Color my world grey – you still yearn to romp and play, San Fran-frisky. So get outta the dog park and into the clubs and buy me a drink, hot pocket. Here are a few notable shimmy-shams where you might find me skulking.
Constantines and Crystal Antlers
The Toronto indie rockers venture out to “Islands in the Stream” and stretch their bones in a post-rock, minimalist mode. Meanwhile the LA psych-soul bros carouse in honor of their new Tentacles (Touch and Go). Thurs/11, 7:30 p.m., $14. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. (415) 861-2011.
Headboggle
One-man low-end grumble from the bowels of SF, presented as part of the gallery’s New Music Series. With Commode Minstrels in Bullface, Midmight, and Amphibious Gestures. Thurs/11, 8 p.m., $6. Luggage Store, 1007 Market, SF.
Sonic Reducer Overage: BFD, Wale, Handsome Furs, Holy Fuck, and more
The grey can stay – it is, after all, summer in fog city – but you know you gotta get out. Leave home and get an earful of inspiration at, hey, maybe these worthwhile shows.
Parson Red Heads
The cute-as-a-button LA combo polishes up Cali folk rock for every parson, be it the preacher or Gram. With Cotton Jones. Tues/2, 8 p.m., $10. Cafe Du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
Rosewood Thieves
Going their way? The New York indie rockers are California dreaming and in love with the sun. With Mississippi Man and Lemon Sun. Wed/3, 9 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Enough about Thee Oh Sees already. Let's talk about Shannon and the Clams. John Dwyer's new outfit is great and all, but Shannon is bodacious. She's a peroxide-haired, punk-rock pin-up who gets real mean on her Danelectro bass.
I caught the classic beauty out and about last week with an unmasked Nobunny. They were catching a glimpse of those pretty Black Lips performing at the Great American Music Hall. A few months earlier, I saw Shannon and her Clams doin' their thing for the hometown crowd at Oakland's Stork Club. For sure, the highlight of the night was their rendition of Del Shannon's "Runaway." I can't get enough of that song. Anytime I hear it, it's embedded in my brain for days. I enjoyed the guitarist's mimicry of whatever high-pitched instrument is used in the bridge of the original recording. Surf rock interpretation at its finest.
Shannon and the Clams, "Blood"
Shannon's gnarly, gruff-sounding wail conveys the angst of an exhausted teenage wreck (see "Cry Aye Aye"). She's somewhere between a woman possessed by Little Richard and the vocal huskiness of the Gossip's Beth Ditto. Another standout track, "Blast Me To Bermuda," is pure teen-punk energy, with a slicing riff that propels the Clams' late-1950s, early-'60s style into a more contemporary garage rock sound.
Shannon is worthy in my book. Good ol' rock 'n' roll!
SHANNON AND THE CLAMS With Thee Oh Sees, Sonny and Sunsets, and the Mystery Lights. Fri/15, 9 p.m., $8. Amnesia, 853 Valencia, SF. (415) 970-0012. www.amnesiathebar.com
Sonic Reducer Overage: Paris, Total Trash Weekend, Garrett Pierce, and more
Babes in Ty land: Ty Segall messes with ya as part of Total Trash Weekend.
By Kimberly Chun
Bay rap vets and raucous rock sprats - it all goes splat this week. I'm guessing you'll find plenty of trouble to get into - and musical artistry to appreciate - when you're not busy downing scrump-dilly-icious (and cheap!) pastor tacos at the Gallo Giro taco truck at 23rd and Treat.
Goapele
Oakland's own draws the curtain on new music: check her site for the spanking, sinuous "Milk + Honey." With Cody Chestnutt. Fri/1, 9 p.m., $27. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.
Zion-I
This is the weekend Bay hip-hop stages The TakeOver. The local twosome takes it to another level in honor of its new long-player. With Kev Choice Ensemble and Trackademicks and the Honor Roll. Fri/1, 9 p.m., $19-$23. Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.
Throbbing Gristle blur the lines at the Regency Ballroom, 4/23. Photos by Morlock E.
It’s a veritable rogue’s gallery at the Regency Ballroom on April 23, every single statesperson of the Bay Area underground having emerged from their respective lairs for Throbbing Gristle, the first, the foremost industrial noise band come back to destroy the universe, one eardrum at a time. The last time I saw such a profusion of familiar faces was, well, last week at Leonard Cohen. And just like at Leonard Cohen, the faces around me bear expressions that are expectant, electric, slightly starstruck. Unlike Leonard Cohen though, the band launches first into a sweet little ditty penned in tribute to the Moors Murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, “Very Friendly”.
Genesis P-Orridge, hand out
“Could you imagine what might have happened if Myra Hindley and Ian Brady had met me and Cosey back than?” quips Genesis P-orridge, who wears the role of flamboyant frontperson like a comfortable pair of bright pink polka-dotted stockings. An array of “greatest hits” follows: “Persuasion”, “Something Came Over Me”, the infinitely creepy “Hamburger Lady”. The set may verge on this side of predictable, but honestly, these are the songs we all want to hear.
The venue lights stay on, loud; the sound system cranked, loud; Genesis P-orridge channeling Marianne Faithfull in a bright orange Stevie Nicks tunic, loud. More “disciplined” than dangerous, the evenly rhythmic computer-generated beats smack just as much of Coil as chaos unleashed. Still, at certain points in the evening, the relentless throb threatens to dislodge both my intestines and my equilibrium. “If I stand with my legs apart I get an erection,” I hear someone mutter. And ultimately, that’s the crux of this whole experience, this sonic onslaught. Industrial at its hard core is precisely the music of solitary erections, the music of intestinal distress, the music of bondage games, vertigo, and boots of shiny leather (just like Cosey’s). That said, all those iMacs onstage? Neither sexy nor disturbed. The blue-screened sea of iPhone photogs below me? Ditto. The price of progress, I suppose, disturbance demystified.
Mini-Japanther: a quick, claws-out Q&A with Ian Vanek
Kristy Geschwandtner caught up with the pun-happy, former-Brooklyn, art-punk duo Japanther's Ian Vanek after their show at the Hemlock on 4/13.
SFBG: When will Japanther perform “Dump That Body in Rikki Lake” in San Francisco? Ian Vanek: We are keen to do JAPANTHER performance pieces the world over. DTBIRL was a giant puppet rock opera we did on 06, if you didn't know. The puppets are in art storage so anything is possible. Know any investors?
SFBG: Did Japanther really relocate to Southern California? Vanek: Yes, we spent the winter in sunny LA and the greater west coast. Now that the spring is here it's back to work! Basically we went homeless to tour in 09. Paying rent in a recession is so 1990s.
SFBG: Where is your favorite place to play? Vanek: SF is up there for sure (and the whole Bay). We also love Australia, Montreal, Toronto, Juarez and of course our hometown, BROOKLYN.
SFBG: Did you ever make it to Russia to play? Vanek: Not yet but we got as far as the official invites... We will make there in the next year for sure!
Sonic Reducer Overage: Snoop Dogg, Eugene Mirman, Jeremy Jay, Skin Horse, and so much more
San Francisco just can't, just won't stop. More musical - and comedic - worthies than one can jam into print.
The Get Up Kids
These lesser-known monsters of emo, progenitors of punk-pop, are back. With Approach. Thurs/2, 8 p.m., $26-$29. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.
Sonic Reducer: Lil Wayne, the Mae Shi, Starfucker, and more this weekend
Pros to go: "A song by the Mae Shi celebrating the life and work of Xtian Bale."
You have until Monday to find your place in the sun - or in the shadows. More fun musical offerings than we could fit into print - as usual in super-sweet SF.
Lil Wayne
The Nawlins rapper is said to pumped a good deal of performance-enhancement production values into his stage show - courtesy of a full band, a smoke machine, pillars of fire, and a set of backup dancers. But will Wayne deliver the goods? Or at least appear on time? With T-Pain, Gym Class Heroes, and Keri Hilson. Fri/27, 7 p.m., $42.50-=$147.75. HP Pavilion, 525 W. Santa Clara, San Jose. www.livenation.com
The Mae Shi, Pre, and Past Lives
Hey, it's all good here. Well, I've never seen Pre but the Mae Shi are monsters (gag songs or no) and Past Lives - a band of ex-Blood Brothers - impressed at South by Southwest. Seems to me, though, that Skin Graft's Pre combines squealing girly vocals with propulsive, clanging post-punk in a way that I'm sure SF kids can get with. Fri/27, 9:30 p.m., $8. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Starfucker
Don't hold the fucked-up name against them - the Portland, Ore., combo could be the next Glass Candy, with a newly amplified sense of humor. With Grand Lake and Guidance Counselor. Sat/28, 9:30 p.m., $8. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Bonfire Madigan
Sometime SF dweller Madigan Shive whoops it up for her blessed b-day - and for the release of her new EP. With Excuses for Skipping. Sun/29, 8 p.m., $12. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
White Magic
The Brooklyn psych-folk spell-casters send us spiralling. With Avocet. Sun/29, 5 p.m., $10. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Fuzz is the new black — at least according to the gospel preached by Thee Oh Sees and Eat Skull. The two West Coast combos will take the beer- and noise-soaked pulpit at the Eagle Tavern to bang out hazy sermons of garage wit and wisdom.
With Grant Hart and the Fresh and Onlys. Thurs/26, 9 p.m., $5. Eagle Tavern, 398 12th St., SF. (415) 626-0880. www.sfeagle.com
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DARK DARK DARK
Dark Dark Dark released its debut album in 2008 on Rhode Island's Supply and Demand label. The group's folky, rootsy instrumentation and female-to-male vocal tradeoffs take over the Caretaker's House.
Imagine you're in high school: Trans Am are the electronics nerds who jam to Rush, Anthony Petrovic of Ezee Tiger is the misunderstood indie guy who is into the Flaming Lips and Lightning Bolt while you're still spinning Sublime, and Futur Skullz are the long-hairs who know metal is cool five years before you will — and who just got busted for stealing Dad's whiskey.
Sun/29, 9 p.m., $14. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455. www.bottomofthehill.com
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SXSW: Petering out with PJ Harvey, AIDS Wolf, Moriarty, Sons of Albion, and more
By the light of the moon: PJ Harvey and John Parrish at Stubb's.
South by Southwest peters out with... Peter, Bjorn and John. Actually, not really - I dig those Scandinavian whistle-bait popsters and they were playing multiple shows - but there were other less familiar artists and rare diversions to seek out on Saturday, March 21, in Austin, Texas.
The sweet 'n' sunny Saturday morn started with slowly with some quality, low-price thrifting at Texas Thrift Store (Joanna Newsom and folk-psych gals would have appreciated the dusty rose, homemade patchwork vest and nautilus-shell purse) and a visit to western wear superstore Shepler's, both off I-35. Then off to the Convention Center - which, by the end of the week during each SXSW, starts to seem a little like home (that is, if home was strewn with fat bundles of The Austin Chronicle and free bottles of Fuze green tea). There, Neil Young's famed manager Elliott Roberts and his documentarian Larry Johnson talked up Young's forthcoming series of box sets, starting with Neil Young Archives Volume 1 (1963-1972), on BluRay, DVD, and CD. Pretty amazing stuff - the BluRay edition will offer interactive components that will allow Young and company to offer up new photos, music, and film when they become available (one example, Robert said, are the Mynah Birds recordings made by Young and Rick James, which aren't the now-locked box set - they just managed to license the tracks from Motown so when they're available the BluRay owners will be notified and can likely download them directly).
SXSW: Quick fixes with Flower Travellin' Band, Fleet Foxes' J. Tillman, Garotas Suecas, and more
Funky love: Brazil's Garotas Suecas seduces at Emo's.
SXSW memories - fading now, but hey, it's only Friday. Among the highlights yesterday, March 18: Brazil's Garotas Suecas - the bright-eyed, fun 'n' funky heirs to Booker T. or at least Sharon Jones. My Portuguese is a bit nonexistent, but we got the picture loud and clear, thanks to the ensemble's hyper-expressive vocalist.
Even more mind-blowing: Flower Travellin' Band at Smokin' Music. The band sometimes best known for its nekkid, motorcycle-riding album shot finally made it to the states for the last of five shows on its first U.S. tour. Previous sojourns have been scuttled for various reasons, but wow! Deeply eccentric power-centered psych-stoner rock - Hideki Ishima's huge sitarla is only part of the story, generating resonant, almost boomingly bass-like sounds. Have to see more of them if/when they get to SF.
Massive massive: Hideki Ishima wields his mighty sitarla.
SXSW: Explosions as Sahm, Floyd are toasted, the Bronx pounds, Tara Jane O'Neil tears it, Explode into Colors does just that
Back to the basics: The Bronx whip it out March 18. All photos by Kimberly Chun.
Get away from the grip-and-grin events and rambles through parties that offer free drinks and barbecue (though Jackpine Social Club's Nick Tangborn supposedly threw an ace bash yesterday for ex-Parkside honcho Sean's Batter Blaster pancake spray product) - there's music out there if you seek it out. The corporate sponsors may be relatively absent, but there's still plenty of intrigue, sonically, if you seek it out: PJ Harvey and John Parish, J. Tillman of Fleet Foxes going solo, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Blk Jck, We Have Band, et al.
One great budding band of women: Portland, Ore., trio Explode Into Colors. An all-power two-drum approach draws from the Slits and Gang of Four to fashion impassioned, sinewy primal punk. Fully formed and in full possession of their own voice. The group played March 18's Finally Punk-curated all-ages music-made-by-women show at Ms. Bea's, which also included Pocahaunted, Yellow Fever, Micachu, and the East Bay's Splinters.
More Mochi: 215 the Freshest Kids hurl some words at Daly City Records' Pre-SXSW/St. Patrick's Day Party at Beso Cantina March 17. All photos by Kimberly Chun.
Or is a whimper more accurate. Yes, the signs are in the air and in the program, as we scan the pages of the official guide and the unofficial day party lists. Welcome to South by Southwest on the downlow, rocked by the turbulent winds blowing off a global economic meltdown.
