I’ve never seen so many photogs at a Rumbe event prior to Wednesday night’s performance by Band of Skulls at The Harlot in San Francisco. And if there’s any correlation between the number of photographers/camera crew in attendance and a band’s success, then these guys will not be under the radar for very much longer. With their session tomorrow on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, that’s bound to become a certainty.
The hot London trio definitely delivered too. Standing in front of bassist, Emma Richardson, I couldn’t help muse how much she looked like a young Chrissie Hynde, haircut and all. Their gritty, rock and roll swagger is very soul satisfying and have had their debut album, “Baby Darling Doll Face Honey,” on repeat since I got it. You should too. Go download it from iTunes. It’s only $5.99!
Wednesday night was a very OCMD satisfying evening of music with a double header of shows – Leopold and His Fiction + Little Joy at The Independent then Band of Skulls at Harlot. It was so nice to finally see Leopold in a proper venue, with proper sound. They rocked it! And I’m always mesmerized by drummer Jon Sortland’s ability to play keyboards and drum at the same time.
I have to say Little Joy wasn’t doing it for me. It felt a little milquetoast in comparison and left early. And I felt kind of bad for the audience too that they didn’t get their chance to get up close and personal to Fab (Fabrizio Moretti) himself. I mean, he is the marquis member of the band right? Yet he was in New York recording what I assume is another Strokes album. Did anyone else feel duped by that?
I had been hearing the hype on Grizzy Bear’s Veckatimest all year long. After being force fed tracks like ‘Cheerleader’ and ‘Two Weeks’ for months upon end, I wasn’t quite convinced of all the hullabaloo. Then I saw them perform at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX at SXSW this year and I became a believer. Having the foresight to arrive at the church a good three performances before the show, I was one of the lucky disciples to make it in. Inside this cozy little chapel, we all sat silently and squished in our pews anxiously awaiting what would be our first full drink of their forthcoming album, Veckatimest.
The band, and the setting, did not disappoint. Not by a long shot. Watching the band at the altar, with the setting sun glowing through the stained glass windows while the angelic harmonies of Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen floated up through the arches of the church was both heavenly and transcendental. I had goosebumps the entire time. I was especially moved during the track ‘Ready, Able’. Something about the haunting orchestral arrangement of that song just gets me every single time. It’s by far my favorite on the album and the refrain, “They go we go, I want you to know,what I did” has been permanently etched in my brain.
That performance was the highlight of SXSW and one of my most memorable so far this year. And hearing the album unfold in all of it’s haunting beauty, beyond the chamber pop appeal of tracks like ‘Two Weeks’, made me a convert. It is really that good and entirely worthy of the praise, and your attention.
Grizzly Bear will be performing two nights at The Fillmore in San Francisco this month, June 21 and 22, with Here We Go Magic. A great line up. Get tickets while they last.
Apteka, the Chicago-based 4 piece is heading to San Francisco to bring their psych rock, shoegaze sound to The Rumble on June 3 at Harlot. RSVP for the event here then download a free copy of their EP on their MySpace page.
How great is this! Yoga all day and music all night? In beautiful Squaw Valley to boot? Sign me up. Tickets are $124 for music only and yoga and music access passes start at $169. More bands are expected to be announced but on board so far are Spoon, Andrew Bird, Jenny Lewis, Girl Talk, Broken Social Scene and more!
Visit the Wanderlust website for more information.
King Khan and The Shrines threw a little party last night at Amnesia in San Francisco, curating an evening of 60s cover songs with the help of lots of Bay Area music talent like Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees. At the end of the evening he give us a little taste of what’s in store for tonight’s performance at Great American Music Hall. Here’s a glimpse of what’s to come. Be there!
I do believe I just saw my last show at Oakland’s new Fox Theater last night at the Animal Collective show. It was my second visit to the beautifully refurbished venue and, god dang it, I just don’t like the place as a music venue. It’s way too big, the sound is awful and I feel completely disconnected from the artists. Mostly because I can’t see anything, and I’m really tall!
The space is one of the most stunning venues I’ve ever seen, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to belittle the monumental renovation project that took place to bring this classy lady back to life. It’s truly beautiful and likely one of the most well thought out venues in terms of comfort and amenities – easy bar access on all levels, ample restrooms and in floor A/C vents that pump out a refreshing rose water infused elixir that has to be one of the most ingenious inventions EVER!
