Some of the best experimental indie rock the Bay Area has to offer was on showcase last Friday at Berkeley’s Starry Plough - the New Centuries headlined, alongside Thread Productions duos Silian Rail and Tartufi and their close associates, the Aimless Never Miss. A good-sized crowd caught the show from the venue’s main stage area (which boasts pretty remarkable sound), while another handful of onlookers bobbed their heads while seemingly enjoying their burgers.

Openers Silian Rail did something I don’t think I’d ever seen before - instrumental indie pop. Guitarist Robin Landy and drummer Eric Kuhn did create an atmosphere, but proved that does not have to be the sole function of an instrumental act. In fact, the duo may have had the strongest pop sensibility of all the bands on this bill. Robin’s guitar playing is so pretty and Eric’s drums so driving that it feels as though lyrics and vocals would actually betray the experience that is being created in these songs. With just guitar and drums, Silian Rail create something very special - instrumental music that is engaging and melodic without being avant garde or chaotic.

This distinguishes them from the another guitar/drum duo of the night - Tartufi. And this is not a knock on Tartufi - in fact, the two bands complimented one another remarkably well. The duo of Lynne Angel and Brian Gorman add in the occasional vocals (from Angel) while creating soundscapes of epic proportions. The two have enough equipment for a larger band, and use all of it to the fullest extent, building each piece of a track flawlessly from scratch. Songs can change direction from lovely and slow to high-speed and intense and then end or change direction just as quickly.

Sandwiched between the duos were The Aimless Never Miss. If you’d caught the ANM earlier this year, you’re probably familiar with the wall-of-sound established by a five-piece band. Well, ANM are a bit more stripped down these days - Kuhn remained on stage for drumming duties while only guitarist/vocalist Jonny Latimer and bassist Andrew Macy joined him. Latimer and Macy tried to get the crowd ready with a handclap ukulele sing-along. It was a worthy effort, though not everyone was an active participant. The rest of the ukulele-free set was heavy on material from the band’s upcoming album, and the thinned-out lineup was an intriguing way to showcase it. While the five-piece lineup was a force to be reckoned with, the trio is free of distraction with an emphasis kept where it belongs - on the songs. In one impressive moment of the band’s musicianship, Latimer and Kuhn switched instruments mid-song, proving that perhaps the trio can carry all the weight.

Due to my intent on not missing the last BART train, I was unable to catch the New Centuries. So, instead, I put the band’s new EP Paradise Massage on my iPod as I road home. The album combines post-punk aggression with indie dance floor grooves, sounding a bit like a more fun Joy Division. I was also reminded of VHS or Beta. I imagine it would translate well live.

This week’s episode is our latest monthly mix, featuring new music from six great Bay Area bands and our latest follow-up interview with a group we’ve previously featured on the podcast.

About this week’s music:

The show kicks off with a song from Birdmonster, off their new album From The Mountain To The Sea (”The Iditarod”; later, “Born To Be Your Man” and “I Might Have Guessed”). For our follow-up segment, airing in the second half of the episode, we sat down with the band to discuss how both their sound and sense of perspective have evolved in the two years since we first interviewed them, and the three since the release of their breakout album No Midnight. From The Mountain To The Sea will be released digitally next week, with a physical release in September. (Listen to the interview only excerpt of the show here.)

Synth-rock trio French Miami (”The God Damn Best”) contributed a disturbingly catchy song from their debut Science Fiction EP, self-released earlier this year. The band has a number of upcoming shows in SF, including a performance at Kimo’s on August 1st, at the Hemlock Tavern on August 22nd, and at the Rock Make Street Festival on August 24th.

Sacramento-/San Francisco-based The Definite Articles (”Elixirs”) recently released their debut album, titled Boy Wonder. It’s a strong release from the six-piece band, whose rock is augmented by some great string arrangements. We recently published photos from the group’s CD release show here.

