small room just before the band drenched the crowd in radiating guitar noise. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, fans jerked their knees as the drums crept in to renowned opening track, “Anthrax.”

Say Yes • 16th October 2018

Music is Worth Living For: Andrew W.K. rocks the stage where it all began

It’s one of many spiritual bombs Andrew W.K. dropped on fans at The Fillmore Sept. 6. A pumped-up crowd began to shout as “The Power of Partying” started to play overhead — the sounds lured W.K. diehards closer to the stage, as if they were boarding the partiest spacecraft in all the galaxy.

SF Sonic • 9th March 2018

Immigrant Punks Gogol Bordello Coax Crowd into the Chaos

Nobody puts on a show like Gogol Bordello. The gypsy punk band radiates an anarchist energy – they’re rebellious and revolutionary by nature. After dropping their latest record, Seekers & Finders late last year, the band hit the road, playing the first of two sold-out gigs at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Feb. 27. The crowd went absolutely nuts.

Medium • 3rd February 2018

Queens of the Stone Age drench crowd with unhinged, sexy goodness

Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme is a desperado of sorts — unapologetic and licentious. His American rock band oozes a forbidden sensuality that compels a crowd to let the fuck go. That charisma had the power to set 8,000 people free on Feb. 1 at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

Medium • 26th October 2017

Nine Inch Nails strip it down, wake us up

Eerily setting the mood with a rendition of Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks track, “Fireman,” Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor kicked off the night with “Branches/Bones” and lit the crowd on fire. Sullenly shimmying and gripping his mic, Reznor's massive, black silhouette hovered over 50,000 people Oct. 21 at Monster Energy Aftershock Festival in Sacramento. And as each note synched with bursts of bright light, I reveled in a sweet dopamine high.

Medium • 7th August 2017

Planet Booty celebrates the skin you’re in

I remember the euphoric sense of freedom I felt the first time I saw Planet Booty perform at Oakland’s Starline Social Club. Leaning against a pillar, I watched the already fervent crowd cry for more as the electro-funk R&B trio exercised their right to funk. By the end, frontman Dylan Germick stood smiling before the rowdy mob in his tiny, sparkly underwear.

Medium • 16th May 2017

An honest truth: The Evolution of Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst is a beautiful storyteller. I was 16 when I first saw him play at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill. He was the frontman of Desaparecidos, a punk/hardcore-tinged band that I worshiped. I listened to Read Music/Speak Spanish until my favorite tracks were too scratched to play on my Walkman.

Marinscope Newspapers • 3rd January 2017

Pearl Jam shuts down Oracle Arena

Last night restored my faith in humanity. It wasn’t Pearl Jam’s nearly four-hour, double-encore set that generated the feeling, but rather a moment of genuine kindness.

Marinscope Community Newspapers • 5th June 2013

Sea of spectators soak it in

Standing atop the peak of Berkeley’s Greek Theater, a sea of golden-lit limbs swayed beneath me. Couples cuddled, friends danced and I watched, enjoying the striking union of sight and sound. It’s no surprise that Mumford and Sons sold out three nights at the Greek in less than 30 seconds. The English folk-rock foursome have gained much-deserved recognition in the past two years, and though they produce universally-adored harmonies, I connect with their passion-charged lyrics.

Marinscope Community Newspapers • 24th May 2013

Bjork invites us all into her wacky world

Weird is an understatement. Twenty voices surged, and as the technical beat shook the floors of the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, an all-female Icelandic chorus raised the hairs on my arm. Finishing up a traditional Hungarian song “Oskasteinar,” an enclosed spherical crate slowly ascended from the ceiling.

Marinscope Community Newspapers • 16th August 2012

Sigur Ros steals the show at Outside Lands

Gold sparks swelled, popped and fell like rain on the backdrop behind Icelandic band Sigur Ros Aug. 11. Singer Jón Þór Birgisson bowed his guitar amidst a beautifully lit forest, blanketed in fog. Trees nearly barricaded the crowd, and as the music’s ambient beauty halted the audience to a near silence, red and orange fire exploded over the trees as Metallica played from the main stage, across Golden Gate Park.