Noise Pop: Thursday Night Preview!
February 25, 2009
Start off your Thursday with a great local Happy Hour show at Bender’s from 5-8pm, presented by SomaFM. With the high-energy performances of Scissors for Lefty, Picture Atlantic and Man/Miracle, you’ll be pumped for whatever show comes next for you.
The Swedish American will host indie princess Thao Nguyen (DC) alongside David Dondero, Sean Smith and Colossal Yes. 7:30pm, $14. “Swimming Pools” (track 4 on We Brave Beestings and All) is a perfect preview of Thao’s banjo-sprinkled energy:
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Thao With the Get Down Stay Down – “Swimming Pools”
If you’re looking for a slightly different pace, head over to Slim’s for the electrified folk of Martha Wainwright (NY). She plays alongside AA Bondy (AL), Ryan Auffenberg and Karina Denike. 8pm, $12.
And if you’re looking for a way to dance away all that energy, head over to the Mezzanine for Kool Keith: Dr. Octagon vs. Dr. Dooom (NY), Mike Relm, Crown City Rockers and Kutmasta Kurt (LA).
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Mike Relm – “Bodyrock (feat. Morningwood and The Gift of Gab)”
Bottom of the Hill and Cafe Du Nord also have great lineups, with From Monument to Masses and Thee Oh Sees headlining, respectively. Check out the Noise Pop website for the full night of shows.
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Live Blog: Noise Pop 2009 Opening Night Party
February 24, 2009
Most of The Bay Bridged staff is headed out tonight to celebrate the start of Noise Pop 2009! Although admission was free, RSVPs went quick. But fear not, we’ll be here live blogging the event for those who couldn’t make it – or just want to relive it!
8:45pm – On our way to the Mezzanine now in a snazzy little Karmann Ghia! Can’t wait to see what the line is like.
8:53 – Waiting outside, the line is surprisingly short! Just hanging out to gather the Bay Bridged crew and then headed inside.
9:08 – Well, now we know why there was no line…everyone’s inside! It’s a madhouse in here.
9:23 – Fully equipped with libations – another half hour before the music starts. Large screens with projections of random colorful images are all around the place. Aaron Axelson of Live 105 is DJing.
9:33 – Lilofee just took the stage, a bit early.
9:38 – Playing their hit “Lock and Key.” Lead singer Kimi Recor is the focal point with lots of energy. The music reminds us of a harder New Order – with 80s synths as a base, but with more industrial sounds.
9:48 – Ben and Christian were just photographed with the Red Stripe girls. Classic moment.
9:52 – Recor’s stage energy just continues to grow, it’s pretty amazing.
10:09 – Lilofee is finished and the DJ is back on. People are scrambling, vying for their spots for Deerhunter. The crowd is officially packed straight back to the sound board.
10:10 – Deerhunter fun fact – TBB staffer just revealed that the lead singer of Deerhunter and Diplo (who are friends) share common ancestry! Little tidbit…
10:38 – Chatting with Zach of Rogue Wave and John Vanderslice. Great to see two amazing local musicians out supporting Noise Pop!
10:55 – Deerhunter just came on, through a sea of fog and blinding white lights. Now THAT’S an entrance.
11:02 – Started the set with a couple new songs. Nothing from the famed Microcastle yet, but the crowd is responding well to the songs.
11:10 – …so much so the few people in front if me are dancing like crazy. A great start to what should be another great year for Noise Pop.
11:15 – Picked up the pace and got the audience going a bit with “Nothing Ever Happened.” Sounds really great live, ending with a bit of a jam.
11:34 – Bradford Cox dedicates the next song to Harvey Milk, then clarifies “the man, not the band.”
11:41 – “Agoraphobia” is another one of the band’s great jams. The dreamy parts remind me of Atlas Sound, Cox’s excellent side project.
11:49 – The band closes out their set to strong applause from an approving crowd, but I’ve got a feeling they’ll be back for more.
