SFBG ›

Noise title=

Party Radar: Kafana Balkan, Maurice Fulton, Never Knows, Body and Soul, Glamamore and more

10.04.12 - 2:30 pm | Marke B. |
(0)

I finally made it to Tradition, the new bar from the Bourbon and Branch guys that mashes up classic bar types -- English pub, dive bar, Mad Men cocktail hour, classic drawing room, tiki lounge, etc. -- in a gorgeous Tenderloin (oh, sorry, er "Union Square") space with awesome vintage liquor ads plastered on the walls and really cuuute staff.

Well, not quite mashes up: there are no great drunk Irish-whiskey brawlers breaking through the walls of a girl-drink-drunk gaggle of video-bar gays to form some kind of mutant queer neon St. Patrick's Day Parade. Or, you know, the Catholic Church. (Laugh track.)

Read more »

Live Shots: Peter Gabriel at HP Pavilion

10.04.12 - 10:29 am | Charles Russo |
(0)
Peter Gabriel, in the shadows. Photo by Charles Russo.
The full experience at the HP Pavilion. Photo by Charles Russo.
Peter Gabriel. Photo by Charles Russo.
In his eyes. Photo by Charles Russo.
Beam me up, Gabriel. Photo by Charles Russo.

Peter Gabriel strolled onto the stage at HP Pavilion on Tuesday with the house lights still glaring and the upper tier of the arena empty save for a scant few concertgoers sprinkled throughout the vast space.

Standing at the center stage microphone, Gabriel matter-of-factly began to explain to the audience how the concert would be structured for the rest of the evening. For an ever artistically-minded musician known for the theatrical nature of his live performances, it was a strangely stilted beginning to the start of his concert, exuding all the excitement of a CPR certification course. Read more »

Asking men vapid questions

10.03.12 - 2:41 pm | Caitlin Donohue |
(4)

Guardian staffers adore Seattle's "only newspaper in town," the Stranger. And we're sending a major air kiss north for its cover package this week "Men Who Rock."  Read more »

Amanda (Fucking) Palmer unites the freaks at the Fillmore

10.03.12 - 9:53 am | Haley Zaremba |
(0)

Theatrics! Camp! Bravado! Glitter! Body hair! Going to an Amanda Palmer concert is like taking a trip to the island of misfit toys. Standing in the crowd, I was surrounded by top hats, tutus, tuxedos, pink mohawks, steampunk creations, and many more accessories that I can’t begin to identify. 

The audience at the Fillmore last Wednesday was incredibly diverse in age, gender, and style, seemingly united only by their love for the many artistic eccentricities of Amanda Fucking Palmer, as her fans call her. Read more »

UK producer Max Cooper doesn't want to see computers in tight skirts

10.02.12 - 12:48 pm | Ryan Prendiville |
(0)

Over the course of a steady stream of heady mixes and original compositions, Max Cooper has been gaining attention in the electronic music world – and not just for his Ph.D in computational biology. With an unconventional sensibility that’s like Philip Glass for the dance floor, Cooper brings a cinematic touch and classical influence to cerebral concepts. We took the opportunity – in advance of a performance at Public Works’s two-year anniversary party – to probe Cooper’s brain. Read more »

Beach House lets its music do the talking

10.02.12 - 8:41 am | Cynthia Salaysay |
(0)
A warm Beach House haze at the Fox. Photo by Brian Hildebrand.
Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally opt for simplicity. Photo by Brian Hildebrand.
The lights turn blue. Photo by Brian Hildebrand.
Alex Scally at the Fox. Photo by Brian Hildebrand.
Victoria Legrand at the Fox. Photo by Brian Hildebrand.

Do you remember the museum scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) where Sloane and Ferris kiss, while Cameron is off by himself, getting lost in a Seurat painting? There’s no dialogue. Just a particularly contemplative Dream Academy cover of a Smiths song, the museum awash in blue light. It’s a quiet, slow spot in the movie, but it had a big impact – partly because it was so simply done.

There was a moment like that at Beach House’s sold-out show at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Friday. Maybe a few moments. Read more »

Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

10.01.12 - 2:21 pm | Emily Savage |
(0)

So much to talk about this week, but the biggest news of course is both Hardly Strictly Bluegrass' return – for the first time since the death of founder Warren Hellman – and new venue Preservation Hall West at the Chapel.

Below, you'll get the basic need-to-know info on the shows you must see; but check Tofu and Whiskey, my music column in this week's paper, for the details behind it all. A sort of Behind the Music on the newly constructed Mission venue and the cherished Golden Gate Park fest, if you will. Read more »

The Spring Standards on genre jumping, Fleetwood Mac, and SF pizza

10.01.12 - 12:38 pm | Mia Sullivan |
(0)

The Spring Standards kids grew up together on the Delaware/Pennsylvania border and got their start playing small folk festivals and around the campfire back in high school. After a break from their collaboration, Heather Robb, James Cleare, and James Smith found themselves in Brooklyn, inspired to pick up where they left off. They’ve been playing together as the Spring Standards for four years and released double EP yellow//gold last spring. Read more »

Nite Trax: Hunee spreads love at Honey

09.28.12 - 10:14 am | Marke B. |
(0)

"Hunee is a good eater," begins Berlin-based DJ Hunee's official biography. "Good" here surely means voracious -- Hunee may be well-known for his deep disco sets (sometimes running to seven hours in length, especially at his great Hunchin All Night parties) and deep-grooved house productions, but his omnivorous ear takes in everyone from Eric Dolphy and Sergiu Celibidache to N.W.A and Madlib. He creates lovely worlds from these disparate interests, and his generous, off-handedly ironic manner spreads a layer of laidback jazzy soul over the sonic smorgasbord. 

On Sun/30, Honey Soundsystem celebrates six years of putting on one of the best weekly parties in San Francisco (it's honeycomb hexagonal!), Honey Sundays (9pm, $5. Holy Cow, 1535 Folsom, SF.) And to celebrate, the boys flew in this beloved underground soul traveller for an exclusive three-hour set. I caught him over email for a few questions.

Read more »

Party Radar: I Heart Cochina Tonga's, Tyree Cooper in a church, Beat Junkies 20th, 3-D dance fest, more

09.27.12 - 1:33 pm | Marke B. |
(0)

O my goddess, there's gonna be a yoga rave. Why, Govinda, why??? 

Actually I'm kind of intrigued. But full intriguement will have to wait until I'm hungover from the onslaught of this weekend's parties. And here I thought I could recover from Folsom. Nah, brah. Not only are there all these parties I listed in my Super Ego clubs column this week, or our rooftop shindig at SFMOMA tonight, there are also all the below, equally worthy.

And before we launch -- can I put in just one more plug for the STEREO: 3-D Arts and Music Fest on Saturday? There are going to be giant classic video games there! Plus a DJ set by Ladytron (and a '80s video arcade set by DJ Omar), 3-D visual projections, and all kinds of cool effects. Go, Govinda, go!

Read more »