Thursday:

- Pete Bernhard (Davis), Emily Jane White and Conspiracy of Venus at Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $8.

- Dexter Romweber Duo (NC), Sassy and The Touch-me-nots at Thee Parkside. 9pm, $10.

- Wiretap Music Presents: Covers Compilation CD Release Party with: The Lovely Public, Battlehooch and Schande at Cafe Du Nord. 9pm, $10.

Friday:

- SMILE presents: Bart Davenport, Miranda Lee Richards (LA) and Trust (cd release) at The Knockout. 9pm, $5.

- The Dashing Sons, Sister Grizzly, Grand Lake and Rad Cloud at The Uptown. 9pm, $8.

- Kelley Stoltz, Sonny Smith, Billy Kernkamp (LA) and Barrett Johnson (LA) at Hotel Utah. 9pm, $8/10.

Saturday:

- New and Used Records Presents: Birds & Batteries, The Flying Tourbillion Orchestra (LA) and French Miami at El Rio. 9pm, $7.

- Golden West Service, Tall Tales (LA), Seth Petterse, Land n Sea (LA) and Pale Hoarse at Li Po Lounge (916 Grant Ave). 8pm, $5.

Sunday:

- Mecca Normal (Vancouver) and Pillows at Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, $7.

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The Lovely Public – “Japanese Candy” (Little Teeth)

Check out this great review at The Deli SF to get an idea of what you’re in for, and then go buy the CD to support your local music publications.

wtm_tlp.mp3
Chairman WOW – “Only Baby Sharks”

You can get the CDs in physical form at the show for just $5 (normally $10), or download it in digital form from Howell’s Transmitter starting on April 14. You can also order the physical copy from Wiretap’s website. The show is at 9pm and costs $10.

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Sugar and Gold – “Slice me Nice”

SF Indie Mart will also be on scene, doing free screen printing if you bring in a blank shirt. So, get their early to take advantage of the free stuff! Doors open at 8pm and there is a $5 cover. RSVP to get free beer by sending an email to rsvp@brokeassstuart.com.

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The term “chamber pop” seems to be coming up a lot to describe Loch Lomond, but the rich textures created by this seven-piece band form a weave of different styles in a way that goes far beyond the scope of those two words. The band mixes guitars, bass, keyboard and drums with gossamer vocal harmonies, banjo, mandolin, viola, clarinet and vibes. As if the symphonies created by so many instruments wasn’t enough, lead singer Richie Young’s vocals can sound like at least 4 different people, from deep and resonant to high and nasal and everything in between.

It’s clear that the experiences each member brings to the band are folded into the music, which give it both an edge and a lot of heart. Conquering the ultimate challenge of the large band, Loch Lomond’s recordings as well as their live shows do not sound overcrowded, and every instrument has a necessary and elemental purpose.

If you’d like to see this great group from Portland on Monday, send an email to contest[at]thebaybridged.com and tell us your favorite Loch Lomond song. We will choose a winner at random and notify you on Friday, April 10. The show is with another fantastic Portland band, Blind Pilot. The show starts at 9:30pm and costs $12.

In the meantime, the band has released a beautiful new video for their song “Blue Lead Fences,” directed by Alicia J. Rose. Enjoy:

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laydownyourweapons.mp3
Scissors for Lefty – “Lay Down Your Weapons” from Underhanded Romance

Doors open early at 6pm so you can take advantage of the $2 Pabst. The show starts at 9pm and there’s no cover!

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As a part of the San Francisco International Film Festival, Kabuki Theatre will be showing three screenings of “D-Tour,” a film about Rogue Wave Drummer Pat Spurgeon’s ongoing struggle with kidney problems, and his agonizing wait for a kidney donor. This film promises to be both heartwrenching and inspiring, and obviously has a strong Bay Area tie. More details here.

Here are the showtimes for this 99-minute film:

Friday, May 1 at 9 pm
Monday, May 4 at 3:15 pm
Thursday, May 7 at 5:15 pm

After the 5/1 screening, there will be a Q&A with filmmaker Jim Granato and Pat, and may also include a short set by Rogue Wave.

Tickets go on sale today. Get them at the SFIFF website.

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- Greg Ashley, No One & the Nobodies (cd release) and The Butterfly Bones at Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $8.

- White Denim (TX), Lemon Sun (LA), Amateurs and Music For Animals at Bottom of the Hill. 9:30 pm, $10, all ages.

Friday:

- The Music Lovers and This Union Shuttle at Make-Out Room. 7:30-9:30pm, $7.

- KALX Presents: Jeremy Jay, Maus Haus (closing set) and The Mantles at Cafe du Nord. 9:30pm, $10.

Saturday:

- Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound (cd release), Hot Lunch and Pins Of Light at El Rio. 9pm, $7.

- The Heavenly States, The Federalists, and Somehow at Sea at The Uptown. 9pm, $12.

Sunday:

What’s going on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!

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The amazing local bill includes Jake Mann (solo electric), Ash Reiter and Roy G Biv and The Mnemonic Devices. The show is hosted by Senator Mark Leno of SF, Eva Royale of the Cesar Chavez Holiday Committee, Michelle Darby of Stop the Spray San Francisco and more.

You can reserve your advance tickets online here for $25 suggested donation. It’s a worthy cause and the entertainment will be very worth it. The event starts at 7pm. Visit Pesticide Watch’s website for more details.

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Thursday:

- Thee OhSees, Grant Hart (MN), Eat Skull (Portland) and The Fresh and Onlys at The Eagle. 9pm, $?.

- Trainwreck Riders, Wildildlife (Seattle) and Ovens at Kimo’s. 9pm, $?.

Friday:

- Starfucker (Portland), Grand Lake (cd release), Man/Miracle and Guidance Counselor (Portland) at Lobot Gallery. 8pm, $5.

- Scissors for Lefty, The Hot Toddies and Song of the Siren at Red Devil Lounge. 9pm, $12.

- No Kids (Vancouver), Parenthetical Girls (Portland) and Social Studies at Cafe Du Nord. 9pm, $10.

- The Botticellis, Winters Fall and Belly of the Whale at Starry Plough. 9pm, $10.

