Dissecting the Song: Thee Oh Sees – “Warm Slime”
August 13, 2010
It takes a certain brand of chutzpah for a band to tack 11 minutes of spaced-out krautrock onto the end of a 2-minute garage-pop song, and then make that whole 13-minute epic the first track on an album that barely clocks in at half an hour. The conventional wisdom of track ordering says that you front-load a record with your most accessible pop ditties and put your extended psychedelic jams in the back – give people an enticing piece of candy at the beginning in the hope they stick around for the LSD-laced meat you have planned for them later. To convincingly pull it off, it takes a band with a devoted fan base willing to follow them through all of their long-form experimentation – thereby earning the buy-the-ticket-take-the-ride mentality that starting an album off like this implies. Or, it takes a band that simply does not give a shit about their audience’s expectations. In the case of the title track from Warm Slime, the newest full-length by San Francisco garage-rock pioneers Thee Oh Sees, it’s probably a bit of both. In either case, it helps that the whole thing kicks a veritable mountain of ass.
John Dwyer, the band’s front man and principal songwriter, went into recording Warm Slime with the stated goal of recreating the band’s raucous live performances as faithfully as possible. Live, the band is a howling vortex of lo-fi energy that leaves crowds sweaty and spent in its wake. Their recent string of free, Bay Bridged-sponsored, live shows at Serra Bowl in Daly City have been evening-length masters classes in audience destruction.
To capture the electric, anything-can-happen vibe the band projects when they perform, Thee Oh Sees recorded Warm Slime as if they were performing the songs live – tracking the whole thing on an old Tascam 388 eight-track tape machine in one short day of recording with zero overdubs. If they couldn’t perform something live, it didn’t go on the record. The result is seven songs that blend noisy sonic chaos and infectious pop hooks so deftly that any attempt to discern where the former ends and the latter begins is instantly rendered moot.
“I used to work by Club Six,†Dwyer says, “it’s a hip-hop/reggae bar at 6th and Market – a big, airy room with a nice wooden stage, hardwood floors and really high ceilings. I gave them $500 to record in the room for 12 hours.†The bar owners were initially a little reticent and asked if Dwyer and his crew were going to use their unfettered bar access to drink all the booze on the premises. “Well, I’m going to fucking try,†Dwyer joked.
Staying in their hometown to record was a change of pace from their normal routine. The band’s previous few albums saw them recording at John Baccigaluppi’s Hanger Studios. Baccigaluppi, who is also the publisher of the influential recording nerd magazine Tape Op, houses his studio in a relatively isolated industrial section of Sacramento. Other than walking to a Chinese restaurant about a mile away, there’s nothing to do except record music. Usually, the band likes this because it allows them to get away from real life and completely disappear into their music for a few days. But, with this album, they didn’t want to disappear. To accurately represent what they do live, they had to be fully engaged in their normal lives – as drunk and distracted as they are when they play shows. “Club Six was great because I could walk out the door and buy crack or a taco,†Dwyer says with a laugh, “but there are so many distractions, which is why we only spent one day there. There’s no way we could have spent a week at 6th and Market. I love it over there and I worked that area for ages, but it’s such a nightmare – police sirens and shit, but in Sacramento it’s just crickets.â€
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The Fresh & Onlys prep ‘Play It Strange’ plus fall tour with Clinic
August 13, 2010
The Fresh & Onlys have announced the official release of their third record, entitled Play it Strange. The album comes out on October 12th via In the Red.
The Fresh & Onlys – “Second One to Know” [from "Second One to Know" 7" release]
To support the new album, the Fresh & Onlys have lined up a fall tour, mostly supporting Clinic. However, the band’s two local shows will be supporting Vetiver and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: at the Independent on 9/05/10 (8:00 pm, $15) and at Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz on 9/28/10 (8:30 pm, $15), respectively.
All tour dates and Play it Strange track list after the jump: [More...]
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Audio Visual – local music meets fashion with The Ian Fays
August 13, 2010
Audio Visual is a series exploring the fashion choices of local musicians. The Bay Area music scene is nothing if not diverse and this noncomformity is as evident in clothing as it is in music. With this in mind, Audio Visual strives to analyze the connection between the sartorial choices of musicians and their work.
The Ian Fays play sweetly charming indie pop with a tinge of nostalgic melancholy. The female trio’s approach to dressing is anything but melancholic. Sara, Lizz and Lena wear coordinated, themed clothing to every show they play. Themes run the gamut from holiday to Mondrian.
