Chad VanGaalen and Women (a Flemish Eye Records double bill) played last night at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill. It was my second time seeing Women and I really like their album but find their discordant, atonal sound gets a little lost in translation performed live. For me, at least. Their sound is definitely for the musically evolved.
Members of Women supported headliner, Chad VanGaalen and he did not disappoint. With three great albums to mine, the only complaint I have is that he didn’t play long enough. For someone who squirrels himself away in a basement for months on end writing songs about death and destruction, he was much more jovial and charismatic than I had ever anticipated. I don’t know what I expected to see, but it certainly wasn’t the comedian that he was. A pleasant surprise to say the least.
Over the weekend I caught up with Reuben of Simon Says No!, an up and coming Norwegian shoegaze group whose debut EP Ahoi de Angst has been making making waves. Pegged as a band to watch in 2009 by many, the group is in San Francisco tonight at Harlot sharing the bill with my favorite hometown band, Leopold and His Fiction. Don’t miss it! The event, sponsored by The Owl Mag,Future Sounds, Stranded in Stereo and SonicLiving, is free if you RSVP here and sure to rock your socks off!
the OCMD: I heard you’re in LA recording? Are you working on the follow up to your EP “Ahoi de Angst”? SSN!:We’re recording one song right now with producer Michael Patterson (Beck, She Wants Revenge, Ladytron) at the Glory Hole studios. We’ve been here two days and this is the last day. We’re trying out where we are going to record our next album and might use this song on the new album.
the OCMD: Is your new album slated to be released soon? SSN!:When we get home we’re planning to focus on our new songs and put together our ideas. The plan is to do some pre-production in the summer then start recording in August. That way the album should be ready for release next year.
the OCMD: Is this your first time in the US? SSN!: No, this our second time. We were here last October for CMJ.and played a couple of shows in NY.
the OCMD: Right, you got a lot of good buzz from that CMJ show. SSN: Yes, it was amazing and one of our best concerts we can think of. We got a lot of great feedback and in a way it really startled us because we had never done anything in the US before. It’s been really exciting time for us.
the OCMD: So the first time I heard your music, I couldn’t help think of Serena Maneesh – the only other Norwegian band I know. Were they an influence for you at all? SSN!:Yeah, we live in the same town (Bergen, Norway) and the entire music scene there has been a big inspiration for us.
the OCMD:What is the music scene like in Norway? I know so little about it compared to your Swedish neighbors. SSN!:In Oslo the indie rock scene is pretty huge. But in the second largest town where we live, which is Bergen, there’s a pretty big metal scene. Three of us in the band are from Bergen, so we definitely grew up and were influenced by the hardcore metal scene there. And we’ve definitely brought that kind of energy into the shoegaze sound we have.
the OCMD: I can definitely hear the metal influence in your music. It sounds good… and really loud! Should I bring my earplugs to your San Francisco show on April 1? SNN!:Yes, we like to play loud. You might want to bring your earplugs!
Listening to another SXSW discovery this week, San Francisco psych rock group Sleepy Sun and their track “Sleepy Son”, I couldn’t help but muse what I would give to have one some mornings. Every day I’m startled awake by a little 3 year old drill sergeant who comes barreling into the room announcing “It’s morning time, Mommy! Get up, get up, GET UP! LET’S PLAY!”
At what age do we lose our enthusiasm for getting up in the morning? I’ve given this due thought and can honestly say I can’t recall, but I don’t ever remember having the kind of energy and enthusiasm to greet the day like Judah does. I should feel lucky really because he sleeps until 7:00AM (very humane in the kid world). Yet I am pained every morning by this process and find myself constantly devising strategies to extend my sleep.
Set breakfast out the night before? 10 minutes. Let him use me as a race track for his cars? 20 minutes. Allow him to do something semi-destructive like launch hot wheels with his car shooter into the wall? 30 minutes. But the mother of all sleep aids? TV. Movies are a regular early morning weekend routine. We’re talking 90 solid minutes of quiet, blissful, uninterrupted sleep. A few weeks ago, I found my ace in the hole, Mary Poppins. 2 hours and 23 minutes of sleep heaven!
Foreign Born started in San Francisco in 2003 after singer Matt Popieluch and guitarist Lewis Pesacov graduated San Francisco State University. After playing a few shows, the pair went down to LA to clean up their rough demos. The results were promising enough for Lewis and Matt to quit their menial jobs and move down to LA where the current line-up of Foreign Born was, yes, born.
Their first LP, On The Wing Now, was released in 2007 and their latest effort, Person to Person, is due out in June. I’m in love with the first single from the album, “Vacationing People.” Judging by the number of recognizable faces in the audience at this show, I’m not the only one. Chris from The Morning Benders was as equally excited as I was to be there. And Grizzly Bear guitarist Ed Droste called Foreign Born his “favorite new band” recently.
I adore the vintage sounds of Richard Swift’sEP Ground Trouble Jaw and look forward to his upcoming full length album The Atlantic Ocean next week (April 7th)! His tour kicks off on the same date in Santa Cruz, California and will be playing San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on April 8. I seem destined to miss him both at SXSW and here! Soon.
The day started out in a haze trying to find who I thought was Gentleman Reg, only to find out halfway through the set that I ended up at Gentleman Jesse and His Men, which was okay by me. It was a nice outdoor venue with shade and seating, which I really needed at that moment.
Luckily, the same venue was hosting another band I was dead set on seeing, Dead Confederate. No pun intended. Thankfully my Gentleman Reg blunder got me to the venue in enough time so that we weren’t shut out from seeing them. The venue was small and there was a loooong line at the door. Waiting for the band to start, I was interrogated by a man named Walker as to whether or not a fair maiden like myself was in the right place and if I indeed liked the Dead Confederate. After assuring him that I was and did, he replied “cool” then walked up to the stage and started playing guitar.
After a quick pit stop at Starf**ker (I couldn’t resist), we headed South of Congress to chill out at Home Slice Pizza and catch up with The Phenomenal Handclap Band– again.
After refueling, it was off to Club Deville to catch Iran – Kyp Malone (TV On The Radio’s) side project with friend and filmmaker Aaron Aites. I’m really liking their new album, Dissolver, right now.
Then it was off to The Beauty Bar to catch a little Jana Hunter, Harlem and – finally – Gentleman Reg. Harlem was a hoot and I was completely to surprised to learn they were local. They were all one big hot mess and looked like they’ve been living out of a van for months.
The new video from Great Lake Swimmers for the track “Pulling On A Line” off their forthcoming album Lost Channels available March 31. Great Lake Swimmers perform at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco April 3.
The new video for “French Navy“, a track from Camera Obscura‘s new album, My Maudlin Career, due out April 20th. They’ll be at San Francisco’s The Fillmore on June 8. Check their MySpace site for other tour dates.
the OCMD 