- Marnie Stern (NY), Citay and Beep Beep (Omaha) at Bottom of the Hill. 10pm, $10 adv/$12 door.

Saturday:

- Or, The Whale, The Flagpoles and Strix Vega at Starry Plough. 9, $10.

- Monotonix (Israel), Triclops! and Lumerians at Elbo Room. 9pm, $10.50  adv/$13 door.

- Starfucker (Portland), Grand Lake and Guidance Counselor (Portland) at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $8.

- Earthless (SD), Wooden Shjips and Eyes at Cafe Du Nord. 9:30pm, $10.

Sunday:

- Western Family Orchestra, Paula Frazer and Two Sheds at Make-Out Room. 8pm, $?.

- Mister Loveless (7″ release), The Soft White Sixties, Isabellas and Photons at Blake’s. 7 pm, $8-10, all ages.

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Making both sides of the Bay Area happy, Grand Lake will play shows in both Oakland and San Francisco this weekend to celebrate the release of their new record. Friday’s show in Oakland is the official release party at LoBot, with Starfucker, Guidance Counselor, What’s Up (all from Portland) and Man/Miracle. Saturday they play at The Hemlock with Starfucker and Guidance Counselor.

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Grand Lake – “Nevermint”

Grand Lake is the project of ex-Port O’Brien bassist Caleb Nichols, with long-time friend Jameson Swanagon on guitar, Ryan Parks on drums and Erika Pipkin on keys and vocals. The new album is called Nevermint, and is released on 500 Records and is available in the Bay Area and on the Internets as of yesterday.

Grand Lake’s music has been described as “minimalist indie pop.” With Swanagon having studied contemporary improvisation, many of the songs feature intricate and slightly dissonant guitar parts, accompanied by light drums and Nichols’ smooth and punctuated vocals. Soft harmonies and keyboards drift in and out, adding just the right amount to the already sparse but striking arrangements.

Check out their new video for “Concrete Blonde on Blonde”:

Concrete Blonde On Blonde from Joe Golling on Vimeo.

Rounding out a crazy week of shows, Grand Lake will also be playing a free show at Amoeba Berkeley on Thursday at 6pm. And if you’re in the mood for something more free-form and more relaxed, head over to BlueSix next Saturday, April 4 for a night of improv and tunes with Swanagon, Nichols and Jacob Rex Zimmerman on sax. That show starts at 9 and is $5.

Thursday’s LoBot show is $5 and starts at 9pm (plus Nevermint will be on sale that night so you can pick one up!). Friday’s Hemlock show starts at 9:30 and is $8.

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To mark their departure on a two-month tour with Mates of State and Dredg (respectively), Judgement Day will play a show tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 24 at BlueSix in the Mission in SF.

Bluesix is beginning to hold a few more shows these days, and the small, personal nature of the venue should make for a fascinating performance by these Bay Area string metal heads. They will be joined by Foxtails Brigade and Devotionals, which is a side project of Anton Patzner and Tyson Vogel of Two Gallants.

The show is just $5 and starts at 8pm. If you haven’t seen these guys live yet, now’s your chance. You won’t regret it.

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Oakland’s beloved Hot Toddies will be embarking on a tour of the UK in April, which kicks off with a show right here, at the Red Devil Lounge this Friday.

For those of you UK readers, here’s the full tour schedule:

4/2 – Latest Bar (formerly Joogleberry), Brighton
4/3 – The Lexington, London
4/4 – Edge of the Wedge – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
4/5 – The Phoenix, Exeter
4/6 – Mother’s Ruin, Bristol
4/7 – Bar Fresa, Liverpool
4/8 – Mad Ferret, Preston
4/9 – The Cellar, Oxford
4/10 – The Met Lounge, Peterborough

When they return, they’ll play a show at Nickel City in San Jose on April 24. If you haven’t heard The Hot Toddies, you’re in for a treat. These four women play uber-catchy retro pop with fantastic vocal unisons and harmonies that make for a dancey, fun album (Smell the Mitten) and show. Don’t miss them if they’re coming your way.

There’s a really fun interview posted with the Toddies on Converse Music UK about their upcoming tour. Check it out. Their show this Friday is with Scissors for Lefty and Song of the Siren. Show starts at 9pm and costs $12.

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San Francisco’s Company Car will celebrate the release of their new album at Bottom of the Hill this Saturday, March 21. Company Car has been satisfying the Bay Area’s craving for quality indie-punk-rock for years. The new music has all the classic elements, plus a few punctuated harmonies and some more melodic ballads.

They’re playing with two other great local bands, The Trophy Fire and Overview, as well as LA’s Max and the Marginalized. The show starts at 9pm and costs $10.

Here’s a cute little preview montage they made for the occasion:

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Thursday:

- Hell on Heels tour, featuring: Von Iva, Semi Precious Weapons (Bklyn) and Killola (LA) at Red Devil Lounge. 9pm, $12.

- Viva Voce (Portland), Rafter (SD) and We Is Shore Dedicated (cd release) at Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $10 adv/$12 door.

- Say Hi (Seattle), Telekinesis (Seattle), Built For The Sea and Anderson (Amsterdam) at Bottom of the Hill. 8:30 pm, $12, all ages.

- The Have Mercys, Schande and The Pickup Pattern at The Uptown. 9pm, free.

- Bitesize, Ex-Boyfriends and Control-R at The Eagle. 9pm, $?.

- The Union Trade, The Pack AD (BC) and Winter’s Fall at Retox Lounge. 9pm, $5.

Friday:

- My Disco (Australia), Hawnay Troof and Jonesin’ at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

Saturday:

- Bay Area Girls Rock Camp presents: The After-School Program Showcase, followed by a screening of “Girls Rock! The Movie” at Bottom of the Hill. 1:30pm, $8, all ages.

- Great Northern, O + S and Kid Mud at Hotel Utah. 9pm, $10.

- Low Flying Owls, Make Me and special guests at The Uptown. 9pm, $8.

- Schlong (Albany), Triclops! and Future Interrupt at El Rio. 9pm, $7.

Sunday:

- Moggs (Petaluma), Ferocious Eagle (Portland) and Shimomitsu at Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, $6.