My first time at The Fox was for The Black Keys a month ago where I had a terribly unfulfilling experience. I was tempted to rant then but decided to give it one more shot just to make sure. And last night’s Animal Collective show left me once again unsatisfied. The biggest complaint on the venue is the sound – it’s awful, echoey and muffled it sounds like your listening to the music through the ears of an 80 year old. And then there’s the size of the venue. On both visits, I moved around looking for that sweet spot – trying various locations on the floor and even the VIP area – but never found contentment. I just wanted to get closer, pull the artist too me and get lost in their performance. That never happened. Instead I found myself getting lost in the scenery, staring into the glowing eyes of Buddha, as opposed to the musicians on stage.
While there’s definitely a need for a venue like The Fox, and it will do well and prosper, you can count me out. Call me a music snob who’s been spoiled by too many intimate shows, but I’ll gladly sacrifice the posh interior and rose water scented air of The Fox for the graffitied bathrooms, beer soaked floors and the l’eau de fart aroma of Bottom of the Hill any day.
With the summer music festival season approaching, we thought it was high time to talk drugs, particularly that festival fave, ecstasy. Born in 1912 but popularized in the late ’80s Manchester rave scene, MDMA has now clearly moved into much wider circles of use. Part stimulant, part hallucinogen MDMA seems to be everywhere. As with most drugs purity can be a real issue, but even in its purest form the research is mounting, E can be dangerous. Acutely MDMA may cause thirst and many have wound up in the ER with seizures due to a low blood level of sodium (a result of drinking way too much water). Overheating is another potential danger and the most common factor in E-related deaths. Most users know too well the “terrible Tuesday” phenomenon, where emotions crash a few days after use, often to some serious depression. Most alarming is data suggesting long term nerve damage and serotonin depletion.
There are several cool websites with oodles of info:
www.erowid.org — “a member-supported organization providing access to reliable, non-judgmental information about psychoactive plants, chemicals, and related issues”
As with all risky ventures, the best plan is risk reduction. If abstinence is not an option, the experts would suggest the following:
Check purity – above websites have pictures of different types and their purity and test kits are available
Drink fluids like you normally would, don’t drink gallons of water
Avoid overheating: take dance breaks, sit and rest, seek fresh air and shade
Don’t mix ecstasy with other drugs (including prescriptions, alcohol and marijuana)
Don’t repeat doses
Don’t drive!
Most importantly, have a trusted, sober person around to keep on eye on you. They can guage better than you can, if you need to rest, cool down, drink or stop drinking!
The latest release from The Veils, Sun Gangs, is a goodie. This is a short film about the making of the album. For you SF locals, they’ll be playing Bottom of the Hill on July 13! Tickets go on sale Friday, 5/15. (Thanks Joerg for the tip!)
SXSW is perfect for guys like me – guys with short attention spans who often find themselves drunk, lost, happily muddled, separated from friends, and attracted to alcohol and music like Angelina Jolie is to orphanages. So it was with little surprise that, while most of the crew actually stuck to Julie’s carefully-planned schedules and were miles away uptown, I was meandering through the sun-drenched and hipster-thronged streets of downtown Austin in search of another free cold beer and some shade.
Now it may have been just dumb luck, but I do believe that I purposefully made my way into the back patio of Red Eyed Fly to stumble upon Titus Andronicus hurriedly plugging in amps and setting up mikes while an indifferent crowd milled about. So I was hardly prepared when this group of bedraggled guys launched into an all-out-audio-assault. It was as if a 19-year-old Paul Westerberg (one of my rock n’ roll gods) was wailing over unpolished, bombastic, fast-driving anthems that bordered between a roided-up Springsteen and Andrew W.K. When the set finally finished and I came to my senses, I wanted to high five someone. But sadly, as the “lost guy of the group” I found myself unable to share my glee with a crew member. Sigh.
“The Airing of Grievances”, T.A.’s first album, and I hope a nod to us “Seinfeld” fans, was released this past January and rocks the whole way through. Don’t expect produced shoegaze or clever instrumentalism here. In fact, don’t expect much production at all. This is just sloppy (and I don’t mean that as a criticism), brash music that makes you want to step on the gas, roll down the windows, and punch your car roof while singing at the top of your lungs. Just remember to watch out for pedestrians and cops.
the OCMD 