Seoul Brothers: Go-Go 70′s at the SFIFF
May 18, 2009
When writer/director Ho Choi released his rollicking rock and roll picture in Korea in 2008, it debuted during trying economic times, not making the impact it perhaps deserved to make. One hopes that increasing exposure at international festivals will bring it to a wider and more enthusiastic audience. The film, originally titled Gogo Chilship, could be described as a Korean version of The Commitments, Alan Parker’s widely successful story of a group of Dublin musicians who form a soul band. This comparison would be reductive, to be fair, and Choi deserves credit for crafting a film that deploys a number of “band on the run” tropes while establishing a unique cultural context that provides a good deal of added vigor. Adapted from the true story one of the country’s most successful 70′s acts, The Devils, the film is a window into a postwar Korea unfamiliar to many U.S. viewers.
Sang-gyu (Seung-woo Cho) is a struggling musician in a provincial town, playing tiny bars that cater U.S. servicemen from a nearby Army base. Obsessed with American music, Sang-gyu is a prickly, erratic character, aloof and arrogant but somehow sympathetic. He treats his friend and former lover, a similarly music-obsessed waitress named Mimi (Min-a Shin) like dirt, despite the great pains she takes to support his career. One night, he and his two backing musicians join forces with a rival group led by guitarist Man-sik (Seung-wu Cha), forming a six-man band, The Devils, who bond over their love of the pirated “black music” that is gradually gaining ground in a country some 15 years behind the pop curve.
Related Posts:
Interview: John Vanderslice Talks Romanian Names
May 18, 2009
fetal_horses.mp3
John Vanderslice – Fetal Horses
John Vanderslice celebrates the release of his latest full length album Romanian Names tomorrow, and it’s another excellent work from one of the Bay’s strongest and most consistent songwriters. At the same time, the album marks a number of firsts for Vanderslice. It’s the first time he experimented in a home studio before heading to Tiny Telephone to record. It’s also the first JV album for the Dead Oceans label. Most notably, the new release feels more symphonic, and the studio talents of Vanderslice and Scott Solter create some moving soundscapes from the layers of instruments and vocals.
We spoke with JV about the new album, his upcoming tour and more. You can find that interview below. You can also stream the Romanian Names in its entirety at NPR.org.
Vanderslice will be performing at Amoeba SF tonight at 6pm. His official album release is tomorrow night at the Rickshaw Stop, with The Morning Benders opening. That show starts at 7:30pm and is $16. Advance tickets can be purchased here.
Also don’t forget you can still win tickets to the show and a copy of his two most recent releases here!
The Bay Bridged: Congratulations on Romanian Names! What do you think most distinguishes this album from your past releases?
John Vanderslice: Well thanks! Two things come to mind, the songs are shorter, faster, and the structure is more compressed. We also had a larger pool of finished songs to pick the 12 that ended up on the record. Also, there tons of backing vocals on this record, often recorded with the tape machine slowed down and then brought played back at normal speed, pitching up the harmonies.
TBB: You’ve mentioned before that Emerald City was the first time your band was really involved in the songwriting process. Did that approach continue on Romanian Names?
JV: It was less of a collaborative project, mostly because I had recently added a small studio in my basement. I did a lot of writing and tracking on my tape deck and then brought it in to Scott Solter and Tiny Telephone. Solter and I did work very closely on the album, he had as much input as I did with what happened after I brought in a song. [More...]
Related Posts:
SF Popfest: May 21st – 24th
May 15, 2009
Unfortunately The Hidden Cameras have had to cancel due to visa issues. The Botticellis have replaced them on the Sunday night Popfest show.
Indie pop fans better stay in town this Memorial Day weekend, because you won’t want to miss the 2009 San Francisco Popfest, taking place from May 21st-24th at a variety of city venues. With over thirty bands at six concerts, the fest features some of SF’s best indie pop groups (like Magic Bullets, The Hot Toddies and Still Flyin’) alongside a diverse international lineup of acts.
04-the-book-is-closed.mp3
Magic Bullets – “The Book Is Closed”
the_hot_toddies-html.mp3
The Hot Toddies – “HTML”
Personal favorites going in to the fest include Toronto’s The Hidden Cameras (making a rare solo performance), Austin’s Oh No Oh My and Seattle’s Tullycraft (who recently announced an indefinite hiatus from playing shows). The beauty of stacked bills like this, however, is the opportunity to discover new favorites and you can find videos and more info about the performing bands at the Popfest web site.
ohnoohmy_02_OurMouthsWereWet.mp3
Oh No Oh My – “Our Mouths Were Wet”
punks.mp3
Tullycraft – “The Punks Are Writing Love Songs”
Tickets are now on sale at SFPopfest.com, both for individual shows and for discount weekend passes.
Below is the full schedule for Popfest 2009: [More...]
Related Posts:
Wallpaper. remixes Passion Pit, new and old
May 15, 2009
Here’s how it went down: Wallpaper. (Oakland) won the Fingers on the Pulse contest with their wacky remix of Passion Pit‘s hit “Sleepyhead” — a fabulous exaggeration of the song’s already funky allure (they lead in with the warm fuzzies, then layer in a little sexy saxophone).
Sleepyhead%20(Wallpaper.%20Dio%20Remix).mp3
Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead (Wallpaper. remix)”
Having tickled Passion Pit’s fancy to an utmost degree, Wallpaper. were recently invited to remix “The Reeling,” off the band’s almost-released Manners (May 19 on Frenchkiss). About the remix, WP’s Eric Frederic said, “the song has fantastic call and response vocals with a children’s choir. When I heard that, I felt that an Afrobeat rendition of the song was the only option.”
pp_reeling_wp_remix.mp3
Passion Pit – “The Reeling (Wallpaper. remix)”
In the Bay Area, Wallpaper. has two upcoming performances: June 6 at Live 105‘s BFD at the Shoreline, and at Blow Up (at the Rickshaw Stop) on June 12. Passion Pit’s also scheduled to play soon at Bimbo’s on May 26.