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It’s a tough time for record stores and music vendors of all kinds. And that’s what makes events like KUSF’s Rock-n-Swap so awesome! Rock-n-Swap is one of the biggest regularly held music swaps in California. You can find all kinds of musical treasures, from vinyl, CDs, DVDs, posters, books, paraphernalia and more.

Proceeds benefit San Francisco’s non-commercial radio station, KUSF 90.3fm. The event takes place this Sunday, March 8 at the USF campus in McLaren Hall. Check out the website for a map and directions. USF students get in for free, otherwise general admission is $3, and hours are from 10am to 3pm. Or you can choose to get to the good stuff first, and pay for the early bird special, which is $20 and runs from 6am to 10am.

It’s a great event, benefiting a fantastic alternative radio station, so check it out!

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After Noise Pop, we know you’re fully addicted. Get your fix this weekend with some great local music offerings. You can hear clips in our streaming audio player.

Thursday:

- Vir, Solar Powered People (Modesto) and Sleepnoise (Sacto) at the Knockout. 9pm, $5.

- KSCU Presents: Har Mar Superstar (LA), The New Trust and The Limousines plus DJ Sets by: K-Von and J.J. Staples at Rickshaw Stop. 9pm, $12, all ages.

Friday:

- The Moore Brothers and Dreamdate at Make-Out Room. 7:30-9:30pm, $7.

- Music For Animals, Punchface and Picture Me Broken at Bottom of the Hill. 8:30 pm, $10, all ages.

- Akron/Family (PA) and Citay at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $15 (sold out).

Saturday:

- 20 Minute Loop, French Miami and Silian Rail at The Uptown. 9pm, $12.

Sunday:

- A B & the Sea and Marcy Playground (MN) at Red Devil Lounge. 8pm, $20.

- Akron/Family (PA) and Howlin Rain (acoustic) at Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, $15 (sold out).

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For musical selections, the event will feature Velvet Underground cover band Nihilist Outlook and Grace and VU-inspired Exploding Plastic Amoeba.

The art show will consist of local artists Lori Katz, Billy Sprague and Russell Quan, whose styles range from nature paintings to sound installations. Check out the Amoeba page for full bios. And the film event will be a screening of 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, which we recently previewed.

The event takes place at 1343 Powell St. in Emeryville. It runs from 6pm-11pm, is all ages and free. You can choose to purchase a food and beverage sampling from local businesses for $10 to benefit Pro Arts. If you dress in 1960s attire, you’ll be eligible for a prize!

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The festival is a partnership between Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Productions , Starr Hill Presents (the two latter also do Tennessee’s famous Bonnaroo festival) and the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department.

The lineup of bands should be announced in the next few weeks, and we’ll keep you posted. Last year’s festival was headlined by Radiohead, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Jack Johnson, and also featured Beck, Wilco, Ben Harper, Primus, Cake, Cold War Kids and many more. Check out their website for more details.

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L’Avventura – “Rocket Sue”

Each week, L’Avventura will be joined by a different musical guest, for an evening of “melodic retro/futurist popmusic,” in an intimate setting. The events are free and all-ages.

L’Avventura plays a unique and soothing brand of rock music, pulled together by the relaxed vocals of Jeff Davis. Their new album Your Star Was Shining is available for free download through April 30 at lavventuramusic.com.

Here are the dates of the shows, all at 33 Revolutions unless otherwise noted:

Tues., March 10, 9-10pm (*at Thee Parkside)
Tues., March 17, 7-9 pm
Tues., March 24, 7-9 pm
Tues., March 31, 7-9 pm

Fri., April 10, 8-10 pm
Fri., April 17, 8-10 pm
Fri., April 24, 8-10 pm

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It will be sad to see Noise Pop end, but they will indeed go out with a bang.

Two shows punctuate Sunday’s Noise Pop festival. At 1pm, No Age (LA) will headline a show at Bottom of the Hill with White Circle Crime Club (Belgium), Infinite Body (LA) and Veil Veil Vanish. No Age plays a raucous and infecting type of power-punk that’s quite naturally produced in LA. If you want education about the more esoteric aspects of punk, check out this show, as they may soon be the master’s. $12.

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No Age – “Teen Creeps”

The last hurrah will take place at the Mezzanine with New York’s Les Savy Fav, The Mae Shi (LA) and The Drums. Since 1995, Les Savy Fav have charmed audiences with their post rock tunes and on-stage shenanigans. They make out-there rock songs that are somehow totally listenable and danceable. Don’t miss this unique performance. 8pm. $20.

lessavyfav_whatwouldwolvesdo.mp3
Les Savy Fav = “What Would Wolves Do?”

Artist’s Television Access will also host two more films at 2pm and 4:15pm, for $9 each. “Loki” is a biography of Brazil’s Arnaldo Baptista, lead singer of Os Mutantes. And “Nightflight: Born Again” is a 90-minute mix of rock concert footage and art film of 80s counter-culture. Read more details at Noise Pop’s film page.

Until next year.

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Tomorrow is the last full day of Noise Pop, and it’s a duesy. But before you start your night of shows, head over to the Pop N’ Shop at The Verdi Club. This awesome independent design fair has become one or Noise Pop’s coveted non-music events, and includes designers and artists selling clothing, jewelry, posters and more. It takes place from 12pm-4pm and is free!

Saturday will also feature a couple of matinee shows, one of which is at Bottom of the Hill with The Matches, Dizzy Balloon and Ex-Boyfriends. Oakland’s The Matches are guaranteed to put on a fun show with their brand of pop-punk:

The_Matches-Wake_the_Sun.mp3
The Matches – “Wake the Sun”

As night breaks, you’ve got some fantastic options. The Independent will host New York’s self-proclaimed “New Pornographers on acid,” AC Newman. He plays with Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele (MS), Devon Williams (LA) and City Light (Seattle). This feels like a rare line-up for the Bay Area — a great grouping of some of indie rock’s up-and-coming bands. 8pm, $15.