The big conference keynote names like Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Robert Plant, and Lou Reed? This year we get the uber-talented and esteemed but nonetheless much less sexy - sorry, Quince - Quincy Jones. Instead of the Stooges and Morrissey, we will have onstage interviews with Carlene Carter and the Hold Steady. The corporate banners are still here, but with a not-quite-as-splashy, diminished presence - just where is that MySpace South By Party Bus? The major labels and glossy publications are quieter than usual - whither the Vice party? Is there a Vice party?
Instead Rachael Ray - wholesome indie rock fan incarnate - is serving up the New York Dolls and the aforementioned Hold Steady at her showcase. Hey, after all, we're all eating in these days - we can use some new recipes. This is SXSW on the cheap, forced onto a low-budg diet by a still-suffering music biz. Yes, music continues unabated, but can its makers afford to make it out here this year? The underground bashes around SXSW appear to slowing down or maybe they just aren't on the public radar - in any case I still want to make Todd P's Ms. Bea free all-ages shows and the French Legation outdoor bills - now Arthur-free (R.I.P.). We'll see if there's anything as fun as Dan Deacon and Fucked Up's guerrilla throwdowns shaking up the university campus and the bridge, after hours.
Sonic Reducer Overage: Farflung, MSTRKRFT, Eleni Mandell, the Homosexuals, and mo'
Men at work: MSTRKRFT's "Work on You."
Yes, San Francisco, you're unstoppable. As usual, the city by the Bay bays - nay - howls at the moon. More worthy sounds that didn't make it to print.
Judgement Day
The Bay Area band is using the tools of Bach and Beethoven for... devil horn-throwin' eve-ill! Wed/18, 8 p.m., $10. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
Eleni Mandell and Victor Krummenacher
The LA singer-songwriter strikes an arch, jazzy note with her praised **Artificial Fire** (Zedtone) and the ex-**Guardian** art director digs deep with **Patriarch’s Blues** (MagneticMotorworks, 2008). Thurs/19, 8 p.m., $12-$15. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
For a minute there I became enraged at the thought I was missing out on the latest drink sensation. Everyone had these shiny cartons in their hands as my mind raced, fantasizing about all the possibilities. What could that be? Oddly, my head had me convinced it was some sort of coconut concoction. No, wait, what’s that trendy fruit right now? Acai berry! That had to be it.
After all, wine in a box had long since become passe. My jealousy abated only when I realized it was merely a carton of Plant it Water. Those things were everywhere. Still, the evening wasn’t about sponsorship. No, this festival was about the music. Now just a blur of a memory, bars, clubs, and venues alike opened their doors last week to welcome musicians (and music types who like to live vicariously through them) for Noise Pop’s 17th showcase in weirdo San Francisco and beyond. Here’s my personal account:
Grim news: Chicago indie label Touch and Go pronounced its distribution arm well and dead in a press release yesterday, with an unknown number of pink-slipped staff to take down their concert posters and fold their vintage T's. Little known but critical to its operations, the powerhouse's distribution outfit has provided as many as 20 record labels manufacturing and distributing services since its conception 28 years ago.
The label itself most emphatically won't fold and will continue to release records from its fabled back catalog. But various media sources are clueless as to whether the imprint will sign any new bands in the future. Small mercy - the records slated for release this upcoming spring season are still getting the greenlight go-ahead. Phew.
Does Coachella or Bonnaroo have the better lineup?
By Danica Li
It's about time that the lineups for the two biggest of the bigwig music festivals on the continent, Coachella and Bonnaroo, leaked online, precipitated by a now traditional annual flurry of bizarre Internet rumors, faux photo-manipped posters, and jittery, cross-fingered posts on Stereogum. Naturally there's plenty of cross-pollination between the two, and no stunners, except that Phish hasn't played Bonnaroo ever before, where most of the bands on both lineups are religious frequenters of music festivals as well-established as South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and as far-flung as the Roskilde Festival in Denmark and Punkkelpop in Belgium.
The big names aren't so dimunitive, but then Coachella has a long and storied history of luring in bomb marquee reunions that it's struggled to live up to since the legendary Pixies jammed together onstage in 2004. Paul McCartney headlines on Friday, the Killers on Saturday, and the Cure on Sunday. My Bloody Valentine's playing on Sunday, too, while Leonard Cohen, Superchunk, Okkervil River, Morrissey, MSTRKRFT, Franz Ferdinand, Girl Talk, Crystal Castles, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, and Lykke Li are all scheduled to play during the fest's three days of music, California sunshine, and wacky art installations.
I don’t care what his bandmates might say about him - Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham, 29, is a mensch. I kid because I love. For more from this interview, go to this week’s Sonic Reducer. Here’s the best of the rest of this phone interview with Abraham, then in the middle of a six-hour drive to New Orleans with his group, which dwells in Toronto - a fact that Abraham is downright proud of (“Born and raised - a lot of the Broken Social people and all those other bands moved downtown from other places”).
SFBG: The Chemistry of Common Life is such a great record. What did the band intend to do when it started to work on it?
Damian Abraham: We knew what we didn’t want to do. We didn’t want to rush it, and we wanted to try some new things. We were a lot more comfortable when we sat down to do the second record. Mike [Haliechuk, lead guitarist] e-mailed me and said, “I want you to write lyrics about light and positive things.”
Newly emerged and ready to rip every show to shreds, the San Francisco-stationed Wild Thing are, as described by their MySpace page, “punk, punk, punk."
The group's rough-hewn repertoire and unsigned outsider status certainly fit the punk canon like a glove. Gritty guitars and beer-soaked group vocals are found all over tracks like “You’re a Punk” and “I Can’t Stand It." Disaffected lyrics and clanging cymbals that sound like Animal of the Muppets got himself a legitimate band, complete with humans, mean you can make Wild Thing your excuse for coming home with inexplicably ripped clothes, lost valuables, or a sore neck.
Having just returned from the Dummer Bummer fest in Portland, Ore., with Bay Area rock denizens Apache and Nobunny, the brazen quartet will get stomping this Sunday, Feb. 8, at Thee Parkside - which may be hell on you come Monday, but will be well worth once you watch this combo spread its wings.
WILD THING
With Annihilation Time, A.N.S., Sabertooth Zombie, and Futur Skullz
Sun/8, 6 p.m., $8 Thee Parkside
1600 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
Sonic Reducer Overage: Social Distortion, SF Bluegrass Festival, Eagles of Death Metal, Chinese NY dance party, and more
Wanna see my 'stache: Eagles of Death Metal's "Solid Gold."
Confucius may not have approved of 1015's big ole Chinese NY beat-down - but, hey, he never really knew how to par-tay. Here's more fun schtuff that shoulda, coulda, but didn't make it to print.
Delta Spirit
Northern soul and indie rock - just the combo for the San Diego unit. With Other Lives and Dawes. Wed/4, 8:30 p.m. doors, $12. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.
Origami Ghosts
Raul Sanchez hosts the contemplative Seattle indie-rockers at his monthly semi-acoustic Penny Arcade showcase. With Eyes, Il Gato, and Floating Robot Familiar. Wed/4, 8 p.m., $7. Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., SF. (415) 647-2888.
Gotta love Hunx and His Punx (check Brandon Bussolini's interview with the multitalented Seth Bogart in this week's new garage rock issue). One of the primo reasons why? Well, in addition to the band's gritty pop-rocks, stage sets, and kitsch-Querelle sailor suits, there's the Justin Kelly-directed "Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love," coming in the fine, camp-fired fun tradition of the Gravy Train!!!! vids.
See Hunx and His Punx at punk-rock central Gilman Street Project this week, in honor of Punk Rock Joel's birthday. Also promised: Thorns of Life, the latest project from Blake of Jawbreaker and Aaron Cometbus, as well as free birthday cookies! (Get onboard the Cookie Train!!!!?)
HUNX AND HIS PUNX
With Thorns of Life, ReVolts, Off with Their Heads, Comadre, and free birthday cookies for Punk Rock Joel
Sat/31, 7:30 p.m. doors, $8
924 Gilman Street Project, Berk.
(510) 525-9926
www.924gilman.org
Sunday Bloody Sunday? Jay Reatard's Blood Visions (In the Red, 2006).
By Andre Torrez
Jay Reatard used a tiny hipster girl as a lawn dart, hurling her into the crowd, not even paying attention to whether anyone was there to catch her.
It was a brutal act of pure unadulterated rock 'n' roll antics. Jaws dropped Sunday night, Jan. 25, when it all went down at the Independent. The wind of sound coming out of his Flying V guitar was disorienting and all, especially from my front and center stage vantage point, but I know what I saw, and believe you me, it wasn’t pretty.
Whither Jawbreaker? Well, vocalist Blake Schwarzenbach is back, alongside Aaron Cometbus (Cometbus zine, Pinhead Gunpowder) and Daniela Sea (The L Word), with a new band, Thorns of Life. The punk combo performs at a special early show tonight, Jan. 26, with Pins of Light and Songs for Mom. As Hemlock Tavern booker Anthony Bedard says, "a not-to-be-missed chance to see them in something smaller than a sports arena!"
THORNS OF LIFE
With Pins of Light and Songs for Mom
Mon/26, 7 p.m., $6 Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0923
Theremin cat, faux GN'R, guit-playing Lil Wayne: Vice Cooler's 10 things of '08
Take me down to the paradise kitty: gotta love that theremin cat.
Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers. Here's more of Hawnay Troof/Vice Cooler's best of 2008; for the first part of his best-of list, go here.
Fresh and Onlys and Sonny Smith's 'Fine and Good' picks for '08
Ox-y contained: Dragging an Ox Through Water.
Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers. SONNY SMITH'S "FINE AND GOOD" LIST
- The Dry Spells
- The Fresh and Onlys
- Nodzzz
- Brilliant Colors
- Thee Oh Sees
- Sic Alps
- The Sandwitches
- Jeffrey Lewis
- Dragging an Ox Through Water
Guns N' 'Hits' N' the free market: Yellow Swans' Gabriel Mindel gives up last year's 'Kill Yr Idols' moments
Caffeine-d: Sonic Youth's Hits Are for Squares (Starbucks Entertainment)
Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers.
YELLOW SWANS' GABRIEL MINDEL'S TOP TEN KILL-YR-IDOLS MOMENTS OF 2008
1. Sonic Youth's "Hits Are for Starbucks"
Crap, you guys — really?
2. Obama's cabinet
Ah, hope and change, I hardly knew you ...
3. Guns N' Roses, Chinese Democracy (Interscope)
What about this isn't beating a dead horse?
4. Scarlett Johansson, Anywhere I Lay My Head (Atco)
I think my crush has worn off.
5. Ian Curtis' gravestone gets stolen
6. The "free market"
Too late, capitalism.
7. Heath Ledger.
8. MIA "retires"
I hope she's better at this than Jay-Z.
9. Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg, US)
10. The USAISAMONSTER announce their breakup
This is probably only a big deal to about 50 people, but it really does bum me out.
'Girlfriend,' Special Disco, Danzig: Michael Harkin's tops for 2008
Doing it better: Chromatics.
Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers.
MICHAEL HARKIN'S TOP 10
- Nobunny, "I Am a Girlfriend"
If the original Ramones replaced Tommy with a drum machine, it might've sounded as amazing as this track from Love Visions (1-2-3-4 Go!).
- Danzig at the Warfield
"Mother"... kicking a pizza box out of a roadie's grasp ... Glenn still rules.
- Nodzzz, Nodzzz mini-LP (What's Your Rupture?)
Fantastic, distortion-free guitar pop.
- Special Disco Version at Mighty
God bless James Murphy and Pat Mahoney for their brilliant edits and many mirrorballs.
Dress up, hook up, play the unofficial office party: Hank IV's tops of 2008
On the loose: Los Llamarada.
Another in a series of year-end picks from Bay Area musicians, writers, scene-makers, and music lovers.
HANK IV'S TOP 10 OF 2008
-Los Llamarada at Cake Shop, November
-Newbridge Mayor-Elect Philly Boy Roy appointing Hammerhead as P.I.G. (Pit Inspector General) on the Best Show on WFMU
-Bassist Chris P. getting propositioned/accosted by a persistent lady superfan in the middle of playing a song at Budget Rock VII
-Los Llamarada ordering Pat's cheesesteaks in Philly slang
-Mission of Burma's road manager (and Clint's brother) Jimmy Conley's story about, as a teenager, being dressed up like a girl by Clint and taken to a mid-1970s New York Dolls show in NYC
-The Shield's final season
-Mayyors live
-In Bruges screening at the Shill Building
-Outdoor day party show at SXSW with Ross Johnson
-Buttholes Urfers live on the seventh floor of a Financial District office building at 4 a.m. for Donny Wyatt's birthday
HANK IV
With Wooden Shjips and E-Zee Tiger
Jan. 22, 9 p.m., call for price Eagle
398 12th St., SF
(415) 626-0880
Sonic Reducer Overage: High on Fire, Fall Out Boy, Black Fag, and so much more
Hang time: High on Fire's "Hung, Drawn, and Quartered."
Cool, ain't it? The fun just keeps coming in chilly-chilly-chill SF. Here are a few more musical note-worthies.
BART DAVENPORT
Soulful and sweet as it comes - thanks to the Oakland singer-songwriter. With Brian Glaze and the Night Shift, the Dry Spells, and DJ Lithuanian Prince. Thurs/18, 9 p.m., $8. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.
HIGH ON FIRE
Get an earful of this week's "Year in Music" cover dude Matt Pike and his Bay power trio, High on Fire, a band that has gone far beyond being, as Guardian contributor Mike McGuirk put it, an "outlet for aggression/Yeti poems Pike uses in place of his defunct first band, Sleep, San Jose's most seminal export." With Drunk Horse. Thurs/18, 9 p.m., $16. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.
HIGHTOWER
The SF thrashers throw a benefit for Bordertown-Oakland Skate Park. With the Ferocious Few. Thurs/18, 9 p.m., $5. Thee Parkside, 1600 17th St., SF. (415) 503-0393.
