Noise Pop Film Festival 2010: Downtown Calling
February 28, 2010
A standing-room-only crowd settled in for Downtown Calling Friday, filling ATA’s small space with a quiet symphony of claustrophobic rustling. Notwithstanding a glaring projection hiccup, the film — director Shan Nicholson’s first — was a smashing success, effectively capturing the vibrant, boundary-exploding club scene in 1980′s New York City.
Narrated by Debbie Harry, and featuring appearances from an ever-expanding cast of characters that include Fab Five Freddy and former NYC mayor Ed Koch, Nicholson’s documentary chronicles an oft over-looked epoch in the Big Apple’s fertile cultural life — a span of time located roughly between the invention of punk rock and hip hop and the arrival of AIDS and crack cocaine. Before it was Giuilianified, the dysfunctional, crime-ridden New York of the late 70′s was host to an outpouring of interdisciplinary, cross-pollinating creativity. Artistic movements like the rise of graffiti coexisted with the development of New Wave and Electro music, and the hipsters of the time gathered in friendly, gleeful nightclubs (some with lockers to hold changes of clothes) to dance the night away and bask in the left-brained majesty of their contemporaries.
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Rogue Wave Mini-Movie Premiere: “We Will Make A Song Destroy”
February 28, 2010
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Rogue Wave‘s show last Wednesday night was a reminder of how beloved the band is in the Bay Area indie music community, as the fans and friends that packed Bottom of the Hill responded with roaring enthusiasm to songs from the band’s new album, Permalight. In addition to introducing the crowd to some winning new indie pop gems, the sneak preview of new songs also put to rest any fears that Permalight‘s use of electronic sounds would stifle the band’s engaging warmth. Or, as Rogue himself dryly quipped after one song, “We’re so dancey.”
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Rogue Wave – “Solitary Gun”
If you want to check out Permalight for yourself, head on over to Pandora, where you can hear tracks from the album before it comes out this Tuesday. Additionally, Rogue Wave have created a series of mini-movies for the new songs, and we’re happy to premiere the video for “We Will Make A Song Destroy” above. You can follow all of the mini-movies over at the band’s web site.
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Noise Pop 2010: Sunday Preview
February 27, 2010
After the cavalcade of Noise Pop offerings on Saturday night, Sunday’s got just two shows and handful of films.
Bottom of the Hill features an afternoon show with locals Dizzy Balloon. They’ll be joined by a trio of indie rock bands from around the US: Michigan’s The Hounds Below, Seattle’s Visqueen, and Wisconsin’s Laarks.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros‘ Noise Pop closing show at Bimbo’s sold out super quickly, but looks like there are some tickets available on Craigslist if you’re willing to pay a steep price. If you are going, be sure to arrive early for locals AB & The Sea and The Northern Key.
All My Friends Are Funeral Singers Trailer from Califone on Vimeo.
On the film front, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is a feature film from writer/director Tim Rutili, also of the band Califone, who released the companion soundtrack album last year. Over at the Mezzanine, there’s a sneak preview of a documentary about the Magnetic Fields that’s premiering at SXSW in March. Merritt and bandmate Claudia Gonson are expected to attend a Q-and-A session after the screening.
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The Bay Bridged Presents: Noise Pop Happy Hour with Hunx and His Punx, Spencey Dude and the Doodles, Weekend TONIGHT!
February 26, 2010
Poster Art by Jared Silbert
We’ve been somewhat absent on the live events side of things lately, but it’s not for a lack of irons in fires (or pots on stovetops, or, you get the idea). In any event, before our big South by Southwest shindig in March, we’re hosting a free happy hour show during Noise Pop. It’s a great all-local lineup that’s guaranteed to be a ton of fun.
The Bay Bridged Presents:
A Noise Pop Happy Hour featuring performances by
Hunx and His Punx
Spencey Dude and the Doodles
Weekend
Friday, February 26, 2010
Bender’s
5-8pm, FREE, 21+ (Space is limited so get there early)
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Hunx and His Punx – “U Don’t Like Rock N Roll”
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Spencey Dude & The Doodles – “Flirting”
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Weekend – “Youth Haunts”
About the bands:
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Noise Pop 2010: The Dodos & Magik Magik Orchestra @ Palace of Fine Arts
February 26, 2010
Photos by: Charlie Homo
Everyone loves a homegrown success story. And whether you caught The Dodos‘ Meric Long as a fledgling picker, shoegazing through bangs and armed with loop pedals and two microphones (one always bleeding reverb nearly at ear’s might) at Hotel Utah, the Make-Out Room or a myriad of other intimate venues dotted around the Bay Area, it’s now simply fodder for the nostalgic among us. For most of Thursday evening’s grand production at the Palace of Fine Arts, Meric himself seemed in awe of just how far he and his musical comrades have (well deservedly) come.
Being a virgin to the PFA concert series, and feeling a bit like a deer in the headlights in the lobby among a smattering of “date night” attendees, I settled in quickly with a moderately-priced IPA and a piece of cellophane pound cake, hunkering down into the dusty velvet seats of high school auditorium lore. To its credit, the Palace’s fine acoustics were immediately apparent, as the night began with a series of quasi-experimental compositions featuring a cellist and percussionist from The Magik Magik Orchestra, and even a surprise vocal guest appearance by local music sage, John Vanderslice.