01_acnewman_ThereAreMaybeTenOrTwelve.mp3
AC Newman – “There are Maybe Ten or Twelve”

Cafe Du Nord also has a fantastic lineup with Portugal. The Man, Girls, Love is Chemicals and Agent Ribbons. Portugal. The Man playes a unique breed of indie with plenty of synth sounds and noises, and various vocals overdubbed and effected to their heart’s desire. 9pm, $13. For the full night’s schedule, head over to Noise Pop’s website.

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I’ve yet to see a bad show at the Great American Music Hall. And last night was no exception. The show that sold out so early in the game was well worth any extra effort to push your way into the crowd or burrow for a ticket on Craigslist. The audience was a bit different than some other Noise Pop events – perhaps slightly older, with more glasses of white wine floating around than plastic cups of beer.

First up was Tiny Television. This intimate performance featured just guitar, vocals and slide guitar, and was perfect in its arrangement. The strained vocals with a faux southern accent was the antithesis of the delicate, immaculate slide guitar playing, which really made the performance an experience. The references to San Francisco brought a familiarity to a genre of music that one doesn’t think of as characteristically from here (even if the references were to 16th street and crack cocain). This lovely performance made the band’s twangy MySpace songs into light, personal tunes and it was just delightful.

Dave Smallen of Oakland was on next. After thinking that it was incredibly balsy to come out 1) all alone with wild, excited eyes and a huge smile, and 2) to start with a Leonard Cohen cover, I was impressed throughout his entire set. Had I resigned to truly caring about my ears last night, I would have been popping my earplugs in and out every few minutes, as Smallen’s use of dynamics is extreme and breathtaking. His simply, tinny guitar rides smoothly underneath his passionate singing. His raw, city-centric lyrics complimented his changes in mood. And the performance reminded me of some of my favorite old Bossa nova recordings, where the performers would laugh mid-song because they were having so much fun. I hope to hear much more from this guy.

As Laura Gibson took the stage (the epitome of “cute” in her Dutch pigtails and little printed dress), the dynamic of the crowd changed. And while it felt like many had been anticipating this set, it was still unfortunately very hard to hear her soft, delicate songs over the din of chatter. But she took it well, and played an incredible set that caused everyone around me to say they were getting her record at the end of the night. But men accompanying her had myriad instruments at his side – melodica, banjo, castanets, accordion, saw – and each was playing his respective half of the drum set. The sounds that were created mixed with Gibson’s angelic voice and soft lyrics was just beautiful. Her set was the highlight of the show for me.

And finally it was time for Josh Ritter. Now, the chatter of the crowd ceased and was replaced with yells, hoos and haws, and “I love you”s from the enamored women of the crowd. I almost felt like Davy Jones had just come on stage with all the screaming and reciprocal ear-to-ear smiles from Ritter. He was all decked out in a snazzy black suit, and his string quartet for the night was equally outfitted. He started the set alone, to a tune the audience already recognized. And as the string quartet came in, the energy grew. The strings would ebb and flow with the music, coming to the forefront of the sound and then backing off to hover beneath Ritter’s guitar. And while the stark faces of the string players initially reminded me of how classical violin training took the joy out of music for me, they thankfully seemed like they were having fun by the end.

The audience went crazy for the more upbeat songs – the floor shook as people hopped up and down, singing the lyrics at the top of their lungs. For everyone involved, even those who weren’t die-hard fans, it was a rare event to see such a performer with string quartet accompaniment. I really hope he does it again.

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I love San Francisco. But I have a candid confession to make. Sometimes I get really mad at San Francisco audiences. Whether it’s standing stolid before the dancy-est band that’s ever come through town or talking as loud as possible while standing in the very front of the floor, I’ve seen them all. And maybe that’s not characteristic of San Francisco per se, but it’s frustrating.

As the French Kicks played an incredible set at The Independent on Wednesday, the crowd gave them a meager couple of seconds of unenthusiastic clapping after each song, and the worst encore request I’ve ever heard (about a dozen key clappers and yellers, myself included, were about all that kept the lights from coming back on). I felt bad for the band, and it was clear they noticed.

Okay, minor rant over. The pure truth is that all four bands gave it their all to a gradually filled-in house (the show sold out at about 4pm on day of show). The Dont’s were up first, and played to perhaps the most enthusiastic group of the show. But then again, audience interaction is their specialty, with clapping, yelling, and even a few audience percussionists. They showed off a good amount of new material, and featured the addition of a keyboard player, which really filled out the sound nicely and added to the energy. The quirky nature of this band’s lyrics (and the, ahem, mask and cape) don’t distract from the fact that these guys are all top-notch musicians.

Here Here was on next, playing their first local show in about 8 months. My first thought was, this band did have women in it at some point, right? Maybe it’s just me, but without them it feels a bit more boys-will-be-boys, and the lack of strings changes the mood of the music completely. But they kept the energy up, with the lead singer doing his characteristic cowboy hop, and trumpets and accordion taking the place of strings. And a certain heavy metal violinist next to me playing “air violin” was the final element to make this set worthy of infinite smiles.

Broken West from LA was up next. They played a set of straight-forward indie, almost on the verge of alt-country (mainly due to some twangy guitar). Their no-frills style was evident from the get-go, and the set grew as they went along, which kept the audience engaged. The highlight was definitely when the bass player came up to sing lead vocals on a song. Not that the regular singer isn’t good, but this guy had a certain spark, and the audience felt it too.

And finally, after the usual suspension of audience anticipation, the French Kicks took the stage. And no keyboards! Nick Stumpf (lead singer) had mentioned in our interview that they had been experimenting with keyboard-less live shows. This really pares the sound down to the basics, and makes every little guitar, bass and vocal detail stand out. Stumpf, shoeless and unshaven, started on guitar and felt like he was holding in an ocean of energy, which came out during the second song, “Over the World,” during which he put the guitar down. The set was well-choreographed, though most songs were played just slightly slower than the album versions, which may have contributed to the lethargy of the crowd. But the stand-out aspect of a French Kicks performance is the vocal interaction and harmonies. They are even more pronounced live, and sounded clean and sparkly.

The band interaction also made this performance memorable. Stumpf and drummer Aaron Thurston would chatter to each other and shake their percussion at each other, and Stumpf would look over at his younger brother Lawrence (on bass) with affection. And after each of guitarist Josh Wise’s solos, Stumpf would acknowledge his awesomeness with some little banter to the audience. They played both old and new songs throughout the night, and though the encore request was pretty pathetic, the encore was not. The band came out with a strong second wind, and ended graciously.

