Here’s a tasty treat that landed in my inbox and very much appealed to my latent electronica/trip hop sensibilities. Say hello to LA-based Hyperstory, the musical identity of Los Angeles based musician C. Scott Blevins. Due out November 10, his self-titled album oozes ambient beats and textures reminiscent of Gorillaz.
Man, San Francisco’s lo-fi garage rock scene is on fuego. And it doesn’t get any hotter than Sic Alps. These guys are so good it’s stupid. So good they toured with Sonic Youth. So prolific that every time I turn around they’re coming out with more music that gets better and better.
Comprised primarily of Matt Hartman and Mike Donovan, the single-happy duo has been churning out music together – and a lot of it – since 2004. Steeped in lo-fi scuzz, their sound combines elements of grungy garage rock and 60s psychedelia . It’s both timeless and fresh and I never get tired of listening to them.
“L Mansion” is a track of their new 7″, out now on Slumberland.
The talented Mr. Tillman performing “New Imperial Grand Blues” live at San Francisco’s Cafe du Nord. Amazing show.
Birds of Avalon, “Your Downtime is Up”
Yet another band hand plucked by The Flaming Lips to play their curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in NY next month is Birds of Avalon. The Raleigh, NC-based group self-recorded the new album, Uncanny Valley, with all analog equipment. Mitch Easter (REM, Wilco, Pavement) helped mix the album. Yummy lo-fi goodness.
Obsessed: Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs, due out September 8. Pre-order now on Matador. Then get your tickets to Treasure Island Music Festival to see them live on October 18.
“What else is there for us to do…”
The Phenomenal Handclap Band – “Testimony”
Whoo hoo! One of my favorite live acts from SXSW, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, has finally made their way to San Francisco and will be playing this Wednesday at The Knockout with the Bay Area’s very own Bart Davenport. Get your dancing shoes on. Be there or be square!
Live footage from the Frequency Festival in Europe of Radiohead performing “These Are My Twisted Words” live for the first time.
Meet what very well might be the first race horse in history named after a Twitter handle, Indy Rocker Girl. Those are my nieces and nephew checking out the foal their Grandpa named in my honor (endearingly botched in only the way my Dad could manage.) I got this photo in my inbox just before heading out to see J. Tillman last night at Cafe du Nord and the combination of the two elements really made me homesick.
I think it was the pedal guitar that got me. It does every time. Listening to the talented Mr. Tillman’s beautifully plucked guitar and weeping sounds of the pedal steel guitar, it finally hit me why I’m such a sucker for it. It’s home. As much as I grew up on the alternative sounds of WOXY, so I did country and bluegrass music in my Dad’s pick up truck. Regular pilgrimages across the border to the Kentucky Bluegrass Festival made me a lifelong fan of the banjo, pedal guitar and heartfelt lyrics.
J. Tillman and his band are just that – and more. Their music is honest and real. In a time when so much indie music seems contrived and trite, it’s a refreshing respite. I had such a feeling of contentment after that show. My chicken soup for the soul, I guess. If only I could have had a patch of real bluegrass to sink my bare feet into….
The folks over at The Bay Bridged are hosting the second annual Rock Make Music and Art Festival. tomorrow on Treat Avenue between 17th Street and 18th Street in the Mission District. Locals, be sure and stop by for a great afternoon of local art and music. And don’t miss smokin’ hot local band, The Ferocious Few – the minutemen of San Francisco’s lo-fi garage rock scene.
11:00am – The Psychotherapists
11:20 – Secret Cat
11:40 – The She’s
12:00pm – Photons
12:30 – Boneless Children Foundation
1:00 – The Ferocious Few
1:30 – The Dont’s
2:00 – Two Sheds
2:30 – Silian Rail
3:00 – Odawas
3:30 – Magic Bullets
4:00 – Geographer
4:30 – Low Red Land
5:00 – Music For Animals
5:30 – Tartufi
The new Alberta Cross video for the track “ATX” off their forthcoming album “The Broken Side of Time” due out September 22. One of my favorite albums this year. This band rocks and the video gives you a good taste of it.
the OCMD 