Last Saturday, Dec. 8, at El Rio marked the cementing of yet another dirty brick in the growing wall of West Coast punk. I could talk about the amazing performances by the Traditional Fools, who thankfully seem to be playing shows again after a short hiatus. Or I could talk about Hank IV, who were bad as hell - by which I mean good - but I’d much rather talk about the gnarliest show ever performed by the Mayyors hailing from our state capital of Sacramento.
The Mayyors certainly proved that Sacramento is a crazy, corrupt place. From the moment they played their first song, the entire room trembled with angst and energy. Vocalist John Pritchard pummeled through the crowd thrashing and screaming, stoking the fire in the crowd. Pritchard salivated endlessly while he sang, barking and demonically whipping around as strings of spit flew everywhere. It was undeniably awesome. All of my disdain for mosh pits and people knocking into me kind of melted away into a nostalgic appreciation for a reckless youth.
A sad week -- possibly, see below -- for queer punks and their admirers: beloved monthly Trans Am, which has torn up the floor of Club 8 (and confused quite a few Korean tourists expecting a campy tranny floorshow) for two whole years is calling it quits. Dangit!
The mad punk spirit will live on at weekly dragtastrophe Charlie Horse and Trans Am promoters Bill Picture and DJ Dirty Knees's other monthly joint Chrome, but Trans Am booked a ton of live talent that wouldn't have gotten as much exposure without them. Plus, there were always a few hot boys.
I asked Picture about the club's tearjerking demise and plans for the future (drag ball!). His comments after the jump:
Sonic Reducer Overage: Mixmaster Mike, Los Amigos Invisibles, Wu-Tang Clan, Morning Benders, and more
Say hello to my little invisible friend: Los Amigos Invisibles' "Cuchi Cuchi."
Ask and the city provides - good times and solid sounds for all. Here's the good schtuff that didn't make it to print.
WU-TANG CLAN
The Wu is with you - though RZA and Ghostface Killah were MIA when the group last played Ess Ef. Wed/3, 8 p.m., $45. Grand Ballroom at Regency Center, Van Ness and Sutter, SF. (415) 421-8497.
LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES
This year the Venezuela group impressed at Outside Lands and threw out its first live DVD - and a new studio album is said to be in post-production. With Funky-C and DJ Felina. Thurs/4, 9 p.m., $22. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1421.
"Cobb's Comedy Club will host a taping of VBS.tv's Soft Focus with Ian Svenonius. Svenonius will interview Jello Biafra as well as Alan and Richard Bishop of the Sun City Girls in front of a live audience. The taping is free and open to the public. You must RSVP with your name and e-mail address at www.viceland.com/softfocussf."
SOFT FOCUS
With host Ian Svenonius featuring interviews with Richard and Alan Bishop and Jello Biafra
Wed/19, 6:30 p.m.
Cobb's Comedy Club
915 Columbus, SF
Space is limited; RSVP at www.viceland.com/softfocussf
It would be hard to take someone seriously if they told you they were addicted to music. The notion of addiction might have more purchase for books or movies, but listening to music compulsively seems like a given for this generation. Music "helps" - in the broadest sense of that word: it can be restorative or push you into productive discomfort, and can help articulate feelings that might not get very far on language alone.
It’s easy to listen to Love Is All’s new album, A Hundred Things Keep Me up at Night (What’s Your Rupture), like water, two times a day easy, on the bus trying to calm down. With each listen, the disc becomes less like a collection of songs and more like a collection of vignettes, ones that seem to capture something important about what it feels like to be in the midst of your second adolescence.
Vocalist Josephine Olausson knows how to throw a good tantrum, but even amid the more blown-out sentiments of “Give It Back,” her delivery is so much more than merely spiteful as she delivers the lines: “All the love I gave you, give it back / Every time I praised you, I’m keeping track / Every minute on the phone / It was only cos I felt so alone.”
Sonic Reducer Overage: Hot Halloweenie roast and other scary delights
What to wear - and who to scare?
Starting early, I'd sample "Tingel Tangel Club: Sex Magic and the Occult" - Penny Arcade, Kitten on the Keys, and others take a sexy occult spin on Samhain. Come with? Wed/29, 9 p.m., $16-$22. Café Du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
Then I'd land, splat, at Thrillpeddlers' blood-spattered Grand Guignol, Shocktoberfest!! 2008: Elemental Horror. Cannibalism, unspeakable magnetism, decapitated heads, and the spookiest finale yet - where do I sign up? Fri/31, 8 p.m. (though Nov. 22), $15-$69. Hypnodrome, 575 10th St., SF. (800) 838-3006.
The night started off with a bike ride up north into Montreal's Mile End area to catch Irma Thomas and a full backing band play the Ukrainian Federation.
I'd only been to this venue once before, to see Patti Smith play a secret show at last year's festival, and the place certainly seems made for that kind of gig. The venue feels like a cross between a middle school auditorium and a Protestant church, rows of 40-year-old theater seating on the first floor and a pewed balcony for the choir. In conclusion, Ukranian Federation is not great for rocking out, but it's just perfect when watching Thomas belt torch songs for middle-aged Quebecers.
Weezer’s long-time bassist Scott Shriner is fired up. After spending almost a year holed in Los Angeles working on this year's critically acclaimed, Weezer (Geffen), also known as "The Red Album," he is psyched to be back on the road. Flanked by U2-loving Angels and Airwaves, Weezer are currently bringing their narcotic hooks and questionable facial hair to a town near you. Shriner was good enough to talk about The Red Album, his love of metal, and being inundated with YouTube celebrities, among other things.
SFBG: This album is a big step forward for Weezer. Without losing your signature sound, you guys were able to try some new things that were really successful. What are some aspects of the new Weezer that may surprise the fans?
Scott Shriner: I mean, it’s the first time, since I’ve been in the band, that we all contributed writing on the record. Also, we all took turns singing lead vocals, and a couple of the songs have the lead vocal spots kinda switched up. For example, Brian (Bell, guitarist) sings the chorus of “Everybody Get Dangerous” and Rivers (Cuomo, primary vocalist-guitarist) sings the verses. Or in “Greatest Man,” I sing a couple of verses, Rivers is sings a couple, and then we all sing on a couple parts. There’s just a lot more participation from the band.
Thrills a-plenty from New Thrill Parade, Judy Experience at Bottom of the Hill
Skeleton crew: New Thrill Parade. All photos by Jen Snyder.
By Jen Snyder
I like to rediscover relics from my past. Whether it’s an old sweater left to die in a storage unit, or 20 bucks that made it through the wash, the reunions are always pleasant - mostly because you know you’re encountering something that you’ll like.
Similarly I remember seeing New Thrill Parade at a house show years ago during college. I recall a gothic, schizophrenic dog-pile best paired with sweaty air. When I moved I lost track of them. But guess what? They moved, too. It’s always fun to see what happens to bands that only hold reference in your mind as photo stills: the cast had changed slightly, but the scenery was better than I remembered. At Bottom of the Hill on Sept. 30, the outfit, which is now located in San Francisco, had some pretty excellent opening acts, too.
The new, new Strip Mall Seizures.
Kicking off the night was Strip Mall Seizures, another combo I hadn’t seen in years. I had been excited to see the klezmer-inspired punk band I had known and loved, yet as the first song ended and the second began, I began to feel like I was seeing a completely different group. I asked another listener in the crowd about my musical amnesia, and he said, “Yeah, they lost some melody but gained some power.” Then I realized that I don’t have a pair of Creepers anymore, and Strip Mall Seizures doesn’t play klezmer punk either. And you know what? I think we’re both better off.
ATP NY Day Two: Les Savy Fav, Shellac, Fuck Buttons, Harmonia, Om, and - what? - more
Prickly, angular goodness: Shellac at ATP NY. All photos by Jessica Reeves.
By Todd Lavoie
Ah, the weekend was in need of a good easing-in period - nothing too strenuous, see, considering the epic scale of the Saturday night to come. So, on Sept. 20, we settled into our day by catching a couple of films at the Criterion Screening Room: Albert and David Maysles’ Gimme Shelter and David Markey’s 1991: The Year Punk Broke. The former - a chronicle of how it all went wrong at the infamous 1969 Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Speedway, was absolutely riveting - while the latter was a bit more hit-or-miss, thanks to a nerve-grating focus on Thurston Moore as the documentary’s free-styling, wisecracking prankster. Having thoroughly relished the considerably mellower, less chatty Moore of the night before, I couldn’t cotton to the younger, ever-vibrating version I was witnessing onscreen. Still, the Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Dinosaur Jr. performances in the film made it all worthwhile.
Next it was rush, rush, rush to the main stage: Fuck Buttons were about to bring the noise! We arrived just in time, and the Bristol, England, duo had just finished sound-check. Focusing largely on their March-released slab of epic gorgeousness, Street Horrrsing (ATP), the set was flush with all of the touchstones of the Fuck Buttons sound: steady electro-drone, pulsating sheets-of-static majesty, and floor-thumping noise-house.
A glistening sheen seemed to have been applied to the entire proceedings, thanks to scatters of night sky-seeking synth sparkles. Dance, drone out, raise arms to the heavens - the choice was ours, and the crowd was evenly split between the three activities.
Go directly to jail: Les Savy Fav vocalist Tim Harrington in prisoner getup.
ATP NY Day One: Built to Spill, Meat Puppets, and 'Shining' glam
Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington rises above. All photos by Jessica Reeves.
By Todd Lavoie
I just flew in from New York, and boy, are my arms tired! Ba-dum-bum.
A corny opener to this humble journal of my All Tomorrow’s Parties NY experience, but entirely too apropos for my weekend of serious ear-grinning up in the Catskills. Consider the venue choice: Kutsher’s Hotel, one of the few resorts from the “Oy vey!” heyday - Oy veyday? - of the Borscht Belt still in operation.
This place was once at the absolute dead-center of the Henny Youngman/Jackie Mason/Sid Caesar nexus of Jewish summer-resort comedy, after all, so a few yuk-yuks were more than expected by the several thousand attendees of the so-called “boutique music festival.” As it turned out, there were yuks galore - but most of them were inspired by, or directed at, Kutsher’s itself.
Sonic Reducer Overage: Calexico, SEVA, Jose Gonzalez, We Are Wolves, and so much more
SW a-swirl: Calexico's "Crystal Frontier."
San Francisco can't stop, won't stop - as usual there's far too much to do, see, and hear. Here are a few worthies to check out.
THE GIRLS
Yeah, you heard me right: the Girls, man, the Girls. Meaning, the Seattle garage-wave combo whose perky song stylings have caught Spin's ear (much like SF's Girls, sans "the"). Wed/24, 9 p.m., $8. Uptown Night Club, 1948 Telegraph, Oakl. (510) 451-8100.
JOSE GONZALEZ
His handsome Veneer and haunting songs - we're smitten. Wed/24, 8 and 10 p.m., $25. Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakl. (510) 238-9200.
Sonic Reducer Overage: My Morning Jacket, Common/NERD, Menomena, and so much more
Shadow shag: My Morning Jacket's "One Big Holiday."
Feeling frisky, SF? There's plenty to do besides Treasure Island Music Festival this week - more than we could fit betwixt our hot pages.
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES
Prog, math, post-punk - whatev, dude. The Seattle collection of players from Botch, Kill Sadie, and Nineironspitfire is just as aggro as it's ever been, from the sound of the upcoming CD, Tail Swallower & Dove (Suicide Squeeze). Wed/17, 9 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.
HIEROGLYPHICS
Photons, gather round. The onetime Bay Area party-starters return to the scene of some many rhymes. Thurs/18, 8 p.m., $26.50. Fillmore, 1805 Geary, SF. (415) 421-TIXS.
All hail, Hank IV. Vocalist Bob McDonald completed successful knee surgery earlier this year on a torn ACL from a Bottom of the Hill show: Bandmate Anthony Bedard tells me, “On surgeon’s orders, he’s had to alter his ‘Robbie the Robot meets Ian Curtis’ style of dancing” in favor of a more stand-and-deliver strategy.
The SF combo will also see their new Siltbreeze album, Refuge in Genre, recorded with Tim Green earlier this summer, come out in October -- and then there's Hank IV's latest mission: opening for Mission of Burma (playing Signals, Calls, and Marches and Vs. start to finish) throughout Cali, including Sept. 26 and 27 at the Independent.
HANK IV
With Mission of Burma
Sept. 26 (Signals, Calls, and Marches) and Sept. 27 (Vs.), 9 p.m. $20-$35 Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
Who exactly, pray tell, are these foolish Southern California boys who keep playing careless games with Lisa Kekaula’s heart? As the don’t-mess-with-me diva at the forefront of the BellRays’ unbridled soul/punk whirlwind, Kekaula has been bearing witness to the trials and tempests of love for nearly two decades, and Hard Sweet and Sticky finds the R&B shredder fighting yet another round of bedroom drama.
Here, on their eighth album, the Riverside band’s familiar Tina Turner/MC5 union is as fuzzy and furious as ever, but it is their willingness to veer beyond the usual garage bluster that makes the disc such a tremendous leap forward. Articulating matters of the heart with broader range than ever before, the BellRays have released the defining album of their career thus far.
For those who have always sought righteous liberation from the group’s combustible marriage of Kekaula’s soul-belting vocals with skuzzy ’69-Detroit chug-o-ramas, fret not: “Psychotic Hate Man” throttles as much as the title suggests, and the roughneck-bass and chanted hey’s of “Pinball City” make for certain manic nirvana.
“Wedding Bells,” however, is atmospheric noir-blues winnowed by Kekaula’s moist-eyed sighs and whispers, and the post-break-up move-on of “Blue Against the Sky” is ravishing straight-up soul, without a feedback swell in sight. The smoothness prize, though, goes to “The Fire Next Time,” a satin-and-silk slice of deception stroked by erotic ripples of come-hither jazz guitar but tempered by Kekaula’s knowing, regretful murmur: “How can I love you if you’re the hurting kind?”
Sonic Reducer Overage: Staycation nation with Projekt Revolution, Sam McPheeters, Balmorhea, more
Busta Rhymes busts a move in "Dangerous" - and at Projekt Revolution at Shoreline this week.
