All Rights Deserved

Treasure Island Music Festival-goers brave the cold on Day 1; LCD Soundsystem amaaazzzes

2010-10-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Success! My first experience at the Treasure Island Music Festival on Oct. 16 was a fantastic one. I was there to catch Day 1, aka electronic music day, which is funny because I don't necessarily like electronic-based music much. But the atmosphere, with stunning views of the city skyline, the very chill and high-spirited crowd, and intimate festival layout made me realize this is the best outdoor music festival San Francisco offers.

Yeah, the bitter cold and wind thing that happens when you hold an event in the middle of the San Francisco Bay isn't so awesome, but the size of the festival is perfect. Limited to two stages, you can actually see all of the bands you want without getting too caught up in a shitstorm of peeps.

There was no hassle getting there -- the shuttle leaving from AT&T Park came fast. But a warning to all who stay for the last act and insist on rocking out near the front of the stage: It will take forever to wait for the shuttle ride home behind the thousands who left before you. At least that's what happened to me last night. I waited an hour behind a hastily organized line to catch a shuttle back to AT&T.

But seeing LCD Soundsystem absolutely murder last night made the long shuttle wait worth it. It was my first proper time seeing them live (I don't really count catching the few songs I saw them play at Coachella back in April), and hot damn are they an impressive live band. They really bring it. Last night they played a mix of tracks from their third album This is Happening, "Dance Yrself Clean," "I Can Change," "Home," with older favorites, "Daft Punk is Playing at My House," "All My Friends," "Yeah."

And oh my god, that's some funky shit. Of course the kids in the front went nutso, dancing up a storm. The sound was absolutely perfect -- I don't think LCD Soundsystem gets enough credit for being stellar musicians.

I only caught five of the 13 acts playing on Saturday, but certainly feel like I saw the best ones. Besides LCD, Holy Fuck killed it early in the day with an energetic set. I have no idea what kind of contraptions two of the guys in the band are using to make those crazy sounds, but the end result is pretty amazing, absolutely rocking and beat-heavy.

Phantogram hypnotized the crowd with their groovy, beat-laden dream pop, and Four Tet was a revelation -- though a man crowdsurfing whilst outfitted in a bright green skinsuit threatened to overshadow his set at points as photographers in the front diverted their lenses to capture the sight for just a tad too long.

I'm not sorry I missed Die Antwoord. That shit's just terrible.

And sorry Deadmau5 fans: I just do not understand getting so hyped up for a guy in a mouse head. He did seem to pull the biggest and most enthusiastic audience, and yeah, those are great visuals but ... maybe I just need to do more drugs to want to pump my fists in the air for this one.

Arcade Fire turn earth into heaven at Big Sur

2010-10-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Stick Arcade Fire in the middle of a forest and magic is bound to happen.

It's hard to describe how unbelievably special it was seeing the band play the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur on Oct. 5. Thanks to lucky and kind friends, I was able to score a ticket to this once-in-a-lifetime show, seeing the band perform with 250 others amidst a wonderland of trees thriving next to a breathtaking ocean expanse.

It's hard to imagine a concert more glorious — take one of the most stellar live bands around these days, add the ethereal atmosphere of Big Sur, a few hundred ecstatic fans, and a sprinkling of rain to remind you, "Hot-damn, yes we are watching one of the best bands of the modern era in the center of nature."

Most of the audience justifiably went batshit crazy being present at such an event, and Arcade Fire's seeming pleasure at performing at such a special place as Big Sur only enhanced the thrill of being there.

It certainly proved how accessible — and normal — these "music superstars" really are. How cool was it to see frontman Win Butler and company mingling so freely among the crowd, before, during and after the show?

Butler practically spent more time roaming the audience than onstage — fans could spot him catching the pretty amazing sax theatrics of Colin Stetson's opening set, standing beside throngs of fans during "Haiti" to enjoy his wife, Regine Chassagne, and the rest of the band performing in this special place, and just generally being his antsy self onstage, jumping into the crowd whenever he felt like it.

The musical highlight of the night most certainly was "Month of May," which found the band at its most intense and the kids in the audience going absolutely nuts, segueing into "Rebellion (Lies)". Other absurdly awesome moments included "Ready to Start," "We Used to Wait," which brought Stetson and his superior sax skills back onstage, "Neighborhoods (Tunnels)," and a rousing version of "Power Out," made even more interesting by the rain that began to fall and threaten a real power outage.

Oh, that rain. Yeah, it prevented Arcade Fire from getting to soundcheck before the show, and did cut the night short by one song ("Intervention"), but how fucking cool was it to be doused in raindrops during the beginning of "Wake Up," only to have the sky clear by the end of the song?

This show was but a dream.

Setlist:

The Suburbs
The Suburbs (Continued)
Suburban War
Crown Of Love
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
The Well And The Lighthouse
Keep The Car Running
Ready To Start
Month Of May
Rebellion (Lies)
Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
No Cars Go
Haiti
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
We Used To Wait
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Wake Up

"Month of May" into "Rebellion (Lies)," Big Sur, Oct. 5"

Missing a Titus Andronicus show sucks

2010-09-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Damn it -- I should have listened to that coin.

Titus Andronicus doesn't really roll round these parts too often considering the band's all East Coast, so I really should have dragged my arse out to San Francisco on Wednesday when they played the Independent.

There's not too many bands out there these days that ooze the spirit of one Titus Andronicus -- total punk rock energy, loud, jolly crowd singalongs, just crazy fun really. Or at least from what I've heard through the online grapevine.

I didn't make the show for a combination of reasons (worked late, long drive to S.F. and shitty parking situation around the Independent didn't offer hope that I'd catch even half of their set), but the main reason was that my dumbass didn't jump in my car right when I got home from work and head out to the show. Instead I debated back and forth, sorta Clash-like, "Should I stay or should I go?"

I even flipped a quarter -- heads-up meant I should not have missed the show. And heads were up, bitches.

But I disobeyed the coin and procrastinated until it was truly too late. I stayed home and proceeded to listen to The Monitor for the rest of the night, falling even more in love with the album.

On a positive note, missing this show and soaking in Titus Andronicus' music over the next few days made me feel completely inspired by the band, their energy, love of life. An "absence makes the heart grow fonder" sorta thing.

And l learned something, too. Just as Aesop teaches in one of his more modern fables: Screw the drive and crappy parking -- a show will always be worth it.

Holy redwoods! Arcade Fire to play Henry Miller Library in Big Sur on Oct. 5

2010-08-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Get your keyboard-clickin' fingers ready, because what could be the show of the summer in the Bay Area goes on sale this Wednesday, Aug. 18 at noon.

Arcade Fire.

The Henry Miller Library in Big Sur.

Oct. 5.

I've only been to one show at the Henry Miller Library, seeing the Entrance Band, and it was a beautiful experience.

First of all, the atmosphere can't be beat -- you're in middle of the forest and feel hundreds of miles removed from conventional society.

Second, it's as intimate as you can get at a show -- the maximum capacity is 400.

Not to mention the Entrance Band rocked the shit out of those trees. Imagine what Arcade Fire could do.

I already have tickets to see the Flaming Lips on Oct. 2, when the Arcade Fire plays the 8,000-capacity Greek Theater, so Big Sur's my only chance to catch them here.

I don't want to say it'll take a miracle, but I just hope I'm one of the lucky 400 to win the concert lottery this Wednesday.

Show review: Autolux @ Great American Music Hall, Aug. 11

2010-08-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Carla Azar beams "The

Bouncing Wall" into the

GAMH ether on Aug. 11.

Holy crap is it great to see Autolux back in action.

Six years have passed since the L.A. trio released its debut album -- or, six years that the band has had to take a Louisville Slugger to the question, “When is your next album coming out?”

With that, last week Autolux liberated Transit Transit from the confines of record label turmoil, offering up a solid follow-up that expands on the dreamy art rock of Future Perfect by dipping into more sonic effects, piano-driven Beatle-esque melodies and drum machine grooves.

Translating this more complex sound live is a bit more complicated than the three-piece blissed-out rock of live performances past. Their tour kickoff show at the Great American Music Hall on Aug. 11 went off grandly with only a few hitches that are expected of any first show, but the band has plenty of time on their month-plus tour to work out the kinks.

If there’s anything Autolux proved to the packed GAMH it’s that they’re ready to move the *cuss* on. They played the entirety of their new album, bookending the show with the opening first two tracks and closing with "Heartless Sky," despite an audience pleading for "Capital Kind of Strain."

Good move. Some members of the crowd -- which contained a few overenthusiastic frat-packers up front who insisted upon an awkward "Autolux! Autolux!" football chant at times -- perpetually requested tracks from the Future Perfect canon, but the band didn't cave.

Vocalist/bassist Eugene Goreshter seemed surprised at the shout-outs for so many "oldies but goodies." But I think Autolux proved their new songs' worth with energetic renditions of "Audience No. 2," "Census" and the epic "The Science of Imaginary Solutions."

Sure, the guitar could have been louder at points and technical issues didn't do "Spots" and "The Bouncing Wall" justice, but the songs of Transit Transit are perfectly Autolux -- beautiful, drugged-out, but not in a junkie kind of way, and utterly rocking.

That's not to say they ignored their first record, as those "oldies" are still damn good. "Plantlife" toward the end of the show served as a peak for me, seeing these three beast musicians attack their instruments, particularly Carla Azar on drums.

I left the show on an Autolux high, contemplating a drive to L.A. to catch the last show of their tour, Sept. 18 at the El Rey.

Show review: Wolf Parade @ Fox Theater, July 30

2010-08-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Wolf Parade rocked the Fox Theater in Oakland in a way I haven't seen them rock before.

I don't know if it was the absence of sound manipulator/synth player Hadji Bakara, who quit the band to work on a Ph.D., or vocalist/keyboardist Spencer Krug's longer hair, but for a band that often infuses their sound with baroque keyboards, Wolf Parade had a respectably rowdy crowd thrashing about the front of the stage throughout the entire show.

Part of it could be the excitement generated by their setlist Friday night -- they played an equal mix of songs from all three of their albums, yet placed their most epic tracks where they counted most: opening with "You are a Runner and I am my Father's Son," the song that launched their classic debut Apologies to the Queen Mary; peaking midway with an orgasmic rendition of "I'll Believe in Anything;" and closing their first set with "California Dreamer" and finishing the show's encore with "Kissing the Beehive," colossal tracks from their second record, At Mount Zoomer.

I have to say the songs from their latest album, Expo 86, sound even better live, despite the Fox Theater's sometimes inferior acoustics (Wolf Parade's delicate keyboard lines sounded a bit fuzzed over on Friday). Expo 86 hasn't grown on me as immediately as their first two records, but "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" and "What Did My Lover Say" especially earned a deserved spot on Wolf Parade's setlist.

One thing that really stood out was vocalist/guitarist Dan Boeckner's fired-up presence. Sure, Wolf Parade has always been balanced with Krug and Boeckner's alternating vocals, but I've always been a Krug girl, enjoying Krug's odd yelps a bit more than Boeckner's deep-throat crooning. I guess I'm not the only one who felt that way, as I overhead a fellow concertgoer exclaim "Go Dan!" and "See?" during the second song to his obviously Krug-loving wife.

But after Friday it ceased to be a Krug-or-Boeckner question. Wolf Parade is the ultimate yin-and-yang band.

San Carlos Library: A cheapskate music lover's dream

2010-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Going broke ain't no joke in the Bay Area.

Nevermind the ridiculous cost of living, every goddamn band in the world is touring through these parts, like, all the time. This isn't really a problem, per se. In fact, it's like winning a small-jackpot lottery when you find out your favorite band is coming through town.

But I spend too much goddamn money on shows. So much money that I never have the funds to buy all of the albums I want.

My cheapskate solution? Raiding my local library's CD racks.

While I've espoused the glory of the Millbrae, Pacifica - Sanchez, and South San Francisco branches, it is the San Carlos Library that is the real king of the bunch in terms of the best music collection.

Check out my score this weekend: Liars - Sisterworld, Passion Pit - Manners, Handsome Furs - Plague Park and Face Control, Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation, Sonic Youth - The Eternal, Conor Oberst - S/T, Baroness - Blue Record, Polvo - In Prism, Why? - Eskimo Snow, New York Dolls - S/T, Dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion, deadmau5 - Random Album Title, Other Lives - S/T.

Sure, some of these came out awhile ago, but for a measly 75 cents you can place a hold on newer albums, which tend to be checked out more quickly, and get 'em fairly fast. I've got The Arcade Fire's newest (coming out Aug. 3) in my hold queue already.

The library is a hip, hip place.

I think it's love.

Give the sun the finger this weekend: Pitchfork Music Fest streams live

2010-07-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Those Chicago folks have it good, getting what may be the best overall festival of the summer for indie music fans in this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival.

Well lucky for us West Coasters, Pitchfork is broadcasting some of the sets on the Internets, and today just might be the best day -- there's Real Estate, Titus Andronicus, Wolf Parade, LCD Soundsystem and Panda Bear, who played this "Untitled" track at Spain's Primavera Sound Festival this year that floats my boat into an ocean of holiness, not to overstate its awesomeness. I'm frothing at the mouth for Titus Andronicus, as well. Worth forgoing a bit of that Saturday California sunshine to tune in.

Saturday July 17

1:00 (11 a.m. PST) Free Energy
1:45 (11:45 PST) Real Estate
2:30 (12:30 PST) Delorean
3:20 (1:20 PST) Titus Andronicus
4:15 (2:15 PST) Raekwon
5:15 (3:15 PST) The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
6:15 (4:15 PST) Wolf Parade
7:25 (5:25 PST) Panda Bear
8:30 (6:30 PST) LCD Soundsystem

Sunday July 18

1:00 (11 a.m. PST) Allá
1:45 (11:45 PST) Cass McCombs
2:30 (12:30 PST) Girls
3:20 (1:20 PST) Beach House
4:15 (2:15 PST) Lightning Bolt
5:15 (3:15 PST) St. Vincent
6:15 (4:15 PST) Major Lazer
7:25 (5:25 PST) Big Boi
8:30 (6:30 PST) Pavement

GAMH to sail the seas of Primus

2010-07-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well hello there.

What is this I see?

A show announcement, a BIG show announcement today.

Primus will play unarguably the best venue in the Bay Area on July 18.

Great American Music Hall bitches!

Tickets go on sale Friday July 9, 10 a.m. sharp.

Try to score tickets my little pretties, just wash, rinse and repeat: "I think I can I think I can I think I can."

Autolux announces Transit Transit tracklist, opening slot for Thom Yorke

2010-03-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are still waiting on a release date for Transit Transit, however Autolux did announce that their sophomore record will come out on tbd records.

And the Transit Transit tracklist!:

Transit Transit

Census

Highchair

Supertoys

Spots

The Bouncing Wall

Audience No. 2

Kissproof

Headless Sky

The Science of Imaginary Solutions

In other good/bad news:

Thom Yorke asked Autolux to open for him and Atoms For Peace at the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 17. I wish I knew the band so I could say congratulations!

But the little devil in me is also jealous that Autolux isn't opening the Oakland shows, too. Here's hoping they schedule a Bay Area date, hmm, say, Monday, April 12?

Transit Transit = most anticipated record of 2010, no doubt. I have a feeling I'll be sneaking over to their MySpace page for a listen of "Audience No. 2" at least daily until the record is released.

