Show Review — Birdman Records’ 2007 Holiday Party

 

 Birdman 2007 Holiday Party [3:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Last Thursday, Birdman Records held their annual holiday party at the Make-Out Room, and after releasing eight solid albums in 2007, the label had much to celebrate. In the beginning, however, this evening seemed as though it would be more about the label’s future than their past accomplishments.

Howlin Rain - fronted by Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire - kicked things off with a brief acoustic set. I’m used to seeing pretty high energy sets from these guys, however their Lynyrd Skynyrd-by-way-of-noise-rock sound lends itself well to many different incarnations. A new Howlin Rain record will hit stores in the new year on Birdman and American Recordings. Apache - the latest addition to the label - took the stage next, opening with their brilliant new single, “Boy’s Life.” For a label that seems to have a good deal of psychedelic nostalgia, both Apache and Howlin Rain succeed in extending the sound into the next decade, while still fitting in amongst the rest of the roster. Watching Lou Lou and the Guitarfish next - who also have a highly-anticipated release due in 2008 – it struck me that their sound just might be getting darker.

But despite all excitement surrounding future releases, the night truly belonged to one of the label’s most successful artists. As the clock approached 11, it was soon revealed that the advertised Greg Ashley set would not be happening, and instead we would be treated to a performance from his band, The Gris Gris. According to their MySpace page, The Gris Gris are “not a band anymore,” which I can only say is a terrible shame after witnessing what I did. Though they only played for 20 minutes, the magic and the chemistry between the three members was magnetic and undeniable. The songs, which veer from psychedelic ballads to all out improvisational experimentation, sounded fresh and alive. Greg Ashley’s distorted vocals were especially chilling, but the high point came when he picked up an empty beer glass from the stage and began using it as a slide for his acoustic guitar. In recent years, The Gris Gris have graduated to bigger venues, so seeing them perform in such a tiny space was absolutely unbelievable. Hopefully, such a performance will lead them to reconsider their plans to break up.

It was a near impossible act to follow, but Brian Glaze and his new backing band the Night Shift closed things out well. With a Bay Area all star team that includes Andy and Garrett from The Cuts, Glaze’s once minimal acoustic numbers become bigger, brighter, and louder. Quite surprisingly, the transition is seamless. Seeing a band comprised of musicians who play in multiple Birdman bands was a poignant statement of what this label is all about. Birdman really is a tight-knit rock and roll family dedicated to preserving the classic rock sounds, while allowing their artists to experiment and veer in new directions. Quite a rare find these days.

Free Holiday Giveaway #4: Absolutely Kosher Sampler

As a thank you to our readers this holiday season, we asked some off our favorite local record labels to create special mp3 samplers to showcase their rosters. Every Wednesday this month, we will be posting a different sampler from a great local label. They’re all free, but you will only be able to download them for a limited time, so get to it!

This week: Absolutely Kosher

Last week: Anticon Records

Previously: Thread Productions

Earlier: Three Ring Records

This week, we conclude our free holiday giveaway series with an exclusive sampler from the East Bay’s Absolutely Kosher Records. Started in 1998, you’re likely a fan of at least one of the label’s roster of prestigious local and national groups. In the past, we’ve featured AK bands including 60 Watt Kid, Ex-Boyfriends, and Pidgeon, and they’ve also put out albums by The Dead Science, The Mountain Goats, Pinback, and more.

Earlier this year, the label announced a partnership with Misra Records, and this week’s sampler includes both Absolutely Kosher and Misra artists. The sampler was compiled exclusively for The Bay Bridged and features selections from many of both labels’ recent releases.

You can find out more information about Absolutely Kosher Records and all of their artists at their web site. This sampler is free to download for a limited time only!

Happy Holidays!

The Bay Bridged would like to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and a great New Year! We are going to be taking some time off to visit with our friends and families for the next week and will only have limited content through the holidays. In the meantime, if you haven’t had the chance to grab one of our free holiday giveaways check them out below! We will also have our final giveaway available right after Christmas.

We will return in full force starting in January with our Best of 2007 Podcast! We are excited for 2008 and have been working on some big plans for the year including some exciting new collaborations, releasing our second compilation album, and some excellent new additions to our Presents concert series!

Thank you all for another great year!

Sincerely,
Christian Cunningham, Ben Van Houten, and the entire Bay Bridged Staff

Ex-Boyfriends, Audio Out Send, 20 Minute Loop @ BOTH - December 13th, 2007

We’ve got some great shots for you from the recent Ex-Boyfriends and Audio Out Send dual CD Release that was held over at Bottom of the Hill. Opening the show was Bay Bridged Presents alum, 20 Minute Loop.

Free Holiday Giveaway #3: Anticon Records

As a thank you to our readers this holiday season, we asked some off our favorite local record labels to create special mp3 samplers to showcase their rosters. Every Wednesday this month, we will be posting a different sampler from a great local label. They’re all free, but you will only be able to download them for a limited time, so get to it!