Apache’s (”Boys Life”) full length debut, Boomtown Gems, draws from a variety of 70s punk and glam sounds, and it’s the latest release from the always-quality Birdman Records. The group includes members of The Cuts, Parchman Farm, and Ghenghis Khan, and they’ll be heading to the New York next week for an extensive East Coast tour.

Featuring members of The Court & Spark and The Bellyachers among others, the veteran musicians of Parker Brothers (”Leave Me Alone”) deliver an inspired retro-rock sound on their debut First, Best, Last. You can download their song “Your Hometown” here and purchase the album on iTunes.

As we noted previously, Andy Tisdall (”Secret”) just released his new album Cotton Cannibals, another fine collection of experimental folk pop. Tisdall’s group Little Teeth releases their debut album next month on Absolutely Kosher Records.

Are you subscribed to the The Bay Bridged weekly podcast? Click here to get each new episode downloaded free to your iTunes the moment it is published!

This Wednesday, our friends at The Lower Class Revolt will co-sponsor a show with Bandloop at The Knockout. Three great bands will play - Pillows, The Sleepover Disaster (Fresno) and The Aimless Never Miss.

Both The Lower Class Revolt and Bandloop are working toward the same goal - to get lesser-known bands out there in the scene, and to connect fans with those bands that they can be passionate about. It’s a great collaboration of two fantastic local groups. Lower Class Revolt has a great compilation out — ask about it at the show.

This show also marks the release of Pillows’ new virtual EP. Though info on the EP seems to be scarce on the internet, I’m sure you can ask about it at the show and they can tell you all about it. Past Pillows albums have been praised by the local press for their simple but moving instrumentation, soothing vocals and melodies and the striking interplay between the duo’s two voices. Here’s a sing from their last album:

Pillows: “Mary Mary” from Ten Minutes Past Two Months

The Aimless Never Miss are gearing up for the release of their new full-length album, due out in September on Devil in the Woods Records, who is home to other Lower Class Revolt bands such as Light FM (LA). The album has taken them about three years to complete. They will play their CD release show Sept. 10 at Cafe du Nord. In the meantime, check them out at this show where they’re sure to play one or two new songs.

The show starts at 9pm and will cost you just $4.

It’s often the case that good music is filled with paradoxes. Whether it’s a calmly beautiful folk song that portrays an almost militant political message or a song that’s so sparse instrumentally but somehow expresses a complex subject, these songs achieve something spectacular. Such is the case with Okay’s new album Huggable Dust (2008, Absolutely Kosher).

The Fremont band, which is essentially one man - Marty Anderson - and friends, has caught the ears of the members of Deerhoof and many passionate and adoring fans throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Huggable Dust, a followup to the double-release of Low Road and High Road in 2005, is characteristic of the sound Okay fans have come to know and love, but with a few extra kicks.

The sound itself is filled with contradictions - some as simple as children’s songs, with tinkling piano and guitar sounds, and others filled with many layers; with synth and wind sounds that feel futuristic in contrast to the acoustic bass, such as on track 13, “Poof.”

With Low Road and High Road, the overdubs were rumored to have exceeded the double digits, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same is true for some of the songs on this album. But this is just one of the extremes that this album possesses - whether it’s optimism and pessimism, simple and complex, loud and soft, sparse and crowded, it’s got everything - sometimes to a dizzying degree. Anderson’s somewhat scratchy, almost strained-sounding voice may not resonate with everyone, but if you can hear it for the raw emotion and almost ironic pain that comes through, you’ll be sold. On first listen you are taken aback, as if seeing your first Jackson Pollock painting after looking at Renoir your whole life.

You can’t read about Anderson without reading about his condition. He has Crohn’s Disease, a gastrointestinal disease that, to say the least, is incredibly painful and has caused him many a night in the hospital. But what is so noteworthy about this fact is not that he elicits pity for his condition or anything of the sort, but rather that he has managed to take his experiences, build a spectacular outlook on life and craft songs that anyone can relate to - both in pain and elation.