Coachella band of the week: Frightened Rabbit

2010-02-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

Two bunny-monikered bands will play Coachella, and I already know White Rabbits is the shit.

The other, five-piece Scottish group Frightened Rabbit, plays songs that fall on both sides of the rock spectrum – more manic and loud rocking out type of stuff but also quieter, acoustic-based folksy stuff, all delivered in singer/guitarist Scott Hutchison’s thick brogue.

Not to be cheesy, but here’s the cheddar: What’s most lovable about Frightened Rabbit is that their humanity, sincerity and optimism shine through on their songs, which tend to touch on universal themes like getting your heart broken into a trillion pieces. Indeed.

And if they are as excited live as they come across on record, this will not be a band to miss at Coachella.

Frightened Rabbit doing "Fast Blood" live:

Coachella band of the week: Céu

2010-02-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

Coachella always offers a diversified lineup that includes a few world music artists, and this year is no different.

I remember how hard Venezuelan Latin-disco-funk band Los Amigos Invisibles rocked the festival on an early Sunday afternoon in 2006, and it wasn’t just the vodka talking. Tons of dancing and floatiness, if you know what I mean.

On this year’s lineup Brazilian singer Céu, playing early on Friday, April 16, seems like a good bet if there aren’t any conflicts.

Her smooth vocals come through in Portugeuse, sometimes in English, riding dreamy musical waves of samba, afrobeat, R&B, jazz, and heavy bits of percussion.

It’s a groovy sound to enjoy laid-back-style, a light sonic break from the overbearing heat of the Coachella Valley sun.

Only 58 days til.

Céu's "Rainha":

Phoenix at the Catalyst will be the second best event happening April 17

2010-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

If my weekend of April 17-18 wasn't already booked with attending Coachella 2010, I would definitely be hitting up the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on Saturday the 17th to catch a certain French band that likes to sing songs about the turn of the 20th century.

Sure, I'll see Phoenix live at Coachella, but their appearance at a club as off-the-beaten-path as the Catalyst presents a rare opportunity to rock out to "Lisztomania" in a pea-sized venue.

Don't know when tickets go on sale yet, so prick up your ears.

Bonnaroo 2010 -- it's aight

2010-02-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

The Bonnaroo 2010 lineup unveiled today in a manner that kept potential festival-goers and curious music fans glued to their computers watching the festival’s MySpace page: Bands were revealed at the rate of one every six minutes, infinitely spicing up many a cubicle-dwellers’ 9 to 5 existence.

Honestly, the lineup is so-so.

Some highlights: Flaming Lips doing Dark Side of the Moon, Phoenix, Medeski, Martin & Wood, The Entrance Band, Jay Electronica, The xx, Damian Marley & Nas, The Black Keys, The Melvins, The Dead Weather, Kings of Leon, Jimmy Cliff, Isis, LCD Soundsystem, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Dan Deacon Ensemble and Stevie Wonder.

Overall it’s a diverse batch of artists, yet a bit too diverse for me to shell out the funds to fly to Manchester, Tenn.: Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, Gwar, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rise Against … Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, anyone?

Yet there’s one name that would have enticed me to forgo fiscal responsibility and head east mid-June.

Sorry, Bonnaroo – Coachella has Thom Yorke.

Coachella band of the week: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

2010-02-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

So there's this band I used to like -- and still do, really -- called Ima Robot. They were a fun, manic dance punk band that gained a bit of popularity and radio airplay when I discovered them around 2003, however they quickly faded away after releasing their second album.

Flash forward to today: I've been reading a lot about this L.A. band Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, who before hearing I understood to be some sort of hippied out Polyphonic Spree with hella band members privy to wearing white robes and prairie gowns.

Then I found out this Edward Sharpe character was none other than Ima Robot singer Alex Ebert, who grew a beard, reinvented himself as Sharpe and recruited nine members to form this group.

Sometimes I'm skeptical when a band has more than six musicians because it just seems like an easy way to create a spectacle and elevate the grandiosity of one's look and sound; gimmicks meant to distract listeners from the fact that the band isn't really focused on the music.

Nevermind the symphonies.

But then I listened to Edward Sharpe and his crew and discovered the songs are quite good, and they're definitely a band to further explore.

It's a throwback kind of sound -- catchy, pop-type stuff brimming with harmony from the band's male and female vocal leads, and infused with lots of things to make it interesting like '50s doo wop, country, the Old West and blue-eyed soul.

They're playing Coachella on Saturday, April 17, and also Bimbo's in San Francisco on Feb. 28 for the Noise Pop festival.

Check out "Home" as played live on KCRW:

Coachella band of the week: Little Dragon

2010-01-28T00:02:00.000-08:00

Only 78 days until Coachella, or, 78 days to get schooled on all of the bands I've been heretofore unfamiliar with.

So this week I discovered Little Dragon, a Swedish electro-pop foursome playing the festival Friday, April 16.

Now I usually abstain from synth pop and female-fronted bands (not a hard rule, I just tend to enjoy male singers more), but these guys have enough darkness and soul to their sound to avoid coming out robotic.

Will definitely be checking out this band at Coachella, and apparently I have two albums to catch up on -- 2007's self-titled LP and 2009's "Machine Dreams."

Blinking Pigs - Little Dragon

First great show of the summer announced: Pavement, June 25, Greek Theatre, Berkeley

2010-01-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

Pavement will bring its 2010 reunion to the best outdoor venue in the Bay Area on for the bargain price of $39.50.

A proper reaction?

Step 1. Pencil "best indie rock band from Stockton ever" into the June 25 spot on your calendar.

Step 2. Buy a ticket during the Thursday, Jan. 28 presale @10 a.m.

Step 3. Only 148 days to go! Live renditions of "Box Elder" and "Trigger Cut" shall soon be yours.

Trigger Cut/Wounded Kite at :1...

Following Radiohead's Haiti show tweets with all the other geeks

2010-01-24T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday night, and I am officially a geek.

How else could I characterize myself after spending a perfectly good weekend evening sitting in front of my computer following people's Twitter updates?

Damn Radiohead fixation.

It's the only way I could cope with the fact that I'm not one of those lucky (rich) fans with enough fortune to have attended tonight's Haiti benefit show at the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Los Angeles.

So instead of rocking out with my favorite band, here I am following the tweets of people at the show so I can learn of the setlist in real time.

Just like all of the other Radiohead geeks.

Sure, reading about what's happening at an event doesn't even graze the ass of attending the real thing, but it's still a way to feel some connection to it.

Let's just hope I don't get to the point of joining the message board world -- but with a band like Radiohead, there are no limits to one's dorkdom.

Radiohead setlist, Jan. 24, 2010, The Music Box Theater

1. Faust Arp

2. Fake Plastic Trees

3. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

4. National Anthem

5. Nude

6. Karma Police

7. Kid A

8. Morning Bell

9. How to Disappear Completely

10. Wolf at the Door

11. The Bends

12. Reckoner

13. Lucky (lucky 13, ha)

14. Bodysnatchers

15. Dollars & Cents

This is where took a request: Just or Airbag?

16. Airbag

17. Exit Music (For a Film)

Encore 1

18. Everything in Its Right Place

19. You and Whose Army

20. Pyramid Song

21. All I Need

Encore 2

22. Lotus Flower

23. Paranoid Android

24. Street Spirit

If did pay the minimum $475 ticket price to get in, would I have sacrificed my own experience to provide constant updates to the ladies and gentlemen at home?

I think timmayb sums it up well:

"While I am thankful and living vicariously through y'all, I cannot understand the need to tweet during a Radiohead show."

Amen.

But in all seriousness, even though us fans at home couldn't afford to support tonight's good cause, there's no reason to complain about it -- not when hundreds of thousands in Haiti are dead, buried, injured, homeless, hungry and grieving.

So stop your bitching, bitches.

I'm thankful there are famous faces out there willing to use their talents, or celebrity, or position to convey important messages to masses of people, to entice the more well-to-do folks to part with unneeded cash.

The sum of Radiohead's efforts tonight: $572,754, for those who really need it right now.

Back from the dead: Coachella lineup in T minus seven hours!

2010-01-18T23:39:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited ... some serious rumors of a Thom Yorke appearance have been making the rounds.

Serious rumors, ya know.

But any combination of the bands below would be just lovely.

Blur
Soundgarden
Pavement
Flaming Lips
Deerhunter
Spoon
Fever Ray
The Strokes
The Antlers
Memory Tapes
St. Vincent
Entrance Band
Vampire Weekend
Major Lazer
Phoenix
The xx
Real Estate
Titus Andronicus
Sunset Rubdown
Panda Bear
LCD Soundsystem
DOOM
Raekwon
Andre Nickatina
Dan Deacon
Arcade Fire

Show review: Atlas Sound - Great American Music Hall, Nov. 3

2009-11-05T00:13:00.000-08:00

“Don’t worry – we’ll do some weird shit later,” proclaimed Atlas Sound frontman Bradford Cox a few songs into his band’s set at the Great American Music Hall on Tuesday.

Known for the loud, fuzzy, purely pop yet sometimes utterly strange sounds that fill both his solo Atlas Sound records and those of his primary band, indie rock darlings Deerhunter, Cox decided to go "normal" for a night and took the stage with an acoustic guitar, bright white lights shining down onto his crisp, white, buttoned-down shirt, and launched into a stripped down version of "My Halo" from his latest album, Logos.

This set the tone for a show that found Cox and his four-man backing band offering new interpretations of Cox's recorded work. Many songs transformed into soft pop lullabies, yet still allowed room to throw in a bit of the aforementioned "weird shit" and rocking climaxes. “Quarantined” and “Recent Bedroom” were blended into a hushed acoustic-based medley, buffeted by spacey sound effects, of course, while“Walkabout” lost some decibels but retained its chirpy pop melody, with Trish Keenan from co-headliner Broadcast on backing vocals in place of Animal Collective's Noah Lennox, who sings on the album.

At the show Cox proved he's easily one of the most engaging performers in the live spectrum these days. For one, he keeps the surprises coming musically and is malleable to last-minute song requests. And then there's his endearing loquaciousness -- he offered commentary between each song and responded freely to the audience, so it felt more like a friend was up on stage rather than some musician worshipped so devotedly by bloggers worldwide. But what's most refreshing is his sincerity. This is a guy who's driven by his passion for making interesting, and beautiful, music, and isn't trying to bullshit or get one over on anyone.

Playing the encore alone, Cox strapped on his acoustic guitar with harmonica attached for a rendition of "Logos."

Mr. Cool Indie Rock Guy suddenly became Bob Dylan. It was totally unexpected, and totally just right.

Album review: Volcano Choir - Unmap

2009-11-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

It's nice to leave your body every once in awhile, so cue up Wisconsin's Volcano Choir.

The side project of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and folks from Collections of Colonies of Bees put together a breezy but stellar debut record, Unmap, that just may conjure an out-of-body experience.

The band immediately contradicts any references its name might suggest of loud explosions on the opener "Husks and Shells," an acoustic track recorded as if not to wake the children. But the choir part’s true, with Vernon’s ethereal howls, and sometimes just animal noises, offering a dreamy overlay to the band’s rhythmic instrumentation.

Less folky and reliant on lyrics than Bon Iver, Volcano Choir incorporates more experimental and worldly sounds into its arsenal, as on the restrained Japanese feel of "And Gather"; "Cool Knowledge," which is full of weird vocal stylings reminiscent of Bjork's Medulla album; and then there's ambient instrumental pieces like "Dote."

Underneath it all there's a spiritual energy at work, particularly on "Youlagy," a soulful version of “Amazing Grace,” and the album's best track, "Seeplymouth," an epic seven minutes of delicate but propulsive percussion and Vernon's angelic falsetto serenade.

It's lovely enough to leave the ground behind.

Check out "Island, IS":

Island, IS - Volcano Choir

Pavement chooses enlightenment, taps Enablers to play ATP

2009-10-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

News of Pavement’s reunion is exciting enough. Add that they’ll be curating their own All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead, England on May 14-16, and a flurry of schoolgirl giddiness bubbles over. But that the band tapped none other than San Francisco’s Enablers to play ATP --- along with krautrockers Faust, the Fall, Portland’s Quasi, and New York’s Endless Boogie – gives a good reason to turn into a bunch of unbridled bed-jumpers on sugar highs. How delightful – ‘90s indie rock heroes sure have good taste.

Holy shit: The new Flaming Lips album will rip you to shreds with its amazingness

2009-10-14T23:23:00.000-07:00

Never been the biggest Flaming Lips fan and only listened to the band's new record Embryonic today to kill the sound of dead office while at work.

But it's totally badass.

The Flaming Lips crafted an album to be experienced -- a weird, spacey, mind-expanding, fuzzy psychedelic rock opus wonderland of awesomeness.

And a double album at that.

As fate would have it, they're playing in San Francisco this Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Treasure Island Music Festival.

A punk! Vampire Weekend tour to bite the Bay Area

2009-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Afro-poppers Vampire Weekend announced this week it will launch a California tour in November rolling through such off-the-beaten-path cities as Visalia, Lomita and Pioneertown., hitting the Bay Area on Nov. 7 at the Lafayette Town Hall Theatre and on Nov. 8 at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. Tickets go onsale Friday, Oct. 9, at noon. The New York four-piece’s second album, Contra, hits stores Jan. 12, but lord knows it’ll get leaked before by damn impatient Internet scum, I mean, eager fans. In the meantime, this week the band unveiled its first single from the impending album. Imbibe “Horchata”: November Cali tour: 11/2 Long Beach - The Art Theater 11/5 Pioneertown - Pappy and Harriet's 11/7 Lafayette - Town Hall Theatre 11/8 Santa Cruz - Catalyst 11/09 Visalia - The Cellar Door 11/10 San Luis Obispo - Downtown Brew 11/12 Bakersfield - Chencho's 11/14 Lomita, CA - VFW Hall

Show review: Thom Yorke Band, Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, Oct. 4

