The Arizona-based band with the cheeky moniker is about to release their second album, Bloom Cheek, on June 8 and is out on tour in support of the new release. They’re playing San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill this Friday, May 14 with Annuals and The Most Serene Republic and we’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway! First person to email me (theocmd at gmail dot com) or Tweet (@indierockgirl) gets ’em. It’s a great line up and you’re sure to succumb to the irresistible pop charm of this group. Devendra Banhart loves them. So does Daytrotter. Perhaps you should too.
Check out this new video from Tame Impala’s forthcoming album, InnerSpeaker. I’ve been listening to their new album and I’m really, really digging it. Really. No, really. It’s like they’re channeling the psychedelic era of The Beatles. Color me obsessed. They just announced a US tour supporting MGMT in May/June. No San Fran or LA dates just yet, but reportedly they’re working on it. If they don’t, I might cry. Either way, score another point for Australia.
Fri May 28th || Avila Beach Resort || San Luis Obispo, CA*
Sat May 29th || Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium || Santa Cruz, CA*
Tues June 1st || Crystal Ballroom || Portland, OR*
Wed June 2nd || Crystal Ballroom || Portland, OR*
Fri June 4th || In The Venue || Salt Lake City, UT*
Sun June 6th || Stubb’s || Austin, TX*
Mon June 7th || House Of Blues || Houston, TX*
Tues June 8th || House Of Blues || Dallas, TX*
Fri June 11th || Red Rocks || Morrison, CO*
Sun June 13th || Uptown Theatre || Kansas City, MO*
Mon June 14th || The Vogue || Indianapolis, IN*
Tues June 15th || LC Pavilion || Columbus, OH*
Wed June 16th || The Fillmore || Detroit, MI*
Fri June 18th || Riviera Theatre || Chicago, IL*
Back again in San Francisco, this time at Cafe du Nord, is The Rumble #29. One of my favorite showcases to hear new music. This month features SF blues rock minutemen and headliners The Ferocious Few. The show will also double as a release party for their debut album, Juices. Check out the single from their new album, “Porcelain Dolls”.
Also on the bill are local act, THE SERMON, a dark dirty garage rock group with blistering guitars and tinges of 60’s soul, plus a healthy dose of The Stooges. And LA based indie folk quintet, MISSISSIPPI MAN. As always, the party is free (with RSVP) and there will be TRUMER PILS specials all night!
In case you haven’t figured out by now, I have a soft spot for Brit rock and have been keeping and eye on this UK duo called Little Fish for quite some time. I like their stripped down, bluesy rock vibe and the raw energy Juju brings to the vocals – like Heartless Bastards on Red Bull. They’re in the states for a limited US tour, supporting Hole for much of it. Lucky for us, they’ll be hitting Cafe du Nord this week for a headline appearance. Get it while it’s hot!
Little Fish US Tour Dates (* w/ HOLE)
April 20, 2010 Cafe du Nord, San Francisco
April 21, 2010 Viper Room, Los Angeles
*April 22, 2010 Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles
*April 23, 2010 Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles
*April 27, 2010 Terminal 5, New York City
*April 28, 2010 Terminal 5, New York City
Yeah, I know. This post is like a month overdue. But since Austin I’ve been in work hell, life hell and right-after-I-downloaded-all-my-SXSW-photos-to-my-Mac-the-hard-drive-fried hell. Thank God for Apple Care and Drobo. I’m back on line and slowly getting back on track. So, without further ado, here are my highlights from SXSW. Better late than never, right?
Best Venue: Luster Pearl on Rainey St. hands down. Great vibe, great bands, great people. Kudos Filter Mag!
Best Celebrity Sightings – The Fader Fort VIP area with Adrian Grenier and Billy Idol to name a few.
Biggest Buzz Band:Broken Bells. Though their cool quotient has substantially dropped now that their debut album is being retailed at Starbucks. Ah well, can’t blame them really. Their album was probably one of the biggest leaks on record.
Cutest Couple: Al and Claire, who after The Broken Bells show at Lustre Pearl dropped on bended knee and proposed. (Sniff.) While that album will always be sentimental for that moment, I will personally always think of them when I hear The Temper Trap’s “Love Lost”. We had such a great time at that show and it’s one of the best, sappiest love albums ever. So this one’s for you, you saps. Congrats!
Best Band Working The Street: San Francisco’s very own The Ferocious Few and Phantom Kicks. Both working the street crowd hard and making me proud. The Ferocious Few with their signature street performances and Phantom Kicks pressing demo CDs into any willing hand. Including mine. Good job!
I’m liking this San Francisco venue tour de force The Rumble has going. This month we have Milk Bar in the Haight, which is handy if you want to tie in a little run to Amoeba, then maybe some food and nice brew at The Alembic. Okay, so far so good. Even better is the line up featuring local acts Veil Veil Vanish and Silver Swans and LA-based Pepper Rabbit. From shoegaze to electronica to Bossa Nova pop, it’s quite the eclectic line up…. and yet all so fitting for this crazy little town we call home.