As summer fades into a hazy, chilly miasma of Blood Marys, Krautrock beats, and high gas prices, the time has come to make the rounds at those lingering shed shows, avant-punk readings, burbling throwdowns.
A.Skillz
Sunset Promotions showcases the UK hip-hop-breakbeat turntablist, surfacing at Mighty for his first show in SF in four years. With Murphstar, AnTenNae, and Motion Potion. Fri/8, 10 p.m., $10-$15. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.sunsetpromotions.net
"I'm my own worst enemy": Linkin Park's "Given Up."
Projekt Revolution
A revolution in WTF! pairings begins here: Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, Bravery, Ashes Divide, Busta Rhymes, Hawthorne Heights, and Street Drum Corps. Hey maybe it's time to check those damn assumptions; you're breaking both your back - and mine. Sat/9, 2 p.m., $34-$77. Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View. www.ticketmaster.com
Born free: Born Against back in the day.
Sam McPheeters
Take another, literary look at the local underground. The hardcore legend of Born Against fame reads from his new magazine, alongside Sarah Cathers of 16 Bitch Pileup (who will render love horoscopes from rock lyrics), Erika Anderson of Gowns (who will perform an exorcism), Tara Tavi of Amps for Christ (who will play traditional Chinese music and screen a documentary on the subject), and George Chen of KIT and Club Sandwich (who will do stand-up comedy). And yep, there's even more. Sun/10, 7 p.m., $6-$10, 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakl.
Balmorhea
Austin, Texas, ambient bohos dream in elegant, string- and banjo-shaded colors. With Lazarus and Tiny Vipers. Mon/11, 8:30 p.m., $12. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. www.cafedunord.com
Pitchfork fest day three: Tim Harrington trashed, Wu-Tang Clan clean up, Aussies take over
Sweet: Apples in Stereo. Photo by Matt Wysocki.
By K. Tighe
At every festival, I can't help but keeping a running contest in my head. Friday night, July 18, went to Public Enemy, but Mission of Burma was only a smidge behind. Saturday, July 19, is a bit more complicated: !!! gave a raucous, undeniably fun showing, but Jarvis Cocker's sleek, seasoned set was unforgettable. Of course, I've seen !!! countless times, and have seen them perform better countless times, and Jarvis was stubborn with the Pulp catalog - which means Saturday goes to Fleet Foxes, whose festival-suited, harmony-packed performance gained them thousands of fans in the span of 45 minutes.
Sunday, July 20, is a whole different animal: the final day of Pitchfork Music Festival 2008 boasts a lineup that no doubt kept many an indecisive hipster tossing in bed on Saturday night. With most of the heat packed at the end of the night, there was either going to be a shitload of running around or a lot of regrets.
Abiding Assistant and I arrived at the park just as Boris began. Between the fog machine sputtering in the blazing sun, the tight, a special appearance by guitarist Michio Kurihara (who collaborated with the trio on Rainbow, and the drummer who dove from behind a bright red kit into the crowd - he got some impressive distance, too - it's safe to say that Boris effectively brought the rock. After the Japanese metal trio left the stage I saw something I hadn't seen in years: a genuine call for an encore.
Sax machine: Paul Costuros, left, with his band Death Sentence: Panda!
This just in from Paul Costuros of Death Sentence: Panda!, Murder Murder, Total Shutdown, et al:
"Welcome to the first installment of Buddies! A bunch of friends hanging out in a bar (the Knockout) playing their five favorite songs. Not genre specific so you might hear Wolf Eyes' "Stabbed in the Face" played next to Britney Spears' "The Zone" (both good songs).
"This Monday, July 28, free at the Knockout from 10 p.m.-2 a.m., will be the following people (in no particular order):"
Chris Rolls
Eric Bauer
Eric Landmark
Eric Park
Justin Labo
Lila Holland
Diana Hayes
Dave Hoag
Emily Jocson
Cristina Jocson
Michael Doyle
Ashley Hibbs
Paul Allan
Rob Spector
Sarah Bernat
Kevin Woodruff
Antonio
and maybe Jenny Hoyston and/or Ellie Erickson
Pitchfork fest day two: Brits, mud people, and murder
Sucking? Vampire Weekend. All photos by Matt Wysocki.
By K. Tighe
I'm a bit of an evil sister. You see, I promised my little bro a good time during Pitchfork Music Festival. Kevin (the other K. Tighe), who is your typical unemployed drummer, flew in from Arizona under the auspice of a fun-filled weekend of great music - I never told him he'd have to work for it. This makes him something of an unwilling assistant, but since he's preconditioned to do whatever his big sister tells him to, this also makes him quite abiding. So from here on out, we'll call him my abiding assistant. His chief responsibilities include fetching beer, letting me know whenever the drummer fucks up, and lighting my cigarettes. Oh, and making breakfast. He's a genius with eggs, which is why we didn't arrive at the fest until the Caribou set was almost over.
It was clear the Caribou set went over remarkably well, and we managed to catch the crowd's favorable reaction to the last songs as we headed over to the Aluminum stage for Fleet Foxes. It had rained all morning, leaving Union Park a soggy mess. Festival organizers attempted to clean things up a bit with wood chips and sod, but with little success. An ominous prairie sky loomed overhead as the Seattle quintet took the stage.
Fleet Foxes shine on.
The harmony-laden Fleet Foxes seem like they'd do better on a sunny day, but once they broke into the a capella serenade of "Sun Giant," an ode to seasonal changes that rings like gospel and swells like field music, it was clear that undesirable weather wasn't going to hold them back. Some of the festival's trademark sound difficulties began to crop up toward the beginning of the set, but they quickly subsided - due, in no small part, to a massive effort on behalf of festival organizers to completely overhaul and improve the sound this year, which made an enormous difference throughout the weekend. Fleet Foxes spent the rest of the set doing their vest-wearing shaggy brethren proud, with tunes that managed to conjure notes from the Beach Boys as much as Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The crowd reaction was strong throughout, but swelled considerably during the impressive harmony showcase of "White Winter Hymnal."
Pitchfork fest day one: Mission accomplished, believe the hype, and Seba-don't,
MOB vs. the world? Mission of Burma at Pitchfork. Photo by Kevin Tighe.
By K. Tighe
We arrived in Chicago's Union Park at the tail end of a 15-hour drive. Or, more specifically, the tale end of a one 15-hour drive, one backwoods Maryland carnival crabcake, one unfortunate bout of heat stroke, 12 too many energy drinks, three regretful sausage biscuits, and yet another 15-hour drive. But we arrived.
Just in time to hear the delightfully over-the-top punk whine of "All I wanted was a Pepsi" floating over from the Connector stage. Soon Mission of Burma's Roger Miller, after chiding himself for being too old, was telling the patchy crowd, "Everybody put on your dancing shoes," before knocking out a few strums and reconsidering, "OK, take 'em back off. It seemed like such a good idea to do that one, but as everybody out there knows, the next song is …"
Why does track order matter? Because this was Friday night, July 18, at the Pitchfork Music Festival, and the influential Boston post-punks had been invited by All Tomorrow Parties' "Don't Look Back" series to enlighten a new generation of hipsters with their 1982 opus, Vs. Enlighten they did: although the audience was still filtering in, Mission of Burma wooed even the reluctant Jumbo-tron watchers waiting for Public Enemy on the Aluminum stage.
Shining a light on the Diamond Days '08 music fest
Heeb mag's Diamond Days - just what brings it to the Bay from Brooklyn? There's no denying that the lineup is doozy, including Audacity, Fences, Glitter Wizard, Thee Makeout Party, Tiny Vipers, Ellen Mary McGee, and Young Animals, as well as a slew of local talents. I traded e-mails with Heeb magazine publisher Josh Neuman and associate editor Amy Westervelt to find out more.
SFBG: How did Diamond Days originate?
Amy Westervelt: It started last year in Brooklyn as sort of a throw-back to music shows you and your friends might have put together in high school or college. One of Heeb's contributing editors, Jay Diamond, grew up in the ‘burbs of Chicago playing in bands and putting together shows and he wanted to recreate that fun, but focus it on really great local bands in Brooklyn. After the first fest, we really wanted to recreate it in different parts of the country.
Josh Neuman: The fest is partially named in honor of Jay, and partially an homage to a Vashti Bunyan song, which is everything a summer song should be.
SFBG: Why did it move from Brooklyn to Oakland this year?
Sonic Reducer Overage: Stevie, Sex Vid, Flyin' 'n' you
Wondering what to do this week? Fleeing from visiting relatives - or simply want to lose them in the crowd? Listen closely...
THE JET AGE
Poppy rock powered by Who-like feistiness? Wed/2, 9:30 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Sex Vid, anyone? Courtesy of Dusted.
SEX VID
Bristly, gristly hardcore for possessed vegans? Thurs/3, 9:30 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Yes, you're Still Flyin'.
STILL FLYIN', COTILLION, AND CONSPIRACY OF VENUS
Indie rock party jams meet a Bright Eyes-Passionista supergroup meets Conspiracy of Beards' female counterpart devoted to Joni Mitchell and other ladies of the canyon? Thurs/3, 9 p.m., $10. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
Stefan Grant and bassist Martin Morales rock the Devil at SFTV Unplugged.
By Kat Renz
A year ago, local guitarist Stefan Grant wasn't sure how he'd continue playing live shows. The drummer of his alternative/metal band, Kinetic Chain, moved to Chicago, and the tribe was further split after he and the lead guitarist suffered a falling out.
And then, as so often happens in those bummer times, epiphany struck: what if they took a different direction from the guitar riff-driven, crashing drum sound they were so used to and went acoustic instead? "Let's strip it down to what it is," Grant said, adding that he wanted to create an opportunity to play and see live music that's easy on the ears but still rock, as opposed to jazz or pop - a sweet space he considers relatively rare in the city. Thus was born SFTV Unplugged.
It's not a novel approach - remember how killer those episodes of MTV Unplugged were back in the '90s? "I think there are a lot of 30-plus people who liked Unplugged a lot," Grant said, as we proceeded to rail off a list of our favorite performances. Alice in Chains. The Cure. That legendary Nirvana performance with Kurt Cobain sarcastically commenting on everything from harp-tuning to Leadbelly's for-sale guitar amid a stage buried in star-gazer lilies.
Memphis' Jay Reatard is only in his twenties, but he's already a garage-punk legend: in the last two years following stints in bands like the Lost Sounds and the Angry Angles, he's released a future classic LP in 2006's Blood Visions, as well as a metric tonne of terrific single cuts.
As a well-documented onstage punch-out in Canada recently showed, the nose-breaking intensity of his melodic chops have been bowling over tastemakers everywhere, especially the folks at the Matador label. Following some especially wonderful wax last year (the "I Know A Place" 7-inch, the "Night of Broken Glass" 12-inch), Mr. Reatard and Matador arranged this year to release a new 7-inch single every month for six months in gradually decreasing quantities, which would eventually be compiled onto a full-length disc.
"See/Saw," the A-side from single no. 1, is still the biggest scorcher of the series thus far: his double-tracked nasal yelp and ticker tape enunciation turn lines like "And that is all that I know!" into something shout-alongable and triumphant. "Screaming Hand" is delightful, too. It's got a Sparks-y, theatrical chorus ("You want a hero? No no no no no…") and a simple, infectious keyboard lick that make for an all-too-fast rave up, kinda like his notoriously short, fiery live gigs.
Nick Cave, Rancid, Eagles of Death Metal, Ledisi, Dandy Warholds to launch reopened Warfield
Fly, Eagles of Death Metal, fly.
Save your tears for the gym-ed up Alcazar and other grand old venues and theaters that have been made over as enormous drug stores. The Warfield reopens soon, under the aegis of Goldenvoice, the production company that puts on Coachella, and a slew of shows are set to go on sale via Ticketmaster on June 22.
Sept. 15 - George Lopez. Third show on sale Sunday, June 22 (third show added).
Sept. 18 - Musiq Soulchild and Ledisi. On Sale Sunday, June 22.
Sept. 20 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. On Sale Sunday, June 22.
Sept. 23 - the Hives/Eagles of Death Metal. On sale soon.
Sept. 24 - Bootsy Collins "Tribute to the Godfather of Soul." On sale soon.
Sept. 25 - Bullet for My Valentine. On sale Sunday, June 22.
Sept. 26-27- Rancid.
Oct. 4 - Dandy Warhols. On sale Sunday, June 22.
Oct. 11 - Julieta Venegas. On sale Sunday, June 22.
Oct. 25 - the Kooks. On sale soon.
Oct. 30 - Cassandra Wilson. On Sale Sunday, June 22.
Nov. 7 - Jim Gaffigan. Late Show added; on sale Sunday, June 22.
Sonic Reducer Overage: DJ Spooky, Dethklok, Moby, Joan of Arc, and more
Rock 'n' roll clowning with Metalocalypse's Dethklok. Happy. Birthday.
Ye gads - too much as usual, especially on this very bizzy Saturday, June 7. Here are more worthies that unfortunately didn't make it to print - but made it, happily, here.
DETHKLOK
They started a joke that set a whole world of ex- and present metal heads laughing. TV yuk phenom-turned-metal phenom, Dethklok of Adult Swim’s Metalocalpyse sets Skwisgaar Skwigelf and Pickles the Drummer loose on an unsuspecting Bay Area - The Dethalbum in hand. Be sure to also catch hard-luck, yet still raging opening band Soilent Green. Thurs/June 5, 8 p.m., $26.50. Fillmore, 1805 Geary, SF. (415) 346-6000.
JOAN OF ARC
The martyred girl hero takes her latest form - as the ambitious Chicago rockers, returning with a new album, Boo!Human (Polyvinyl). Math rock? Post-punk post-structuralism? Ask Cap’n Jazz - or better, Tim Kinsella. Thurs/5, 8 p.m., $12. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. (415) 861-2011.
Sonic Reducer Overage 2: block partay, Nothing People and Pets rage through Sunday
Heavy Mochipettin'.
Why not take on two more for the raucous road leading into Memorial Day weekend? Sunday will be hopping...