2009-10-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

Standing ovations typically come at the end of a performance, but Thom Yorke was greeted with one before he even launched into his first song Monday at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Needless to say, this was no ordinary concert. Yorke drew a mega-sold-out crowd of eager Radiohead fans, some with Hollywood faces, to the debut show (after a warm-up gig Friday at the Echoplex) of his new, non-Radiohead backing band formed to realize his solo material live and possibly/probably/undoubtedly collaborate with otherwise. ??????, as the marquee out front deemed the group without a name, pairs Yorke with bassist Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck/dozens of bands' drummer Joey Waronker, Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich "on everything else," as Yorke put it. With such a stellar batch of musicians up on stage, it wasn't surprising that the show's execution proved to be as exciting as its concept. The band ran through Yorke's 2006 album The Eraser in its entirety, each song getting a face-lift of sorts: the soft electronic glitchiness of the record was replaced by more rhythmic, carnal sounds in this live incarnation. Tracks took an altogether different shape under Yorke's beefed up rhythm section. “The Clock” lost its urgent ticktock and morphed into a menacing amalgam of bass and percussion; “Black Swan,” still retaining all of its despondent glory, fell under a spell of Refosco's tribal beat; and “Skip Divided" made the biggest transformation of all, with Yorke's ominous hum on the album replaced by Flea's melodica for a mysterious Middle Eastern feel, the song stripped to its barest of parts. Just before the latter song, Yorke prompted the crowd to stand. After all, The Eraser was intended to be a dance record and what, did the audience want to continue to act as if it were at the cinema? It seemed as if Yorke couldn't stop dancing. As he alternated between jumping on the piano, jumping on the guitar, and just plain jumping, he flitted around the stage like a madman infected with some sort of can’t-keep-still bug, even slithering his hips like Elvis during the more grooved up parts. And Flea was Flea, which is to say that he was rocking and bobbing onstage the entire time and a total badass on bass, breathing life into songs like "Harrowdown Hill" and the new Yorke track "Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses." As if the show wasn't special enough, what with the surprise backing band, the performance of The Eraser album, new songs and a rendition of Radiohead B-side "Paperbag Writer," which Yorke dedicated to Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood sitting in the audience, Yorke also played three new tracks on his own during the encore, two of which, "Open the Floodgates" and "Super Collider," Yorke played back-to-back on piano. The peak of the show came at the beginning of the encore with "Lotus Flower" a.k.a. "Moon Upon a Stick" (Yorke hasn't decided yet), a chill-inducing piece Yorke has been working on with Radiohead. Just Yorke's beautiful melody and an acoustic guitar, the song harkened back to Radiohead B-side “Follow Me Around.” Here's a pretty high-quality video of "Lotus Flower" shot by YouTuber Methanosktrr at the following night's show: Monday was a special night - for Yorke, Flea, Waronker, Refosco, Godrich, and most of all, the audience. Setlist The Eraser Analyse The Clock Black Swan Skip Divided Atoms For Peace And It Rained All Night Harrowdown Hill Cymbal Rush Yorke solo encore: Lotus Flower (Moon Upon A Stick) Open The Floodgates Super Collider Encore with band: Paperbag Writer Judge, Jury & Executioner The Hollow Earth Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

Pure giddiness: Thom Yorke's playing two shows in L.A. on Oct. 4-5

2009-09-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentleman, prepare your fingers for clicking on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. Thom Yorke announced he'll play Eraser songs + more at two intimate shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles this Sunday, Oct. 4 and Monday, Oct. 5, with tickets onsale Tuesday on Ticketmaster. Yorke's put together quite the backing band for these dates-- Joey Waronker, Mauro Refosco, Flea and Nigel Godrich (all cozy in the above pic). About 2,000 lucky spectators each night will have the privilege of catching one of these rare non-Radiohead Yorke performances. May the force be with you.

Get smitten: "All For the Best" by Thom Yorke

2009-09-24T23:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah it's a cover song, but it's still the best thing I've heard all year.

Album review: Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti... Is Skyscraper

2009-09-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

Interpol singer/guitarist Paul Banks takes a vacation from the land of four-piece bands on his solo debut as Julian Plenti, Julian Plenti... Is Skyscraper. Banks, or should I say, Plenti, takes the dark, post-punk rock sound of his dayjob group and perverts it with layers of piano, synth, acoustic guitar, strings and drum machine on the album's 11 tracks. Here Banks revives the part of the sexy cad on gloomy pop gems like "Games For Days," where he employs his commanding baritone, but also plays the role of Mr. Lonely on downcast tracks like "Madrid Song." "Only If You Run" gets my vote for being the album's best track, but maybe that's because I'm a sap. With its familiar but endearing melody, it's one of the best mac 'n' cheese songs of '09. Stick a fork in me. There are messy parts, too. I just can't get into "Fun That We Have," which sounds like instruments competing rather than meshing, while "Fly as You Might" crash lands into stilted drum machine oblivion. And survey says "Girl on the Sporting News" shouldn't have made it into the studio if only for its lyrics: “Girl don’t buy that dress on lonely street.” Indeed. This isn't an album to really sink your teeth into, but it's worth a listen for fans of dark Interpol-style music, obviously. And with today's announcement that Banks will tour far and wide this fall as Julian Plenti, it was also learned that a San Francisco stop is planned for Nov. 18 at the Great American Music Hall.

Awesome shows in San Jose this week!

2009-07-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

I barely check MySpace anymore but I did for the first time in a couple weeks and discovered ... the most fantastically sickest of the ickest band around these here San Jose parts *Worker Bee* is playing a free show at the Blank Club on Wednesday, July 8. It's also a record release show, hallelujah. The new stuff is freaking evolved & amazing loveliness. Kids best recognize. and my favorite San Diego band *Lanterns* is actually playing a show in San Jose on Thursday, July 9 @ someplace called Smile Factory. It's their second stop on a pretty long cross-country tour, so South Bayheads should take advantage.

Half full or half empty? Outside Lands single-day lineups out

2009-06-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Wiggah please. All Points West gets My Bloody Valentine and Tool, and the left coast gets Jason Mraz and Tom Jones? All bitching aside, San Francisco's very own summer music festivus gigantus, the three-day Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival happening Aug. 28-30 in Golden Gate Park, has a pretty solid lineup if you take only Saturday and Sunday into consideration. Earlier today the promoters unveiled which bands play each day --so lemme break down how this will play out. Friday is all about Pearl Jam --expect the park to be teeming with tens of thousands of Pearl Jam fanboys who very well may amass the largest gathering of facial hair this side of the Mississippi. Oh yeah, and there's also bands that nobody cares about like Incubus, Thievery Corporation and Tom Jones. And don't forget the Silversun Pickups, a.k.a. this year's Jack Johnson a.k.a. the group that seems to ubiquitously stink up every festival lineup in the universe. I skipped 'em at Sasquatch and I'll skip 'em at Outside Lands, thank you. Let us appreciate, though, some of the amazing smaller bands like Autolux and the Dodos who truly add value to an otherwise stale lineup. And if I do go Friday, I'll have to give a shoutout to that band featuring that dude who used to sell me weed back in high school. Holla! Saturday kinda isn't fair to the other days because, starting at noon, there's a few more slots on the schedule for an expanded lineup. Dave Matthews Band, Black Eyed Peas and Jason Mraz headlining aside, I'll have me a helping of Mars Volta, Deerhunter, TV on the Radio, Os Mutantes, Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band, Bat For Lashes, Mastodon and Street Sweeper Social Club. This day will surely sell out of single-day tickets. Sunday is "the past meets the future" day where you've got the Beastie Boys, Ween, and Modest Mouse as headliners -- all a bit beyond their heydays, but still kicking, and definitely the best batch of headliners of the fest -- mixed in with fresher acts like M.I.A., The Dead Weather and Atmosphere. So will I attend, and if so which days? As it's looking now, I'm going to try to win tickets because I have a few months to get lucky. As the festival gets nearer, I may decide to buy a single-day ticket for Saturday, but only if I can get one for face value and without any goddamn "convenience" fees. My third and final option will be to sneak into the festival -- I've got my fence-climbing shoes ready. But I highly doubt I'll fork over the cash for a three-day pass -- unless a heap of Radiohead, a dose of Mogwai or a touch of Entrance Band are added into the mix.

Picking through the lineup of the Sasquatch Festival

2009-06-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

When it comes to attending a music festival with multiple stages and numerous bands playing at the same time, difficult choices must be made. Bon Iver or Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Zach Galifianakis or TV on the Radio? Erykah Badu or Girl Talk, or, a little bit of both? Well at the Sasquatch Festival up in Washington state, I narrowed my three-day weekend down to 32 acts, and out of the following, a few each day particularly stood out.

Saturday, May 23

Champagne Champagne
Gaslight Anthem
Doves
Maria Bamford: Not only was the Comedy Tent the coolest (read: shadiest) stage on the festival grounds, but for a non-comedy-following person such as myself, I actually witnessed a few comedians who I would seek out as a paying customer, the first being Maria Bamford. Ms. Bamford’s forte is voices, and with these voices, which ranged from her high-pitched, high-strung “normal” voice to the ones she employed impersonating her snarky New York agent or a smooth, black 4-1-1 operator, she slayed. This woman can joke.
King Khan and the Shrines: These guys were a total spectacle. I don’t think I’d buy this band’s records, though their swinging ‘60s soul and garage rock sound is capable enough, but live, King Khan shouldn’t be missed. King Khan, who I presume is the potbellied frontman dressed like an Indian chief from the head up and a scantily-clad gay glam rocker (bare chest, gold cape, blue lamé booty shorts) from the neck down, leads an engaging brigade of musicians that includes a pom-pom-throwing cheerleader backup dancer. However I could’ve done without the dude onstage who dropped trow and tucked his dick in between his legs during that one song – that was just gross.
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Animal Collective
Mos Def
Bon Iver
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Kings of Leon: OK. Despite the somewhat annoying K.O.L. fanboys infesting the Sasquatch festival grounds in matching neon green T-shirts and their insistence upon high-fiving every man, woman and child who crossed their paths – and the fact that Kings of Leon’s sound used to be really cool and gritty, especially on their first two albums, until their recent foray into radio-friendly arena rock – I have to say the Kings whipped out an impressive catalog of songs at the Gorge. I don’t know why they opted to slow down their early, more rocking tracks like “Molly’s Chambers,” but overall the Kings brought it and one would be hard-pressed to ignore this band's overall talent.

Sunday, May 24

Mike Watt & The Missingmen
Street Sweeper Social Club: It could be easy to dismiss Street Sweeper Social Club as Rage Against The Machine 2.0 since they pretty much resurrect Zach de La Rocha & Co.'s sound exactly, and the fact that Tom Morello is up onstage playing guitar just like Tom Morello. But the bottom line is: These guys rock, and they brought a much-needed dose of loud guitars and riot-, or rather, protest-inciting lyrics to Sasquatch. It also didn’t hurt that they endeared themselves to the audience fairly quickly with a cover of MIA’s “Paper Planes.” I would deem them one of my favorite discoveries of the festival. And thanks to numerous forewarnings throughout their set, I am quite familiar with the precidse date their album comes out.
The Walkmen
Calexico
St. Vincent
Aziz Ansari
Zach Galifianakis: Who the hell decides to attend a music festival in a different state because of a comedian? Though Sasquatch’s musical lineup certainly seemed enough, it was the elusive comedic talent of one Zach Galifianakis being present that proved to be the tipping point for me to whip out my credit card and give yet more of my $ to Ticketbastard, Alaska Airlines and Hotwire. I wasn’t even sure he would show up cuz dude is notorious for canceling shows. But he came! And he was hella funny! Zach worked off all the classic bits I know him for, playing a little piano, doing impressions (e.g. the New Yorker obsessed with cargo shorts “Hey, what are those, cahhhgo shorts?”), his whiteboard with slogans at the end, and he even brought special guests onstage including St. Vincent. I like my comedians weird, and with that said, Zach is the king of weirdos.
TV on the Radio
Nine Inch Nails: My most anticipated band of the festival not surprisingly put on my favorite performance at Sasquatch. NIN drew from a totally classic setlist of songs that spanned their entire discography. I'm talking "Terrible Lie," "Wish," "March of the Pigs, and even more obscure tracks like “Gave Up” and “Burn.” Trent Reznor and band completed the festival for me, making all the other acts I had yet to see icing on the cake. And damn if that wasn't the best rendition of “Hurt” I've ever heard.
Jane’s Addiction

Monday, May 25

Heartless Bastards
Deerhoof
Grizzly Bear
Santigold: Don't believe the hype, Public Enemy told us, but in Santigold's case it may be wise to disregard old rap star truisms. Over the past year or so I have been forcefed by just about every magazine and "in-the-know" radio DJ how amazing the Brooklyn singer Santigold was, only to find out, she is. She's kind of like a cross between MIA and Gwen Stefani, tearing through different genres, from hip hop to ‘80s to punk and reggae. Santigold proved to be one of the most engaging acts of the weekend from the moment she hit the stage, riling up the audience to dance and truly, speaking to the audience, even if some of it was sagely singer advice about forgoing Burger King pre-performance.
Gogol Bordello
Fleet Foxes
The Knux
Girl Talk
Erykah Badu: Unfuckitwable. Though I missed much of Erykah Badu's set because of those aforementioned scheduling conflicts, the four songs or so of hers that I did see were enough to make me regret spending so much time at the Wookie stage. Backed by a solid band and sporting a Public Enemy sweatshirt and leather pants, Ms. Badu didn't need dramatic vocal theatrics or choreography to pull of a wicked show. She just had to be herself, bringing her honey voice, anti-bullshit lyrics and general untouchable demeanor. I swear she's gotta be the coolest human being on the planet, and really, the one artist I plan to listen to a whole lot more after the festival.
Explosions in the Sky: There were high expectations, here, with Explosions in the Sky being the closing band of the festival for all those with taste (sorry Ben Harper). Besides being total rock guitar-shredding badasses, Explosions in the Sky also remind me of film scores in a way. You know how when you're watching a dramatic movie and, though the scene or dialog may be affecting enough, it's when the music kicks in that the tears start welling up and, goddamnit, you're crying. That's what Explosions does for me. They make me want to burst and drip, they're so good.
Chromeo

Get smitten: Moggs

2009-03-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

I fucking love when this happens. I'm innocently browsing The List for some show of worth to take place the coming weekend, skipping over the same old same old all-punk/all-metal bills that dominate many a San Francisco dive bar lineup, scanning through the Celine Dions and the Coldplays stinking up the HP Pavilions out yonder until I can pare The List down to the nitty gritty: bands that I kinda sorta am familiar with yet am still hesitant about investing more time/money in, and bands that I know absolutely nothing about. This is how I found Moggs. How the hell I hadn't heard of the Petaluma duo before now is an anomaly seeing as how they've toured the Bay Area religiously since 2001. I spotted their scheduled appearance March 15 at the Hemlock Tavern and wandered over to their MySpace page, where I was blown away upon first listen of "Smoke, Mirrors," a brooding rock groove that conjures the off-kilter guitar riffs and percussive blitzkrieg of Slint along with the unemotive (a good thing) vocals and fuzzy shoegaze wash of Autolux. Clean and pure dirty art rock at its finest. I think some covert music society may have been keeping guitarist/vocalist Justin M. and drummer/vocalist Cara LP a secret to keep this totally sparkling local band all to themselves. It's good to explore the unknown ...

Disco - Moggs

Best show of February: Deerhunter @ Mezzanine, Feb. 24, 09

2009-03-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

They were just getting warmed up.

Deerhunter's playing a free show in SF!

2009-02-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

I missed Deerhunter when they played the Great American Music Hall in November for a very good reason (Wintersleep made an extremely rare excursion to S.F. from the faraway land of Canada). But the gods of rock 'n' roll must be on my side, because here the Atlanta-based band is coming back, three months later to play another show ... for free. The bitch part is that I'll have to wait in a thick queue of rabid indie-rock-lovin, tight-pants-wearers, with no guarantee of even getting in. But I'll try. Tuesday, Feb. 24 @ Mezzanine, Noise Pop '09 kickoff-party. RSVP here to put yer name on the list, if that'll even help.