The Dodos’ first set (sans orchestra) resurrected some of the finer tunes of their older catalog, like “The Ball” and “Trades & Tariffs”, from the oft overlooked debut, Beware of the Maniacs. An unlikely combination of virtuosic fingerpicking interludes and vague Morrissey affectations still permeate this material, and yes, this is a good thing. You know what’s also a good thing? Seeing The Dodos in the summer, outdoors at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur absolutely losing their shit on stage in some kind of cosmic El Niño coastal breeze frenzy. Too good of a thing — just to contextualize my last experience at hand.
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Noise Pop 2010: Citay, Scout Niblett, Greg Ashley, Tape Deck Mountain @ Cafe du Nord
February 26, 2010
Photos by: Nicole Browner
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Tape Deck Mountain – “Scantrons”
As I walked up Market Street to Cafe du Nord, I could hear these brooding tunes emanating from underground and couldn’t help but think how perfectly the music of Tape Deck Mountain fit with the almost vampiric ambiance of du Nord’s crimson-soaked lighting and walls. While it was the brooding tunes I heard on my way in, TDM switched things up a bit in their set, playing a few tracks off their Scantrons 7″. Things really got kicked up a notch for these songs and showed the brilliance of their drummer. While the bassist and guitarist both left a mark on the crowd, it was the drummer that really brought everything together. Kind of like a Lebowski rug.
Greg Ashley’s performance was a bit of a curve ball. I hadn’t heard him before, but with a background in classical and flamenco guitar, I was more than pleasantly surprised. Alone on stage with just his guitar, he split his time between a Les Paul with just enough distortion to give it some “umph” without losing the notes themselves, and a humbly beautiful nylon string instrument. Ashley frequently brought in touches of spaghetti western soundtracks, making me believe he should have been the first choice to score both of the Kill Bill films. He is a man of few words and only opened his mouth for the first time on his last song — the sole piece with lyrics.
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Noise Pop 2010: Zee Avi, The Hot Toddies, Leslie and the Badgers, Tiny Television @ Rickshaw Stop
February 26, 2010
Review and Photos by: Nic Buron
One of the many strengths of the Noise Pop Festival is its ability to bring together such solid and eclectic bills. Of course tonight’s show was no exception.
Show opener Tiny Television is a San Francisco band (by way of Denver, Colorado), that prove difficult to describe. Their sound is so familiar, but feels undeniably new: think hard charging, dark Americana, but with something that you just can’t put your finger on. Tonight they played as a six-piece: two guitars, bass, drums, pedal steel, and a back-up singer flown in from Denver. Striking three-part harmonies, depth charge drumming, and masterful pedal steel. They played hard and with real emotion which was rewarded with a response you don’t frequently see for a band opening a show.
Following Tiny Television was L.A. foursome, Leslie and the Badgers. Leader of the band, Leslie, professed a affinity for the Rickshaw Stop, and explained that their first out-of-town gig (and their third show ever) was right here. Although their set was plagued with technical problems, it didn’t slow them down at all. The Badgers’ sound has elements of traditional folk and 60’s era Nashville country, but with a beefed up rhythm section. They too had a pedal steel, and a decidedly shiner one at that. Leslie has the country twang down, but snuck in a little rock and folk too, and the band’s set ended in a raucous manner that caused several audience members to shout out “one moreâ€.
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Noise Pop 2010: Saturday Preview
February 26, 2010
Saturday is Noise Pop’s busiest day, with more events than you can shake a stick at (and who shakes sticks anyways?). Before even getting to the nighttime stuff, three daytime events are all worth noting. Fans of independent crafts and design should swing by the free Pop and Shop at the Verdi Club, while aspiring moguls and music tech geeks should head over to Industry Noise for panels about the state of indie music and networking opportunities galore.
If you go to either, though, I’d plan to head out in time to make it to the Brooklyn Vegan-presented Happy Hour at Bender’s (4pm, Free) with Odawas, The Baths and That Ghost. Odawas were really great at Du Nord recently, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to catch the other two before all three bands head to South by Southwest in March.
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That Ghost – “Your Backs”
Amidst the justified hype surrounding some of the other big names at Noise Pop this year, are people sleeping on !!!‘s Saturday night show at the Mezzanine? It’s the band’s latest homecoming show (with apologies to Sacramento), in anticipation of a new full length this year. Nic Offer, um, offered some hints about the new record’s direction in this Pitchfork interview last December. The show’s also the 7″ release party for Maus Haus, who seem to have spent the time since their debut record further upping the ante on prog-pop craftsmanship. Sugar & Gold and My First Earthquake open the show.
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Maus Haus – “Winter”
Over at the Rickshaw Stop (8pm, $14), Portland’s Black Prairie play their first live show ever. Headlining a Noise Pop show is something of an auspicious debut, but it’s not like these guys haven’t performed before: three-fifths of the band are also members of The Decemberists. Joining them at the Rickshaw are three sets of locals: country-punks Trainwreck Riders, indie poppers Billy & Dolly, and Birds Fled From Me. BFFM shares the “familiar face/different band” quality of the headliners. It’s the solo project of Rachel Williams, who also sings in Sleepy Sun.
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Trainwreck Riders – “Safety of a Back”
Also of note on Saturday:
- The Magnetic Fields at the Fox Theater. The band’s Herbst show is sold out, so here’s your only other chance to catch the band on its Realism-supporting tour.
- Fans of indie singer-songwriters have a tough choice to make, with Thao Nguyen and Mirah playing a special duo show at the Swedish American Hall, and Mark Kozelek playing solo at the Great American Music Hall.
- Local indie-prog band P.E.E. reunite for a show at Cafe Du Nord. The band released two albums in the late 1990s, the second of which was actually the first release on Absolutely Kosher Records.