Perhaps one of the most relatable aspects of the album is that there are often very few words in each song, like a mantra: “There’s always a downside; There’s always an upside,” “I know who my sunshine is,” “I want you … to be happy.”

A highlight of the album is “Natural,” a painfully sweet love song with the simplest of finger-picked guitar parts and a basic melody that Anderson sings with passion and pain at the same time: “I could write you a novel tonight; I could write you a new song each day; it’s a natural part of my day.” And really, he’s telling the truth. Anderson is notorious for being uber-prolific, and writing a song a day, particularly for a passionate love, is most certainly not far from the realm of possibility.

Throughout the album you can see Anderson’s struggle - with life, with love, with his disease. The themes flow like rolling hills, changing drastically from the painfully truthful (”What a nightmare to love”) to the almost forcefully optimistic (”I didn’t know that this somethin’ was really nothin’ in my way”), perhaps paralleling the very conflict that runs through each of us as we try to tell our mind something quite contrary to what it automatically possesses.

One often worries about the well-being of someone who is capable of expressing such personal sentiments in their songs, as expressing what’s inside of your soul can elicit varied reactions, from ridicule to obsession. But one thing is for sure - the act of delving into this record is very much a personal experience for the listener as well - both in the sense that she can relate to these tribulations in her own life, and in the sense that she feels a deep and unmistakable compassion for someone who can write such “uplifting” songs, whatever condition he may be in.

However, in a live setting, Anderson is anything but feeble. Having won East Bay Express’ “Most Charismatic Performer” award in 2005, he and his up-to-7-person band are notorious for antics - from an opening of Tibetan bells to toy guns. And as Deerhoof has recently counted Okay as one of their favorite bands, they’ve asked Anderson to join them on two shows in the beginning of October.

But prior to these days, Okay will play Bottom of the Hill on Monday, July 28 with The Watson Twins (LA) and Tim Fite (Brooklyn). The show is $10 and will start at 9pm. You can buy Huggable Dust and other Okay albums via the Absolutely Kosher website. Listen if you’re happy; listen if you’re sad.

We’re back with the next episode in our ongoing video podcast series. This is the first of two programs spotlighting The Dodos, from their sold-out homecoming show at The Independent in June. The Dodos played with a ferocious intensity that night–going for about an hour and a half with few breaks between songs–and they showcased the performance skills that deservedly made them one of the year’s most buzzed-about bands. In the end, it was enough to leave even an audience member feeling thoroughly satiated, if a little winded.

The video was shot and edited by the talented gentlemen of Bank of Karma; the audio was recorded and mixed by The Bay Bridged.

To make sure you get every new video the moment it’s posted, subscribe to our video podcast series in iTunes or in your RSS reader. You can find the entire series of videos at our Blip.tv site at thebaybridged.blip.tv, where you can also download mp3s of the recordings and more. The best new local music videos can always be found on our Videos page.

Future episodes in the coming weeks will feature The Botticellis, Birdmonster, Emily Jane White and more, so stay tuned!

Rykarda Parasol headlined a bill at the Uptown in Oakland on Saturday July 12 that was notable for both its eclectic mix and darkly classic feel. The local blogs are abuzz with Parasol’s new video for “Candy Gold,” a classic cinematic clip that compliments an understated cinematic sound. On guitar and backed by a three-piece band (dubbed the Tower Ravens), Parasol created an atmosphere with noir-ish tunes that wouldn’t be out of place accompanying a 1950’s detective or a determined gun-slinger. Parasol brought with her the darkest elements of folk and classic country and nicely blackened the mood of the room - a mood that had previously been one of exhilaration while Candy Apple performed.

