Posts by: Katie Kopacz
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti comes to The Chapel, 5/21/13
May 20, 2013
Considering that lo-fi, analog psychedelic pop has burst open into such a sought-after genre, it’s a wonder there are not more artists as forward thinking as Ariel Pink. The eclectic, LA-based artist and his Haunted Graffiti just launched a U.S. tour, with a stop at The Chapel in San Francisco on Tuesday, May 21st. If you haven’t been to The Chapel yet, this is a good time to check it out – what better sounds to fill a vaulted-ceiling’d, church-themed venue than some neon weirdness?
Last year’s Mature Themes isn’t exactly a brand new album, and though the show is certain to contain at least a few songs from the record, Ariel has announced that the band will be playing material from the whole catalog on this tour, a sort of greatest hits set.
Below check out the beautifully (and intentionally) low budget video for “Only In My Dreams”.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Holy Shit
The Chapel
May 21st, 9pm
$28 – $32
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Ty Segall teams up with Chad & The Meatbodies on newest 7″
May 17, 2013
Ty Segall teams up with Chad & The Meatbodies to release new LAMC 7″ and gets his own guitar pedal!
It’s become an expectation that every couple of months or so, the hyperactive Ty Segall will release another little something new. This time, he’s teamed up with LA newbie Chad & The Meatbodies on the seventh installment of Famous Class’ Less Artists More Condos 7” series. This series is exciting indeed: Famous Class has asked nine of their favorite artists (seven released so far) to provide a new single for the A-side, then that artist picked their favorite new band to provide the B-side. Plus, all digital proceeds go directly to the Ariel Panero Memorial Fund at VH1 Save the Music, the charity named after Panero, who created the LAMC show series in New York to introduce locals to new up-and-coming bands worthy of discovery. Pretty cool, right?
It turns out that Ty Segall has a great ear for new music, but that’s no surprise. Chad & The Meatbodies’ B-side “Mountain” has the heaviness of a Black Sabbath song, the fuzziness of a FUZZ track, and the unexpectedly polished vocals of a 2011 or later album from Thee Oh Sees. Those are some big shoes to fill.
Segall’s track, “Music for a Film” offers something a little different this time – a slow build up with a jazzy presence and an uncharacteristic absence of vocals. It’s a little like ‘60s jazz-rock and it’s definitely worth listening to. The reverb god also recently inspired a new guitar pedal made by Death by Audio. It’s called the Sunshine Reverberation effects pedal, and each of the 100 units in this limited edition creation will be signed by Segall.
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Fine Steps – “All Day Long”
May 7, 2013
Roughly a year after the release of Fine Steps’ first LP, Boy’s Co., the Sacramento native foursome is back with a new 7”, All Day Long.
The upbeat jangle and surf-rock guitar is offset by singer Julian Elorduy’s deep vocal undercurrent, almost echoing Ian Curtis. The vocals and the extra jangle are what set this song apart from the rest of the Beach Fossils/DIIV/Surf Club type surf rock emerging these days. Plus, Fine Steps name has absolutely no reference to water sports.
Even cooler is Elorduy’s DIY music video for “All Day Long”, which he made on his dad’s old VHS camcorder. The video starts out looking kind of like an indie-rock version of the cursed video from The Ring. This image is debunked as soon as Elorduy starts rolling around on a backyard lawn in some sweet vintage-y duds. It’s somehow dorky, low-budget simple and super cool all at the same time.
The All Day Long 7” is now available for pre-order via Volar Records, and is also part of the label’s Strange Mutations Vol. 2 box set including singles from Cosmonauts, Lenz, and Teenage Burritos.
Catch Fine Steps live at Hemlock Tavern on May 23rd, with support from The Beets and Tiaras.
Fine Steps, the Beets, Tiaras
Hemlock Tavern
May 23, 2013
8:30pm, $8
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Shannon and the Clams – “Into A Dream”
May 6, 2013
Oakland’s favorite doo-wop, punk-infused rock ‘n’ rollers Shannon & the Clams are gearing up to release their latest LP later this month, titled Dreams in the Rat House.