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Start off your Thursday with a great local Happy Hour show at Bender’s from 5-8pm, presented by SomaFM. With the high-energy performances of Scissors for Lefty, Picture Atlantic and Man/Miracle, you’ll be pumped for whatever show comes next for you.

The Swedish American will host indie princess Thao Nguyen (DC) alongside David Dondero, Sean Smith and Colossal Yes. 7:30pm, $14. “Swimming Pools” (track 4 on We Brave Beestings and All) is a perfect preview of Thao’s banjo-sprinkled energy:

swimming.mp3
Thao With the Get Down Stay Down – “Swimming Pools”

If you’re looking for a slightly different pace, head over to Slim’s for the electrified folk of Martha Wainwright (NY). She plays alongside AA Bondy (AL), Ryan Auffenberg and Karina Denike. 8pm, $12.

And if you’re looking for a way to dance away all that energy, head over to the Mezzanine for Kool Keith: Dr. Octagon vs. Dr. Dooom (NY), Mike Relm, Crown City Rockers and Kutmasta Kurt (LA).

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Mike Relm – “Bodyrock (feat. Morningwood and The Gift of Gab)”

Bottom of the Hill and Cafe Du Nord also have great lineups, with From Monument to Masses and Thee Oh Sees headlining, respectively. Check out the Noise Pop website for the full night of shows.

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It’s a monumental challenge for a band to just play music because they love it. In an ideal world, they would make the music they want without pressure from record companies and the media, while at the same time benefiting from an organic growth of fans and a constant source of income. But in reality, the “starving musician” archetype pervades the music community, and some bands never emerge from that shadow.

But every now and then, a band manages to escape some of the pains of the business and still maintain a good deal of success. And though they’ve worked for many years and released a few albums in the process, the French Kicks (NY) seem to have struck a balance that is as close to idealistic as it gets. The secret for them appears to be a genuine love of the music they play peppered with a fair amount of coolness toward the business aspects of music. That isn’t to say that they don’t care, but just that the creation and sharing of their music is the foremost priority. And if that’s not ideal, I don’t know what is.

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French Kicks – “Abandon” from Swimming

I was fortunate enough to chat with lead singer/keyboardist/drummer Nick Stumpf (second from right) over the phone from his home in Brooklyn. And during the course of our conversation, it became clearer that the band sees this career as not only the absolute right path for each of them, but also as a true love and privilege.

Their latest project, Covers, is a prime example of the band’s easy-going style. The EP includes covers by the Zombies’ Colin Blunstone, The Ramones, The Shirelles and Lindsey Buckingham. Selling for just $4 on iTunes, this album is purely a treat for current Kicks fans, and a fun spur-of-the-moment project for the band.

“As I’m sure many bands do when they get to band practice, like 70 percent of the time is spent just screwing around and playing Dark Side of the Moon songs,” Stumpf said. “So we just thought maybe it would be fun to record some of this stuff.”

This micro project comes after the release of their latest full-length, Swimming, released in April of last year. In normal French Kicks fashion, the album was created with very little intent behind what the resulting sound would be:

When we go into making a record, we never have a plan of like, ‘let’s have this be the sound. It comes of completely open-ended experiments. And only when we’re done do we figure out what we just did.

When we did Two Thousand [previous album, released in 2006], we were like ‘what the hell did we just do?’ [laughs] This one is the next step. Hopefully we get better at this as we go. We try different ways of writing songs and different ways of putting instruments together and basically just try to keep ourselves entertained and get better at what we’re doing. But that’s really it.

But one difference that stands out about Swimming is the nature of the recording process. Stumpf revealed that the album was recorded almost entirely with first and second takes, which gives it a certain soul and leaves out any instance of feeling overworked:

What we’ve always hoped to do — and I don’t think we ever really got close until this record — was have something that sounded like the recordings that we make on our own before we get to the studio. And this record is sort of what those sound like. There’s something loose about it, and natural and personal at the same time. It just doesn’t sound like work. It’s just an organic, warm thing — which has always been how we make music, but when you get into a studio and the clock is ticking and money is involved, you can tighten up a little.

With a fairly open-ended songwriting and recording process (Stumpf actually plays drums on most of the songs on the record, and the band alternates instruments both live and during recording), they are able to experiment endlessly. And while they like to create songs that have a lot of sounds but don’t sound overloaded, their guitar parts have always taken a more rhythmic role than the traditional rock or pop guitar.

“It’s always been the case that all the instruments are kind of treated like percussion instruments,” Stumpf said. “So everybody’s just playing what are essentially rhythm parts.”

The evolution of the band’s sound has a lot to do with these elements — how they use their instruments, their partnerships with regard to the songwriting process (the band is comprised of Nick Stumpf’s younger brother Lawrence on bass, Aaron Thurston on drums, and Josh Wise on guitar and vocals — all of whom also play other instruments), their rich vocal harmonies and their ability to write whatever music they want to, without hesitation about how it will be received. But what results is a brand of pop music that is now characteristically French Kicks.

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French Kicks – “Said So What” from Swimming

—

For years, the French Kicks have released albums that challenged themselves and their listeners, and ridden the music biz see-saw. Stumpf said they were “helped and hurt” by their initial inclusion in a popular category of New York “scene” bands that still pops up.

“I’m sure people checked out our band because of that in some ways,” Stumpf said. “So if they checked it out and liked it, then that’s great. But we were also graded on a lot of stuff, and were in contests that we never wanted to enter. And the inevitable comparisons and all that stuff, which is boring and distracting.”

A good handful of these New York bands seemed to have embraced the inclusion in such a “scene,” at least on the surface, but Stumpf explained that though it wasn’t an intentional move to distance themselves from it, the Kicks’ desire to change their sound prevented them from doing that to an extent:

To reach a very large audience you kind of have to say, ‘This is my story and I’m sticking to it.’ And for better or for worse, we’ve just never done that. We just decided to not decide, basically. I think hopefully that’s what keeps it an interesting thing and that you can listen to a record and there’s a lot of different stuff happening, or you can listen to three records in a row and there’s a whole lot of stuff going on. So hopefully that’s an advantage [pauses] as well as a marketing disadvantage. [laughs]

For some people when they listen to our records, it can sound like a lack of conviction and a certain direction or something. Like, ‘why don’t these guys figure out what they want to do and do it?’ But for us the fun is the opposite — the fun is just to keep trying whatever we feel like.

