Thao with The Get Down Stay Down (Podcast #190)
November 17, 2009
Stream the episode:
This week, our podcast features Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, a trio led by San Francisco singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen. Nguyen and her band (comprised of Adam Thompson on bass, keys and guitar, and Willis Thompson on drums and percussion) first attracted widespread attention with last year’s We Brave Bee Stings and All on Kill Rock Stars. The album introduced Nguyen as a commanding songwriter, skillfully crafting melodic folk-rock with clever, intimate lyrics. The group supported the record with relentless touring, which gathered them many new fans and heightened their chemistry as a performing unit.
In October, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down released Know Better Learn Faster, which has rightly earned the band another round of praise. Working again with producer Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, Mudhoney), the new album seizes upon the trio’s live energy as they explore a number of musical styles. Like before, Nguyen’s vocal and lyrical charisma are a dominant force throughout, as Thao explores the end of a relationship with wit and thoughtfulness. It’s a very strong album that’s among the year’s best.
We sat down with Thao in our studio prior to her recent touring, to discuss her latest release, her band’s live chemistry, and the challenges of personal songwriting. We’ve also included four songs from Know Better Learn Faster in the episode.
Upcoming Shows:
Saturday, November 21st
The Independent
with The Portland Cello Project and David Schultz
9pm, $17, 21+
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Photos: My First Earthquake, Generationals @ Cafe du Nord, 11/13
November 17, 2009
My First Earthquake
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Billy & Dolly: In the Beginning
November 16, 2009
YoungerDays.mp3
Billy & Dolly – “Younger Days”
Ex-Monolith members Bill Rousseau and Dahlia Gallin Ramirez are back with their new band Billy & Dolly, and a debut album called In the Beginning. Produced by bandmate/20 Minute Looper Nils Erickson and recorded and mixed by Jay Pellicci, the album’s packed with catchy guitar- and piano-driven power pop. Take a listen to the whole album below and at Bandcamp:
This Friday, the band’s at Hotel Utah celebrating the new release, with Paul Bertolino and Michael Zapruder.
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The Society of Rockets release Future Factory
November 16, 2009
SF’s The Society of Rockets have a brand new collection of mind-expanding pop coming out this month titled Future Factory. The band calls the double LP “a day-glo hybrid of revisionist sci-fi pop and rarefied rhumba rumbles. To enjoy while watching planets collide.” In any event, they’ve posted a couple of the new tunes on MySpace, and you should definitely check out the tropical sounds of “Olivia Odyssey.”
Wednesday night (9pm, $7), the band celebrates the album’s release at the Elbo Room, with Conspiracy of Beards and Lotus Feet. Here are a couple of songs from their last album, Our Paths Related:
02-Teenage-Gears.mp3
The Society of Rockets – “Teenage Gears”
04-Mountain-Magic.mp3
The Society of Rockets – “Mountain Magic”
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Win tickets to Girls!
November 16, 2009
So both Girls shows (Friday at the Swedish American Hall and Saturday at Bottom of the Hill) are totally sold out, but we’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway to the Swedish show (8pm, All Ages).
To enter: Send an e-mail to contest@thebaybridged.com with your name and the phrase “I want to see Girls” in the subject. The fifth person to enter will win.
If you don’t win, just know that Girls have already announced their next local show, at the Great American Music Hall on Valentine’s Day. Tickets are on sale now.
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Sade Sundays: Variations on a Phantasmagoric Experience
November 15, 2009
Part 1
By: Joshua Rampage
There are a candid few who can welcome an inconvenient and uncomfortable interruption into their lives so readily, but I was getting a little bored with feeling healthy every day anyway. So I did some smooching and before anyone could start snorting, I was sick. Self-diagnosing led me to believe I was suffering from the early stages of Pig Flu. I began to obsessively check my nose for an upward-tilt and my butt for a burgeoning corkscrew tail, but found evidence of neither. Instead, I was forced to accept an annoyance specifically reserved for those who are already irritated in the first place; the kind of flu where you aren’t completely incapacitated, but you aren’t exactly doing handstands either. The Result? I found myself muttering “fuck this†a bit more often than usual.
