Birdmonster Show Photos!
August 23, 2007
We were lucky enough to have one of our best photographers at the recent Birdmonster show over at Cafe du Nord. We’ve been awaiting their new tunes as soon as we heard they were being written and hopefully you were able to stop by on Saturday and check them out! You can either relive the night or see what you missed below!
Photos by Muhammad Asranur
Click on the photos for an enlarged image.
Please do NOT reproduce these photos with out explicit permission of The Bay Bridged or our photographer. Thank You.
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Sean Smith’s last SF show; Lady Genius’ first
August 22, 2007
As wonderful as a masterfully produced studio record can be, there’s something about raw mastery of a single instrument that can pack a greater punch, particularly when it avoids being too noodly or structureless. Berkeley’s Sean Smith writes melodic guitar compositions and improvisations that that, to my mind, meet this challenge, displaying his talents over on his MySpace page.
Smith recently announced, however, that he is leaving the Bay Area, and on Thursday night plays his final San Francisco show. It’s a strong, eclectic bill featuring two of our favorites, Little Teeth’s Andy Tisdall, who we last saw live here, and Kyle Williams, formerly of Bay Bridged featured band Volunteer Pioneer:
Thursday, August 23rd
The Argus
w/ Andy Tisdall, Kyle Williams, The Southern Ocean (Jeff Ray/Katrina Lamb)
9PM, $5
On the subject of Kyle and Volunteer Pioneer, in our last update about the release of that band’s EP, we promised to stay abreast of the development of the new musical project from Kyle and VP’s Jason Byers. That project, called Lady Genius, plays its first show this Sunday night at the Make-Out Room. The two songs on their MySpace page suggest more of the excellent indie pop-rock we’d expect from these guys and we’re excited to hear more. Details about Sunday’s show below:
Sunday, August 26th
The Make-Out Room
w/ El Olio Wolof and Skybox
9pm, $6
Lady Genius goes on first.
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Bay Area Indie Music Fest in Martinez, This Saturday!
August 21, 2007
John Muir Ampitheater will play host to an astounding number of buzz bands from the Bay Area as well a few heavy hitters from downstate, including headliner Sugarcult (over 13 million plays on myspace…yowsers!), Scissors For Lefty, Audrye Sessions, Push To Talk, Immigrant, Minipop, Elephone, Overview, Panda, Bel Air Academy, National Product, Eskimo Joe (Australia), Cold Hot Crash, The Frail, Goodbye Gadget, Stepsonday, Project Greenfield, The Transit War, and The Logan. Festival authorities indicate set times will be released on August 23.
A podcast featuring fourteen of the bands is capsuled on the festival’s website here. In addition to the dizzying amount of styling bangs expected of the participating bands, local music die hard sponsors such as PERFORMER, OurStage and Imeem will be on hand to help presenters, 3 Udder Productions, make this quite an historic day for Bay Area independent music. Tickets can be purchased in advance still from Ticketweb.
$10-$75, 20 bands / 2 stages, 12:00 noon
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Episode 78: HIJK
August 21, 2007
Stream the episode:
This week we feature Oakland-based trio HIJK who released their debut full length album The Pen and The Letter earlier this month. We first heard the band while they were still known as Hijack the Disco, including an earlier version of “Elly & Iffy” on an early Mission Creek mix and awaiting the full length album that we had heard was in the works. That song’s chorus has been stuck in our brains since, and it’s a joy to lead off this week’s episode with the album version, which retains all of the addictiveness, but fleshes the song out with a bigger, full sound. It’s an appropriate entry point to a rich and addictive album.
Recorded over a sixteen-month period, The Pen and The Letter represents a significant achievement for this difficult-to-pigeonhole group, who sound as comfortable with catchy, memorable choruses as they do eschewing standard verse-chorus-verse progressions on more complex numbers. Noteworthy too, is the album’s sonic complexity, as the band worked with a skilled and experienced producer who helped encourage them to experiment with unique production techniques to find the right sounds for their music, a process which we learned has significantly altered the way they now listen to and appreciate music.
We chatted for quite a while with Dave, Mike and Trevor, discussing a number of songs on the record, in addition to how the band got started and some touring difficulties around the US-Canadian border. In addition to the interview, we’ve also included four tracks from the new album. The album has been receiving excellent reviews and when you listen to the episode, it’s easy to see why.