Tennessee, here I come: Bonnaroo's lineup is the shit

2009-02-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

Holy guacamole, Batman. The Bonnaroo 2009 lineup was leaked tonight ... an it's not for the faint of heart. June 11-14 in Manchester, Tenn., check it: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Phish Beastie Boys Nine Inch Nails David Byrne Wilco Al Green Snoop Dogg Elvis Costello Solo Erykah Badu Paul Oakenfold Ben Harper and Relentless7 The Mars Volta TV on the Radio Yeah Yeah Yeahs Gov’t Mule Andrew Bird Merle Haggard MGMT moe. The Decemberists Girl Talk Bon Iver Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate Rodrigo y Gabriela Galactic The Del McCoury Band Of Montreal Allen Toussaint Coheed and Cambria Booker T & the DBTs David Grisman Quintet Lucinda Williams Animal Collective Gomez Neko Case Down Jenny Lewis Santogold Band of Horses Robert Earl Keen Citizen Cope Femi Kuti and the Positive Force The Ting Tings Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Kaki King Grizzly Bear King Sunny Adé Okkervil River St. Vincent Zac Brown Band Raphael Saadiq Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Crystal Castles Tift Merritt Brett Dennen Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue Toubab Krewe People Under the Stairs Alejandro Escovedo Vieux Farka Touré Elvis Perkins In Dearland Cherryholmes Yeasayer Todd Snider Chairlift Portugal. The Man. The SteelDrivers Midnite The Knux The Low Anthem Delta Spirit A.A. Bondy The Lovell Sisters Alberta Cross

The Coachella 2009 lineup is a tragic disappointment

2009-01-30T21:42:00.001-08:00

Behold, below, the 2009 Coachella lineup. I've bolded the bands I actually would want to see.

FRIDAY, APRIL 17: Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18: The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT’s, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K’naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.

Looks like I'll be saving $300+ on April 17-19.

Modest Mouse coming to Fox Theatre

2009-01-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

Check it out, y’all. As I await those bastardly Coachella people to satiate my all-encompassing need to know the festival’s lineup, I stumbled upon some other good news in my inbox today. It appears Modest Mouse will play a special show at the Fox Theatre in Oakland on Feb. 22 – an intimate venue for a huge band that recruited none other than the Smiths’ Johnny Marr to join its ranks. Presale tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 29 at 10am (Hint: the password is fox). Be there or be circle.

Rant: Where for art thou Coachella lineup announcement?

2009-01-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

I awoke today giddy like a tot on Christmas morn, as today was the day the Coachella lineup was to be revealed! So I checked the Internet before I left for work around 8 a.m. Nothing up yet. Once (chained) within the confines of my "cubicle," I started seeking the info at various sites supposedly in the know around 10 a.m., the time when good things usually seem to happen (you know, ticket onsales, traffic-free highways, etc.). No go. All day I searched, and I and sought, and I hunted, only to find nothing but dissatisfaction and frustration, eventually learning that the announcement was postponed until tomorrow. I guess that makes this very moment that I'm writing this Christmas Eve. A last-minute delay certainly doesn't bode well for the lineup. But if it takes an extra day (or seven, or 21) for the promoters, Goldenvoice, to sort out a kickass batch of headliners, so be it. But only as long as that Paul McCartney: headliner, remains a rumor, thank you. To tide myself over, I checked out the Coachella message board which is teeming with all kinds of fun folks. Best message board thread ever: click here.

Belated appreciation: Animal Collective

2009-01-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

So now I'm all caught up in this whirlwind of Animal Collective, the indie band du jour who on Jan. 6 released Merriweather Post Pavilion, their ninth album. Ninth album, yeah. Where the hell have I been? I'm excited to stumble upon a band with such a prolific back catalog to explore. While I'm still absorbing and evaluating Merriweather, which is so far an elevating mix of experimental electronics that would appropriately designate band members Geologist, Avey Tare and Panda Bear as "weirdos," blended with pop harmonies that totally remind me of the Beach Boys, I'm positively, unequivocally stuck on "My Girls," the first single. It's straight up candy. Peep the video: Animal Collective will play the Fox Theater in Oakland on May 26 and the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur on May 27.

Don't tell grandpa: Radiohead to perform on Grammys

2009-01-25T22:04:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars, kids, cuz Radiohead will play the Grammy Awards ceremony this year, making for an astonishing addition of talent to an otherwise bland lineup of live performances from the likes of Coldplay, Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers, Kenny Chesney and Katy Perry (and the very unbland Lil Wayne and Jennifer Hudson, too). The Grammys, live from lalaland, will air Sunday, Feb. 8, sometime in the early evening on channel whatever. Along with potentially scoring in the Best Album and Best Alternative Album categories for In Rainbows, Radiohead's Best Rock Song nominee "House of Cards" is up against Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie and Kings of Leon (who, with "Sex on Fire," have the most rocking song in the category in my semi-humble opinion, though you won't see me revolt if HOC takes the prize):

An eye on early '09 releases

2009-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork did the legwork and compiled winter 2009 release dates for albums of note. Here's where my money's going: Jan. 6 Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion [Domino] [vinyl release] Jan. 20 John Frusciante: The Empyrean [Adrenaline Music] Thom Yorke: The Eraser Rmxs [XL] [Japanese release] Feb. 10 Dan Auerbach: Keep It Hid [Nonesuch] Feb. 17 Beirut/Realpeople: March of the Zapotec/Holland [Pompeii/ Ba Da Bing] [U.S. release] Morrissey: Years of Refusal [Attack/Lost Highway] [U.S. release] Telepathe: Dance Mother [IAMSOUND] March Grizzly Bear: TBA [Warp] April 21 Tortoise : TBA [Thrill Jockey] And whenever it comes out Yeah Yeah Yeahs: TBA [Interscope]

List time: Best ofs, albums and shows

2008-12-30T22:12:00.000-08:00

The best five albums of 2008, according to my ears and brain: 1. Portishead "Third" 2. Deerhunter "Microcastle 3. Wolf Parade "At Mt. Zoomer" 4. Atlas Sound "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel" 5. Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend" And since I saw more live music than heard new albums, here's: The top 10 shows of 2008, according to my ears, brain and eyes: 1. Radiohead @ Hollywood Bowl Aug. 25 2. Radiohead @ Chula Vista, Aug. 27 3. Entrance Band @ Great American Music Hall, Nov. 23 4. Lanterns, Silian Rail, Japandi, Planets @ The Bike Kitchen, Jan. 11 5. Wolf Parade @ Fillmore, July 17 6. Worker Bee, By Sunlight, Silian Rail @ Gingerbread House, July 11 7. Entrance Band @ Henry Miller Library, May 10 8. Les Savy Fav, The Dodos @ Great American Music Hall, April 27 9. Entrance Band, Menomena, Broken Social Scene @ Sunset Junction Festival, Aug. 23 10. Holy Fuck, A Place to Bury Strangers, White Denim, Veil, Veil Vanish @ Bottom of the Hill, Feb, 29 10.1 Metallica @ Oracle Arena, Dec. 20

Listen up: Pitchork's 1-25 tracks of 2008

2008-12-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork's staff ranked its top 100 tracks of 2008 and posted nearly all of the songs in their entirety. It's pretty cool -- you can go to the Pitchfork site and listen to 100 songs you may have missed this year. Now I'm not really considering this list as a "best of 2008" and judging it as such, but more using it as a reference to discover new bands. Today I checked out their #1-25. Here's what I thought: 1. Hercules and Love Affair - "Blind." Boring disco dance track that feels like going for a casual stroll through an antique British town, if you know what I mean. 2. Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal." Oh how much I'd love to pan this band sheerly for spite, as I'm kinda sick of hearing how great they are. But how great they are. 3. Hot Chip - "Ready For the Floor." Boring disco dance number. 4. Santogold - "L.E.S. Artistes." Sounds like something I'd hear at 24 Hour Fitness. And the vocals are all "Gwen Stefani." Enough said. 5. M83 - "Kim & Jessie." If I wanted to get back to 1985 I'd hop in a DeLorean. 6. Deerhunter - "Nothing Ever Happened." Ah, a fuzzy good marathon of weirdo rock. So on my Christmas list. 7. Cut Copy -"Hearts on Fire." - Another '80s disco dance number, blech. 8. Air France - "Collapsing on Your Doorstep." Boring. Disco. Dance. Number. 9. Portishead - "Machine Gun." Already kid-tested and mother-approved, though let me just say "The Rip" is more my jam. 10. Estelle - "American Boy." - So this is the song that's always playing when I walk into a Forever 21. 11. David Byrne and Brian Eno - "Strange Overtones." Totally refreshing and relevant from two legends. 12. Cut Copy - "Out There on The Ice." Get me out of the discoteque. Now. 13. Kanye West - "Flashing Lights." The 24 Hour Fitness Theme Song. Totally. 14. Lil Wayne - "A Milli." I just don't get it. 15. Amadou & Miriam - "Sabali." Africa has unofficially entered the space age. Sweet and stimulating. 16. The Mae Shi - "Run to Your Grave." Singalong children's song. Just not my style. 17. Wiley - "Wearing My Rolex." The first dancey track on the list I dig. 18. Women - "Black Rice." Two thums up! 19. Vivian Girls - "Where Do You Run To." Twee girl rock. Um, no. 20. The Juan Maclean - "Happy House." Now this is a track - 12 1/2 minutes And it's dance! 21. Hercules and Love Affair - "Hercules' Theme." B.D.D.N. 22. Santogold - "Lights Out." Still not sold on Santogold. 23. Beyonce - "Single Ladies." Surprisingly better than a lot of the stuff preceding it. 24. Gang Gang Dance - "House Jam." B.D.D.N. 25. The Hold Steady - "Constructive Summer." Another rock song in the top 25? Vocals not my cup of tea, though. As you can tell, I'm not too keen on electropop dance crap. But these are first impressions. To sum, the good in the top 25: Already knew about Fleet Foxes, Deerhunter, Portishead, David Byrne and Brian Eno Bands for further exploration: The Juan Maclean, Amadou & Miriam, Women, Wiley.

:)

2008-12-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

Oh. Hell. Yes.

Rant: The Grammy's - beggers can't be choosers; or can they?

2008-12-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

So maybe I shouldn't bitch about the Grammy nominations announced today because a) my favorite band is up for five awards and b) I don't give a shit about a Grammy. But I have to admit my panties did bunch up when I saw that the Radiohead song chosen for nomination in the Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals category was "House of Cards." Amazing song, and In Rainbows is up for Album of the Year. But it also makes me wonder: Why "House of Cards" of all tracks when there's "All I Need," or even more worthy, "Reckoner." Don't tell me that this has something to do with the song's use in NBA playoffs promo ads earlier this year. Or maybe I just told you. Suspicious Grammy nomination No. 2: Would M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" be up for Record of the Year if it hadn't been played in those Pineapple Express trailers all summer? How much does a song have to be crammed into the public consciousness via commercials and other advertisements before it can be nominated for a Grammy? Call me a cynic, but it's hard to take awards shows like this seriously. I do, however, get a slight kick out of the fact that a Grammy is awarded for Best Album Notes. All right, album notes writers. And how about that mouthful of a category, Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals? I think I'll nominate that lengthy moniker for Best Worst Short Awards Category Name. Take that, Grammys.

Rolling Stone gets it right with "hot" multimedia feature

2008-12-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

It's moments like this when I don't mind so much that Web journalism is supplanting print -- nevermind that nobody can find a job in today's news industry. For Rolling Stone's "2008 Hot List," in between crowning the "Hot New Winona Ryders" and "Hot Sci-Fi Beyonce," the magazine deemed hippie bastion Laurel Canyon in L.A. as this year's "Hot Rock Scene." Home to musicians and free spirits galore, who shack up in abodes nesting cozily in the woods and stage jam sessions that revive the spirit of residents of times past (Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne all once lived there), Laurel Canyon also claims none other than the Entrance Band as native sons. And the reason I'm happy we live in an increasingly multimedia world? Rolling Stone accompanied its online version of the Hot List's Hot Rock Scene entry with a video (scan to the bottom of the story) for which they commissioned the Entrance Band's Guy Blakeslee, Derek James and Paz Lenchantin to give a personalized tour of the Canyon. The short video proved to be a pretty cool complement to the story that offers a compelling visual and audio illustration to back up why Laurel Canyon is where it's at. I can see why the band calls it an inspiring locale. And yes, there does appear to be "ju ju everywhere." Hot, indeed.

Show review: Entrance Band @ Great American Music Hall, Nov. 23

2008-12-01T00:09:00.000-08:00

Discovering the Entrance Band earlier this year was like finding a new religion, a rock 'n' roll religion that re-imposed upon my musical mind the staples of what rock should be: riffs and beats that sound as powerful and exciting as they instinctively feel; bona fide technical wizardry from three monster musicians; lyrics that explore life, death, love and everything else that matters; and just enough sex and drugs to be too cool to bring home to mom, unless she grew up in the '60s, of course. Now a faithful attendee of Entrance's Bay Area gatherings, the latest being a knockout show on Nov. 23, the sabbath, at the Great American Music Hall, I joined a devout flock of a hundred or so hippies and headbangers crowding the stage, flanked by a few curious stragglers along for the ride. For all the brilliance of the performance, however, I couldn't help but feel frustrated that more than half the audience left before the L.A. trio even set up their instruments, thereby missing one of the best shows of 2008. I guess co-headliner Rodriguez was a hard act to follow, as his resurgence (read his interesting story here) and own feast of '60s folk rock was satisfying enough for some. And let me make the point that Rodriguez rocks, no doubt about it. But not too many bands circa now can top the Entrance experience. And back to religion, I want to spread the word about the Entrance Band, not so much to convert but to connect. In the church of rock 'n' roll, the more the merrier. Singer/guitarist/shredder Guy Blakeslee (aka Entrance), bassist Paz Lenchantin and drummer Derek James straight up summoned spirits with the Middle Eastern rock dervish of an opener "Valium Blues," which sidetracked midway into famed Nirvana cover "Love Buzz." The Entrance repertoire that I've seen over the course of four shows doesn't pull out a bad one in the bunch. The GAMH setlist featured standouts "Still Be There" and "You're So Fine," peaking with "MLK" and an incendiary version of "Grim Reaper Blues" to close, which the band teased into a thundering climax. On an end note, Wolfgang's Vault posted Entrance's entire Noise Pop, Cafe Du Nord show, the performance that got me all up on the band's jock, on its Web site. Check it out.

Belated appreciation: Atlas Sound

2008-11-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

This year I received a birthday present, the best birthday present, about nine months late. Yeah, nine months. Kinda like a baby, and something I'm surely all goo goo ga ga about now. The gift: "Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel," the first album from Atlas Sound that came out February 19. Some background: Atlas Sound is the solo project of Bradford Cox, without a doubt, an extraordinary and compelling musician who leads the band Deerhunter. Dude's prolific, and reputedly updates the Deerhunter/Atlas Sound/Lotus Plaza blog with tons of goodies pretty frequently. The music: Atlas Sound is truly all over the map, with dreamy 1950s melodies adorned with layers upon layers of fuzzy shoegaze-style Martian sounds. Pretty otherworldly stuff for being bedroom music. A live version of "Recent Bedroom," 2/18/08 in Georgia: Photo courtesy of Atlas Sound MySpace.

Thom Yorke's Nov. 5 present

2008-11-05T23:11:00.000-08:00

Oh happy day. For all of the inspiration, pride and hopefulness I feel now that Barack Obama is set to lead our way for the next four years (social progress and global respectability, anyone?), I must also thank Mr. Obama, and Jonny Greenwood's mum, for the groovy remix of "Harrowdown Hill" Thom Yorke posted on Dead Air Space today. Mr. Yorke: "did i fall or was i pushed? in celebration of nov 5th jonnys burthday amid bonfire and fireworks in the UK and the dawn of a new era in politics in the USA i humbly donate a remix of harrowdown hill that was finished ages ago during the band webcasts, a small reminder of the dark days of Bush's.... x"

Get smitten: The Airborne Toxic Event

2008-10-24T00:16:00.000-07:00

Mikel Jollett once discovered the perfect complement to his band’s live stage setup in a junkyard.