Last Thursday night The Eagle Tavern played host to a great night of down and dirty garage rock featuring local acts Ty Segall, The Baths, The Splinters and Nashville-based Jeff the Brotherhood. First off, I need to say that The Eagle Tavern is my new favorite bar. As one of San Francisco’s better known gay bear/leather bars, it’s not a destination that was on my radar. But what a great venue, vibe and fun people! They have the best beer garden in town. And I got a kick out of teasing the bartender, who handed me the beer list, by ordering ‘whatever’s most popular with the ladies.’ After a momentary blank stare, I got a Stella Artois.
It was my first time catching up with The Baths and look forward to hearing more from this group. Especially when they put out music on some other format than cassette tape. (I feel a trendspotting series coming on.) Luckily it appears the uber cool label Woodsist will be putting out their debut LP soon…which is a very good sign. I dig their sound and something about them gave me a Girls vibe, but maybe that was just the lead singer’s dress and shawl getup and the fact that Christopher Owens often takes the stage in similar attire. Whatever the case, file them under one to watch.
The band of brothers, JEFF the Brotherhood, took the stage next and delivered a scorching set. If you haven’t checked these guys out, do so. How can you not like a band that tapes Jeffro Tull on their drum kit? Always a crowd pleaser, these guys know how to work the audience with Jake spending more time off the stage than on it. Then there’s Jamin on drums who wails on his set with the kind of bounce and enthusiasm as Animal of The Muppets. Seriously, check it out.
Ty Segall closed out the night with a kumbaya set of old tunes and a handful of new ones. Members of The Baths joined in on the fun. And if Ty wasn’t already adorable enough, the love and sweetness he was throwing down for his girlfriend (the bassist for The Baths) throughout the night was just too cute for words. When he dedicated “Lovely One” to her my heart melted too. So uplifting and inspiring it was that I almost regained my faith in humanity. Almost.
Thursday night San Francisco’s The Eagle Tavern (for real) plays host to a garage rock orgasm featuring not one, but TWO of my obsessions, Ty Segall and JEFF the Brotherhood, along with local up and comers The Splinters and The Baths. I caught this tour de force in Austin last week at The Mohawk and, like a junkie, am ready for another fix. This one’s as good as it gets, folks. Be there, if you’re man enough. And bring your bare ass and chaps.
Wow, check out this enchanting songstress from Greenland, Nive (pronounced Nehvee) Nielsen. The Inuk will perform at SXSW with an all-star cast of stellar indie musicians for this special occasion. Expect members from Giant Sand, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Ralph Carney (Tom Waits, Pixies, Black Keys) to be part of this unique set up. Later this year, her debut full-length album “Nive Sings – as played by Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children”, will be released featuring an all-star list of collaborators, including John Parish (PJ Harvey), Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), Ralph Carney, Patrick Carney (Black Keys), Eric Craven (Godspeed You! Black Emperor), Lisa Gamble (Hrsta, Evangelista), Alden Penner (Clues, Unicorns), Matt Bauer (Alela Diane) and Arlen Thompson (Wolf Parade). I think some people are banking on her to be big, no?
Artist: Serena-Maneesh Album: No. 2: Abyss in B Minor Release Date: March 23, 2010 For Fans Of: The Velvet Underground, MBV, Norwegian metal Featured Track: “I Just Want to See Your Face”
Very few bands evoke a visceral reaction in me but Serena-Maneesh is one of them. There’s something about their music that touches a place deep and primal within me. It’s dark, it’s scary and it takes you to the inner recesses of your cobweb-filled mind. Listening to their forthcoming sophomore album, “No.2: Abyss in B Minor”, is a sonic thrill ride like that of a horror movie. And I mean that in a good way. It’s heart-racing, sit on the edge of your seat music that at times makes you want to cover your eyes and peek through your fingers because it’s so terrifying yet irresistible. And just when you think you can’t take anymore, when you’ve come to your absolute edge, Elvira comes on with a sweet, soothing ballad to rest your weary nerves. Few albums leave me so emotionally spent, yet satisfied. Cigarette, please.
Serena-Maneesh is the brainchild of Emil Nikolaisen, who is in his own right Norwegian rock royalty. The new album features a variety of collaborators including Sufjan Stevens who plays vibraphone, flute and piano and his own sister, Elvira, who is a pop star in their country . The band is set to embark on a US tour in support of the new album this month and will land at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill on March 23. I’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway for the show, along with a 12″ vinyl copy of the single “Ayisha Abyss” to the first reader to hit me via email at theocmd@gmail.com. Come and get ’em!
the OCMD 