The threesome first gave us a little taste of the new material with the ‘Ozma’ 7” released in August 2012, and now another new song, “Into a Dream”, has emerged via a premiere on Nylon Magazine.
As always, Shannon Shaw’s vocals are magically charismatic, somehow embodying a handpicked bundle of musical eras all at once. Her howls meld with fellow vocalist and guitarist Cody Blanchard, taking us (yup) “Into a Dream” of their new album.
On May 30th, 2013, Shannon & the Clams launch a full month-long U.S. tour, so be sure to catch them live at The New Parish on May 18th, part of 1-2-3-4 Go! Records’ Go!Go! Fest.
Shannon and the Clams – “Into A Dream”
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Interview: NITEPPL strives to make genre-bending electronic music
April 26, 2013
Electronic dance music is a confusing phenomena: DJs have become the new rock stars of mainstream music, yet any average Joe can produce beats on his laptop. Somewhere in between comes the blur of independent electronic music artists who are working for indie recognition without becoming the status quo.
Enter NITEPPL, the duo-gone-solo “interstellar disco opera” project of San Francisco local Alton San Giovanni. In the midst of so much palatable music emerging into success right here in our own backyard, NITEPPL strives for electronic music that is heavier, darker, and capable of bending genres like a psychic bends a spoon. (See NITEPPL at the How Weird Street Faire on Sunday, 4/28/13.)
The Bay Bridged: How did NITEPPL come about?
Alton: NITEPPL started off an idea I had when I was living in Santa Cruz. I was making dubstep at the time. Then when I moved up to San Francisco I started working with a friend of mine, Gage [Seber] and we did that together for about two years. It represents a bunch of ideas I had about dance culture and people who go out at night basically.
TBB: Describe your sound.
A: My sound is influenced by a lot of early disco and ‘80s music. Groups specifically like Goblin, this Italian group who worked in horror cinema in the late ‘70s and ‘80s. Obviously Michael Jackson as well as rock bands like Led Zeppelin. Kind of a large plethora of things. It’s easier for me to say what isn’t an influence. I know what I don’t want. I would label it as indie dance but that’s only in the interest of preserving some kind of idea of genre.
TBB: How has NITEPPL evolved since it’s conception?
A: NITEPPL started in 2011 and it has evolved so much. It’s changed from this idea of starting a whole giant art project with music and every kind of media. Graphic design, comic books, short story writing were all a part of it when me and Gage first started talking about it. When we first started neither of us had played a real gig before or ever negotiated a contract or dealt with other artists. It was kind of a fantasy. Now Gage is living in New York doing graphic design and I’m living out here.
It first started off as a way for us to get as good at producing music as either of us could and it’s developed through meeting other artists in San Francisco and being a part of the scene and seeing what other people are doing and also seeing how the music that I’ve made has influenced other people.
It started more techno. If I really had to describe it was a combination of Deadmau5 and Justice but… I was 19 when I started NITEPPL and I’ll be 22 on Saturday. It’s three years of experience that’s gone into making music. [More...]
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Bjork re-launches ‘Biophilia’ show in Richmond, May 2013
April 24, 2013
Bjork is one of a rare breed of artists who refuses to be pigeonholed. Some attribute brilliance, others say she’s a strange bird (who could forget that swan dress at the 2001 Academy Awards red carpet?) but few can deny that she is one of the most unique visionaries of our time.
After all, Bjork is credited with creating the first “app album” in collaboration with Apple, which turns each of the ten songs from the 2011 album Biophilia into an interactive iPad application. At $12.99 it isn’t cheap, but “Bjork: Biophilia” is like ten apps in one. Exploring the relationship between music, nature and technology, it allows users to interact with constellations, draw with Tesla coils, and shoot off lightening bolts (to name a few) that transmit MIDI signals giving the opportunity to hear pieces of the album in an galaxy of customized variations.