The frontman of Los Feliz five-piece The Airborne Toxic Event had trekked to a local facility along with drummer Daren Taylor to sift through rubbish in search of a “big metallic sound.” With golf club and bat in hand, the two began banging until they stumbled upon just the right clunk: the hood of a 1969 Alfa Romeo, which would later be incorporated into the gaggle of L.A. shows that Airborne would play over the next year. Continue reading.

Get smitten: Thailand

2008-10-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

“Change” may be the political buzzword of 2008, but it has always been a mantra for L.A. new wave/post-punk trio Thailand. Figuring out what works – and what doesn’t – took core members Marc Linquist (vocals, beats, guitar) and Staci Roark (synths, vocals) on an edifying journey through lineup additions and subtractions, new locales, fresh approaches to songwriting and a challenging transition from bedroom band to a live rock act that fearlessly uses a drum machine to create music on its own terms. Continue reading. *P.S. Must check out the track "Control Control" on Thailand's MySpace.*

CD review: Odd Nosdam "Pretty Swell Explode"

2008-10-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

Longtime Anticon sound guru OddNosdam’s latest offering, Pretty Swell Explode, proves why a posse of the label’s artists and experimental like-minds such as Mike Patton have put him at the top of their collaboration lists. Over this two- disc, 17-track compilation of remixes, B-sides, rarities and unreleased originals – many stemming from Nosdam’s two previous albums, 2005’s Burner and 2007’s Level Live Wires – the Bay Area producer whips up an enchanting brew of sampler magic, field recordings, tape hiss and other effects that evoke a range of sensations and showcase his sonic prowess.

Pretty. On “Untitled Three,” one of eight unreleased tracks, Nos taps into shoegaze serenity by rekindling his Burner partnership with Flying Saucer Attack associate Jessica Bailiff, whose sunny but surreal vocals coat blissed-out drones and barebone beats in calm. And the reworking of Black Moth Super Rainbow’s psychedelic “Forever Heavy” features Bailiff’s gentle murmur, somnambulant thumps and lullaby keyboard tinkers to call a sleepy beauty into light.

Swell. Nos explores ambient soundscapes on the second disc, most notably on Boards Of Canada’s “Dayvan Cowboy,” which stretches into a hypnotic, nine-minute opus of warmth and meditative quiet that may just conjure what heaven would sound like.

Explode. Bursts of glitches, grungy distortion and dizzying echoes on “Freshman Remix” thicken up a dissection of label brethren Thee More Shallows. And the standout “(Growin Up in the Hood) Four Thousand Style,” which mashes a gaggle of bits and pieces from U.K. band Hood, blasts off from a jarring, fuzzy bass into staccato hip-hop beats and blips, sensual synth pulses and lyrical slivers cut from vocalist Chris Adams for a stunningly intricate collage.

iTunes software classifies the album not as experimental, electronica or hip-hop, but “easy listening.” Considering its totally chilled-out musical rapture, Pretty Swell Explode presents a strong case for fans of sonic euphoria to make room in their record collections. (Anticon Records)

Originally published in the August 2008 issue of West Coast Performer.

It's good to be back

2008-10-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

Capping a weekend where I rediscovered music (thank you Pixies "Surfer Rosa," Slint "Spiderland" Trans Am "The Surveillance," Spank Rock "Yo Yo Yo Yo Yo") and arose from the new-job-black-hole that swamped the past two months of my life with words and numbers but no sounds, online today I found video of an Elephant Six show held over the weekend that features none other than Jeff Mangum playing my favorite Neutral Milk Hotel song, "Engine," a children's song. Mangum, the principal of '90s indie rock fathers and sons and holy spirits Neutral Milk Hotel, has been tagged a recluse for his MIA status in the music world for the last 10 or so years, having chosen to hide out (live a normal life?) after he released the seminal album "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea." That Mangum, a goddamn blessing to music as far as I'm concerned, has emerged from his seclusion bodes well for these dark times. Maybe we're all about to enter a moment of light.

Send in the clones: Live music overload around the Bay Area tonight

2008-07-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

Employment commitments and geography will influence my night's entertainment options, but lucky me, there's a smörgåsbord of awesome live rock music transpiring all over the Bay tonight.

Friday night specials:

Oakland - Orphans of Aliens, Hard Labor Fantasy Camp @ Mama Buzz Cafe

San Francisco - Port O'Brien, Builders and the Butchers @ Cafe Du Nord

San Jose - Silian Rail, Bridges, Worker Bee, Judgement Day @ Gingerbread House

Oh, and for those with particularly bad taste in music there's always Billy Bob Thornton at the Phoenix Theatre in Petaluma or Eddie Money at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

So like that decrepit centuries-years-old grail knight spouted in the third Indiana Jones movie, "Choose wisely -- for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you."

Thanks, dude.

San Diego's Lanterns puts out ... the Apocalypse Youth EP

2008-07-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

For rock heads who find that the frenzied melodic noise of Sonic Youth and Les Savy Fav bring on a bit of the dripping (ewwwww), I recommend yet again to check out the younger and more San Diegoan four-piece Lanterns. Live, they come across like a pack of wild hoodlums --that's a good thing. But what's even better is their apeshit awesome knack for writing an infectious song, layering distorted shoegaze fuzz, pounding beats, shredding licks and singalong shouts over pop hooks. So in reverence for the release of their Apocalypse Youth EP that will be celebrated at a July 19 hometown show at the Che Cafe, check out new tracks "Creation Myth," "Midnight Psalms (Alright!)" and "EndTimes Blues" on Lanterns' MySpace, or two sweet older tracks below. Yum. Lanterns – sweet weapons! Lanterns – Maps and X's

Who are the Fleet Foxes?

2008-06-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

While browsing the Craigslist tickets section, as I am prone to in pursuit of what's what this week for shows in the Bay, I happened upon the burgeoning indie powerhouse that is the Fleet Foxes. Everybody and they stepmama seemingly wants a ticket to tonight's show at the Bottom of the Hill. I've seen offers of $77 for what was originally a $10 ticket; beer, food, joke punchlines, virginity (really!) for the chance to catch this show. And in most of these postings, wannabe ticket buyers express the sentiment that this will be the last chance to watch Fleet Foxes play this intimate a venue, as they seem destined for a path of gargantuan theaters and arenas. So, my non-feathered friends, just who are the Fleet Foxes? Well to start, five musicians from Seattle who just released their self-titled debut album on Sub Pop on June 3. They describe their music as "baroque harmonic pop jams," a blend Pitchfork appears to approve of seeing as how they rated the record a 9.0, putting Fleet Foxes in great company as far as debuts go (Wolf Parade, anyone?). And based on a few MySpace samples, like "White Winter Hymnal," which carries a dreamy, laid back Beach Boys type of groove with lots of oohs and acapella sprinklings, and "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song," a plaintive acoustic folk ballad that channels old-school '60s haunted Mamas and the Papas, their sound is certainly clean, catchy and compelling. Not quite rock 'n' roll enough to be deemed awesome in my book, but they've got something. And I betcha much of Fleet Foxes' appeal is that their live presence is as endearing as their MySpace personality -- check out a sampling of their tour schedule:

Aug 18 2008

8:00P

RED BUTTE GARDEN W/ WILCO !!!!! (WTF?????)

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

Aug 20 2008

8:00P

EAGLE KNOLL WINERY w/ WILCO (How did we get here, seriously, what is going on)

BOISE, ID

Aug 21 2008

8:00P

INB ARTS CENTER W/ WILCO !!! (Still flabbergasted)

SPOKANE, WA

Aug 23 2008

8:00P

LES SCHWAB AMPHITHEATER W / WILCO !!!! (Shock, disbelief)

BEND, OREGON

Fleet Foxes appear genuinely appreciative of their recent success as openers for huge acts like Wilco. Sounds like cool peeps. So good luck to ticket seekers for tonight's mega sold out BOTH show. Or just wait until September when they play the Treasure Island Festival. Fleet Foxes' "White Winter Hymnal":

Rant: "I wah wah wah wah wonder": The corrosive torture that is Del Shannon's "Runaway"

2008-06-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Honey children, I think we've got a Patrick Bateman in our midst. You know, the serial killing type whose penchant for pop music almost disguises a love for penetrating viscera with steak knives, but not really.

I bring this up because here I sit working studiously in a room on the sixth floor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. library in San Jose, and what is it that's providing the soundtrack to my noble pursuit of rock music news?

Why none other than Del Shannon's 1961 number one Billboard hit "Runaway," on repeat, seven times and counting.

I guess the guy in the next room likes that song. A lot. Sample lyrics:
"And I wonder--
I wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder,
Why,
Why, why, why, why, why she ran away,
Yes, and I wonder"

Coupled with high-pitched staccato keyboard stylings a la "dooo doo doo doo/ dooo doo doo doo / doo doo doo / doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo / dooo doo doo doo / dooo doo doo doo / doo doo doo doooooooooooooo," this has got to be the most annoying two minutes of music ever written.

And surprisingly, the guy next door so enamored with Mr. Shannon's ode to love woe is young, clean cut and wearing glasses -- so not visibly insane. I don't know, are people who wear glasses capable of murder?

On the eighth "Runaway" go 'round, library security dropped by to deter the transgressor from a ninth spin, but dude keeps playing it.

Maybe I should offer up my relationship counseling services.

Family, friends: If I don't pick up my cell, 911 ain't no joke.

Sigur Ros to play Greek Theatre Oct. 3, presale Friday

2008-06-19T15:54:00.000-07:00


artist website :: myspace :: youtube	Sigur Rós The Greek Theatre Berkeley, CA Friday, October 3rd *presale begins friday at 10am! (password = naked)*

Radiohead covers Portishead, debuts new song

2008-06-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

To further cement Radiohead's standing as the best band around (aren't they the best?), they've gone ahead and covered a song from the best album released this year: "The Rip" from Portishead's Third. They soundchecked this track before a couple U.S. shows in May but never actually played it live. But loverly them, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood recently recorded the song in a backstage green room, and Colin Greenwood kindly posted it on Waste Central for us Webheads. And oh, it's a strawberry ice cream sundae: The band --well, Thom Yorke on solo piano -- also debuted a new new track, which fans are dubbing "Super Collider," at the Dublin show last week. Raw footage, yum:

Spaceship Mogwai to land in San Francisco on 9/8

2008-06-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

How's about a Scottish post-rock postlude to the summer of '08? Glasgow's most honorable pack of parka wearers Mogwai announced plans today for a summer North American tour that includes a San Francisco stop scheduled Sept. 8 at the Grand Ballroom. Last time Mogwai traversed 'round these parts was for a kickass show at the Fillmore on May 27, 2006, just a couple of days after an incendiary performance on the outdoor stage at Coachella. Kickass, incendiary - do you see a pattern here? Mogwai's sixth album, The Hawk is Howling, is also due Sept. 29 on Matador. In a recent blog on their Web site, guitarist/guy who plays a lot of instruments Barry Burns described the album as such: "It's got it all, dreamy ballads about forbidden love gone awry, one minute pointless instrumentals and even some spoken word about the future of the music industry in India. If and when you allow yourself to hear these bitching jams you're going to want to buy some seriously good crystal meth just to take the edge off." Sounds sweet to me. And preceding the album, on Sept. 9 the Batcat EP will be released, also a worthy purchase if for nothing more than track 2, titled (seriously) "Stupid Prick Gets Chased By The Police And Loses His Slut Girlfriend." Sounds like a quality batch of drugs circulates through those there Scottish highlands, boys. Incidentally, a word to the wise for Americans who want more info on the band: Don't go gettin' all intuitive and type www.mogwai.com as the supposed URL for Mogwai's Web site. That is, unless you're trying to beef up on your Himalayan cat breeding skills. (Pssst: www.mogwai.co.uk) Mogwai: "Auto Rock" Photo: www.myspace.com/mogwai

Word abuse: muzzy

2008-06-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

I appreciate obscure words as much as the next budding linguist, ahem, but not when these words are thrown into writing at the expense of clarity. I'm sick of reading about new bands and come across some totally random word that doesn't help me discern a genre or general sound to the music. Take "muzzy" for instance. What the hell does "muzzy" mean? Is it something like "fuzzy"? Merriam-Webster's says muzzy means dull, gloomy and "lacking in clarity and precision" - kinda like its etymology: "perhaps blend of muddled and fuzzy." And peep M-W's definition for fuzzy: "lacking in clarity and definition." Ah, I see the distinction. Not. In need of counseling: "This glow, though, did not outshine the two nostalgia-tinged openers, Citay and The Botticellis, the latter soothing the scanty crowd with their swathes of muzzy organ, plucked right out of the Paisley era and placed on their debut album, Old Home Movies." "So, initially, I was pleased that Winning Days was such a digestible and dreamy ride, full of somnambulant harmonies (Amnesia), muzzy monster guitars (TV Pro) and killer hooks (She's Got Something To Say)." "The key success to the band’s genre-borrowing being that, whether in country, punk or retro mode, The Black Lips have the skills to imitate while retaining individuality, their spit-and-all performances and muzzy production always at the heart of the material." However, I did stumble upon an excellent use of muzzy: "It will take a lot of listening as the production is too muzzy, with too much guitar and not enough words coming through." It works because a context is provided. It makes a point. Point taken?

CD review: Oh My! Michael Scott Parker - Naked

2008-06-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Scott Parker must have toddled around the house sans clothes just a bit more often than the average child. Everything about her latest album, Naked, from soul-exposing lyrics to emotive melodies, reveals a free spirit unafraid to strip for artistic expression.

Recently relocated to liberal bastion San Francisco — but seemingly risen from the sea — Parker, AKA Oh My!, proves a new goddess is in town, poised to join the female singer/songwriter elite. Vocally, Parker evokes both Tori Amos’ sultry-smooth rasp and angelic moan, as on the stark chamber ballad “Toy Piano,” and Albini-era PJ Harvey on the title track and “Mi Ute,” where she wields not much more than an electric guitar and a spitting banshee shriek.

Lyrically, Parker comes off as a bona fide muse set to plant the seed of self-expression into all of Earth’s creatures. “Let’s make crazy / it’s time to play,” she beckons enticingly on the rollicking album opener, “Let’s Make Crazy,” luring listeners to join in the fun of breaking loose from life’s cages. Overt feminism permeates other tracks, most notably on the resolute acoustic star “Natural to Me” as Parker asserts, “I’m gonna be the woman to change everyone’s mind ... I’m not sure if they’re ready for women like us.”

Parker’s renaissance tendencies — she wrote, performed, produced and designed much of Naked — mostly get the job done. But the handful of guest musicians dropping in with sax, violin or synth, among other instruments, occasionally fail to meld with the staple guitars, creating a disjointed effect. And with such fervent honesty and genre-hopping, from alt-country to folk pop to raw rock, Parker could have trouble tracking down her audience.