At the end of our chat, Stumpf mentioned that they would be shooting a video for the song “Abandon” in March (“Typical French Kicks fashion, we’re doing it exactly backwards — at the very end of the cycle of the record” [laughs]), yet another example of their nonchalance in regard to the business. The band also sort of stumbled into their current record label arrangement, after their previous label, Startime Records, was absorbed by Vagrant.

“They were nice dudes and we got along, and we were like, ‘okay, why not?’,” Stumpf said. “I don’t think any of us have really spent any meaningful amount of time thinking about what label we were on. It was more like, ‘let’s make the record, and if somebody wants to put it out, that’s great.’”

In a time when labels are shutting down and losing money, Stumph said the band hasn’t felt the effects of the dwindling economy, but he feels the effects in the air at home.

“New York is a very weird place to be right now,” he said. “You can really feel the sinking of the ship and it’s palpable. But I find it exciting at the same time. Like, this is sort of a fantasy — all the bankers are leaving. It’s just great. [laughs] And soon it’ll be okay again. But generally I think it’s an interesting time — people being forced to get back to things of essence…. You have anything happening on a national level or a global level, it’s actually pretty cool. It’s good for the soul of the world.”

Don’t miss the French Kicks at Noise Pop this Wed., Feb. 25 at The Independent. They will be supported by Broken West (LA), Here Here and The Dont’s. 8pm, $15.

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Amidst a few shows in the Pacific Northwest with M. Ward and a looming appearance at SXSW, Port O’Brien is releasing a new single series that will coincide with each season of the year.

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Port O’Brien – “The Whiskey Song” from Winter

With us as of Feb. 17 is the Winter single. You can download both tracks here, or be one of 500 to grab a 7″ single, which will be available through their website or MySpace page.

Lead singer Van Pierszalowski offered this explanation about Winter:

“Although the seasons aren’t very well defined on the coast of California, they have always greatly influenced our lives. The annual summer migration to Alaska in search of money, the readjusting months that Autumn become, the nostalgic nature of Winter, and the search for stability in the face of Spring. We decided to release a 7″ single for each season of 2009 to document these different times. ‘The Whiskey Song’ acts as a proper introduction to the project, but also fully embodies the spirit of Winter, a time for reflecting on the past year while pondering the implications of the next.”

Catch Port O’Brien live during Noise Pop. They play next Friday, Feb. 27 at Cafe du Nord with Odawas, Afternoons (LA) and Dame Satan. 9pm, $13, 18+.

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Right on schedule with last year’s festival, Scatterbrain Jamboree 2009 will take place this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20 and 21, at Thee Parkside. This is a great event – a benefit for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and an opportunity to get acquainted with some fantastic local bands, and meet a few new ones. Each day is $10, or you can buy a two-day pass for $16. Friday’s show starts at 9pm, Saturday’s starts at 3pm. These are all-ages shows, so come on out this weekend! Here’s the lineup:

Day 1:

Silian Rail
Squeeky Rice
Who Cares (Sacto)
Mister Loveless
Ugly Winner
DJs Gabe and Sandra

Day 2:

Schande
Chambers
Broken Spindles (Omaha)
Excuses for Skipping
The Splinters
Worker Bee
Shiloe (LA)
Black Paintings
The Living Sickness (LA)
Jonny Manak & The Depressives
Mighty Russian Winter
DJ Entreat

Buy tickets at Thee Parkside’s website here.

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Thursday:

- Audrye Sessions, As Tall As Lions (NY) and The Soft White Sixties at Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $13. All ages.

Friday:

- Scatterbrain Jamboree, Day 1 at Thee Parkside: Silian Rail, Squeeky Rice, Who Cares (Sacto), Mister Loveless, Ugly Winner and DJs Gabe and Sandra. 9pm, $10 one day, $16 both days.

- Fleeting Trance, Swim Party (SD) and We is Shore Dedicated at El Rio. 9pm, $5.

- The Old-Fashioned Way, The Parents and Si, Claro at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

- Scissors For Lefty, The Vox Jaguars (CD release) and Room For A Ghost at Bottom of the Hill. 10pm, $12. 18+.

Saturday:

- Scatterbrain Jamboree, Day 2 at Thee Parkside: Schande, Chambers, Broken Spindles (Omaha), Excuses for Skipping, The Splinters, Worker Bee, Shiloe (LA), Black Paintings, The Living Sickness (LA),, Jonny Manak & The Depressives, Mighty Russian Winter, DJ Entreat. 3pm, $10 one day, $16 both days.

Sunday:

- Live 105 presents: Far (Sacto), Hot Tub and Low Red Land at Slim’s. 8pm, $16.

- Michael Zapruder, Tim Williams (NY), Mist And Mast and Jon Bernson (solo; from Ray’s Vast Basement) at Bottom of the Hill. 8:30pm, $8.

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Hailing from Wisconsin, A B & the Sea have officially moved to San Francisco. After having dipped their feet into the Bay Area music scene, they will bring their infectious indie pop to Noise Pop this year, playing next Friday, Feb. 27 at Bottom of the Hill with Dear and the Headlights (AZ), Kinch (AZ) and Big Light.

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AB & the Sea – “Suzie”

A B & the Sea bring back some old-fashioned surf-pop music that even references California (though… “southern California,” hmm). The guitar effects, cymbal-heavy drum beats and multi-part harmonies are catchy and nostalgic. The band brings these classic elements together with the noticeable influence of modern indie pop bands like Death Cab and The Shins.

The band will release a debut full-length in April, which is being produced by Chris Chu of The Morning Benders and recorded at Different Fur Studios in SF. In March they will open for Marcy Playground at the Red Devil Lounge.

Their Noise Pop show begins at 8:30 and is $10 advance, $12 at the door.