11:53 – Clips of KISS’s Paul Stanley hyping up a crowd with his insane stage banter play over the speakers while the band is off stage. If you enjoy awkward hilarity, look for a compilation of Stanley stage banter that’s floating around online. It’s unbelievable.
12:10 – Okay, these guys put on one hell of a show tonight, with a loud energetic set that felt at times like I was watching the biggest band in the world. At the same time, they’re able to mix in tender moments with the anthems and spacey psych stuff. Very impressive and a great performance.
Stay tuned for a full review and photos from the event tomorrow!
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Episode 152: Sholi
February 24, 2009
Stream the episode:
Listen to the podcast here.
This week, we are proud to feature Sholi, an art-rock trio who have been one of our favorite bands since we first heard them around the inception of The Bay Bridged. We first got hooked to the band’s promising demos and their tight live show became equally well-loved, but, for all of their talent, the trio had a limited recorded output while they spent time prepping their debut album. And did they spend time. It became something of a running joke to confront members of the band with the demand to “put the [expletive deleted] record out already,” and from what we can gather, we weren’t the only ones demanding more. After much work–recording, arranging, and mixing, and then doing more of all three–Sholi the album came out last week on Quarterstick/Touch and Go Records, and it is worth the long wait.
Having first interviewed the band early on, we were pleased to visit with them again to discuss the new release. What impressed us most on this second go-around is the sense that all of their time and effort has really paid off, helping the trio to forge a really strong idea about their music–what it means, how it should sound, how it feels. How many groups can create a fully-fleshed out aesthetic this enjoyable on their first album? With melodic indie, math, and prog rock elements sharing delicately-balanced space in the group’s transcendent mini-epics, Sholi is an album bearing our highest recommendation. We’ll be excited to watch them throughout 2009 as more listeners discover this excellent band. [More...]
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Interview: French Kicks' Nick Stumpf
February 24, 2009
It’s a monumental challenge for a band to just play music because they love it. In an ideal world, they would make the music they want without pressure from record companies and the media, while at the same time benefiting from an organic growth of fans and a constant source of income. But in reality, the “starving musician” archetype pervades the music community, and some bands never emerge from that shadow.
But every now and then, a band manages to escape some of the pains of the business and still maintain a good deal of success. And though they’ve worked for many years and released a few albums in the process, the French Kicks (NY) seem to have struck a balance that is as close to idealistic as it gets. The secret for them appears to be a genuine love of the music they play peppered with a fair amount of coolness toward the business aspects of music. That isn’t to say that they don’t care, but just that the creation and sharing of their music is the foremost priority. And if that’s not ideal, I don’t know what is.
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French Kicks – “Abandon” from Swimming
I was fortunate enough to chat with lead singer/keyboardist/drummer Nick Stumpf (second from right) over the phone from his home in Brooklyn. And during the course of our conversation, it became clearer that the band sees this career as not only the absolute right path for each of them, but also as a true love and privilege. [More...]
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Noise Pop: Wednesday Night Preview!
February 24, 2009
Noise Pop’s second evening steadies the pace with memorable solo performances at SF’s Music Halls– Stephen Malkmus at the Great American and John Darnielle (Mountain Goats) at the Swedish American — but there’s plenty of other great pickings.
Sights and Sounds helps contribute to the longwinded philosophical debate of what it truly means to be an artist. Park Life gallery will display the fine art of those we know as musicians, namely Mark Mothersbaugh (Wes Anderson’s go-to composer, and of Devo), Bianca Casady (the Coco, her sister is the Rosie) and our neighborhood pal John Vanderslice, among others.
A notable and local mention would have to go to Sleepy Sun who, just like the comparable Brightblack Morning Light, owe their reverberating piano pieces and overall psychedelic tendencies to forest-living (originally from Santa Cruz). They’re presented by local radio (KUSF) tonight at Bottom of the Hill, along with Lumerians, True Widow (Dallas) and Nevada City’s Kings & Queens.