But listener beware: though no lions or tigers or bears pop up on Oh My!’s Naked, her charismatic wizardry can grow scary-infectious to even the most unsuspecting ears. Originally published in West Coast Performer, June 2008

CD review: The Mission Orange - Seasick

2008-06-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Grunge may be dead in the Pacific Northwest but it sounds like teen angst is still kicking. On The Mission Orange's debut full length, Seasick, for burgeoning Bellingham label Murder Mountain, the Mount Vernon teenage garage duo declares that the best way to battle confusion, loneliness and indecision is with explosive distortion, cathartic shouts and the volume knob cranked to 20. It’s easy to see how vocalist/guitarist Marcus Nevitt and drummer Sam Hutchens could draw devout legions of early-Nirvana fans. They construct ear-catching towers of melodious noise coated in pop hooks but cemented on a punk base. The fade-in opening title track serves up the duo’s best representative: as distant and unrelenting guitar crunches loom closer, Hutchens striking a fury of cymbals behind, Nevitt coos reassuringly, “I feel fine,” before unleashing a corrosive Cobain wail and deciding, “I can’t make up my mind.” Combining sweet melodies with sour rock dissonance yields a delectably hypnotic dichotomy. Feedback and fuzz steer much of Seasick, and though loud-fast does rule, it isn’t The Mission Orange’s only M.O. The twisted folk ballad “Sister” adopts lingering acoustic strums and Jeff Mangum harmonies, while sheer joy saturates the playground romance on “I’m a Germ, You’re a Germ” (“I saw you swinging on the swingset / swinging with your feet all covered in mud”) until its inexplicably disastrous end where Nevitt exclaims, “I’m losing my desire!” This shows a few lyrical loose ends need tying, along with occasionally repetitive riffs craving more evolution. They have the right components — ample melodic sensibility, compelling energy and an album as cohesive as it is endearing. On the closer, “Homesick,” which plays like a continuation of the opener, Nevitt bellows, “I am alone!” With records like Seasick, The Mission Orange should find plenty of friends to keep them company. Originally published in West Coast Performer, June 2008

Sorry, Weezer: I'm passing on the cookies.

2008-05-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

So I hate the Internet sometimes. It spoils us. Spoils. We are little brats who can't wait until an album is released before dipping our fingers in and taking a sweet lick. I mean, everybody knows that chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven won't taste as good as the dough we can't help but sample before the baking process. We perpetually fuck ourselves into losing situations. That's why I'm disappointed in myself for reading music blogs so much. Earlier this week, Stereogum deemed Weezer's latest endeavor, another self-titled affair known by the signature color on its cover, "Red," all but crap -- meaning I'll most likely pass on buying a copy when it's released Tuesday. Not that Stereogum knows all. It's just that deep down, I know they're right. Weezer really hasn't put out a good, or even OK, album for a solid 10 years. Especially not the one with "Beverly Hills." But I had hopes. Their newest single, "Pork and Beans," a bratty ("I'm 'a do the things that I want to / I ain't got a thing to prove to you"), pop rock three minute opus, hearkens back to the good old Blue days; like sugary salmonella-threatened cookie dough; my favorite new car jam. I even threw down 99 cents on iTunes. I'll still give the album a shot -- in free, online doses, though. My $12 is now reserved for the new Wolf Parade. Their cookies taste even better fully cooked.

Show preview: White Rabbits @ Bottom of the Hill, 5/27/08

2008-05-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is Jeopardy. Shall we? Category: Rock music bands who will play in San Francisco tonight Answer: Adam, Alex, Gregory, Jamie, Matt and Stephen Question: Who are six guys with quite ordinary names that compose an extraordinary Brooklyn-based gang of indie rockers called White Rabbits? Correct. Contestant #2 takes the lead with $3,200. White Rabbits, who released an overlooked diamond in the rock rough with last year's Fort Nightly, play your typical indie rock songs, but with a twist -- the sweet melodies won't make you barf. That's because they throw in a pinch of Vampire Weekend tropical percussion, a heap of Man Man's maniacal piano tinkerings (and engaging madmen singalongs) and top it off with a sprinkle of Jeff Buckley's haunted honeysuckle croon for an end concoction that's as dark as it is addictive. Yum. So check them out tonight at Bottom of The Hill. Get smitten. And save your Alice in Wonderland jokes for the ride home. White Rabbits w/ Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, Company Car. Bottom of the Hill. 9 p.m. $12. White Rabbits "Kid On My Shoulders" Photo by Lucy Hamblin/WhiteRabbits.com

Word abuse: fitting

2008-05-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, how everything in music is just so "fitting."

Music writers worship at the altar of this adjective as if throwing it in will push reviews full circle and illustrate an artist's achievement of "completion in sound."

It's a nice wrap-up word, sure, and has become a glorified synonym for "appropriate" or "good," so at least you know where a writer is coming from. But it also heaps more credit onto bands when it's not necessarily due - as if the already inflated egos of rock music wankers need any more stroking. "Ho, wow, golly gee - this band has sure figured out the perfect way to round out its sound! They really know what fits."

Honestly, though: "Fitting" is overused and abused to the point of ceasing to mean anything.

Perennial black eyes:

"Abbey Road was a fitting swan song for the group ..."

"Blue Lambency Downwards makes for a fitting and absorbing soundtrack ..."

"Manges' buzzsaw rock is a fitting match for the catchy music of the Queers."

"It's fitting that the Kid Rock revival got started when the Beastie Boys featured him in their Grand Royal magazine ..."

"Each song is fitting and substantial, wetting the musical appetite, winning over listeners with its notorious jam-band flavors."

"Ending with 'Look at Me Mom,' this is a fitting close to this spectacular collage of original rock music worthy of national release."

Sorry to break it to you, pop judges: Fitting "fitting" into your music evaluations fails in its intended grandiosity. Because really, isn't everything fitting? Time for a new addition to your language wardrobe.

Treasure Island Music Festival! Sept. 20-21

2008-05-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

Nevermind Tegan and Sara. TV On The Radio, Spiritualized, Vampire Weekend, The Raconteurs, Aesop Rock, Justice, The Dodos ... ice cream ... This. Cannot. Be. Missed.

Get smitten: Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin

2008-05-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Before you read the name of the next indie-pop sensations Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin, hop aboard the Joseph McCarthy ignoramus bus and deem them pinkos, take a listen and you'll quickly discover that the Springfield, Mo., quartet make up a quintessentially American, guys-from-next-door sorta group; the kind of band that could compose the perfect soundtrack to John Cusack films circa '86; that could introduce each and every song with "This is a song about love"; that shops for collars and khakis at Aberzombie and Fitch. Not too many indie-pop acts can claim victory in the battle of bland, but SSLYBY manage to overcome sugary sweet dullness with solid, irresistibly bouncy melodies and -- really -- massive testicular gravitas in an engagingly rocking live set. Think The Shins and Vampire Weekend. For all their sonic magnetism, I've got a non-musical quibble. Dudes: How about a shorter band name? Even SSLYBY ties the tongue. Oh well. Check out "Oregon Girl":

Word abuse: set the tone

2008-05-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Set the tone. Let's file this loopy language loser with the Department of Redundancy. Riddle me this: When does the first track on a CD not "set the tone" for the rest of the album? I mean, unless it's a compilation of different artists, of course the first song will "set the tone" and sound like the fifth track, and the eighth, and the ninth and the closer. The same band wrote and played all of the songs. Domestic violence: "The first track on Brenda Xu's new EP, 'Count To Ten' not only sets an interesting tone for the disc but also ..." "In the opening tracks, 'April Loved John' sets the tone with simple rootsy melodies while 'Fiasco,' a toe-tapping ..." "Album opener 'Bells And Whistles' sets the tone for the whole album" "The first track on the album, 'Angry,' is a solid one, and helps set the tone and tie the rest of the nine songs together." "Whoever made the choice to use this as the opening song on the album made an excellent decision, cause not only does it set the tone for the album but it ..." No shite, Sherlocke. Then again, maybe it's just a kind way to suggest that a band follows a formula.

Listen to your brain's jukebox

2008-05-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

Usually when annoying songs insist on getting stuck in our heads it's because we've heard them recently. Maybe the song was just playing on the radio, in a TV commercial, in a department store. Fridge buzz in your ear, blech, whatever. But if you haven't heard a song recently, don't particularly care for it, have no good reason to justify it running through your head repeatedly, maybe it's in there for another reason. A subconscious thought crasher. An inner psychological/spiritual guide manifested in the form of a crappy pop tune. This has been my reality for the past few weeks. My archenemy in song, "Stop!" by more-enthused-than-you-can-possibly-fathom punk band Against Me!, has invaded my brain's song cycle repeatedly, randomly, prompted by seemingly nothing. My precious little neurons sing one particular passage to each other, over and over, loud: "Stop/ take some time to think/ figure out what's important to you/ you've got to make a serious decision" Could this song I despise be trying to tell me something? Against Me! "Stop!"

Metallica and Sigur Ros want to know: Are you in?

2008-05-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

How the hell did music fans ever manage to contain their excitement for a band's impending album release before the Interweb came around? I mean, these days only music purebloods and the Amish wait for an official release date before snacking on appetizers of the record - album title, track names, cover art, single, other snippets, or drip drip drip, a leaked main course. All surface as music blog "news" long beforehand - really, before the band even makes its decisions. (Seriously though - do people actually get worked up over the "news" of an album title unveiling? Time for a new hobby.) For some, it's like wanting to learn the sex of your baby so that you'll know to buy the powder pink footsie outfit instead of the periwinkle blue one. This week two bands on disparate ends of the rock spectrum and world geographical landscape launched respective, and in some cases, respectable online efforts to generate enthusiasm for their upcoming albums. There's the Metallica sneak peak. Geez, it's a good thing these guys aren't desperate for attention. Maybe next time their album preview site will be a bit flashier. Iceland's Sigur Ros also posted studio footage, album art ruminations and portions of songs in short-video blips, a reminder, really that Sigur Ros is an ensemble that begs to be heard in its entirety. In a good way. Guess their intended result has been realized, sneaky Icelanders, them. (Relatedly, they'll be touring soon too. But unless you're trekking to Europe or Mexico, better hope your residence lies in a locale beginning with the letter "Omaha" and ending in "Nebraska," or somewhere East of thar.) Truth told, maybe Web sites are the new single. Unless, that is, you're Nine Inch Nails, and roll out of bed one day and decide. "Hey. I've got a new album. I think I'll put it out right now. For free."

CD review: Raised by Robots - "The Auctioneer"

2008-05-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Reputedly composed of two landscape architects and a chemical engineer, San Francisco trio Raised by Robots shares its discovery of the ultimate in after-work creativity on the kitchen sink debut The Auctioneer. The album at first falls prey to a diagnosis of multiple personality disorder, but further listening reveals a rather fun fusion of genres. Verses may start out in the key of rock, but that’s only before choruses groove into rap, stage dive onto punk and slow dance with soul. The bass-guitar-drums instrumentation remains impermeable throughout the shifting styles and numerous time changes of the album’s 12 high-energy songs, sometimes weaving a hip-hop beat into a surf guitar riff (“The Graveyard Shift”), other times allowing a grave punk intro to spark a catchy indie pop melody (“Cynicism”). Singer/guitarist Cameron Spies, who often employs talky double-tracked vocals, isn’t afraid to get gutsy behind the mic. He adopts both a Justin Timberlake falsetto and Dose One mile-a-minute rap within the span of “A Corporeal Complex.” However, such a compelling vocal presence paired with hyperactive, attention-grabbing music often leaves Spies’ lyrics lost in the shuffle. Album standouts include “6ircles,” which seduces with equal parts Red Hot Chili Peppers funk ballad and TV on the Radio soul song, the subtle “White Eyelids” whose urgent breakdowns and Isaac Brock staccato shouts enter Modest Mouse territory, and the contemplative “There Is Always Something Better,” which offers a sparseness that finishes the record on an epic note. While too many ingredients may initially detract listeners looking to taste a more cohesive recipe, The Auctioneer’s unique and infectious spirit makes Raised by Robots’ prognosis look good. (Self-released) Published in West Coast Performer, May 2008

Word abuse: darlings

2008-05-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's just so *cute* when individuals devote countless hours to learn musical instruments; track down others to collaborate as a multifaceted ensemble; practice day after day to compose recordings that don't sound like garbage; spill heart and blood and tears and soul and guts and sweat into songs, which will then be subject to judgment by hack arbiters embittered that they themselves can't play.

Guess that's why music writers love to call good bands "darlings" so much. Because art and self expression are just so damn adorable!

31 flavors and then some - just about every style of music has its darling:

"Indie darlings Signal Hill Transmission have crafted a fine-tuned ..."

"Folk-rock darlings the Indigo Girls are back to celebrate their ..."

"Country music darlings Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift cheer on the Nashville Predators as they ..."

"Hip-hop darlings Hilltop Hoods played the event last year and ..."

"The latest from Finland's current black metal darlings does not disappoint ..."

Don't you just wanna pinch some cheeks?

Autolux other/other/rock

2008-05-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

Autolux has had a new addition to the family for about a week now. So don't be a dick - go welcome baby "Audience No. 2" on their MySpace page. Rinse and repeat.

Sorta CD review: Nine Inch Nails "The Slip"

2008-05-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hardy har, "Nine Inch Nails give fans The Slip." Oh, what a field day Monday was for news editors, what with that irresistible kneeslapper of a headline to announce NIN's latest full-length offering was made available as a free download. Yes, we all know Trent Reznor gives. And he gives again. The guy's a giver, a sower. And us fans taketh away. Let the reaping begin. Despite Reznor's recently prolific output (and before you get the wrong idea), Reznor didn't raid the shitpile for The Slip. These aren't throwaway tracks hastily slapped together to garner press preceding the upcoming NIN tour. Though on first listen - blaring from shitty computer speakers as I got distracted by other fun things - I didn't think too highly of the album's 10 tracks. Same old industrial rock lite talking about depressing things like isolation, numbness and feeling really pissed off. Created quite the cacophony with the fridge buzz, though. But during a later-night rendezvous, I can now say I get it. Sitting in near-dark the second time 'round listening through earbuds, I discovered The Slip is a headphones album. (Or maybe this discovery simply speaks to the poor quality of my sound system. Accepting donations now.) With Trent & Co. piping directly into my eardrums and the fuzzy fusion of sounds coming through all the more clearer (seriously - a crying baby AND an angry cat's meow on "Corona Radiata"), I decided that these are more of the same old NIN songs, but fuck it - they're still anthems. And there's no argument that holds water against an anthem, kids. General impressions and standouts: adore the drum and bass intensity lurking behind breakneck "Letting You"; the main fuzzy riff of "Discipline" totally sounds like a slowed-down "The Hand That Feeds"; "Head Down" transcends all that cold machine crackle with a blissful chorus and dreamy synth. And let me announce my favorite, the hot and heavy makeout anthem of '08 for goths, vampires and other lovers of the dark: the slithery stealth groove of instrumental "The Four of Us Are Dying." Mwah. Nine Inch Nails – The Four of Us are Dying Nine Inch Nails – Head Down

Tightwads,Tom Waits fans: Rejoice!