What do you think about when you get dressed for a show?
Lizz: Well, we pick a theme. We pick three themes, right? We all wanna do one?
Lena: We have a set twelve themes. Usually, we all kind of concur that we have those dresses.
Lizz: For example tonight was either Valentines sparkle red-pink or black and white. So we did black and white but we spiced it up with pink tights.
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New 7″ releases from the Sandwitches and the Splinters on Southpaw
August 12, 2010
Gorilla vs. Bear reports a duo of 7″ single releases on Southpaw Records – The Sandwitches‘ “Makes Me Sick” and the Splinters‘ “Blood on my Hands.”
The Sandwitches – “Makes Me Sick”
The Splinters – “Blood on my Hands”
The releases are available for a limited time, with 500 total and the first 100 on color vinyl. The singles will also be available for purchase on Wednesday, August 18th at Bottom of the Hill, where the two bands will be opening for Austin’s Woven Bones (9:00 pm, $10, 21+, presented by KALX).
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Backseat Beat, Episode 2: Camp Out
August 12, 2010
Backseat Beat is a video series highlighting indie musicians and the city by the Bay. Armed with Flip cameras, we interview bands in the back seat of our ’83 Volvo as we spirit them away to unexpected, forgotten corners of San Francisco, where they plug in outdoors to play a few tunes. Each band’s performance transforms these urban spots from their anonymous day to day existence into surreal, magical backdrops.
In episode 2 of Backseat Beat, we get up close and personal with Camp Out. Eschewing extra band members to keep things simple, Maddy Hanks and Jackie Law take multitasking to another level, and watching them play is just as much fun as listening to their music. Hanks takes care of vocals, guitar and a loop station, while Law holds it down on drums (she had a drum machine for today’s shoot), keys, and backing vocals. Notice that Law’s keyboard stand is actually a snowboard, a tool she uses for all of their gigs.


During our shoot on a somewhat busy stretch lined with old warehouses in the Dogpatch neighborhood, Camp Out had an audience of nosy onlookers passing by in cars, and on skateboards. Their infectious, 80′s inflected electro-pop perfectly matched the setting, the beats bouncing off the bricks and broken windows.
Camp Out’s new album Closer is out now on Swordfish Records.
Credits
Backseat Beat
backseatbeat.net
Created by Brad Robertson
Produced by Brad Robertson & Dana Goldberg
Hosted by Jasmine Blocker
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Disgust of Us, Rademacher, Santiago play Sub-Mission Art Space 8/13/10
August 11, 2010
As opposed to waking up one day and emailing out embed codes, Disgust of Us have planned a premiere party for their new video, featuring performances and an unveiling of the actual “Skin and Bones” video in a communal art space.
The premiere will take place at SUB-Mission on Friday, August 13th (8:00 pm), with performances by Disgust of Us, Rademacher, and Santiago. There will be art on display, plus food and drink to imbibe.
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Kelley Stoltz – “I Don’t Get That”
August 11, 2010
Kelley Stoltz – “I Don’t Get That”
From Kelley Stoltz‘s latest record, To Dreamers, out on October 12th on Sub Pop.
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Devotionals (Podcast #226)
August 11, 2010
This week’s podcast profiles Devotionals, a San Francisco band combining the talents of Tyson Vogel (Two Gallants) and Anton Patzner (Judgement Day). If you’ve only seen Vogel behind a drum kit with the Gallants, you might be surprised to see him finger-picking through a series of mostly instrumental folk-rock compositions, aided by Anton’s violin and some guest contributors. The songs on Devotionals, out now on Alive Records, are restrained, measured works that unfold into spacious mini-epics. It is not uncommon to use the term “soundtrack music” to favorably describe instrumental songs; by channeling a well-considered balance of thought and emotion, Devotionals have made a fully realized record that works as both the soundtrack and the film itself.
We sat down with Tyson, Anton, and new band member Emily Ritz recently to discuss the origins of Devotionals and their debut album. We’ve also included four songs from Devotionals in the episode.
Upcoming Shows:
After their album release show last week, Devotionals don’t have any shows currently scheduled.
Links:
- Visit Devotionals on Facebook and MySpace.
- Devotionals is available now from Alive Records, and on iTunes.
- Check out the band’s session for One Night Music.