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For the past year or so, Sholi has brought us endless news and exciting occurrences, mostly in the form of tidbits – signing to a new record label, releasing a 3-song EP and other singles, touring with Iron and Wine, helping out with the Obama campaign, etc. The latest is so far the pinnacle – their debut, self-titled full length breaks today, Feb. 17, on Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records. The band will celebrate their record release during Noise Pop, next Sat., Feb. 28 at Bottom of the Hill.

The album was produced by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier at New, Improved Studios in Oakland. Dusted Magazine described Sholi in terms of “indie rock truisms, a la the Walkmen, and a traditional side to handle the ethnic material like Morricone might have, with a lot of instrumental flash and a noble, heads-up presence.” You can still download their free, 3-track digital EP, Dreams Before People (as a zip file), of which the title track is simply breathtaking.

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Sholi – “Dreams Before People” (acoustic) from the Dreams Before People EP

You can purchase the record from Touch and Go’s website. The record release show will also include The Dead Trees (Portland), Everest (LA) and Jake Mann. The show starts at 9pm and costs $12. Sholi will also be playing The Bay Area Takeover at SXSW in Austin, as well as a Touch and Go Records Showcase.

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Thursday:

- The Freeks, Sassy!!! and Hot Lunch at Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $10.

- Tempo No Tempo, Hawnay Troof and Ghosts on Tape at Hemlock Tavern. 9pm, $6.

- The Passionistas, White Music and Jealousy at The Knockout. 9pm, $?.

Friday:

- Talking House presents: The Hundred Days, Overview, Judgement Day and The Federalists at Slim’s. 8:30pm, $13.

- The Lovely Public, Charles Gonzalez & The Stereo Glitter and Michael Berg (LA) at The Knockout. 9pm, $5

Saturday: Happy Valentine’s Day!

- The Action Design, Excuses for Skipping and special guests at The Uptown. 9pm, $8.

- The Husbands, The Rock N Roll Adventure Kids and Ty Segall at El Rio. 9pm, $7.

-  Dreamdate, Shannon & the Clams and Hunx & His Punx at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

- The Appleseed Cast (Kansas), The Union Trade and Audio Out Send at Bottom of the Hill. 10pm, $12.

Sunday:

- Tomihira and Thousandnames at Make-Out Room. 8pm, $7.

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In the dusk of another Valentine’s Day, some of us will go to bed in despair, victims of this horrible holiday’s deadly talons. But rest assured, desperate souls, this fate is completely avoidable. Local music is here for you. And it will stay with you all through the night.

Five fantastic shows will compete for your affections this Saturday night – all very worthy suitors, and all for less than the price of dinner. This also turns out to be a nice preview night for the upcoming Noise Pop and SXSW festivals.

Starting off with the show with free candy for the first 50 people, The Action Design, Excuses for Skipping and special guests will be playing at The Uptown in Oakland. These two bands will bring some solid, fem-powered indie rock to East Bay that will be a great release from the day. 9pm, $8.

Next, El Rio will host some good old-fashioned rock and roll with The Husbands, The Rock N Roll Adventure Kids and Ty Segall. This will be the perfect show for those looking for lots of distortion and good grooves. 9pm, $7.

If you’re looking for something slightly more poppy but still rockin’, head over to the Hemlock Tavern for Dreamdate, Shannon & the Clams and Hunx & His Punx. 9:30pm, $7.

Last but certainly not least (especially for all you underage lovers), Bottom of the Hill will offer up some quality, shoegazey indie rock with The Appleseed Cast (Kansas), The Union Trade and Audio Out Send. 10pm, $12, all ages.

From all the folks at The Bay Bridged, have a fantastic Valentine’s Day. Because local music will never break your heart.

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It’s birthday season, and this Saturday our friends at BAGeL Radio will be celebrating a big one – six years! The show will feature three great local acts: Birdmonster, Railcars and Ricky Lee Robinson, plus DJ Cory of Absolutely Kosher Records.

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Railcars – “Bohemia is Without a Sea”

For those who don’t know about BAGeL Radio, it’s a 24/7 radio station that plays the best new and old indie music. As 7×7 magazine described: “Listening to indie genius DJ Ted spin live at shows around town or online at his CMJ award–winning site BAGeL Radio sounds just like listening to your iPod on shuffle—if your iPod had magically been filled up with stuff you always wish you owned or didn’t know about yet but will later want to own.”

Indie folksters Birdmonster has been a favorite of BAGel Ted. They’ve brought their sentimental, richly orchestrated tunes throughout the Bay Area and recently to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Check out their new video for “Concrete Lights” below.

Railcars, the latest project from Aria C Jalali, has turned many heads in the bay area scene for his eclectic and experimental electronic music. His songs go from moody and mellow to dancey and noisy. Railcars will soon head to Europe for an all-month tour.

One-man band Ricky Lee Robinson made BAGel Radio’s top ten albums of 2008 with his old-timey, energy-infused rock. You won’t believe this New York transplant actually creates all of these sounds until you see him do it live.

BAGel Radio has brought us six great years of music, and we’re looking forward to the celebration. The show is at Bottom of the Hill. You can buy tickets here. 9:30, $10.

Birdmonster – “Concrete Lights”

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Thursday:

- The Bay Bridged Third Birthday Bash: The Heavenly States, Birds & Batteries, Geographer and DJ Elise (SomaFM/Indie Pop Rocks!) at Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $10 adv; $12 door.

- The Hot Toddies, The Atom Age, Jokes For Feelings and Kung Pow at Bottom of the Hill. 8:30pm, $8.

- Maldroid, The Soft White Sixties and My First Earthquake at The Stork Club. 9pm, $5.

- Never Knows Best, Short Hair (Reno) and Over Vert (Reno) at The Knockout. 9pm, $6.

Friday:

- Grand Lake, Man/Miracle, Whispertown2000 (LA) and No’s at The Uptown. 9pm, Free.

- Photons and A B & The Sea at House of Shields. 9pm, $5.

- Rademacher, The Aimless Never Miss and The Bad Hand at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

Saturday:

- BAGeL Radio presents…6th or half dozen Birthday Party: Birdmonster, Railcars and Ricky Lee Robinson at Bottom of the Hill. 9:30 pm, $10.