Chico’s Candy Apple would be a tough act for anyone to follow. I was informed the five piece had suffered a rather late night the previous evening, but any lapses in energy were absent from the band’s set. Propelled by Scott “Scott” Barwick’s Farfisa and Jake Sprecher’s guitar/spastic energy (the two share vocal duties), Candy Apple ripped through a set that was consistently rooted in classic rockabilly and rhythm and blues. The band’s hypertension never seemed to lag, with Summer Maroste shaking the tambourine, while Katie Kelley (bass) and Slee Jensen (drums) kept the rhythm twice. Belting out catchy choruses like, “before you leave me, honey / you better think twice,” the band was easy to pick up on lyrically, whether or not you were previously familiar with the band’s work.

A tad more on the gothic side than either act were openers Swann Danger. The band’s dark, post-punk sound was achieved often through minimalist means. The trio features drummer Jim Andersen, while bassist Andy Zevallos also maintains samples. Singer Cynthia Mansourian’s switched up her instrument of choice with nearly every song, occasionally using the guitar, while sometimes simply beating a tambourine or drum. The band’s sound, which mixed elements familiar in the following two bands set a nice tone for the evening.

The RCRD LBL site recently posted a free mp3 from San Francisco avant-electronic band Lemonade. The song, “Sunchips,” which can be downloaded here, showcases the band’s loves for heavy synths and spacey delays, and it’s an exciting preview for the band’s upcoming debut on True Panther Records.

The group was originally scheduled to play a now-cancelled show at The Independent on Monday, but it looks like they don’t have any upcoming shows until a late-September tour with Tussle. If “Sunchips” isn’t as uptempo as some of the dancier stuff I saw them play a year ago, it finds the group in a psychier, trance-inducing headspace that’s equally fascinating.

Thursday:

- Raised By Robots, The Papersons, Low Red Land (Feature Podcast) and Parker Street Cinema (Feature Podcast) at Cafe du Nord. 8:30pm, $10.

- Mark Matos & Os Beaches (from Campo Bravo), The Scarecrowes and Classical Revolution at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $6.

Friday:

- Sonny Smith and Brilliant Colors at Make-Out Room. 7:30-9:30pm, $7.

- New Centuries, Tartufi (Feature Podcast) and Aimless Never Miss (Feature Podcast) at Starry Plough. 9pm, $8.

- Triclops!, Zechs Marquise (El Paso), Future Skullz and Oaks (SD) at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $7.

Saturday:

- Persephones Bees, Sixteens and Testicular Manslaughter (LA) at The Uptown. 9pm, $8.

- Room For A Ghost, The Silent Comedy (SD) and Chase Pagan (Arkansas) at The Retox Lounge. 9pm, $8.

- Hank IV, Pink Reason (Brooklyn) and Rot Shit at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $6.

Sunday:

- The Republic Tigers (Kansas City), Aim Low Kid and Indian Valley Line at Cafe Du Nord. 8pm, $10.

- Innaway, 60 Watt Kid (Feature Podcast) and Chief Nowhere (LA) at 12 Galaxies. 9pm, $8/10.

The amazing (((folkYEAH!))) is bringing us yet another amazing festival in Big Sur, and you can get your tickets as of noon today.

The festival will take place Sept. 26 and 27 at Fernwood Resort, and will benefit the all-volunteer Big Sur fire brigade. There will only be 300 tickets sold total - 250 weekend camping tickets (Friday and Saturday camping fees plus shows), 50 individual tickets for Big Sur locals and 12 4-ticket tent cabin packages sold by Fernwood. Ticket details can be found at www.folkyeah.com.

The lineup is not complete yet or set in stone, but even as it is now, it’s darn impressive:

Beach House (Baltimore)
Citay
The Entrance Band (LA)
Fool’s Gold (LA)
The Fresh & Onlys
Lemonade
Little Joy (with Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes)
Little Wings (San Luis Obispo)
Matt Baldwin Electric Band
Megapuss (LA)
Palo Colorado (Brooklyn)
The Parson Redheads (LA)
Port O’Brien
Sam Flax Keener Band
Silver Jews (Nashville)
Sleepy Sun
Stay High (Brooklyn)
Tussle
White Hills (NY)

Ticket details can be found at www.folkyeah.com.

