Sacramento/Davis serves punk-heavy lineup @ O:RMF 5/23
May 17, 2010
The ninth annual Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom festival put on by Davis/Sacramento community radio station KDVS 90.3 FM is proclaiming the punk rock ethic this year, mainly with headliners X (Australia) and A-Frames (Seattle). The local support includes Rank/Xerox, Moon Duo and English Singles (Sacramento).
O:RMF 9 takes place this Sunday a few miles out of Davis, at Plainfield Station in Woodland — a roadside BBQ joint with a sprawling back lawn perfect for this all-day festival (12pm, $10).
Moon Duo – “Strumbling 22nd St.”
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Shredification: The Sword returns with Warp Riders
May 16, 2010
The Sword takes a lot of stick in certain quarters of the metal community, mostly for having committed that cardinal indie sin of getting too big, too fast. The Austin, TX band was an overnight sensation thanks to debut LP Age of Winters, which blazed onto the scene full of fuzzy Orange amps, epic, martial lyrics, and titanic, bong-water-rippling riffs. A plum deal with hipper-than-thou NYC label Kemado was the first detail that rankled the ranks of forum-trolling purists, and press photos depicting four fresh-faced youths fresh from Texas’ hippest municipality were ripe for the metal grist mill, which preferred its retro battle-Sabbath performed by grizzled road warriors with paunches and ugly tattoos.
The band was a perspicacious early adopter of Guitar Hero (with “Freya” appearing in Guitar Hero II), and they were quickly able to reach a broader audience, abetted by a high profile tour in support of Metallica, whose drummer, the diminutive Dane Lars Ulrich, declared them his favorite metal band in existence. Nothing gets a close-minded headbanger’s goat like a dilettante at the mall sporting his one and only heavy metal t-shirt – nothing except for Lars Ulrich running his big mouth, that is.
Thankfully, the music cut through all the chattering and posturing. The Sword have never seemed particularly concerned with their lot in the metal life, instead focusing on crafting thunderous anthems of medieval combat and blood-soaked fantasy. 2008′s Gods of the Earth picked up where their first album left off, charging out of the gates with furious aplomb and gratuitous references to George R.R. Martin’s cult series A Song of Ice and Fire. The disc charted at #102 on the Billboard chart, and their star rose even higher.
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Monday: SF MusicTech Summit returns
May 14, 2010
The SF MusicTech Summit brings together visionaries in the music/technology space, along with the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment.
The latest SF MusicTech Summit is Monday, May 17th, and its schedule of panels maintains the high level of quality we’ve come to expect from MusicTech events. If you’re curious what these things are like, or are just looking for an educational way to kill a Friday, you can listen to a wide variety of panels from past summits, on topics like “Studio Production & Mastering” and “Music Metadata.”
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The Shants play debut Oakland show at the New Parish 5/19
May 14, 2010
Last we heard from The Shants, they were opening for Il Gato and embarking on a mini tour of California. Now, the band is scheduled to headline at the New Parish for their Oakland debut this Wednesday, May 19th (8:00 pm, $5/advance, $8/door, 18+).
MyTownIsUnderwater.mp3
The Shants – “My Town is Underwater”
After Wednesday’s show, the Shants will be embarking on a summer tour, and heading back to the studio to record a follow-up to their EP, Russian River Songs.
Calafia and Dave Smallen join the bill, rounding out an evening already steeped in classic folk.
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Video: Lickets on Black Harbor, early Amnesia show tonight
May 14, 2010
The-Lickets-Clairvoyant-Perception-of-the-Unseen-Unicorn.mp3
The Lickets – “Clairvoyant Perception of the Unseen Unicorn”
The Lickets are performing during the early slot tonight at Amnesia (with Aan from Portland) from 7pm until The Lambs, Sean Smith, etc. show starts at 10pm.
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Karina Denike, Ramshackle Romeos at the Rite Spot 5/9
May 13, 2010
Karina Denike has been singing and performing locally and beyond since she fronted the East Bay ska group Dance Hall Crashers in the 1990′s. Since then she has made a name for herself largely as a jazz singer. Her group, The Cottontails featuring legendary horn player Ralph Carney, appears monthly at the Riptide and frequently elsewhere, and she sings with The Bluebells as well. Her playful, utterly guileless delivery and her strong multi-octave voice seem tailor-made for the jazz songbook.
But Denike is also an accomplished songwriter, and for the last two years or so she has been performing a set of her own songs with an unusual combo of backing musicians: James Frazier on baritone guitar (tuned in between a bass and conventional guitar and played like both); Aaron Novik on bass clarinet; Michael McIntosh, also of The Cottontails, on piano; and Eric Garland on drums. Denike herself plays an antique-looking chord organ which, combined with the low strings and reeds, gives a smoky, mysterious tone to the overall sound.
This project puts Denike in the classic pop chanteuse mode, carving out a niche in the narrow space between the indie and traditional music scenes. Despite recent shows above the radar at places like Bottom of the Hill, her home base has been every second Sunday at the Rite Spot, as picturesque a venue as a chanteuse could want.
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Weekend Mix: 5/13-17
May 13, 2010
Thursday: Tempo No Tempo, Fake Drugs, Cosmonauts, Starfucker (DJ Set), oOOoO (DJ Set), Bye Bye Blackbird (DJ Set) (9pm, $5)
Kilometer.mp3
Tempo No Tempo – “Kilometer”
Friday: Lucky Dragons, Eats Tapes @ UC Berkeley Art Museum (7:30pm, $5, more info)
Eats Tapes – Oh Yes You Didn’t (unmastered quick edit) by eatstapes
Saturday: Tortured Genies, Gravid Wives, The Lambs, Sean Smith & the Present Moment @ Amnesia (9pm, $5)
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The Lambs – “In the Streets”
Sunday: Port O’Brien @ Artaud/Z-Space (4pm, free with ticket)
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Port O’Brien – “Oslo Campfire”
Monday: Meta, Stirling Says, Burnt Thumbs @ Bottom of the Hill (9pm, $8)
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Tussle, Javelin, Bronze – Rickshaw Stop 5/6
May 13, 2010
Photos by: Charlie Homo
So, I get it – indie rock/electro duos and trios are multiplying like rabbits dosed up on viagra right now. Sleigh Bells, Matt and Kim, The Bird and the Bee, LA Riots . . . the list goes on. With such a densely populated field you run the gamut from ‘total shit’ to ‘holy shit!’ Â If you wanted to judge two such groups for yourself, the Rickshaw Stop last Thursday was the place to be.
My last visit to Rickshaw was about year ago for the Bay Bridged birthday bash, which was one hell of a bash so I was super stoked to be headed back. I made it in time to catch Bronze’s last few songs and they were one of those bands that nobody has lukewarm feelings for: you either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. I found myself in the former group. They made sure to kick up the vocal reverb and play with the effects knobs to keep the music psychedelic, yet always locked in with a solid beat. I couldn’t help but be entranced with the small effects unit that served as the sole instrument for one member. His warping and bending made me search around for a theremin somewhere onstage, but that was just him being his awesome musical self. The sequinsed remnants of a shirt added to the eye candy of the visuals projected on the rear wall quite nicely.
In a surprise turn of events (at least it was a surprise to me), Javelin was not headlining and instead took the stage second. I had been reading up on previous shows from these guys and I was hoping to see their twenty-boombox amp setup with an FM transmitter broadcasting the audio to a radio station that all ‘boxes would be tuned to. Despite the absence of this musical piece of art (a tear seriously rolled down my face when I came to the realization I would not hear a show via ghetto blasters), Javelin was great.