In late May, the Icelandic musician is bringing her Biophilia show back to the Bay Area for three nights at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond. The show consists of Bjork in the round with a bunch of weird instruments, like musical Tesla coils and a MIDI organ, as well as a 24-piece Icelandic female choir. The performance has been praised by industry tastemakers like NME, Stereogum, and The Wall Street Journal, and it’s sure to be a rare experience.
It’s an added bonus that her Bay Area shows are done in collaboration with the Exploratorium. The museum is holding a workshop series that revolves around the science and discovery within of each of the ten songs in the Biophilia App.
Download the Biophilia App and catch the Biophilia show at the Craneway Pavilion on May 22nd, 25th, and 28th.
Bjork
Craneway Pavilion
May 22, 25, 28, 2013
8:30pm, $75
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Tickets on sale now for 1-2-3-4 Go! Records’ Annual Go! Go! Fest
April 22, 2013
Lovers of local indie rock and punk music rejoice – tickets are now on sale for 1-2-3-4 Go! Records’ Go! Go! concert series. The Oakland record label has made this concert series an annual event, where a handful of their favorite artists play shows for a week in mid May.
It’s not a huge one-day festival ordeal or a cluster-fuck attempt to populate every venue in the city. It’s simply five days of amazing local rock bands drawing in crowds to The New Parish and The Night Light in Oakland.
The series kicks off on Thursday, May 16th at The New Parish where Dead to Me takes the stage with support from Kepi & The Mean Jeans. On Friday the torch is passed to The Dwarves, Nobunny, Mean Jeans (again), Trashies and Musk.
Saturday is possibly the night featuring the most buzz worthy Bay Area rock bands, doubling as the record release show for Shannon & The Clams new album Dreams in the Rat House. Also on the bill are Hunx & His Punx, Fuzz, Peach Kelli Pop, and Twin Steps.
On Sunday the series moves to The Night Light, where Synthetic ID, Lenz, and Human Waste show their stuff, before wrapping up back at The New Parish on Wednesday the 22nd with El Vez’s Punk Rock Revue and The Schizophrenics.
Last year’s Go! Go! was a big success, so be sure to buy your tickets ahead of time if you plan on going!
Here’s how to buy your tickets for:
Dead to Me, Kepi & The Mean Jeans
The New Parish
Thursday, May 16th 2013
8pm, $12-$15
The Dwarves, Nobunny, Mean Jeans, Trashies, Musk
The New Parish
Friday, May 17th, 2013
8pm, $15
Hunx & His Punx, Shannon & The Clams, Fuzz, Peach Kelli Pop, Twin Steps
The New Parish
Saturday, May 18th, 2013
8pm, $15
El Vez’s Punk Rock Revue, The Schizophrenics
The New Parish
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
9pm, $15 – $18
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Surf Club releases new split single with Manatee, plays Slim’s on 4/23/13
April 15, 2013
The city of Stockton has made the number one spot on Forbes’ “America’s Most Miserable Cities” list for years, but there’s certainly no shortage of great bands coming out of this tiny East Bay town. From Craft Spells to Whirr, now Surf Club has joined the ranks of noteworthy Stockton-grown bands. On April 23rd, Surf Club will share the stage at Slim’s with Beach Fossils. Could there ever be a more like-minded lineup than two dreamy bands that both boast ocean-related names?
Surf Club’s newest single “Swoon” is a shoegaze-inclined pop song appearing on the A-side of Death Party Records‘ latest split 7”. The single is understated, lovely and definitely worth checking out. The record is a super limited edition pressing that’s part of the LA label’s new split singles series called Nothing to Lose.
The B-side features two songs from Oakland’s Manatee, the instrumental power jam “Theme (Dugong Sing-Along)” and a cover of Big Boys’ “Which Way to Go”.
Beach Fossils, Surf Club
Slim’s
April 23rd, 2013
$15
