Photos: Beatbeat Whisper, Emily Jane White, The Porchsteps

Last Sautrday (5/3/08) featured a show with two Bay Bridged alumni, Beatbeat Whisper and Emily Jane White over at Berkeley’s The Starry Plough. This show marked the East Bay CD Release for Beatbeat Whisper’s, Wonder Continental, an album that has been in heavy rotation in the studio. The show was opened by Oakland acoustic-folk group, The Porchsteps.

This post also marks the introduction of a new photographer for The Bay Bridged, Francis Chung. We are excited to have him on board and can’t wait to see him capture some great shows.

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Review: 4-30 at the Hemlock: Master/Slave; Vows; Pants, Pants, Pants

The ever sartorial Matt Jones . . . so let us begin at evening’s ending, yes? Dressed down, as it were, in a sport coat, our Jones, the mensch, did most certainly and without question distinguish himself as the only of the evening’s vocalists whose vocals were mostly decipherable. “A weird show, but a good show,” he remarked, mid-set. I durst not ask him why so many computer-typed blokes are up in arms over the band name Master/Slave (Feature Podcast). At any rate, ’twas a rollicking good time indeed seeing Matt on stage, holding court as a solo act in the absence of Ephraim, his drummer–though the end of the set did bring all the members of Vows to the stage. They joined Matt for a stout finale and an exceptionally well-written, penultimate number about Reno, NV, the biggest of littlest rubbish heaps. The rock and roll is there, friend. Oy! And thanks for tweaking your levels, mate, so we could pick the words out. Cheers.

Before Matt Jones, it was Vows: hear, hear! Two drummers, a guitar, and bass, lots of vocals washing about, nearly a kilometer in ladyboy hair, good structure to everything they played. Songs like “Beautiful Perfect” demonstrate a pretty handsome knack for metapop styling, both in the precocity of the lyrical content and the sonority of vocal lines, the latter which travel from grinning duet to earnest foursome and back again. Methinks I did overhear some bloke or other in the audience say, “I believe those may be the ugliest birds I’ve ever seen.” Yes, the sort that inspire a bit of, shall we say, consideration but for a blind old punter like yours truly, that is, until a certain discovery be made: bollix. Bollix on all of them, pretty as a picture, mate. Drat.

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Episode 113: Live This Month: May 2008

 

 Episode 113: Live This Month: May 2008 [37:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week’s podcast spotlights some of the great local and out-of-town acts playing shows in the Bay Area during the month of May. Check out our feature podcast episodes on some of these excellent bands!

Supporting their new Absolutely Kosher release Into The Trees, Chicago’s Sybris (”Oh Man!”) will be headlining May 29th at the Rickshaw Stop. They’ll be joined by The Brunettes and Unwed Sailor.

The New Centuries (”Some By Betrayal”) have a new EP titled Paradise Massage out this month and are playing at the Hemlock Tavern on May 24th. The great, all-local bill is rounded out by The Dont’s (Feature Podcast) and Man/Miracle (Feature Podcast).

Despite some serious injury-related setbacks, Brooklyn’s Pela (”Lost to the Lonesome”) continue their cross-country tour with a stop at Bottom of the Hill. The show’s on May 28th and includes performances from locals The Love X Nowhere and Audio Out Send (Feature Podcast).

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