2008-05-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

I'm hardly into bluegrass, but strictly into cheap live musical festivities. So in the spirit of artistic exploration and honoring events that don't trick you into purchasing $225 three-day passes (that you don't really want) or try to scam you with greedy fuckwit service-charges, I'll put up with thousands of blubbery middle-aged asses shaking (completely out of rhythm to the music, of course) for this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival Oct. 3-5 in Golden Gate Park. Kiss me, free festival, you. Gogol Bordello, Bonnie Prince Billy and Robert Plant, not in his Zep costume but with Alison Krauss and T-Bone Burnett (Autolux producer), among others, are mighty worth a trek to the park. Just as Tom Waits, who announced his "Glitter and Doom" summer tour this morning in a Sebastopol press conference, is worth an 11-hour drive to Phoenix on June 17. Doubt Waits' capacity to lure out-of-state rock revelers to McWar, ahem, McCain territory? Check out exhibit A, highlights from today's press conference:

CD review: Years Around The Sun "Inva De Siva"

2008-05-02T00:48:00.000-07:00

One test of a good song is whether it can be stripped bare and still succeed in its naked simplicity. Though San Diego four-piece Years Around The Sun coats its full-length debut, Inva De Siva, in multiple harmonic layers, the band also demonstrates a knack for crafting an infectious melody — 13 times over — while using minimalist instrumentation.

Boasting an amiable alternative sound similar to Pinback, dual vocalists Ronnie Dudek (guitar) and Dylan Raasch (bass) lay the groundwork for breezy pop jingles like “Roundabout,” lively rockers like “Failing at Art” and cosmic ballads like “The Empyrean Trail,” which is constructed of heartbeat percussion and a dissonant piano line that conjures ‘90s space rockers Failure in its spooky otherworldliness.

With much of the album driven by vocals, the nothing-flashy arrangements — somewhat mechanical bass, guitar, keyboard and percussion — suffer at times in the passive backseat. For example, “Soft Light Serenade” and “The Ghost” employ a robotic structure suggestive of a keyboard demo button.

Yet the band overcomes the moments lacking in instrumental grit with prize songwriting, most obviously on standout “Beyond The Waves,” where the singers meld into a yin yang contrast spotlighting the turbulence of life changes. The melancholy nostalgia of its verses hints at a ship lost at sea, leading into a lighthouse of a soaring chorus: “Oh in the night comes the rain / and I’m the one left spinning out / The lights will lead beyond the waves / as our heart-shaped ships set out / And some will break / but I’ll refrain / ‘Cause I believe we’ll make it back...” The persistent optimism permeating the lyrics complements Years Around The Sun’s aptitude for memorable songs that linger long after Inva De Siva ends. (Manaloft Records)

Published in West Coast Performer, May 2008

Word abuse: runs the gamut

2008-05-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

British guy #1: "Say old chap, how's about another round of word doo doo?"

British guy #2: "Oi matey, let's have a go!"

British guy #1: "'Cheerio. 'Runs the gamut' is an evil cliche habitually molested by Yankee music journalists to suggest the range of genres a band infuses into its sound. It's a rather tired, awkward turn of phrase that should have been Rippered by Jack by now - but it inexplicably thrives, even in otherwise respectable publications.

It's hard to avert your eyes from this bloodbath:"

"The Oakland group’s debut EP runs the gamut from upbeat, danceable pop-rock (think new Brit rock/pop invasion without the attitude) to catchy punk (like a slightly softer version of The Vandals or Bad Religion) to languid, lamenting rock."

"Hardly old timey, but not jarringly revisionist, 'Sodajerk 2' runs the gamut of country hybrids"

"The range of influences among the five members of the band runs the gamut from classic rock to modern rock and even country."

"Here Oxbow’s versatility is the most prominent, as the song runs the gamut with stunning string arrangements, punctuated gauntlets and even bittersweet dreamscapes."

"The programming runs the gamut from big-name crowd-pleasers touring the European summer jazz festival circuit to concerts by artists whose only appearances on the continent are in Perugia."

British guy #2: "Hmmm. It is rather messy, i'nt it? Don't all artists 'run the gamut' of something or another? I mean, the phrase essentially points out that musicians really shouldn't be pigeonholed into particular genres because creativity and inspiration cannot be limited by categories."

British guy#1: "Word to your mother."

British guy #2: "And besides - have you ever actually heard someone drop 'runs the gamut' into an ordinary conversation? The death of this cliche is elementary, now isn't it my dear Watson?"

Get smitten: The Dodos

2008-04-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

The two glist'nin guys and pints of sweat pouring from the stage should tell you something without having to hear a lick or beat: San Francisco's The Dodos are one of the hardest working - and most compelling - live acts around. I caught these guys opening for post-punk prom kings Les Savy Fav at the Great American Music Hall the other night and discovered why I keep seeing their name sprinkled among cognoscente indie music blog topics du jour. It's a symbiosis made in heaven: fanciful vocalist/acoustic-electric hard strummer/looper extraordinaire Meric Long and relentless drummer/mustache master Logan Kroeber. Their sound is hard to classify, but imagine a fairy tale folk pop hard rock mashup. The Dodos' hypnotizing, utterly rocking intensity is mighty worthy of bearing witness, even for those who wouldn't normally profess to liking bands that lay on the top hipster lists. Bay Area heads can check 'em out for free May 14 at Amoeba in San Francisco. In the meantime, watch The Dodos' live "Jodi":

Scarlett Johansson: Keep your day job.

2008-04-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Nothing against Ms. Johansson - she's an OK actress; unarguably pleasant to look at; and mighty ambitious (not to mention displaying extremely good taste) with her stab at the untouchable Tom Waits canon for her debut album. But homegirl's voice comes off like a flat, femme-bot Sinead O'Connor. I'll say no more and let you judge her first single, "Falling Down," for yourself:

Show review: Les Savy Fav @ Great American Music Hall 4/27/08

2008-04-28T01:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a tip for the two wannabe Democratic presidential candidates looking to swing the voter pendulum back in their directions: To win over the masses at your next campaign stops, remove the political sticks up your asses and follow the lead of Les Savy Fav singer Tim Harrington. Step 1: Arrive onstage decked out in the attire and speech tendencies characteristic of the city you're in to create instantaneous relatabiliy, and never break character. For Les Savy Fav's headlining spot Sunday at the Great American Music Hall, Harrington waltzed onstage sporting a tie-dyed tee (so positively Haight Street) about 5 inches too short from concealing his well honed beer gut. He'd proceed to flit his '60s-era tan suede fringe jacket over the heads of the front row, beckoning the audience to "come out the other side" in a feigned stoner stupor. Harrington carried on the drugged-out, San Francisco hippie circa '67 act the entire show, to the point of searching the floor of the crowd for a "missing dime bag." Needless to say, but here I am saying it, the guy made everyone laugh. What's that saying again? Laughter is the best policy? The way to an audience's heart is through their funny bone? For reals, though - be the good humor man (or woman) and win over the masses. Step 2: True democratic tactics require stepping beyond the podium and into the crowd itself. By the third song, Harrington lugged his microphone and portly body (think a fatter, balder and beardier version of comedian Zach Galifianakis) into the audience, shouting into the faces of his rabid horde of post-punk disciples and inciting them to bark back. Through the set he'd navigate all the way to the rear of the venue and then fight his way back onstage, only to jump off again to locate a small table and drag it into the heart of the crowd, where he hopped up to finish a song. Imagine Harrington, the sun, with hundreds of sweaty planets merrily succumbing to his gravitational pull. Now was Harrington gunning for a democracy, or a socialist state of live performance? He'd share his beer with the hair adorning the front row, his spit-water with the first five rows, his snot rockets with the stage. And his antics came full circle during the final song when, almost stripped bare in a black, skintight bodysuit with a hint of lime green underoos peeking through, he crawled into the crowd, lay down to be cradled in the laps of two fans and called upon the entire audience to follow suit in a bit of Sunday rest. Before you knew right from left and up from down, scores of flannel-shirt- and wife-beater-clad worshipers fell onto their knees and asses around Harrington, a rock 'n' roll sit-in for the modern age. Step 3: Hey hey. My my. Rock 'n' roll will ... get people EXCITED. Now you, Mr. and Ms. Politician, should attempt this by rousing crowds with viable strategies to jerk this country out of its shithole. Not being familiar with much of Les Savy Fav's songs before this show, I expected a hard-edged post-punk sound, e.g. Sonic Youth-ish, driven by the band's two guitarists, but surprise surprise, they were even punkier than that. Hardcore stringbean (too skinny to be beefcakes) boy-people quickly shoved their way up front at the beginning of the set (fuck you, guy who elbowed me in the collarbone) and screamed along devotedly throughout. Les Savy Fav's got groove, too, danceable indie stuff. Step 4: If all else fails and winning the presidency is but a distant dream, have a backup plan. When touring the world with a critically-acclaimed rock band isn't enough, keep your day job: Harrington still works as a graphic designer for VH1. I wonder if he dons the black mugger's ski mask he wore onstage in his corporate office, too.' Les Savy Fav "The Sweat Descends" live from McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn, NY, July '06:

Word abuse: spare

2008-04-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

All aboard! Time for another whirl on the music cliche train.

Our next stop will be "spare," often paired with "arrangement," a coupling ordinarily used in folk and punk writeups to describe a minimalist approach to instrumentation.

In Medieval Latin, the following examples would be referred to as vocabularius vomitus:

"The group built their sound by combining harmony, spare arrangements."

"Most of his inspirations dwell in the '70s, favoring spare arrangements and elegant string flourishes."

"But those descriptions imply that The Coroner's Gambit is pleasant singer/songwriter craft-- all spare arrangements and lilting whims."

"And the spare arrangements, most of which feature Mishka's acoustic guitar, have a nicely evocative downhome feel to them."

"Anyway, the cooing chorus and spare arrangement leave you feeling content."

Ooh, how those spare arrangements get to me! They leave me feeling just ... so ... content.

If only I could say the same for spare vocabularies.

Ladies and gentleman of the Bay Area, please make your final selection

2008-04-23T11:24:00.001-07:00

San Francisco will become a veritable Bermuda Triangle for live *good* rock music tonight, for reals though - check out this list of headliners: Caribou @ The Independent Death Cab For Cutie @ The Fillmore Enablers @ Hemlock Tavern Man Man @ Great American Music Hall Midnight Juggernauts @ Mezzanine (free!) The Raconteurs @ Bimbo's The Verve @ The Warfield And if you were slackin' when tickets went on sale and can't score one on Craigslist or outside the venue, there's always the Tee Vee: Radiohead will perform "House of Cards" on Conan, sorta live (beaming from the U.K.).

Rant: Why rock radio makes me want to eject the contents of my stomach out of my mouth

2008-04-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

OK. So this complaint may be akin to kicking the crap heap when it's already down - and I'm talkin' reeking gutter garbage, completely unredeemable, olestra-induced anal leakage trash. But during an innocent attempt to pinpoint a soundtrack for a run-of-the-mill car-parking exercise tonight, I stumbled upon 107.7 "The Bone," which was in the midst of airing, for all classic rock-loving Bay Area ears, "Crazy Bitch" by L.A. glam rockers Buckcherry. Hellooo, nausea. Now it's not that Buckcherry's music is necessarily unbearable. Sure, their songwriting shows all the complexity of a mascara wand, but it's to be expected. But what, pray tell, is up with these appalling, inbred, misogynistic lyrics, and rock radio's wholehearted embracement? Sample: "Hey!/ You're a crazy bitch/ But you fuck so good I'm on top of it ... Baby girl/ You want it all/ To be a star you'll have to go down/ Take it off/ No need to talk/ You're crazy but I like the way you fuck me! ... You jump in bed with fame/ Another one night paid in full/ You're so fine/ It won't be a loss/ Cashing in the rocks/ Just to get you face to face." Blech. Yeah, Buckcherry are good ole boys who must revel in all the groupie sex their dicks can withstand, seeing as how their later years (coming soon!) won't be clouded with memories of critical acclaim, winning awards or having created music featuring the slightest sapling of creativity. And way yeah, corporate radio does still suck. But the song's message should make all people, not just women, vomit. To be "stars," ladies, apparently entails getting on our knees. Oh, what crazy bitches we are! How could I resist the allure of fucking a rock star who treats me like a prostitute? Now, I'd never advocate censorship, but do people actually enjoy singing along to this primitive babble, and is it popular enough to merit radio airplay? Keep in mind, this song isn't some flashback to '80s hair metal - it was released in 2006!?! Actually, maybe ignorance is bliss and inquiring minds don't really want to know.

Man Man Man Man Man Man Man Man ... Man Man Man!

2008-04-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Surprise surprise Man Man In-store performance Man Man Amoeba San Francisco Man Man Tuesday, 6 p.m. Man Man Free? Free!

Owwwooooooh! It's Wolf Parade

2008-04-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

I adore Sunset Rubdown and all, but happy happy joy joy, break out the cigars: Wolf Parade's set to rejoin the music-making world with the birth of their new baby. Due June 17, it's a Gemini - you know - whimsical, creative, spontaneous ... The gossip mill, or rather, the Web site of their record label Sub Pop, reports their second album features nine tracks (which seems rather short, doesn't it?), but apparently one runs for an epic 11 minutes. Sounds like they're really stretching out their sound, huh? And for more ooh-ness, earlier this week the guys dropped a sample - "Call It A Ritual," all Spencer Krug vocal perversity and demented keyboard coolness. Yum: [On a side note, let me just say BULLSHIT to PitchforkMedia for deeming the tentative title of the album, Kissing The Beehive, as "terrible." Fuck off, bitter music writer, you. The claim has no legs. Your face is terrible.]

Word abuse: stretch out

2008-04-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

Whenever a band throws in an extra wanky guitar solo, tries out a previously unexplored playing tactic or displays any amount of musical progression or experimentation whatsoever, without fail, some writer will pipe in and declare the band has "stretched out" their sound.

This isn't musical yoga, yo.

"Indie rock kingpins the Shins stretch out on their third album, 'Wincing the Night Away'"

"Coldplay Stretch Out On Upcoming Record"

"It’s the disc where the band stretches out and experiments"

"The average song length is about five minutes, giving the musicians room to stretch out and solo occasionally"

You know what happens when you stretch out "stretch out" too much? You get tired.

Sounds like these writers need a rest.

Get smitten: The Mission Orange

2008-04-16T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ooh. Few bands have me at hello, as they say, but I turned all 12-year-old girl at a Beatles concert circa 1964 the second I heard The Mission Orange, this noisy garage duo from Mount Vernon, Washington. You know - where George Washington was appointed the first president of hemp. Anyways, these two guys've got this totally infectious energy, and sound all dirty like Nirvana in the Bleach days: loud, fuzzy, distorted, melodious and way rocking, a sort of punk/rock hybrid, with the vocalist/guitarist Marcus Nevitt, who's still in high school, resembling Kurt Cobain in screams and Layne Stayley in yowls (there is a difference). Distortion + pop hooks = smittenness So check out their debut full-length album Seasick for 11 gobs of planet-sized loveliness if you're the type who can appreciate a little bit of sugar in their spaghetti.

New Portishead is the shiznit.