Mighty Underdogs at Bonneroo 2007.
LIVE ON THE LANE
Expect to get on up to get down when eight bands and artists converge on Maiden Lane for music, live art by Vulcan, food, and bevvies. Performers include the Mighty Underdogs collective with Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lateef the Truthspeaker (Latyrx), and Headnodic (Crown City Rockers) (7:30-8:15 p.m.), Bayonics (6:30-7:15 p.m.), Mophono (5:45-6:15 p.m.), Mochipet (8:25-9 p.m.), Ghosts on Tape (9:10-9:45 p.m.), Maus Haus (5-5:30 p.m.), Ryan Greene (3:30-4 p.m.), and Egadz (4:20-4:40 p.m.). Proceeds benefit the music program at George Washington Carver Elementary in SF. Sun/25, 4-10 p.m., $12 basic entry; $35 all-you-can-eat-and-drink. Maiden Lane between Kearny and Grant, SF. going.com/liveonthelane
NOTHING PEOPLE AND THE PETS
Hypnotic drone-rockers Nothing People find something to celebrate at a free record-release party. Oakland outfit the Pets also tear it up in honor of their own punky release. Sun/25, 5-7 p.m., free. Lucky 13, 2140 Market, SF. (415) 487-1313.
Jello turns 50 with toasts from the Melvins, Triclops! and others
This just in from Alternative Tentacles: honcho Jello Biafra will be celebrating the big five-oh with two nights of shows including the Melvins, Jelvins, Triclops!, Drunk Injuns, and a new (unnamed as of yet) Biafra project.
"Legendary singer of the Dead Kennedys and head honcho of the highly influentual punk label Alternative Tentacles, Jello Biafra, has no plans on fading away soon. The outspoken, controversial Biafra has been active as a spoken word artist for quite some time and also performing as Jello Biafra and The Melvins, or just Jelvins. On his 50th, Alternative Tentacles celebrates with a show showcasing Jello's new band, reunited skate-punk legends Drunk Injuns, and latest crop of exciting bands such as Akimbo, and Triclops!.
"The newly hatched Biafra band (as yet unnamed) is Ralph Spight (Victims Family, Freak Accident, Hellworms, etc.) on guitar, Billy Gould (Faith No More, Cool Arrow Records, etc.) on bass, and Jon Weiss (Sharkbait, Horsey, Tonnage, etc.) on drums. Coady and Jared of the Melvins are recording the new Big Business album in June, so the Jelvins bassist this round will be Andy Coronado (Wrangler Brutes, White Shit, Skull Kontrol). The emphasis will be on new music, with the occasional nod to the past evil doing. To open the shows, the Melvins reach back to their original '83 hardcore days with King Buzzo on guitar, original drummer Mike Dillard and Dale Crover manning the bass."
"BIAFRA FIVE - O"
June 16-17; 8 p.m.; $22 per nigh, $40 both nights Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
Sonic Reducer Overage: Ladytron, Last of the Blacksmiths, and more
Give Ladytron a little sugar.
As usual, SF, you're far too much for one music fan or one paper to handle. Here are more worthy picks that didn't quite make it to print. Knock yourselves out.
Cave Singers
There is life after post-punk. Pretty Girls Make Graves, Hint Hint, and Cobra High seem far away for the Matador art-folkies. With Botticellis and Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death. Thurs/22, 8 p.m., $12. Independent, 628 Divisadero, S.F. (415) 771-1422.
Last of the Blacksmiths
The SF ensemble may be last, but they’re not to be forgotten, as they whoop it up moodily on the occasion of their spanking fresh album, **Young Family Song** (Vanguard Squad), alongside Black Fiction writer Tim Cohen’s the Fresh and Only’s. With El Capitan. Sat/24, 9 p.m., $10. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
Rats
The misunderstood NYC critters promise to rip you a new one. With Some Days. Sat/24, 6 p.m., $5. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Ladytron
They only want you when you’re 17 -- when you’re 21 you’re no fun. But if you’re the UK combo you have considerably longer shelf life: fans are chomping at the bit for Ladytron’s forthcoming fourth album, **Velocifero,** for their new imprint, Nettwerk. Tues/27, 8 p.m., $27.50. Fillmore, 1805 Geary, SF. (415) 346-6000.
Care to grab a slice of experimental rock/no-wave history? Flying Luttenbachers impressario, XBXRX player, and no wave authority Weasel Walter is putting his Conn C-Melody saxophone up on the eBay action block here. The Bay Area musician and fire-starter says he played the instrument on such recordings as the Flying Luttenbachers' Revenge and Gods of Chaos as well as To Live and Shave in L.A. 2's The 300 Dollar Silk Shirt.
Says WW: "I got this horn in 1988 and played it (terribly) on a lot of my high school 4-track recordings (the best of those were released on CD by Savage Land Records in 2006). After I moved to Chicago I got the beast fixed up and repadded and played it a lot more. This is a working instrument, and you can basically take it out of the box and play it. Basically bills must be paid and I really don't pursue playing saxophone at all anymore - let's leave it to the pros! - so I'm selling it off.
"To some elite weirdos i suppose it's a small piece of history. Let the bidding begin."
(You can also catch Weasel Walter at events for the book **No Wave,** alongside author Marc Masters. Those happen Sat/24, 2 p.m., free. Amoeba Music, 1855 Haight, SF. With Death Sentence: Panda and Ettrick. Sat/24, 9 p.m., pay what you can. 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakl. Sun/25, 5 p.m., $6. Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia, SF.)
Good to know Joey Ramone Day marches on - just as it was fun to hear, at last night's Eric Lyle reading/event at CounterPULSE for his new book, On the Lower Frequencies: A Secret History of the City, the Guardian contributor talk about his own personal observance of Joey Ramone Day - playing Ramones songs on a boombox through the streets, meditating on the frontman.
Well, it happens on every coast. This just in - the details for this year's Joey Ramone Birthday Bash on May 19 in NYC:
"Celebrating what would have been the 57th birthday of punk-icon Joey Ramone, the annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash will take place Monday, May 19, at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. Mickey Leigh, event organizer and brother of Joey Ramone, has announced that, as part of the eighth annual Bash, fans will be treated to a special reunion appearance from Manitoba's Wild Kingdom featuring Handsome Dick Manitoba, Andy Shernoff, Ross the Boss, and JP Thunderbolt.
As you'd expect from her brainy, rambling songs, Kimya Dawson is a pleasure to chat with. Here's more from a brief chat; she performs tonight at Herbst Theatre with her friend Matt Toby on ukulele.
SFBG: So your life must have really changed after the Juno soundtrack?
Kimya Dawson: I love the movie and I love everybody that worked on the movie. I know that for a lot of the other people who worked on it that I liked and for my family it's super-exciting and that makes me happy. It's just one of those things, where this was never the goal for me. I never made music thinking someday I'm going to make it big.
Sonic Reducer Overage: Her Space Holiday, KUSF, Raconteurs, Pre, Basia Bulat, Night Marchers, Man Man, and so much more
Man Man, oh, man.
Man, there's too much to do - you can blame it on Coachella for luring so many interesting acts westward.
MAN MAN
Beards, stuffed animals, and the sound of Philadelphia - this is what Man Man shows are made of. Man Man's new album, Rabbit Habits (Anti-), has also been touched by facial hair. Count on much instrument passing, a palpable sense of humor, and fever dreams revolving round cheesetofu sandwiches. With Yeasayer. Wed/23, 9 p.m., $16. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.
RACONTEURS
A pretty fun rockin' time was had by all at the supergroup's last show at the Warfield. Consolers of the Lonely sound like the combo are up to their mad, sad old tricks. With Birds of Avalon. Wed/23, 8 p.m., sold out. Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, SF. (415) 474-0365.
HER SPACE HOLIDAY
San Mateo rising! Suburban savant Marc Bianchi is back from holiday with a new album to come on Mush Records - and his first children's book, The Telescope, which was released in Japan. With Lymbyc System and Head Like a Kite. Thurs/24, 9 p.m., $12. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.
For the latest installment of Fearless Records' noble quest to release the worst-themed cover-song compilations ever, they've truly one-upped themselves with the horrendously misnamed Punk Goes Crunk. It should have been called Popular Rock Goes Mainstream Rap, but, of course, that doesn't have a nice ring to it. While the definition of punk has become so egregiously convoluted that some may claim that New Found Glory and Hot Rod Circuit are actually punk, no one can dispute that Will Smith's Men in Black theme song is not crunk by any means. Nor is 2pac, Notorious B.I.G., the Roots, Snoop Dogg, or any of the other artists unfortunate enough to have their hits covered on this disc.
At first, the idea is kind of funny - I mean, it does rhyme. Beyond that, however, it's bad. The first track, which happens to be the only actual cover of a crunk song, highlights the Bay Area's own Set Your Goals covering Lil Jon's "Put Yo Hood Up." Like most songs on the compilation, the band doesn't try to give the song any kind of punk or pop-punk makeover, but rather takes the opportunity to try their own hand at rapping. With the help of a redundant chorus sung by what sounds like Yoda, the tune sets the overall tone for the collection.
The comp has a few somewhat interesting tracks, including Say Anything's rendition of Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Yo Money," which is good for a couple laughs. But it's clear by the end that humanity has already endured enough experimentation between rock and rap (i.e., ahem, Limp Bizkit) and at some point, the genres need to go back to their respective corners. Frankly, I thought they already had. Some of these tracks were originally intended for release on Immortal Records' Yo! Indie Rock Raps compilation, but they canned the concept. Fearless should have taken note.
Perhaps recognizing that no one would ever put their own money towards purchasing Punk Goes Crunk, the label has put the entire release up online to hear for free. Lucky you. WARPED TOUR
With most groups featured on Punk Goes Crunk
June 21, 11 a.m., $33
Pier 30/32, SF
(415) 421-TIXS
Sonic Reducer Overage: Mocheeba, Hercules and Love Affair, Enon, David Banner, and mo'
Reflections on Enon. Photo by Emily Wilson.
So much to do and see, Lee. And Prince headlining Coachella on Saturday, April 26, doesn't make the schedule any easier. Check out all these worthy shows that were fit for print but simply didn't make the trim this week.
KING BROTHERS AND THE FLAKES
Kawaii-cute Japanese distorto-rockers meet Bay Area garage first-schoolers. With Shellshag and Bananas. Thurs/10, 8:30 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.
HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR
"I cannot hold / a half a life / I cannot be / at half a wife." So goes "Time Will" off Hercules and Love Affair's new self-titled DFA/EMI album. Dulcet warbles care of Antony of Antony and the Johnsons meet cool synthetics with keys by Andrew Butler and drum programming by DFA's Tim Goldsworthy. Instant love affair, for sure. With Timo Maas and Honey Soundsystem. Fri/11, 10 p.m. doors, $15-$30. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. (415) 820-9669.
Holy Spazmosis!. Jumpy young rockers Anavan drove up from Salt Lake City to play the queer (and friends!) punk monthly Trans Am at Club Eight for a rapturous beer-spurtin' crowd last Saturday.
Anavan, "You're Taking Me Out"
The frantic foursome greeted us with mucho fog machine, trademark hockey helmets, drum, bass, and a wall of synths. And then everything got crazy in a voices-in-your-head way (mostly thanks to the skittering, hyperactive vocals mixed waaaay back in the echo-delay mix.)
Courtesy of the muthafuckin' LA Times
In the case of the hockey helmets, visual connections to those masked masters Daft Punk, MSTRKRFT, and occasionally (if primly painted-on facial scruff counts -- yes, I'm calling those skinny French boys out) Justice might be made. And sonically they can sometimes resemble those glam-tech outfits a teeny-tad, mostly in their boppy keyboard riffs. But Anavan adds its own cymbal-crashing, wildly energetic No-Wave twist, sure to please the art school crowd (Richard Hell is all the rage again, haven't you heard?) and dance floor maniacs as well as indie kids. I expect you'll hear them burning down discos near you soon.
(Next month a Trans Am, Sat May 3, features SF native cuties Ex-Boyfriends -- should be rocking'.)
Here's more an interview with San Francisco's Walken. Read the original piece here.
Shane Bergman: A 14-year-old with a gun is the last thing I want to see around here.
SFBG: When did you guys form?
Sean Kohler: Actually, we came up with the name Walken in 1999.
SFBG: Pre-“More Cowbell.”
SB: Yeah, I think so. It was right at the beginning of the Christopher Walken joke obsession, with all the new movies and all that. I think we were caught up in the beginnings of that, doing Walken impressions and such. At the time it was just me and Andrew, who was the original drummer. I think we all collectively think of Walken forming again in different phases, ‘cause it’s changed so much. Present lineup: two years, basically.
What's up with San Francisco skate-metal-punk contenders Hightower?
Well, they're kind of on hiatus, according to bassist Dave Fallis, taking a break from his SF picture-framing business to talk despite his bandmates' absence - "We can't form the Voltron," he warned. Hightower has made the rounds, touring every summer for the last six years, so this time, they've decided to just "concentrate on getting their lives back together" before writing songs and recording - once they raise enough funds.
"We're, like, the least marketable band out there," Fallis explained matter-of-factly. "We're not quite a metal band and not a, quote-unquote, punk rock band. It just seems like when we're at punk rock show, we're the regular dudes in jeans and T-shirts, and when we go to a metal show, we're the same way." Still, the band that met each other skateboarding around their SF neighborhood continues to find their way with the help of kindred skaters. "If we didn't skate we wouldn't know each other," Fallis said, "and as far as touring and getting shows, we'll contact people we know through skateboarding, and we'll decide which town to go to according to which ones have a great skateboarding spot or swimming hole."
HIGHTOWER'S TOP FIVE SPOTS TO SKATE OR SWIM WHILE ON THE ROAD
- Montreal, the Big O or the Olympic Stadium
- Chattanooga, Tenn., Suck Creek ("A great spot in the Smoky Mountains.")
- "Late-night skinny-dipping in Lawrence, Kansas."
- Maine's cliff jumps
- Assorted skateparks in Louisville, Ky.