The band doesn’t have any Bay Area shows lined up, but you should definitely check out some more tracks from The Pen and The Letter at HIJK’s MySpace page and pick up a copy at their web site or on iTunes.
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Numbers: Now You Are This
August 20, 2007
This Tuesday, San Francisco’s Numbers release their new album Now You Are This. The trio’s fourth full length, and second on label Kill Rock Stars, represents a further evolution in the sound of a band once known for its noisy art-punk. Building on 2005′s We’re Animals, there’s still some noise on the new record, but it’s channeled into a thicker, crunchier feel that is tempered by some great melodies and strong vocals.
But maybe it’s best to let the band describe it. As they write on their web site:
Ahhhhh but now, now you see Numbers have come together, “matured” if you will. Now, now you will hear a huge sound; an epic, unifying sound. For highway motoring, I believe you will not find a better aural backdrop. Desert flowers bloom when Numbers’ drums, guitar and moog symphonies bellow from the Blaupunkt.
You can hear some selections from the new record at Numbers’ MySpace page and can find MP3s from all of their past releases at their web site. Now You Are This is available from KRS here. While you’re there, check out the video for the song “Mind Hole.”
The band celebrates the new album’s release with a show this Saturday night:
Saturday, August 25th
Elbo Room
w/ Tussle and T.I.T.S.
10pm, $6
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The Bay Bridged on AjiSignal.com
August 20, 2007
Click to listen to our feature episode on Birds & Batteries!
The Bay Bridged is proud to announce its participation in AjiSignal.com, a new online music magazine which brings together writers from major cities to discuss some of the best bands in their respective communities. Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new essay about one of our favorite Bay Area bands, beginning with our first post, spotlighting Birds & Batteries. You can read that article here.
The other regular contributors are great too: Aquarium Drunkard from Los Angeles, Said the Gramophone from Montreal, and Come Pick Me Up from Minneapolis. We’re looking forward to developing some new non-local favorites from their posts in the coming weeks.
And while we’re on the subject of Birds & Batteries, they’re playing a fantastic show this weekend:
Saturday, August 25th
Great American Music Hall
with Or, the Whale and Social Studies
9pm, $12, All Ages (Purchase tickets here)
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Weekend Picks and Links: August 16th-19th
August 16, 2007
Not that many shows this weekend, but here are some good ones worth your time:
Thursday
- Playing in Fog Presents at the Make-Out Room, featuring Ray’s Vast Basement, Two Sheds and Frankel. The show starts at 9pm and is $7.
Click to listen to our feature episode on Ray’s Vast Basement!
Friday
- The Passionistas and Greg Ashley at the Stork Club, with Logo Moi. The show starts at 8pm and is $5.
Click to listen to our Monthly Mix featuring a track by Greg Ashley!
Saturday
- Birdmonster at Cafe du Nord, with Eulogies and Ted from Bagel Radio DJing.
- The Ian Fays at Edinburgh Castle, with Sweetie and The New Centuries. The show starts at 9:30pm and is $5.
Click to listen to our feature episode on The Ian Fays!
Around the Web
- The Guardian has a good feature on Or, the Whale and a review of The Morning Benders’ latest EP.
- Adrian caught The New Trust the other night.
- The Deli SF interviewed Tempo No Tempo.
- The East Bay Express’ Daily Licks feature has daily brief reviews of local bands, like their recent positive take on HIJK.
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Birdmonster is Back in Action
August 15, 2007
Click to listen to our feature episode on Birdmonster!
After a short hiatus in their never-ending touring schedule to write some new music, Birdmonster have returned to the Bay Area and are ready to perform. Apparently they spent their time down in Littlerock, California (outside of LA) writing new music for an upcoming album. They do promise touring to begin soon enough, but for now you can check them out on Saturday at Cafe du Nord playing some of these new songs. For more information and news you can head on over to their website, myspace, or, of course, their ever-popular blog.
Eulogies
DJ BAGeL Ted
Cafe du Nord
Saturday, August 18th
9:30pm | $10
If you’re a little strapped for cash, Noise Pop is giving away a pair of tickets to this show as well. All you have to do is send an e-mail to contest@noisepop.com with “Birdmonster” in the subject and your full name in the body. That’s it. The winner will be notified by August 17th.