This week’s podcast features Minipop, a San Francisco quartet who describe their music as akin to “marshmallows on morphine and Care-Bears on Xanax”–an appropriate, if exaggerated, way to describe the group’s warm, enveloping dream-pop. Founded in 2004, the band has steadily built a strong following through lauded live performances and a well-received EP, before marking a new milestone late last year with their first full length record, A New Hope. Released on local label Take Root Records, the album is a rich recording that deftly and simultaneously balances catchy melodies and beautiful atmospherics.

In a scene populated with bands influenced by the shoegaze sound, Minipop succeeds with an arsenal of not-so-secret weapons, led by singer Tricia Kanne, whose sweet voice mesmerizes as it weaves through the surrounding dense layers of keyboard and guitar. Finding the right balance of layers can itself be a precarious process, but on A New Hope, the band, with the help of producer Chris Manning, skillfully charts a path toward euphoria, not claustrophobia. Following a nationwide tour in May, the band’s now back home, recuperating and plotting its next steps.

We sat down with Minipop’s Lauren Grubb (Drums) and Matthew Swanson (Guitars/Keyboards) last week to discuss the efforts that led up to their debut album as well as what the band’s planning for its future. The episode also features four songs from A New Hope.

Upcoming Shows:

Friday, August 1st
The Independent
with Sholi and Voxhaul Broadcast
9pm, $12 advance/$14 door (Purchase advanced tickets here)

Links:

- Hear more at Minipop’s MySpace page and web site

- Purchase A New Hope, out now on Take Root Records, via iTunes and Amazon

- Check out the video for “Like I Do” on YouTube

Are you subscribed to the The Bay Bridged weekly podcast? Click here to get each new episode downloaded free to your iTunes the moment it is published!

Railcars - “There Is Ice; It Is Blue” (from Cities vs Submarines)

Lady Genius - “New York Through York” (from upcoming 10″)

The good people at local label Gold Robot Records, purveyors of high-quality, limited edition vinyl releases from a number of great Bay Area bands, have recently announced pre-order information for a couple of very promising upcoming releases from local groups Railcars and Lady Genius.

Railcars, led by Aria C Jalali, recorded their new 7″ Cities vs Submarines in the kitchen of Xiu Xiu frontman Jamie Stewart. The damaged electronics sound on “There Is Ice; It Is Blue” definitely has a little Xiu Xiu feel, and like that band’s best work, the song’s just as melodic as it is noisy.

We’ve long tracked the strong pop sounds of Lady Genius, which features members of Volunteer Pioneer, and are excited to see the release of the band’s as-yet-untitled debut 10″.

You can pre-order both albums at Gold Robot Records. Each album comes with a download code for mp3s too.

Mark Matos & Os Beaches - On My Mind (demo)

It wasn’t long after we interviewed singer-songwriter Mark Matos from “acid gospel” band Campo Bravo that the group announced a hiatus that is still ongoing today. While some August show listings suggest that the break will soon end, Matos has spent the interim time working on a solo project called Mark Matos & Os Beaches, which debuts this Thursday the 24th at the Hemlock Tavern.

Recorded at his home studio, “The Fantasy Hi-Fi Ghetto,” the demos on MM&OB’s MySpace page offer some intriguing slices of minimalist psych-folk that don’t feel terribly far removed from Mark’s other band. One suspects the new group’s live debut will feature a slightly fuller sound, as Matos promises an eight-piece band featuring members of The Blank Tapes, Jolie Holland’s band, Buxter Hoot’n, and–naturally–Campo Bravo.

Thursday’s show features supporting performances from The Scarecrowes and Classical Revolution. It starts at 9:30pm and is $6.