That said, the best thing about coming off a cold is realizing that you can resume doing whatever it is you do, unabated. If this includes playing croquet, smoking cigarettes and having a couple cold ones, even better. Deluding myself into believing I was completely recovered, I attempted to contend with the Current State of Music with the intent of finding something worth a damn to share with Michael and the rest of the world-wide-webs; not an easy task by any means, not in this economy.
I get depressed. When Julian Casablancas is making solo albums and I’m feeling a bit snotted up, I get THIS CLOSE to sticking my head in the microwave. It’s true. While perpetually cringing, I listened to the first 4 tracks on his latest offering, Phrazes for the Young, and set the micro to defrost. If it is in fact Julian’s world, and I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut, then consider my cheeks fucking full and I’m ready to start stashing the goods and preparing myself for a long, cold, dark and rainy winter.
Julian Casablancas - Out of the Blue
Julian Casablancas – “Out of the Blue”
LAKE on the other hand reminds me of Weekend At Bernie’s, and all of a sudden I feel like I’m on vacation in the Hamptons on Labor Day and I’ve just discovered my boss, poisoned-dead in his big-shot mansion, but am conflicted on doing anything about it because I’m sort of in love with the summer intern and my friend thinks we can milk it for a couple days longer. Mike reminds me of Andrew McCarthy in this way.
LAKE - Madagascar
LAKE – “Madagascar”
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Citay and Vetiver get remixed
November 13, 2009
New, Improved, LIVE participants Citay have been hard at work this year on a new album, but they also took some time to compile reworkings of songs from 2007′s Little Kingdom into a new album called Remixes. Says Dead Oceans:
From the ambient textures of White Rainbow’s “Eye on Dollar” remix to Cornershop’s Anthony Saffery adding sitar and percussion to “First Fantasy,” these are anything but typical remix rave-ups. These Are Powers’ Brenmar (aka Bill Salas) gives “Moonburn” a playful, skittering treatment, while Black Mountains’ Steve McBean adds his effected vocals to “Former Child” – the end result sounding more like Metallica than like Aphex Twin.
Take a listen to one of the remixes below:
eyeonthedollarbywhiterainbow.mp3
Citay – “Eye on the Dollar (Remix by White Rainbow)”
Vetiver has a new limited-edition 12″ single for Tight Knit‘s “More of This,” coming out on Bella Union on November 30th. In addition to a radio mix of “More Of This” and a new song entitled “Slippery”, there’s also this remix by Neighbors, the duo of Vetiver’s Andy Cabic and producer Thom Monahan:
Vetiver-More-Of-This-Neighbors-Remix.mp3
Vetiver – “More Of This (Neighbors Remix)”
Neighbors also have a remix coming out on the b-side of an upcoming Papercuts 7″. More info on that one forthcoming…
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Annie’s Social Club closing at the end of the year
November 13, 2009
Sad news to report today on Friday the 13th from All Shook Down: Annie’s Social Club will be closing her doors on New Years Eve for good. The announcement was originally posted via E-mail to the ever-popular SF Indie List:
Subject: This Weekend at Annie’s Social Club, plus some sad news…
We hate to do this, but there is some sad news we feel its better to deliver directly than to let the rumor mill speculate and distort. After almost four years of bringing you live entertainment, karaoke, booze, and good times, Annie’s Social Club is closing its doors NEW YEARS EVE. We have had a blast partying with you these past few years and will miss each and every one of you, and want to give you enough notice that you can come down at least one more time to have a drink, catch a show, and say hi to us, as, well, you are part of our family…
And, we are not going out silently into that good night, but instead will be raging and partying through the end, so come down, throw some money at us, have a drink, bang your head, lose your voice singing karaoke, and celebrate not mourn…
Over the course of Annie’s nearly four year history The Bay Bridged has been fortunate to see some great shows, review them for the site, and we’ve even had the pleasure of interviewing a few bands in their back room before it turned into Punk Rock Karaoke for the evening. We’re sad to see yet another venue close it’s doors in San Francisco…