- Campo Bravo, Golden Boots (Tuscon) and The Blank Tapes at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

Sunday:

What’s going on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!

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As a part of free First Fridays, The Uptown will be hosting some of Oakland’s finest and a guest from LA. The line-up will be Grand Lake, Man/Miracle, Whispertown2000 and No’s.

If you haven’t heard Grand Lake yet, it’s about time to check them out. Fronted by Caleb Nichols, formerly of Port O’Brien, the band’s songs are simple yet affecting. The Deli SF wrote, “At times rootsy and other times ethereal, the songs currently streaming on the band’s MySpace are multi-layered, well-executed and quite infectious.” Some elements come across as quite rock and roll (channeling cited influences such as The Breeders and The Pixies). But the songs range in tempo and mood, and will not disappoint.
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Grand Lake – “Nevermint”

Man/Miracle has become a favorite of some folks here, not only for their compulsively catchy songs, but also because of their incredible on-stage energy. Even if the band’s MySpace songs don’t appeal off the bat, give their live show a try. These guys can wake up any sleepy nighttime crowd.

The show starts at 9pm and is free!

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There’s a unique event going on at the San Francisco Film Society tomorrow, Feb. 8 at the Palace of Fine Arts. New York band Dean & Britta will be performing mostly original music for 13 Most Beautiful…Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, a traveling project presented by the Andy Warhol Museum and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

The legendary films, created between 1964 and 1966, were intimate portraits of movie stars, socialites, poets, drag queens — anyone that came through The Factory, Warhol’s NYC studio, including Nico, Lou Reed, Dennis Hopper and Edie Sedgwick.

Dean & Britta — Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, formerly of Luna — combined their love of film history with their ability to write atmospheric, vintage-sounding music, and created a modern day silent film soundtrack for some of pop cultures most famous short films. Some old tunes might also pop into the mix, including songs by Bob Dylan and The Velvet Underground. Read the NY Times review for more details.

The show begins at 8pm and costs $20 for SFFS members or $25 general admission. A $75 VIP ticket includes reserved seating and a private, post-screening reception with Dean & Britta. Buy tickets here.

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As part of a co-headlining tour, The Morning Benders and The Submarines (LA) have released covers of each others’ songs for fans today. The two bands will be on tour together until the end of February. Check out the tracks right here:

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The Morning Benders – “1940” (Submarines cover)

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The Submarines – “Waiting for a War” (Morning Benders cover)

The Morning Benders’ 2008 album Talking Through Tin Cans received much praise in the local community and beyond, most recently being named iTunes’ best independent album of 2008. They also toured extensively last year, supporting bands such as The Kooks, We Are Scientists and Ra Ra Riot. Currently, they are on a co-headlining tour with The Submarines until the end of February.

This year brings just as many exciting times for the band. Come February 24, they will be releasing a new EP entitled Grain of Salt, which will include the title track, one of their live staples, and three previously unreleased b-sides. And the band will be headlining Slim’s on Feb. 27 as a part of Noise Pop. In short – be looking out for much more Morning Benders in the coming months.

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Two fantastic local bands, Finest Dearest and Empty Rooms will release a new split EP this Saturday, Jan. 31st. The EP is entitled Wedding EP and includes two new songs from each band, recorded in one night at Different Fur Studios. The bands will celebrate the release with an early show Saturday at the Make-Out Room.

Finest Dearest – “Tunnel Vision” [download only]

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Empty Rooms – “Off With His Head”

Not only does the record represent a friendship between the two bands, but also (appropriately enough) celebrates the marriage of two of their respective members, Chris Clark of Empty Rooms and Carly Schneider of Finest dearest. Only 100 copies of the record will be released, so head over to the Make-Out on Saturday and get your copy while you can. The show is from 7:30-9:30 and costs $7.

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Thursday:

- The Ettes (LA), The May Fire and Nobunny at Rickshaw Stop. 8pm, $10.

- Lower Class Revolt, Bandloop.com and West Coast Performer Present: Built for the Sea, The Aimless Never Miss and Silian Rail at Cafe du Nord. 9pm, $10.

- Wooden Shjips, Hank IV and Ezee Tiger at The Eagle. 9pm, $?.

- Zodiac Death Valley, Moller and Ferocious Few at Red Devil Lounge. 9pm, $5.

- The Shore (LA), The Parties and The Bye Bye Blackbirds at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

Friday:

- Elliot Randall, Heather Combs and The Ponies at Cafe du Nord. 9pm, $12.

- Mist and Mast, Useless Keys (LA) and B and Not B at El Rio. 9pm, $7.

- Jonathan Richman featuring Tommy Larkin on the drums at Starry Plough. 9:30pm, $?.

- “Hi, Happy Birthday” – the 2nd annual birthday tribute to Daniel Johnston, featuring: The Cons, Uni and her Ukelele, David Saint, Demons Wear Muted Colors, and The Graves Brothers Deluxe at The Knockout. 10pm-2am, $8.

Saturday:

-Lady Genius and The Corner Laughers at Make-Out Room. 7:30pm, $7.

- The Deli Magazine co-presents: Low Red Land, Ketman (Boston) and Teeeth at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $6.

- Maus Haus, Battlehooch and White Cloud at Bottom of the Hill. 10pm, $10.

Sunday:

What’s going on Sunday? Let us know in the comments!

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For the second year in a row, faithful Daniel Johnston fans have put together an eclectic tribute show to celebrate Johnston’s 47th birthday. The lineup has changed a lot, but it at least consists of The Cons, Uni and her Ukelele, David Saint, Demons Wear Muted Colors, and The Graves Brothers Deluxe. They will play at The Knockout this Friday, Jan. 23. The Splinters are no longer playing and we hope they feel better.

Johnston’s music influenced  and has been covered by the likes of Tom Waits, The Flaming Lips and Death Cab for Cutie. He was also the subject of the 2006 film The Devil and Daniel Johnston, which puts Johnston’s immense talent in the context of his manic depression and and depicts him as an “artistic genius who nearly slipped away.”

It will be a great night of local music to recognize a musical legent. 9pm-2am. $10.

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