This week: Anticon Records

Last week: Thread Productions

Previously: Three Ring Records

This week’s free holiday giveaway is an exclusive sampler from San Francisco’s Anticon Records. The acclaimed label’s numerous releases defy easy genre categorization, frequently mixing elements of underground hip hop, indie rock, and experimental collage music. As the label states on its web site:

anticon is a collectively owned record label dedicated to scrounging up quiet ideas and tiny epiphanies wherever they might be found. To this end, we make up poems, sing raps, lift drums, and invent albums.

We’ve featured a few Anticon artists on our podcasts so far, including Why? and Thee More Shallows, and we’re excited to continue covering Anticon artists in the coming year. This sampler was exclusively compiled for The Bay Bridged and features selections from many of the label’s recent releases.

You can find out more information about Anticon Records and all of their artists at their web site. This sampler is free to download for a limited time only!

Episode 95: Emily Jane White

 

 Episode 95: Emily Jane White [32:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week we feature Emily Jane White, whose dark folk-rock has caught the attention of national publications like Spin, Rolling Stone, and The Fader even though her debut album Dark Undercoat has only been out for a little over a month. The album warrants the critical response, as Undercoat’s ten songs balance melody and minimalism in their relatively sparse compositions. That space gives the songs room to breathe and unfold, giving them a depth to match their ear-catching appeal.

A musician since preschool who spent time in a number of different bands during her time at UC Santa Cruz, Emily Jane White’s solo debut draws on a love of blues, old folk, and Americana music that’s particularly evident in her haunting voice. Lyrically, she sings songs drawn both from personal and political events, all filtered through a smart and poetic perspective. White is also a skilled pianist and guitar player, playing most of the instruments on the album. While she has played solo before, we learned during our interview that she has assembled a full band, which has resulted in the reworking of several songs for the live context.

We sat down with Emily a couple of weeks ago at The Bay Bridged Studio to discuss the new album, her musical background, and how forming a band has changed her sound. We’ve also included four songs from Dark Undercoat in the episode.

Emily Jane White and her band have several upcoming dates around the Bay Area in the next few months:

Tuesday, January 8th
The Stork Club
with Mariee Sioux and Almaden
8pm, $tba

Thursday, January 31st
Edinburgh Castle
with Lona Echo and Coal Beautiere
9:30pm, $tba

You can hear more from Dark Undercoat at Emily’s MySpace page and find out more info on her web site. The album is available from Double Negative Records and on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

Are you subscribed to the The Bay Bridged weekly podcast? Click here to get each new episode downloaded free to your iTunes the moment it is published!

—————

As a bonus, check out two videos for songs from Dark Undercoat:

Emily Jane White - “Wild Tigers I Have Known”

Emily Jane White - “Dagger”

Petracovich this Wednesday

Photo by Tad Wagner

Click to listen to our feature episode on Petracovich!

As we’ve stated before, we’re big fans of North Bay folktronica specialist Petracovich, who is currently working on her third full length, the follow-up to 2005’s highly-regarded We Are Wyoming. Singer-songwriter Jessica Peters is taking a brief break from working on new music to perform this Wednesday night at 12 Galaxies, where she’ll be joined by Max Diez on drums and Heather Houseman on cello. Petracovich always puts on a good show, so we’re quite looking forward to it.

Until the show, check out a couple of songs from Petracovich’s two albums:

Petracovich - “Telephone” (from We Are Wyoming)

Petracovich - “Nighttime” (from blue cotton skin)

For more music, head to Petracovich’s MySpace page and web site. Wednesday night’s show also features Garrett Pierce and Odessa Chen. The show starts at 9pm and is $8.

Tough choices on Thursday

The holiday season invariably creates all sorts of tough choices, particularly when it comes to conflicting holiday parties. This Thursday night brings at least three excellent choices for great live entertainment. Whatever your fancy, there’s definitely some great music to be seen and heard:

At the Rickshaw Stop, it’s the Tricycle Records Holiday Party, featuring the garage noir stylings of The Blacks, along with Veil Veil Vanish and DJ DMAP. The show starts at 8:30pm and is $8.

Click to listen to our feature episode on The Blacks!

Meanwhile at Bottom of the Hill, it’s a veritable indie popstravaganza, with The Hot Toddies, French Disco, and The Attachments. The show starts at 8:30pm, is $8 and is 18+.

Click to listen to our feature episode on The Hot Toddies!

And at the Make-Out Room, Oakland’s Birdman Records is having their holiday party, featuring a cross-section of the label’s eclectic rock offerings: Howlin Rain, Apache, Lou Lou and the Guitarfish, Greg Ashley, and Brian Glaze and The Night Shift. The show starts at 9pm and is $5.

Click to listen to our feature episode on Greg Ashley!

Next Page »