HIGHTOWER
With Walken, Three Weeks Clean, and Soulbroker
May 1, 9 p.m., $8 Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
Yes, it seems like some bizarre spoof: The Warriors mixes it up with Dashboard Confessional and West Side Story, across the border. But word - according to Mexican TV news reports and other print sources, along with this piece by Exclaim - has it that emo-bashing has become popular among assorted subcultural tribes in Mexico City and elsewhere. (Thanks to Amber Asylum's Kris Force for tipping us to the insanity.)
Exclaim holds forth: "According to Daniel Hernandez, who’s been covering the anti-emo riots on his blog Intersections, the violence began March 7, when an estimated 800 young people poured into the Mexican city of Queretaro’s main plaza “hunting” for emo kids to pummel. Then the following weekend similar violence occurred in Mexico City at the Glorieta de Insurgents, a central gathering space for emos. Hernandez also reports that several anti-emo riots have now also spread to various other Mexican cities. Via the Austin American Statesmen, several postings on Mexican social-networking sites, primarily organizing spot for these “emo hunts,” have been dug up and translated. One states: 'I HATE EMOS!!! They are not even people, they are so stupid, they cry over meaningless things… My school is infested with them, I want to kill them all!'
"Another says: 'We’ve never seen all the urban tribes unite against one single tribe before… Emos, their way of thinking is for crap, if you are so depressed please do us all a favour and kill yourselves!'"
Yikes, what did My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy ever do to these haters? OK, yeah, I know... but still, why can't kids just get along?
SXSW: Up on Duffy, Ra Ra Riot, Carbon Silicon, Inca Ore, Kate Nash, and more
Learning to love again with Ra Ra Riot. All photos by Kimberly Chun.
O SXSW, what a mixed bag thou art. Good-looking from across a crowded Kiwanis Hall, good-looking (if somewhat huge-pored and flushed with Lone Stars) close up, and even better-looking receding in the distance. Yes, I'm waving, not drowning, with this, a last, lingering, photo-centric dispatch from Saturday, March 15.
Just breathe: Inca Ore.
Solo artists (from Portland, Ore. by way of the Bay) Inca Ore and Grouper stole an intimate house party, organized by Guardian contributor and Club Sandwich mastermind George Chen. A nice alternative to Todd P's day-shows at Ms. Bea's - on the sleepy, leafy, chill side of the Colorado River. Chen's combo KIT also tore it up, following up their Upset the Rhythm showcase earlier that week.
Meow! KIT.
Off-kilter harmonies from the twins of Scary Mansion.
SXSW: This ain't another fear and loathing praisesong
The race is on: Earl Greyhound made an appearance at the Afro-Punk/Matrix showcase at SXSW.
By Kandia Crazy Horse
In the wake of my man John Edwards’s withdrawal from the current presidential race and subsequent taking up the torch for our fair music editor’s fellow Punahou alumnus Obama as Negro First, I officially became old. So I lacked sufficient energy and brain cells to take on SXSW 2008 – but, music ‘ho that I am, I did it anyway.
Clearly, Barack Obama’s sustained ascent as the most dissected American presidential candidate has by now confirmed his superfly rock-star status, crowding and overshadowing the field pursued by artists with recent/forthcoming new releases such as Jack White of the Raconteurs, the brers of Gnarls Barkley, Union Jack black singing cowboy Lightspeed Champion, and Saul Williams, a.k.a., Niggy Tardust - the latter two made the South By scene all around hip Austin (and Gnarls appeared via tacked-up Odd Couple lampoons, courtesy of Atlantic). I hesitated to fly down into Bush Country, considering the volatile political climate at present and the specter of terrorism making every airport visit unpleasant at best.
And, too, I had personal reservations: at the last three South By festivals, my life has fallen apart by degrees: in 2006, with the diagnosis of my late Mother’s pancreatic cancer and decision to divorce being the absolute worst. Still, I was invited to speak about press and, whether SXSW has completely devolved into “hipster spring break with bands” in recent years, the festival retains the possibility to offer exposure to unheard-of music and/or reconnect with rarely seen friends from the Left Coast and abroad.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12
Rising before cockcrow at 3 a.m., I saddled up in bespoke hat, denim and black leather to hit a too-early flight out of NY LaGuardia and made it to Austin’s Bergstrom already dazed and confused via Houston connection from George Bush Airport. After a swift check-in at the Hilton Garden Inn downtown where I happened to run into my panel mate, Nick Baily of Shorefire Media, and we concurred that we were in the dark about how to express ourselves (one of last year’s highlights was meeting O.G. Expressor Charles Wright), it was off to run the Convention Center gauntlet in pursuit of festival badges, assorted data, schwag and making it to the panelists’ green room on time. No surreys nor press satoris available. So Nick and I jes’ winged it (wung it?) before a surprisingly full room, and tried our best to respond to the artists trailing in our wake all the way back to the hotel.
"Growing old, it's hard to be the angry young man/ Turn away. Turn and walk away" - so observes the discernibly less-vexed Bob Mould on his recently released District Line (Anti-), and the line is as good as any in summing up the mood shift we've seen in the guitar-wielding singer-songwriter in recent years.
With his latest, Mould still continues to stare down a demon or two, but he appears rather content to do so. Dare I say it? Oh, why not - there are moments on the disc in which he even could be described as sounding downright upbeat. Bully for him, I say, and double-bully for crafting such an engagingly diverse collection of songs. See the new Mould for yourselves Wednesday, March 26 - that's when he and his band take to the Great American Music Hall stage, folks. Me, I'm already agog over the possibilities of the set-list, considering the breadth of his quarter-century-plus career.
Since the guy brought up the subject and all, it's worth a little pondering. Ah, the angry young man thing: we music obsessives tend to really tighten our focus on this supposed issue, don't we? Holding our heroes to high standards is one thing, but denying them the same inevitability that we all will eventually meet - growing older - has always struck me as absurd. Worse yet, we often insist on freezing them in time, keeping them bottled and bathed in piss 'n' vinegar and then carping away if they fail to deliver the same blister and bluster of their early to mid-20s.
SXSW: Santogold is golden along with Sightings, the Ting Tings, Torche, and more
It's all Santogold. All photos by Kimberly Chun.
South By - why, a week later, the wrap-up keeps coming. Here's what was on the plate Friday night, March 14 - in addition to the beef rib barbecue and banana pudding with Nilla wafers at Iron Works.
Soft sweat: Kim Hiorthoy.
I was glad to catch a few songs by Kim Hiorthoy in the SXSW day stage at the convention center's cafeteria. The Oslo, Norway, knob-twirler headed up the Smalltown Supersound showcase Wednesday night - here he performed with a percussionist pal, making more meditative, ambient sounds than the house-tinged music he ended up delivering at the Boredoms SF show on March 18.
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful - hate me because of my bad band name: the Ting Tings.
The evening started out at Stubb's for the Ting Tings, art-pop duo from Salford, UK - the twosome has been surprising listeners with their infectious, dancey sass. Spunky, model-esque Katie White managed to hold the stage on her lonesome, thrashing away at her guitar.
SXSW: High on Fire blows away Motorhead; cruising Ms. Bea's and Typewriter Museum
Totally high on High on Fire. All photos by Kimberly Chun.
"Purple is the color of sexual frustration," quips one English SXSW conventioneer to two ladies asking about their wardrobe choice in the elevator. Not so over at Stubb's and Vice's metal showcase yesterday, March 13. I missed Napalm Death, damn it all, but made it to see High on Fire totally kick arse! Lordy, who knew Matt Pike and company had it in 'em? All assembled would have to confess: they totally blew away metal-punk grandpappies Motorhead. (OK, I only stayed for a portion of Motorhead's set but chances looked slim that they were going to kick up more dust.)
"This song goes out to all my friends who came here from Oakland!" Pike exclaimed before launching into a brute, pummeling rendition of "Speedwolf." Holy mother of fuck...
You can't envy Lemmy and his weathered road warriors, following that. But you can admire the devil horns getting thrown up front.
SXSW: Lightspeed show-going with Kills, Lightspeed Champion, Sons and Daughters, Lindstrom, Naked Raygun, and the Dicks
Stomp! Scotland's Sons and Daughters walk all over us at SXSW's Domino showcase. All photos by Kimberly Chun.
Showcases at SXSW: it's a strategic sport - which ones can you get into, which ones will be futile endeavors (the Carbon/Silcon show, for instance, last night, on March 13 at the renamed "Clash"/Friends club), which ones will be too far off the Sixth Street beaten path? I hovered round a few joints the first night, Wednesday, March 12, first catching Paper Rad at the Knitting Factory showcase.
A packed crew of hip kids in bright clothing showed up early for the 8 p.m. set, which started out with a series of videos: Rihanna melted into/mashed up with the Cranberries and Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry Be Happy" cavorted with happy face snowmen and rainbows, undulating kids in home-made hip-hop dance clips broke down into pixelated Halloween revelers in skull face paint. Eye candy for the DIY-infatuated art-punker and to top it off Paper Radster Jacob Ciocci got behind the mixing board with a drumming/laptop-rocking pal to make some righteous noise after 20 minutes of visuals.
Way west at Antone's, I settled into the Domino showcase, missing the buzzed-about New Puritans but catching hot lavendar boy Lightspeed Champion, who unearthed a slew of acoustic guitar-propelled tunes, accompanied only by friends on occasional fiddle and backup vocals.
SXSW: Does It Offend You, Yeah? Yup, it's the Fortress Fader with Yacht
UK's Does It Offend You, Yeah? had the crowd thrusting their fists in the air.
Hid out at the Fader Fortress for a patch on the first full-tilt SXSW convention day, yesterday, March 12. Making up for a lackluster and unimaginative Chikita Violenta, England's Does It Offend You, Yeah? had a crowd of hipsters quaffing free booze bouncing and throwing their hands up to crunching beats and spectacularly trashy synth sounds - can a live band replicate the heavy dance-pop of Justice et al? The T-shirted everyguy combo sure did - with plenty of stage antics to boot.
Mean it: Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Yacht closed out the night with their party-starting (or, eh, -ending) dance tracks and move. Someone give this boy a ghostwriting pop songwriting job - or better make him the next Justin Timberlake. It was tough to follow Does It Offend You, but JB managed with a little help from his dance partner.
Minimalism is a science too often associated with badly played and poorly written rock 'n' roll. That inane, barely listenable mush can become noise art in the burning hearts of burrito-munching garage enthusiasts. You know, of course, that burrito means "Hey, you in the little donkey costume."
Thankfully, the Raveonettes' brand of minimalism is by no means a consumptive joke, but the enchilada proper, drowning in truth: three great good chords; a sweetly sexed, girl-on-boy approach to harmonizing whose average results in unfailingly lusty melodies; a trusty, persistently quaternary time signature; and, to my surprise, nary a kickdrum. Sune Wagner, Sharin Foo, and a would-be Taiko drummer - standing in a sleeveless T behind a tom and a snare - created a steady stream of sleepy homage to the early days of rock on Wednesday night. Lingering perhaps a bit too long on their old stuff, they eventually got around to new cuts like “You Want the Candy” and even a Stereolab cover, “French Disko,” to boot. New, old, or other, the music they play comes deadeningly [sic], unmistakably alive in its solemnity.
Their 4's, 8's, and 16's are layered to taste and well loved by the San Franciscans who packed the house, one of whom couldn’t restrain his zealous “Welcome to San Francisco!” between the first and second numbers of what was to be a compact, though nonetheless decorous set. A quiet “thank you” was returned by the 6-foot, superduper-Cholula-hot Foo, who proceeded to slay the same three chords over and over to the indolently unanimous enjoyment of the audience. They even played a song in 6 (or was it 3?) towards the end of the set: good news for fans who’d like to see them expand their horizons just a bit.
Sonic Reducer Overage: Michael Pitt, Kira Lynn Cain, Ex-Boyfriends get you outta the house
Dreamy Dreamer: Michael Pitt breaks out of Pagoda mode to perform solo.
Ah, SF, gotta love your live music. There's more music than we can shake a stick at in the next few weeks, SXSW or no SXSW. Hark, are a few more ways to get into trouble:
Kira Lynn Cain
Track The Ideal Hunter (Evangeline), singer-songwriter Cain's forthcoming album, live as “Class of 2007”’s noirish class act opens for her paramour Jeffrey Luck Lucas and American Music Club player Danny Pearson. Wed/5, 8 p.m. doors, $5. Red Devil Lounge, 1695 Polk, SF. (415) 921-1695.
Explosions at Pinhead Gunpowder? More thoughts on the Feb. 10 Gilman show
By Alex Felsinger
Punk venue 924 Gilman Street is notorious for two things, both equally insidious in thwarting the average person from attending shows there: a horrible sound system and an overwhelming elitist vibe from the staff. Pinhead Gunpowder, who recently performed at Gilman for the first time in 15 years on Feb. 10 (read the review here), proved that while a new sound system can work wonders, the off-putting vibe of the staff is harder to change.
On the surface, the show was a raging success. Fans flooded in for what was clearly the biggest show for Gilman in years, and from what I saw, almost everyone left with a smile. Every band that performed, not just the headlining super group, put on a fantastic show. But from talking with various people involved in the club, I knew not everyone was tapping their toes.
Weeks before the show, the band - which not only includes Billie Joe Armstrong, but also Green Day's tour manager, Bill Schneider, and their touring second guitarist, Jason White - offered to donate money to the club. Instead, Gilman told the group that a new sound system would be the best way to help, and it would also make the sound better for their show. The band immediately obliged by installing beautiful new JVC speakers, and later provided a new mixing board as well. According to the club, the band instigated the donation on their own and was not encouraged to make one.
The burn-out - or sell-out? - rate for punk-rock musicians can be high, but the Bay Area has some long-standing forces who make a point to keep their fires glowing.
Kepi Ghoulie, the long-time frontman of the Sacramento pop-punk trio Groovie Ghoulies, has played essentially the same music for the past 22 years, since recording his first 7-inch EP in 1986. He still looks the same, wearing tight black pants, Converse All-Stars, and striped T-shirts. He makes music and sells his art for a living. At 43, he still epitomizes the do-it-yourself ethics of punk rock.