Related Posts:
Loquat Residency Interview and Giveaway (Part 2)
May 15, 2009
Loquat is now halfway through their month long Thursday night residency at Cafe Du Nord, but they’ve still got two great shows left with more bands and surprises in store. As she did before the first two shows, singer Kylee Swenson gave us a little preview of what’s in store for the remaining two dates. You can read that interview below.
04-big-key-little-door.mp3
Loquat – “Big Key, Little Door”
We’re also giving away two tickets to each of the shows on Thursday, May 21st (with The Union Trade, Aim Low Kid and DJ AmpLive) AND Thursday, May 28th (with Malbec, Foxtail Somersault and DJ AmpLive). To enter the giveaway, send an E-mail to contest@thebaybridged.com by noon on Wednesday, May 20th and answer the following questions:
Overall, what is the single worst type of fruit? Why? As always, particularly ridiculous answers may end up quoted on our site.
Please denote if you have a show preference when entering. Both winners will also receive either a Loquat CD or T-shirt! The winners will be chosen at random and notified via e-mail.
Continue reading to find out more about the shows and bands from Kylee: [More...]
Related Posts:
O:RMF this weekend, 10+ bands from the Bay, PDX
May 14, 2009
Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom is an annual one-day fest put on by the Davis-Sacramento community freeform radio station, KDVS, going down this Saturday. The event is heavily attended not only for its boastful cast, but also for its fabulous location: the grimy, middle-of-nowhere barbeque and bar, Plainfield Station in Woodland (just outside of Davis).
01-we-ask-you-to-ride.mp3
Wooden Shjips – We Ask You To Ride
The DJs strive for a local and out of town presence for the lineup, which this year includes SF’s Wooden Shjips, Thee Oh Sees and The Nothing as well as Silver Darling and Mayyors from the Sacramento region. Silver Darling comes down to the Bay Area every so often — they’re a mix of folk with Americana with a Southern twist on Crossbill Records (Garrett Pierce, Jake Mann). Mayyors (Sacramento) played SXSW this year, surely garnering the attention of lofi dance punk addicts.
Visiting from out of town is the noisy electro getup Lucky Dragons (openeed for Animal Collective in LA earlier this year), and Eternal Tapestry from Portland, who could best be described as psychadelic doom rock. More information as well as a music player with samples from the lineup can be found here, and here’s the entire lineup for the day: [More...]
Related Posts:
Weekend Picks: May 14-17
May 14, 2009
Thursday May 14: Photons, Wax Fingers, Spencey Dude and the Doodles @ Hemlock
Do you like home-grown indie pop? Do you like comics? Do you like Glockenspiel? You Do? well you’re in luck because this Thursday Photons are going to be celebrating their EP/Comic release at the Hemlock Tavern. Sf Weekly recently created a genre for them….. Jangle Pop. Clever.
03_where_were_you_last_night.mp3
Photons – Where Were You Last Night
Wax fingers (Portland) and Spencey Dude and the Doodles (SF) will be supporting. The show starts at 9pm with a $6 cover.
Friday May 15: Thee Oh Sees, Sonny & the Sunsets @ Amnesia
SF psych-rockers Thee Oh Sees are playing Amnesia this Friday. They’ll be boasting their new album Help, which earned a pretty stellar review over at Pitchfork.
thee_oh_sees_-_03_-_meat_step_lively.mp3
Thee Oh Sees – Meat Step Lively (Live at the Bell House)
Opening is Sonny and the Sunsets (SF) and Shannon and the Clams (Oakland), the show starts at 9pm with an $8 cover.
Raised by Robots (EP release), Silian Rail, Buzzer @ Cafe Du Nord
Finishing up a quick west coast tour at Cafe Du Nord, local experimental indie rockers Raised by Robots will be releasing their latest EP, Disorganization will save us all. Red Stripe beer is apparently sponsoring this so…. free beer? Don’t quote us on that.
Be sure to get there early and catch Silian Rail, the instrumental duo that has been making waves recently with their melodic rhythms, intricate tempos and heavy moments.
07-not-the-wind-not-the-flag.mp3
Silian Rail – Not the Wind, Not the Flag
The show starts at 10:30PMÂ with a $10 cover.
Saturday May 16: Sean Hayes, The Botticellis @ The Independent
Yes, this is one of this season’s local shows destined to be a crowd charmer — headlining is the solid singer-songwriter Sean Hayes, supported by the quickly blossoming Botticellis. Sean has been laying low as of late, for the purpose of finishing up his record due out later this year, but here’s the timeless title track from his last full length:
01_13_flowering_spade.mp3
Sean Hayes – Flowering Spade
If San Francisco isn’t your immediate neighborhood, he’s playing the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz on Friday.
The Botticellis keep moving up in the larger scheme of things, have you checked them out on Daytrotter? At the end of the month they’re teaming up with PDX’s finest folk Horse Feathers for a show at Mississippi Studios up north.
Related Posts:
SF MusicTech Summit on Monday
May 14, 2009
The SanFran MusicTech Summit returns to the Hotel Kabuki on Monday, May 18th for the only Summit of 2009! From the organizers:
The SanFran MusicTech Summit will bring together the best and brightest developers in the Music/Technology Space, along with the musicians, entrepreneurial business people, press, investors, service providers, and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We will meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment.
Check out the full schedule of events, with great-looking panels for music people and techies alike, including sessions on digital music delivery, music activism and the future of the music industry. Find out more information about registration here. Past Summits have been quite informative and well worth the time.