2008-04-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

I decided to drop in on the right place at the right time last Friday - that is, Rasputin's in Berkeley during an in-store preview of Portishead's new album Third. Is it too early to deem it the best album of 2008? Well, I'll tack on a "so far" for now, but I'm pretty sure my premature prediction will still ring true Dec. 31. How long has Portishead been working on Third again? Who cares. Awesomeness is always worth the wait (unless your name is Chinese Democracy). To tide us over just a couple more weeks until the official April 29 release, Portishead performed seven songs off the record last week in their namesake hometown studio. The full set, aka 40 minutes that'll make you kill yourself because you're not going to Coachella, is posted at Current TV. Here's a snippet of "Silence"

Welcome back, weirdos: Circulatory System flows once again

2008-04-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly seven years since the Circulatory System released it's first, and only, album - a 22-track tripped-out treasure chest of soothing psychedelic rock that explores the eccentricities coursing through one's cerebellum. The Athens, Georgia, group, led by Will Cullen Hart, notably consolidated remnants of Hart's Olivia Tremor Control (Number Two to Neutral Milk Hotel as most revered band of Nineties indie rock prophets The Elephant Six collective) with other musicians from E6, including NMH's Jeff Mangum, a.k.a. God, who has since moved on to continue more reclusive projects. Circulatory System, on the way to releasing its second album, suggested a full revival of its orchestra of weirdness might land soon with three new songs recently uploaded onto MySpace. Judging from "Tiny Concerts," "Same Place" and "Path of the Parallels," it sounds like nothing much has changed since 2001. That's a good thing. Still kicking: Hart's soft, hypnotizing vocals that tender equal doses of aural sedative and meditative chant; an overriding obsession with spirituality ("No matter what you do/no matter what you say/no matter who your friends are/no matter what you've done/you're heading to the same old place/it's part of being"); and kaleidoscopic instrumentation (offbeat acoustic melodies, slack drumbeats, melancholy strings, spacey effects, liberating saxophone, dull and dopey clarinet) that coalesces into a comforting druggie groove. That Circulatory System's pulse remains vital should be cherished news for those who revel in both mind-altering rock 'n' roll and caps and stems.

Rant: Just say no to album skits

2008-04-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's a bad sign when you bring a CD home and have to skip through at least half of the tracks. Skits, exclusive mostly to rap and hip-hop, are wastes of album space if you ask me. Sure, many attempt to tickle our penchant for the funny ha ha, and try to satiate an MC's need to flaunt unacknowledged comedian skills. Others supposedly act as transitions between songs to facilitate a more complete album experience. But although some listeners find slight appeal (check the ScratchLIVE forum for a debate on the best), I consider skits misleading (20 songs on that CD! Oh - 10 are just skits) and distracting from the actual music. If I wanted a talkie, I'd go watch a movie.

Word abuse: barnstormer

2008-04-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know what a barnstormer is? My friend Mr. Webster defines the noun as such: "1 : one who tours through rural districts staging usually theatrical performances 2 : one who travels from place to place making brief stops (as in a political campaign or a promotional tour) 3 : one who pilots an airplane in sight-seeing flights with passengers or in exhibition stunts in an unscheduled course especially in rural districts" OK - it basically refers to a manner of travel. So why is it always used to imply a totally loud, completely bitchin,' dripping-with-attitude party of a song that riles up a crowd to "hoots and hollers" (future "Word abuse" candidate)? Check the abuse: "The rock legends played a 16-song set that included staples like 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Kashmir,' and they closed the show with the iconic barnstormer 'Rock and Roll.'" "Their debut record Hello Master is a barnstormer of unabashed rock fury." "Thanks to pre-digital age tubes, this Zeppelin-esque barnstormer hums and crackles with warm fuzz." Who started this nonsense? I can actually understand this term's inclusion in the country genre. I mean, who can truly dissociate a Toby Keith song from a steaming heap of cow shit covering, or storming, if you will, a barn? But it has no place in rock 'n' roll. Zeppelin and farm life just don't mix. It's funny -the only way I read "barnstormer" now is in the voice of Mr. Hanky: "Howdy ho - that song shuuuure is a real barnstormer."

Stars of the Lid: pioneers of sonic yoga

2008-04-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Troubled times, here. Economic recession, WAR, Olympic torch protests, polygamy left and right, and just about everyone's got the '08 election blues. What the world needs now is a warm, fuzzy sonic bath from a band that's even more chilled out than Sigur Ros, if you can imagine that. Stars of the Lid, an ambient duo from Austin, Texas, takes the prize for the ultimate in relaxation music. Not a smidgen of rock noise creeps into their lingering soundscapes, much of it influenced by experimental electronic composers and post-rock. It's droney, free-floating and lacks the confines of traditional song structures - thus, the perfect soundtrack to liberate listeners from the bog of their stress-addled cages. The kind of music you have to take off your shoes to listen to. Since one of the guys now resides in Belgium and they don't come 'round these parts often, San Francisco-heads should take advantage this Tuesday, April 15, when they play live at the Independent. $15.

Start spreadin' the news: Radiohead West Coast dates revealed

2008-04-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

On your marks ...

In August, it'll be official: my transformation (mutation?) into a full-fledged Radioheadhead - the kind of geeked-out superfan who follows the band around on tour. I'm sticking to just Cali stops for the oodles of superfun, but here are all those West Coast dates, announced Monday, for completists' sake: Tuesday, 8-19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Thunderbird Stadium Wednesday, 8-20 Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre Friday, 8-22 San Francisco, CA - Golden Gate Park (Outside Lands Festival) Sunday, 8-24 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl Monday, 8-25 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl Wednesday, 8-27 Chula Vista, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre Thursday, 8-28 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl Some partially Aussi, fully badass dudes called Liars will open the shows ('cept Outside Lands - we wouldn't want to taint the $225 hippie stinkfest with another good band, would we?).

Get set ...

A presale through Radiohead's Web site is scheduled April 9, U.K. time - a.k.a. anytime my time, a.k.a. no sleep 'til presale. Everyone's five favorite performers (aren't they the best?) also recently recorded a spanky live version of "Bangers & Mash," unveiled Monday (but I still can't get into it; kinda sorta really the least developed track from the batch of new stuff that reveals they are, in fact, fallible). The performance was part of the launch of Pitchfork Media's foray into boob-tube territory, the new music video site Pitchfork.TV, which also aired a live performance from Liars, footage of Man Man lighting fireworks (and recording their new album) on the streets of Philly and an entire documentary about the reunited Pixies. So ...

Go!

ahead and rot your brains at Pitchfork's new site, updated daily with lots of goodies. Yum.

CD review: Giraffes? Giraffes! - More Skin With Milk-Mouth

2008-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz duo Giraffes? Giraffes!’s brand of math rock pits a war between body parts to see which will prevail: heart or brain. On sophomore album More Skin With Milk-Mouth, the band’s music wanders between the decidedly technical, prone to manic starts and stops, and the emotionally suggestive, with bewitching melodies tending to cascade across the ears like a waterfall. The instrumental two-piece doesn’t have much use for words over the course of the album’s five tracks, save for a recording of 20th century Zen deep-thinker Alan Watts waxing philosophical about dreams on “I Am S/h(im)e[r] As You Am S/h(im)e[r] As You Are Me And We Am I And I Are All Together: Our Collective Consciousness’ Psychogenic Fugue.” As illustrated, song titles are long-winded, most falling into abstract territory like “When the Catholic Girls Go Camping, the Nicotine Vampires Rule Supreme.”

The two-minute long “The Ghost of Eppeepee’s Ghost” showcases an interesting dichotomy: Joseph Andreoli on guitar with plenty of loops up his sleeve, and Kenneth Topham, quick to both play drumslayer and pound a glockenspiel like a typewriter, thriving in their ability to meld two seemingly opposing parts into a whole. It’s a well-executed mix with enough components - a rapid-succession whip of cymbals here, a thoughtful guitar flourish there - to offer a reprieve from too many driving beats and repetitive arpeggios.

“A Quick One, While She’s Away,” a joyous sonic collage, rounds out the half-hour long record in a perfectly satisfying feedback-drenched climax. The only drawback to this colorful work is its brevity. Can’t the battle between gross anatomy take a little more time to pan out? (Loves In Heat Records) Originally published in West Coast Performer, April 2008

Hey ya! New Radiohead West Coast tour date

2008-04-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 20 White River Amphitheater Auburn, Wash. (30 min. from Seattle)

Word abuse: loose

2008-04-03T03:21:00.000-07:00

Lose. Lose. The word that's so shamefully evading your vocabulary is "lose." Not "loose." Guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I run into writers confusing "loose" and "lose" all the fucking time - last night, reading an eternally crap-copy-edited music mag; today, in an article by the music editor of a major S.F. weekly with usually impeccable copy editing. I mean, they're practically the same word. Except for the fact that "loose" has an extra "o" AND A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DEFINITION. Check it:

"With supporting acts ranging from the ambient to the drone-friendly to warped electro-pop, you can’t loose with any of (((folkYEAH!)))’s lineups that weekend."

"Without loosing the urgent, live, improvisational sound their live shows have become renowned for." "What is your favourite Foo Fighter's album? ... Probably There is Nothing Left to Loose, and The Color and the Shape." "Gene Simmons is the ultimate looser of rock music." Is this an accidentally typing too many o's sorta thing? Or maybe copy editors slacking on the job? Edward Collins, um, some guy with a Web site, devoted an entire page to illuminate this problem. But fear not: Plenty of online tutorials can school you on the distinction. Use them or loose them. As Yoda would say, not interchangeable these words are.

Rant: Survey says! Surveys suck.

2008-04-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

Led Zeppelin fans apparently will be voting imbecile when it comes time for the November presidential election, or at least that's what a survey released Wednesday would like us to believe. According to a Web poll of more than 27,000 rock radio listeners conducted by Jacobs Media, a consulting firm that studies rock stations, classic rock enthusiasts tend to vote Republican while alternative fans lean toward Democratic candidates. Behold John McCain's new slogan in '08:

Abstinence, the war on drugs and rock 'n' roll

I won't hold my breath. I have a hard time buying that someone's allegiance to such progressive and free-thinking artists as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix directly correlates to endorsing a warmonger like McCain. The survey's conclusion and the way data are being interpreted is flawed. It's not musical preference that controls a person's political alignment, but rather, listening habits play a secondary role to more decisive voting factors like age and wealth. Older radio listeners - the kind who tune in to classic rock stations more often than modern alternative due to a generational gap - likely have more money, and thus are more inclined to want to protect their almighty dollar by voting Republican. And folks, that's not news. I'm sick of these bullshit sociology methods gone stupid so willingly gobbled and digested by media, who report misleading generalizations to the public as gospel. Surveys suck. Disney fans and hunting aficionados, however, take heart: The poll also revealed 11 respondents pick Mickey Mouse, and 3 Ted Nugent, as the best presidential candidates come November. And to think I didn't take this survey seriously!

Say sayonara (at least for a while) to some of S.F.'s big concert halls

2008-04-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Looks like live music fiends may be catching shows at three fewer venues in San Francisco for the rest of '08 due to recent shakeups at the Warfield, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and the Cow Palace. Peep these developments: The Warfield: I stumbled upon this Craigslist post yesterday under the Gigs: Talent heading - Warfield to become comedy venue (downtown / civic / van ness)

Reply to: gigs-625647918@craigslist.org Date: 2008-03-31, 3:56PM PDT The Warfield theater will be closing it's doors this May after a very long run. My production company has signed a long-term lease with the theater to run a full-time comedy venue. This Summer, we open our doors as the Frisco Comedy Palace. We are now recruiting local and national comedy acts. Please be in touch ASAP with your headshots and bios. Send to the email address above. We're also looking for acts that will double as wait staff, audio controllers and ticket staff. Burt Largess General Manager Frisco Comedy Palace The Warfield exclusively a comedy venue? Um, a sole Craigslist posting = not the most credible source. A search on Google for "Frisco Comedy Palace" and "Burt Largess" yielded zero results besides the ad. Can you say hoax? How about cock-and-bull? But further investigation revealed no concerts are scheduled at the Warfield following a Phil Lesh five-night stand ending May 18. The only event listed after that is comedian Jim Gaffigan on Nov. 7. Hmmm. To confuse the matter even further, Aidin Vaziri reported in today's Chronicle that the Warfield has a new promoter, AEG Live, because Live Nation's lease expires in May, thus providing a possible explanation as to why no concerts are scheduled after May. Maybe AEG just hasn't gotten around to finalizing/ announcing concerts at the downtown venue. And it looks like the AEG deal has been in place for some time, but this is the first I've heard about it. Let's hope the Frisco Comedy Palace remains a criminally untrue rumor. I mean, I've seen Dave Chappelle at the Warfield - great show, let me tell you - but the theater is so perfectly suited for rock concerts, nevermind the occasional dickhead security, that it'd be sacrilege to deny live bands on its stage. Who knows? Maybe concerts at the Warfield will continue uninterrupted despite the promoter change. I'll follow this more closely from now on. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: Closed for renovations as of March 31, and according to a blurb in the San Francisco Chronicle, it will reopen in 6 months to one year all new and improved-like. I recently witnessed a kickass Tool show there, so let's hope it's sooner rather than ... Cow Palace: The fate of this longtime venue, technically located in Daly City, looks bleak. The city of Daly City, along with Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, are aggressively fighting for a deal to purchase the land, demolish the facility and sell it to a developer with plans to build a supermarket, elementary school and other businesses and residences on site. Today's Chronicle reported that the State Senate offered temporary amnesty for the Cow Palace by holding off on approving a bill that would declare the land surplus property, thus allowing the sale to proceed and the building razed. I don't know about this one. Yeah, the Cow Palace - which more often stages rodeos, livestock events and other niche conventions - isn't my number one choice for watching a rock concert. It's big and smelly - an armpit, if you will. And plunking a supermarket on this land would certainly give residents of the admittedly downtrodden area more access to healthy food - a definite upgrade from the myriad shitty convenience stores and KFC/Taco Bell on the corner. But I have such fond memories of the Cow Palace ... seeing Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Disney on Ice ... my mum saw the Beatles there as a screaming 12-year-old. Think of the cool bands that could play there in the future. I vote for keep it. With dead presidents galore dangling so temptingly in front of politicians with this deal, it'd be a safe bet to say R.I.P. Cow Palace. You will be missed.

CD review: White Rabbits - "Fort Nightly"

2008-03-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

New York's White Rabbits sprinkle an awful lot of "oohs" and "aahs" onto the debut LP Fort Nightly. But the six-piece indie act escapes the flak of status-quo pop branding with forays into unstoppable gypsy beats, implications of violence that lurk behind irresistible melodies, smatterings of Afro-pop uplift and an overall knack for writing a frighteningly catchy song. White Rabbits tap into a surprisingly minimalist (there are six guys in the band!) sound that seamlessly floats from spooky to sprightly, most evidently on "While We Go Dancing." The standout opens with a creepy piano tinker, dogged drums, a menacing bassline and a vocalist conjuring his best trembling Jeff Buckley croon. But all that moodiness gets discarded by the chorus - a bona fide dance-inducer that would raise hell at an early '90s Brit pop party. These 11 tracks aren't grandiose spiritual messages beckoning reflections on the meaning of life, but are more about busting a proper hook and coaxing listeners to, forgive me, bust a move. The vibrantly festive "Kid On My Shoulders," peppered with handclaps and pissed-off shouts, winds into a maniacal Man Man singalong in its theatrical finish, an infinite chorus of "We held our tongues throughout it/one day we'll laugh about it." Relentless beats and harmonies continue on "The Plot," which unravels into the resigned lament "But I'm so whoaaooaoaoaoo," and "Navy Wives" and "I Used To Complain Now I Don't," which channel the Afro-pop so in vogue these days (read: Vampire Weekend) with tropical island tribal beats, ska guitar strums and percussive piano accents. Fuck a Disney movie. Following White Rabbits can lead to a merry musical wonderland.