Opening Noise Pop: Mika Miko, DJ Amplive pull out stops at the Rickshaw
Toasty Tempo No Tempo. All photos by Brandon Joseph Baker.
Photographer Brandon Joseph Baker caught the opening night of Noise Pop on Feb. 26 and checked out Mika Miko, DJ Amplive of Zion I, and Tempo No Tempo at the Rickshaw Stop.
Always good to hear from the Donnas, last year's Noise Pop fest cover ladies. Bassist Maya Ford checked in via e-mail recently, anticipating the band's show at the Fillmore tonight, Feb. 20, opening for the Hives. Here's what she wrote:
SFBG: The band is putting out their own recordings now, right? How did you come to make that decision?
Maya Ford: The music business is changing right now. Nothing is concrete; people get hired and fired all the time, so you never know who to believe. Why not be safer and do it ourselves with people we trust? We met with other labels, but Purple Feather offered us the best deal: freedom!
Curious about what some of the groups we feature in this week's Noise Pop cover story sound like? Anyone remember when reading about music meant that the quality of the writing alone had to convey individual sonic textures? Well, no more! Thank you, Internets! Behold!
Below are some introductory vids -- more info on these stellar performers (as well as a full fest schedule) is available at www.noisepop.com/2008
There's club sandwich and then there's Club Sandwich: one is a chicken-bacon-mayo-double-decker, and the other is a Bay Area show promotion collective committed to hosting all ages shows for under-the-radar local and touring bands. Both layer elements that don't necessarily seem like they'd go together – but are notoriously tasty for that precise reason.
True to form, Club Sandwich shows cross traditional genre boundary lines (noise, punk, folk, etc.), bringing together different subcultures within the Bay Area's underground music scene that don't usually overlap.
Club Sandwich: Raccoo-oo-oon 21 Grand
In the spirit of similar DIY show promoters like Todd P in New York or the Upset the Rhythm collective in the UK, Club Sandwich organizes shows at a host of different venues, ranging from legitimate gallery spaces like ATA in San Francisco and Lobot in Oakland to warehouse spaces where people live – and even an Oakland swimming pool.
"Part of what we do is connect the warehouse and art spaces with touring acts who do not have these intrinsic connections," says Club Sandwich founding member (and Guardian contributor) George Chen.
Club Sandwich: Some Dark Holler at Totally Intense Fractal Mindgaze Hut Oakland
You know, I wish I didn't have to say it, I really do. Everything would be so much easier if I simply sucked it up, declared it a no-biggie, and didn't say it. What's done is done, I've told myself I don't know how many times since Tuesday night, so just flick off that OCD switch in your brainbox, buddy. But I can't, unfortunately, so two deep breaths and here goes: I checked out Siouxsie's Mantaray tour show at the Fillmore on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and I must admit that I was more than a bit disappointed.
You know that ole quip, "This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you?" Well, it rings true here, folks, so lest anyone chalk me up as a Siouxsie-hater - and I've met aplenty in my day - or worse yet, a fair-weathered fan, let me say this: Siouxsie has been a fixture in my life for a couple of decades now. Her work with the Banshees kept me sane in the cruel cookie-cutter kingdom of high school. Songs such as "Metal Postcard" and "Swimming Horses" were perennial go-to sources for escape and solace not just as an awkward tenenager, but through college and beyond.
Every time I throw on Boomerang (Geffen) - her exotic marimba-fest with then-husband Budgie as the Creatures - I find the memory-bank floodgates opening up, gushing over with fond memories of friends who felt just as enthralled by her as I did. I reveled and raved when she hooked up with those collab-lovin' blokes in Basement Jaxx to unleash some deliciously unbridled floor-thumping sass with the classic single "Cish Cash." And yes, I went unequivocally ga-ga over Siouxsie's slate-cleaning solo splash, last year's electrifying Mantaray (Universal) - hell, I even blathered and jabbered away about it right here on this blog back in October. So, yeah, I've always considered myself one of the former Susan Dallion's ever-faithful, ready to sing holy, holy to her whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Recently on display at 21 Grand: works by Kerri Lee Johnson (above) and Chela Fielding.
By Dina Maccabee
To be honest, I don't go to 21 Grand that often. I live in San Francisco, and 21 Grand is in Oakland. Plus, I have a tardy streak, and it's really better if you get to shows there in a timely manner, since once the music starts, it tends to have a sit-down-and-listen type of vibe - which is as it should be; performances there are unique enough to deserve an audience's full attention.
Still, it's important for me to know that 21 Grand endures, even if I only enjoy its spartan decor and mismatched chairs in my imagination. Considering recent Grammy hype, I take comfort in the idea that there are songs, pieces, and players that can't be assigned to any nomination category.
Sure, I haven't composed any graphic scores lately for coloratura and Tickle-Me Elmo. But the point is, if I wanted to, I could, and I could probably perform them at 21 Grand. Not to say that, in this case, egalitarianism begets mediocrity. The roll call truly influential underground luminaries and celebrated artists that have visited 21 Grand since it opened in 2000 is too long to list here. Some of my own favorites have included locals like Myra Melford, Ben Goldberg, Phillip Greenlief, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, and Fred Frith.
"The truth can finally be told, Marke B.," said Trannyshack mama bear Heklina when I talked to her about her raucous 12-year-old trash-drag weekly at the Stud going dark in August. "I was gonna shut it down on our 10th anniversary -- that's just such a good, round number -- but I was in talks for the past two years with some big time studios about a Trannyshack reality series, so I kept it going. But I guess that's dead in the water now, so it's time to move on." Alas! But hurray for Heklina taking time out to figure herself out. And Trannyshack may return as a monthly, so that would be nice.
There have been so-so-so many disgustingly wonderful Trannyshack moments in the past dozen years to try to remember fully. I think I was at the opening night in 1996, but I was on a lot of meth then, so who the hell knows? Anyway, here are some performances for the ages. I'll be adding more in the next week as soon as I get off my ass and fight my way out of this paper bag hangover (never huff Aquanet people -- it'll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth.) And there are a ton of Trannyshack vids on YouTube -- except for some reason they've taken down clips from "Filthy Gorgeous: The Trannyshack Movie" -- I wanted that one where Juanita More and the dwarf get naked for "Put It In My Mouth." Anyway! Enjoy!
Last Monday’s announcement from Mexico City of the lineup for the upcoming Coachella Festival in Indio had more than a few prospective ticket buyers flummoxed. Where were all the celebrity headliners Goldenvoice had so skillfully assembled in years past? Where were the electro hipsters and indie-rock stalwarts whose appearances had succeeded in making Coachella the American Glastonbury?
After all the behind-the-scenes campaigning and Internet rumor-mongering that promised everyone from the Smiths to Gang of Four to Aphex Twin to Leonard Cohen, the unveiling was an extraordinary exercise in bathos. Thank goodness for Portishead. The biggest omission was the newly reunited My Bloody Valentine, who performs for the first time in over 15 years beginning this summer in the UK. After the major coup that brought the Jesus and Mary Chain to Indio last year, hopes were high that a second miracle might find Kevin Shields and co. headlining over the likes of Jack Johnson or Roger Waters.
Blow me down, Sweet Crude Bill and the Lighthouse Nautical Society.
By Todd Lavoie
Another new year, another new year's resolution - but rather than going for the usual tired song-and-dance about eating less or becoming thriftier or getting more organized (yawn), how about something with a bit more spark - and sparkle! - for 2008? Here's a pinky-finger handshake I made with myself that maybe just maybe might work for you too as a new-leaf-turner: this year, I'm going to make a special point to see more shows from Bay Area musicians.
How's that? Talk about easy, painless - hell, it doesn't even require any personal sacrifice (other than a little cash and maybe the gumption to leave the house on a cold January night, an admittedly tough prospect right now as I stare out my window watching daisy chains of trash bins, plastic bags, and dead umbrellas floating downriver as that Biblical rain keeps on pouring outside, sigh).
Plus, you'll be supporting the local arts scene: better to enjoy it now, lest the renter's market goes completely nutso and sends all of the creative and underpaid - not to mention some of the most interesting - minds of the area a-packing! Mercifully, that doomsday scenario hasn't happened, and we here in the Bay can boast of having one of the most fertile musical playgrounds in the entire country, thanks to the wealth of free-thinkers and the venues that support them. Ah, we are blessed, verily and truly. So, while we're ruminating away in gratitude, here are some upcoming wingdings worthy of taking a step-outside:
Vice Cooler of XBXRX, KIT, and Hawnay Troof comes with his other favorite gigs of 2007. For the rest, go to his list here.
- While I was performing in France an orgy broke out (which I did not partake in).
- I played on three boats.
- KIT had a great tour with Deerhoof in the United Kingdom. While in Wales we got to hear an enormous drunken man who resembles a tree trunk take a horrible jab at singing along with Satomi Matsuzaki. Afterward a kid came up and said it was the most inspiring show he had seen. I asked why, and he answered, "Well, I'm a drummer. Seeing you and Greg [Saunier] play was great because you guys are always missing the drums and hitting the rims and stuff. That's cool!"
Get off the Camel: Kill Rock Stars's open letter to 'Rolling Stone'
We, the indie: Maggie Vail (left) of the Bangs fired off this open letter to Rolling Stone.
This came over the e-mail transom today from Maggie Vail, publicist at Kill Rock Stars (and also of the Bangs) with the subject line: "an open letter to rolling stone."
"We, the undersigned independent record labels, wish to share our indignation regarding Rolling Stone’s November 15th pull out editorial, which featured the names of our artists in conjunction with an ad for Camel cigarettes. This editorial cartoon gives every impression of being part and parcel of the advertisement wrapped around it. The use of an artist’s name to promote a brand or product should be done only with the artist’s explicit consent, something that was neither solicited nor obtained from the labels or bands.
"When questioned, Rolling Stone has referred to the 'Indie Rock Universe' pull out section as an 'editorial,' but it hardly seems accidental that this editorial content is wrapped in a giant ad from R.J. Reynolds announcing their support for independent artists and labels. The idea that this was a coincidence in any way seems dubious at best. There are two other pull out sections in this same issue of Rolling Stone. Both are wrapped in advertising, but neither of these ads could be construed as part of the editorial content within.
"Many of the bands named, and the labels that represent them, are very unhappy with the implication that they have any involvement with R.J. Reynolds and Camel cigarettes. We ask that Rolling Stone apologize for blurring the line between editorial and advertisement, and in doing so, implying that the bands named support the product being advertised.
"Sincerely, Kill Rock Stars, Touch and Go, Skin Graft, Lovepump United, Lucky Madison, 5RC, Audio Dregs, and Fryk Beat."
Yellow Swans' Gabriel Mindel Saloman picks his final five music faves of 2007
Yellow Swans' Gabriel Mindel Saloman (left) and Pete Swanson.
By Gabriel Mindel Saloman
Here are five more musical selections for 2007. See www.sfbg.com for the rest.
FIVE MORE TOPPERS FOR 2007
1. Top way to take the money and run: the career of Andrew WK
After a few years of cult celebrity and corporate bucks, Andy has found some excellent ways to throw curveballs to those who think they have his number. In 2007 he did amazing production work for Sightings, joined Current 93, did a dance party-lecture tour, paraded with Karen Black, provided multiple online and print advice columns and features, and is now working with Lee Perry. What a life.
2. Top example of righteousness: Harry Belafonte
No doubt about it, the man threw down during his keynote speech at the Gathering for Justice in Oakland. It's rare these days to hear an artist speak with such clarity about the past and the present. Hearing him talk - thanks to Davey D’s great online resource - is like eating food after fasting for days. And his amazing records are still $1 at most thrift stores.
3. Top elephant in the room: punk rock economics
The new realities of MP3s, peak oil, and a looming recession ... well, you do the math. DIY shows have been $5 a head since the ’80s. That won't even pay for a meal anymore, much less a tank of gas on a trip to any big town north, south, or east of the city. Something's going to change, but what?
These are my top 50-some Bay Area bands of '07. Some of them moved here this year. A few of them moved away this year. Maybe a few of them broke up this year. Several of them are even my own bands, but I wouldn’t be playing in them if I didn’t think they’d make it on to a list this massive. All of them were active while living here in 2007.
Here it is:
0th
16 Bitch Pile Up
Axolotl
Badgerlore
Bleachy Bleachy Bleach
Breezy Days Band
Bronze
Bulbs
Brian Miller contemplates the Lightning Bug Situation - he's responsible.
C’mon down and down some more choiceness along with that hard eggnog: you’d think this was high-music season with all the live sounds out there. Here’s what didn’t make it into print in this week's Sonic Reducer yet nonetheless stands out, shining like a friendly faux candle in a neighbor’s window.
Ghost of Curtis
We’ve lost Control again? Pay tribute to Joy Division once again. Wed/5, 9 p.m., $6. With Hot Challenge and Death Valley High. Hotel Utah, 500 Fourth St., SF. (415) 546-6300.
Head Boggle Domo
Squelching, ringing noise by way of SF meets Santa Cruz and Australia’s most clamorous. With Jap Jap, Bonnie, iXi, and Everything Is Inebriated. Wed/5, 8:30 p.m., donation. All ages. ArtSF, 110 Capp, SF.
Parker Street Cinema in motion.
Parker Street Cinema
The SF band unfurls evocative, cinematic instrumentals that cue the halcyon days of Tristeza and Album Leaf. With Excuses for Skipping and French Miami. Wed/5, 9 p.m., $8. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. (415) 861-2011. Also Thurs/6, 5 p.m., free. Rasputin’s Music, 2401 Telegraph, Berk. (510) 848-9004. Also Fri/7, 5 p.m., 5 p.m., Rasputin’s Music, 630 San Antonio, Mountain View. (650) 947-0181.
Ramon and Jessica captured by Christian Bruno. Ramon and Jessica
Winsome fiddle and Casio get together for a few tunes, documented by filmmaker Christian Bruno. With Maya Dorn and Eggplant Casino. Wed/5, 9:30 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
The Thermals
Punker than you – and recording for Sub Pop.