One of the underdog records of last year came from French Kicks (NY), playing the Independent tonight with the The Broken West (LA) and fun local acts, Here Here and The Dont’s. One can expect a joyous night of dancing to nonstop drumbeats. Heck, the seemingly improvised, clear-cut pop numbers of Swimming should start the bunny hop on the floor (especially the opener):
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French Kicks – “Abandon”
An out-of-left-field act for Noise Pop this year is Austrailia’s An Horse, the spunk-pop tourmates of Tegan and Sarah as well as Kaki King. This time they’re stopping at Slim’s with an equally happy-go-lucky Matt Costa (LA), Robert Francis (LA) and some locals always expected to steal the show: Two Sheds.
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Deerhunter to play “secret” show on Wednesday
February 23, 2009
For those of you who couldn’t get the RSVP in quick enough for the Noise Pop Opening Party featuring Deerhunter – you’re not out of luck! It has just been announced that Deerhunter will be performing at the Rickshaw Stop the following day — for FREE.
Apart of the MySpace Secret Show series, the show will also feature The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. There are no advanced tickets or RSVPs — there will just be one really long line. First come, first served. Good luck to you all.
The show starts at 8pm.
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Noise Pop: Tuesday Night Preview!
February 23, 2009
This is the first in a series of profiles of what’s going on each night during Noise Pop 2009. To see all of our festival coverage, visit our dedicated Noise Pop page, which we’ll be updating throughout the week.
Noise Pop kicks off Tuesday night with three shows featuring some of the festival’s biggest acts. The official opening night party is over at the Mezzanine, and if you haven’t already RSVPed, you’ll need a badge to get in to see the psych-influenced art-rock of Atlanta’s Deerhunter. Opening the show are San Francisco electro-poppers Lilofee, who are quickly establishing a name for themselves with high-profile shows like this one and a soon-to-be-released debut album. If you have RSVPed, get there earlier than later to make sure you get in.
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Deerhunter – “Nothing Ever Happened”
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Lilofee – “Lock and Key”
Another popular Tuesday ticket will no doubt be Antony and the Johnsons at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. The Crying Light is Antony’s newest album and it has some stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking songs. Experimental composer William Basinski opens the show.
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Antony and the Johnsons – “Epilepsy is Dancing”
Finally, Mountain Goats fans will want to check out City Arts and Lectures‘ evening with John Darnielle “in conversation and song” at the Herbst Theatre, particularly now that Wednesday’s show at the Swedish American Hall is now sold out. Darnielle’s one of my favorite songwriters and performers, and if you’ve ever read an interview with him or followed his blog Last Plane to Jakarta, you already know he’s smart and engaging and should make for an excellent show.
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The Mountain Goats – “Sax Rohmer #1″
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The Morning Benders release Grain of Salt EP Tuesday, play Noise Pop Friday
February 23, 2009
As anyone who has been reading the site for the last few weeks knows, tomorrow, Noise Pop 2009 begins. And yes, we’re excited. However, there is another reason to celebrate — tomorrow is also the official release date of The Morning Benders’ latest EP, Grain of Salt. Featuring the title track (a personal favorite of mine), the EP also contains three previously unreleased B-sides which showcase another side of the band not heard on their full-length — one of which you can check out below!
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The Morning Benders – “your dark side”
If somehow you’ve managed to not check these guys out live – you are missing out. Fortunately for you, they’ve got a load of tour dates ahead of them in the coming weeks (see their myspace). The most notable being their Noise Pop show co-headling with The Submarines at Slim’s on Friday and, of course, a performance at our very own Bay Area Takeover Day Party at South by Southwest on March 19th.
Friday’s show also features local favorites The Mumlers and Rademacher. Tickets are still available and can be purchased without a fee from Aquarius Records. The show starts at 8pm and is all ages.