Two Bay Area bands will embark on a two-week tour together this Thursday. Raised by Robots and The Papersons will play Cafe du Nord to kick off the “On Tour” Tour, sponsored by Imeem and Red Stripe. The band will be joined by Low Red Land and Parker Street Cinema for this show.

The tour, which was clearly - and admittedly - named while drinking beer, is partly a promotion for the Bay Area Rock n Roll (BARR) collective, which was formed to promote and facilitate the success of a handful of Bay Area bands. A BARR compilation will be given away at all of the shows.

Raised by Robots, who play an indie hybrid with tinges of hip-hop, honky-tonk and other styles, will be promoting their debut EP The Auctioneer. They will return to the studio this fall to record their next project.

The Papersons are currently in the studio, but are taking a break for this tour, and will be playing new material combined with songs from their debut release Fine Line. The bands will first head south to LA and San Diego, back up to Sacramento and on to Oregon and Washington.

This Thursday’s show will begin at 8:30 and costs $10.

Announcing the Rock Make Street Festival, a free all day local music and crafts street fair in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District

While there are many outdoor festivals and street fairs this summer, San Franciscans won’t find one that celebrates Bay Area arts and music more than the Rock Make Street Festival, a free all day block party to be held on Sunday, August 24th, 2008 on Treat Street between 17th St and 18th St in San Francisco’s Mission District. While both are flourishing in the Bay Area underground, the crafts and music worlds rarely meet, making this a unique opportunity to sample the best in new and emerging Bay Area handicrafts, visual arts, fashion and live indie rock all at one awesome event celebrating the power of artistic creativity and good old-fashioned DIY spirit.

The free six-hour party will feature an expected fifty local independent arts and crafts vendors selling their wares alongside two stages of great indie music from a dozen of the best Bay Area independent rock bands. Bands already confirmed include Tartufi, Silian Rail, Low Red Land, Rademacher, French Miami, Emily Jane White and Settler, with more to be announced shortly. Dozens of vendors including clothing designer Amanda Archer, accessories designers Beyond Wonderland, Nous Savon, Pollyanna Cowgirl and jewlers Colleen Mauer and Squishy Sushi have already been confirmed, with spaces still available at affordable prices.

The Rock Make Street Festival is the work of three groups sharing a like-minded commitment to supporting the development and promotion of San Francisco Bay Area independent arts and music. WhizBang Fabrics is San Francisco’s newest fabric store dedicated to providing awesome and unique cotton fabric from the states and abroad to serve the needs of seamsters of all skills and trades. Tartufi, consistently one of the Bay Area’s favorite indie rock acts, and quickly on their way to international fame, strives to contribute to and promote the great San Francisco music scene through their band and music collective, Thread Productions. The Bay Bridged is a local music media organization best know for its acclaimed music blog and podcast, both of which can be found at TheBayBridged.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.myspace.com/rockmakestreetfestival and be sure to add our event to August 24th on your calendar and any applicable listings. Future announcements, including updates on new bands, vendors and sponsors, will be posted to the festival’s MySpace page. All media, vendor and sponsorship inquiries should be directed to rockmake2008@gmail.com

60 Watt Kid - “Cobblestone Sunglasses” (from 2012 Breakdown)

Local experimental rock trio 60 Watt Kid were responsible for one of the most unique interviews we’ve ever featured on The Bay Bridged, as well as one of my favorite releases of the last six months, a self-titled work that melded elements of psych rock, folk, electronic and garage music into a really excellent and engaging album. Today the band releases a new free EP, 2012 Breakdown, as news comes that the they are relocating to LA in August.

You can download 2012 Breakdown over at Absolutely Kosher Records, where you can also pick up their debut. Before moving south, they’ve got a number of Bay Area dates as part of a late July tour, including Saturday, July 19th, at Andy Tisdall’s CD release show at El Rio, and Sunday, July 27th at 12 Galaxies, with Innaway and Chief Nowhere. Full tour dates can be found at the group’s MySpace page.