With the Big Sleep and the Scandells. Wed/5, 8 p.m., $15. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.
Vampire Weekend
Ivy League indie-rock afro-pop? Can I get another descriptor? Warriors can see for themselves on the brink of the buzz band’s debut release. With Grand Ole Party and Still Flyin’. Wed/5, 8 p.m., $12. Independent, 628 Divisadero, S.F. 771-1422. www.theindependentsf.com
Meg Baird
Lovely Appalachian traditionals emanate from the Espers songbird. With Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound and Rahdunes. Fri/7, 9:30 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.
Batman vs. Predator
“The greatest band of all time ever in history”? according to their MySpace page. Or just Santa Rosa’s most chaotic and comic book-obsessed? With Melt Banana and xbxrx. Fri/7, 9 p.m., $13-$15. Independent, 628 Divisadero, S.F. 771-1422. www.theindependentsf.com
Immigrant
The SF indie rockers of Evening spin off into a new, rockier variation. With Triple Cobra and Frail. Fri/7, 10 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. (415) 621-4455.
Antelope
The Dischord trio formed by ex-members of the Vertebrates and El Guapo herd into SF. With Fucking Ocean and Mi Ami. Sat/8, 9:30 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923. Also with Trainwreck Riders, Fucking Ocean, Ovens, and Touch Committee. Mon/10, 7 p.m., $3. Bike Kitchen, 1256 Mission, SF.
Andrew Bird on Letterman.
Andrew Bird
The nest has been all a-twitter over his latest, Armchair Apocrypha, but I prefer his last disc, The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Sat/8, 8 p.m., $28.50. Warfield, 982 Market, SF. (415) 775-7722.
Lightning Bug Situation
Jolie Holland guitarist and Speakers member Brian Miller parties like it's a CD release party - and it is! For the dream-worthy A Leaf; A Stream. Sat/8, 9 p.m., $6-$8. Amnesia, 853 Valencia, SF. (415) 970-0012.
Etta James and the Roots Band
The Fillmore-reared hell-raiser returns to the hood she ran as a member of a girl gang (see her autobio, Rage to Live). With Moonalice. Sat/8, 9 p.m., $49.50. Fillmore, 1805 Geary, SF. (415) 421-TIXS.
Prefuse 73
Flabbergasting at Bimbo’s 365 Club, and expect no less this time around. With School of Seven Bells and Blank Blue. Sat/8, 9 p.m., $16. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.
Tempo No Tempo
Breezy indie by way of the East Bay. Sat/8, call for time and price. Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph, Oakl. www.storkcluboakland.com.
Giant Skyflower Band
Delectable, hazy Brit-Invasion-style rock-pop from Skygreen Leopards and Papercuts stalwarts. With Citay and Coconut. Sun/9, 9 p.m., $8. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.
Shonen Knife
The Japanese girl group bounces back with a new album, Fun! Fun! Fun!, released in their homeland and a tour with founding bassist Atsuko Yamano, now living in the US. With Juliet Dagger and Vernon Grove. Tues/11, 8 p.m., $16-$18. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.
Cute, cute, cute UK indie dance -- they call it "Oxford step" -- band Foals has captured my heart and ears the last few weeks with their giddy, insectoid, high-fret guitar hooks, their way-too-catchy angst, and their Frisco Disco-ready looks. Too bad they haven't captured my iPod -- their tunes are UK-only at the moment (though you can download several here), but latest single "Balloons" is being released early next month, and once they score the Mercury Prize next year an American tour and album surely must be in the works for these Transgressive Records-stabled hotties. Plus they blew away the CMJ this year, so there. Foals on the floor!
If the horrible song-selections and corny atmospheres found at most karaoke bars have always stopped you from jumping on stage, you might want to check out Punk Rock Karaoke. It sounds like a simple twist on a tired activity, but Punk Rock Karaoke isn’t an event; it’s the name of a band. PRK’s all-star line-up includes members of NOFX, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, and Agent Orange, which would be a decent lineup if any of these particular dudes could sing. This is where you come in.
Rather than post a singer-wanted ad on Craigslist, the members of PRK have decided to say fuck it and ask their fans for help instead. It works like this: you drink until you feel comfortable in front of the crowd and then pick a song from their list of fifty classics. Drink a little more as you wait around for your name to come up, and then when it does, you can either run out the back door or bust a move on the M-I-C. Actually, that does sound a lot like regular karaoke doesn’t it? Whatever…it’s still punk, right? Right?!
Punk Rock Karaoke
December 5th @ The Uptown
1928 Telegraph, Oakland
(510) 451-8100
$13 / Doors at 9pm
Sonic Reducer Overage: Less turkey, more digestible sounds
D'yer Rademacher?
Yes, we never have enough black-and-white-and-read-all-over print matter to fill with all the music we wanna catch. So welcome to Sonic Reducer Overage - the stuff deemed extremely fit to print, but alas, I failed to cram in the allotted space. Why not check these worthies out, when you're not stuffing your turkey hole with holiday grindage?
Old Grandad
These days the fearsome SF metal daddies are bringing the magik on a monthly basis. With Dickdusters and Walker Brothers. Wed/21, 9 p.m., $8. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market St., SF. (415) 861-5016.
Phenomenauts
The costumed Oakland super-punk fire-starters are always a rowdy good time. And who can forget their guerrilla take-over at Vans Warped Tour so many kicks ago? With Sore Thumbs and Helper Monkeys. Wed/21, 9 p.m., $10. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. $8. (415) 621-4455.
Scoff if you must. Call the new Misfits a cover band, or aging has-beens. And feel free to call me a poseur for even wanting to see them live. But I went to the Misfits show at DNA a couple weeks ago and I liked it.
So what if Danzig wasn’t there? So what if the sound was so bad that you wouldn’t have been able to tell if he were? There were huge skulls on the stage, and fancy lights, and dudes with devil locks (presumably at least one was an original member of the Misfits, though too-young-to-have-seen-them-in-their-heydey me wouldn’t know which), and really fucking loud music, and the best mosh pit I’ve been pushed into since I lost my favorite flannel at an illegal show in a windowless venue in high school.
And most importantly, I made my favorite new discovery: The Nutley Brass, a band whose album "Fiend Club Lounge" the DJ spun between sets. Think Disneyland’s Electric Light Parade meets the Manhattan Transfer, and you have some idea of the way this band covers Misfits tunes. In fact, if The Misfits opened a hotel, this is the Muzak that would be playing in its elevators.
Another reason why: Psychedelic Horseshit and Pink Reason at Hemlock tonight
Oh, you need another reason to go out tonight, Nov. 14? How about Pink Reason, who I missed at this year's SXSW but who royally tore schitte up, from what I heard. They play along with, for the first time ever in the Bay Area, Psychedelic Horseshit, at the Hemlock Tavern, on the bill with Goldies winners Wooden Shjips. Horseshit, I saw down in Austin, Texas, and they were superfun: cantankerous late '70s-styler NYC rock-punk with plenty of good stage patter -- me thinks at this point in the evening, Mr. PH announced, "This song is about Deerhunter and their samplers." Snark!
Saturday night, Oct. 27, and I'm at the Independent to see Two Gallants. Opening acts Songs for Moms and Blitzen Trapper did well to set the stage for odes. Soft white lights blanched soft white faces, making ghosts of East Coast transplants dressed like goons dressed like Double Dare buffoons. Meanwhile young city-bankers in serial-killer costumes put on cats' ears for listening. Still a half week shy of Halloween, and it seemed the lot of us, near and far, came quite prepared to be forgetting who we are.
I love rock 'n' roll when it smashes lullabies, even as it oozes sap. Two Gallants has me stalking my neighbor a day after the show so he can retell to me events I missed because I was sort of given over, maybe half transfixed.
The duo must have been tired when they hit the stage, road weary, but they hid it well, used it even. It's not easy to play with lots of energy after a whirlwind two-and-half weeks across the country, unless it's for a homecoming, which this was, and unless you know how to make it work for you, which they do. I wondered at their transitions - a reggae skeeze, a waltz, then back to indie peristalsis - felt them in my head and in my loins. I don't know their songs so well but I got lost in them for a while at least.
Comeback of the year? Edwyn Collins, definitely. Back in February 2005, Collins - the former leader of jaunty Scottish post-punk charmers Orange Juice and a solo artist best known for the 1994 vibraphone-peppered finger-snapper "A Girl Like You" - suffered two cerebral hemorrhages that left him hospitalized for months. After undergoing extensive operations, he was unable to speak, and with the workings of the brain remaining a bit of mystery despite all of our progress in medicine, doctors were uncertain as to when he would regain his voice, if at all. Mercifully, Collins's rigorous neurological rehabilitation program was enormously successful, and the whip-smart crooner got his velvet-and-stinging-nettles baritone back. A gradual process, obviously, but his recovery was coming along at such a steady clip that earlier this year he decided to work on the material he'd recorded prior to his near-fatal attacks. Apparently the road to wellness has been rather smooth for Collins. Here we are, only a few months later, and Home Again (Heavenly/EMI) is already out. And it's fantastic.
From what I've gathered from recent interviews, nearly all of the music on Home Again was recorded before the hemorrhages, which meant the only work that remained to be done was the mixing. However, that's a mighty big "only" when you consider that Collins's recovery was a two-step process: first he had to re-acquire the faculties to make words and sentences, and then he had to re-familiarize himself with the sound of his own voice. For a singer - whose sense of identity is so deeply, fundamentally tied to having an intuitive understanding of the voice - such a setback must be daunting beyond belief.
In one interview, Collins revealed that when he was first recovering in the hospital, all he wanted was silence. Gradually, that position changed and all he wanted was his guitar, but it would take months before he was able to indulge that desire. Re-acquiring his voice meant much more than being to able to produce sound with his lips and tongue. It also meant a great deal of (self-)exploration, learning how to use the voice more effectively for conveying emotion. Listening to the tapes in his home studio initially was much like getting to know a stranger, he described in another interview. Chalk it up to a crack team of physical rehabbers and some seriously scrappy fortitude, I suppose, because Home Again is a clear sign that Collins possesses total control of his instrument. If the pre-illness Collins was indeed a stranger upon re-introduction, it mustn't have taken long before the barriers were broken down and a deeper understanding was achieved.
CMJ 2007: Deerhunter, Japanther, Islands, Santogold, and more cake for all
Mighty Reatard-ed. All photos by Michael Harkin.
By Michael Harkin
There had been murmurs all week among college radio music-director types that this year’s CMJ line-up wasn’t as cool as in years past, and this seems correct to a certain degree. For one thing, there should have been more hip-hop and electronic showcases than there were, even if only to break up the obvious indie-rock bent of the overall conference. That said, the showcases that did go down often felt pretty representative of the best in the various represented genres: this week saw Mariee Sioux, Erol Alkan, Mika Miko, Earthless, and the Dirtbombs pass through the city limits and give it a go amid the abundant crowds of music industry hawks.
It was a week of late nights, little sleep, and perhaps one Belgian fry too many, but there was a lot of music to be taken in each day from 1 p.m. onward, one had to arise by 11 a.m. if he/she wanted a chance at sighting the next big thing. Here are some highlights from the last three days of the NYC festival:
THURSDAY
Memphis's Jay Reatard is still pretty young, but he's already got a certain mythological status among garage-punk mavens: as a former member of the Lost Sounds and the Reatards, and now with his solo career, he's had a King Midas touch of tunefulness that's ramped up lately. The dude's on a roll in the studio, having cranked out the spotless Blood Visions LP last year, as well as some brilliant slabs of vinyl on the side, like the glorious "I Know a Place" single, whose B-side is a stunning acoustic cover of the Go-Betweens' "Don't Let Him Come Back." Tonight at a crowded Cake Shop, he greeted the crowd with "Hey douchebags!" and proceeded to play most of Blood Visions at triple speed, finishing his set in less than 20 minutes. Every song was introduced with the song title and a "LET'S GO" - superb punk from a fiery, poofy-haired, tough-looking group of dudes. Jay will be rolling through the Bay Area in November (12 Galaxies and the Stork Club), and he remarked in a conversation after the show that there are a series of singles coming next year, so look out for that!
Double Dagger take a stab.
Following Mr. Reatard, Double Dagger brought punk of a different flavor: a more sinister, Fugazi-like intensity characterized their set, as vocalist Nolen Strals hap'ly danced about the stage in his blue, black, and white
camo tee. They didn't face quite as thick a crowd as the preceding set did, but those that stayed paid witness to a spastic stomp-along series of howls and tight bass grooves. These guys channel the nerdy anger of Shellac and the slanted guitar riffs of Swell Maps in a convincing way, and form yet another piece of evidence that the Baltimore music scene is blooming.
Survival of the fitty: Siouxsie Sioux shows no sign of slowing
Siouxsie Sioux, right, accepting a Peta humanitarian award at a 2006 ceremony. Courtesy of www.peta.org.uk.
By Todd Lavoie
Oh, 50 - it ain't no thing. Just ask Siouxsie Sioux, the reigning queen of ice-water stares and sublimely detached vamping just hit the half-century mark this May, though you'd never guess it. Fifty, schmifty! I just read a recent interview with the punk/goth/you-name-it icon, and the former Susan Dallion listed off three biggies for keeping the ole middle-age uglies at bay: plenty of water, lots of fresh produce, and a pure blistering hatred of air-conditioning.
She's lived in the South of France for years and years now - universes apart from the suburban drab-drab of her Bromley, England, upbringing - and she attributes the change of locale to her apparent eternal youthfulness. Proof? Ah, well, peep away at the artwork for Siouxsie's first-name-only-darling solo debut, Mantaray (Universal), and tell me that's not one of the most stunning fifth-decade women you've ever seen! So what if she's beddin' down with beetles, bees, and butterflies? I'm dazzled!
And do I spot the cracks of a smile on that face, eyes peering upwards and outwards into some warm light beaming down upon her? "Nah, can't be," you say? Go on, look again. Call me crazy, but that looks like optimism to me - oh, the Goths will be so disappointed.
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