The Mallard announces break-up, final show 4/18/2013

April 16, 2013 by Lauren Espina · 2 Comments »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Mp3, News, Show Preview

In a place as musically dense as San Francisco, bands come and go every single week. There are so many in fact, that its often hard to keep up with who is and isn’t still making music. But when a band like The Mallard calls it a day, after having captivated a national audience over the last two years with its erratic, psychedelic garage music, people take notice.

Following their South by Southwest run, a string of cancelled shows and a hiatus announcement, front woman Greer McGettrick revealed that The Mallard is disbanding for good and will have played their final shows by the end of the month. Run down by life on the road and unexcited by not only her band’s music but music in general, even prior to all the SXSW madness, she pulled the plug on the project early last week, admitting to SF Weekly that ”It was ending whether I wanted it to or not.”

The Mallard still has plans to release a sophomore album, Finding Meaning in Deference, and an accompanying music video later this year, but the band won’t support the record with any shows. So this isn’t quite the last we’ve heard from the four-piece band, but since their restless energy is most palpable in a live setting, The Mallard’s final show this Thursday, April 18th at The Knockout, is all but mandatory. Help us bid farewell to one of the most restless, perverse, petulant and, quite honestly, raddest post punk outfits San Francisco has seen in years.

The Mallard, Pure Bliss, Synthetic ID, Lenz
The Knockout
April 18, 2013
9:30 pm, $7

Related Posts:

• Wax Idols celebrate album release with The Mallard and Chasms at Brick & Mortar, 3/30/13
• Review: !!! (Chk Chk Chk), White Arrows, The Mallard, The Yellow Dogs @ Great American Music Hall, 2/28/2013 (Noise Pop 2013)
• Video: The Mallard – “Iceberg” (Live at the Hemlock Tavern)

Photos: Spiritualized, Guy Blakeslee @ Coconut Grove 4/11/13

April 16, 2013 by Paige Parsons · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Coming to the Bay, News, Show Coverage, Show Videos

Photos by Paige K. Parsons

Related Posts:

• Interview: J. Spaceman (Jason Pierce) of Spiritualized
• Photos: Treasure Island Music Festival – Day 2

Seatraffic & Silver Hands co-headlining Professional Fans showcase @ DNA Lounge, 4/18/13

April 16, 2013 by Tim Draut · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Mp3, News, Show Preview, Video

Professional Fans, a San Francisco-based “group of music lovers eager to serve as a vessel for new and exciting music,” will be presenting its second official showcase on Thursday, April 18 at DNA Lounge. The event will feature a handful of the Bay Area’s most promising new synth artists, with Seatraffic and Silver Hands co-headlining the show with support from Shortcircles, Running in the Fog, and Pro Fan DJs.

San Francisco drum-and-synth duo Seatraffic recently released the track “Tempo of Regret” (above), the latest in a series of new singles. As previously reported, drummer/producer Andrew Marcogliese remixed the duo’s “Superficial Heart” under his YR SKULL moniker earlier this Spring. Marcogliese is joined by Elizabeth Wright to form the SF/LA-based synth band Silver Hands, which will co-headline the showcase with Seatraffic.

Oakland’s Matt Tammariello will perform as Shortcircles, whose live shows are usually joined by
Adam Myatt and Glenn Jackson of James & Evander. Shortcircles recently played alongside Mwahaha at Boiler Room LA. Watch a video for “Meatball in Space” above, presented by Mapzzz and Signal Flow for Sharkbite Sessions.

Running in the Fog, the criminally underrated synth-pop project of San Francisco’s Amanda Harper, will open the showcase.

Seatraffic, Silver Hands, Shortcircles, Running in the Fog
DNA Lounge
April 18, 2013
8pm, $8–10
All Ages

Related Posts:

• Seatraffic gets remixed by YR SKULL, making SXSW debut
• Mixtape: Bay Area Artists, Remixing and Remixed (Podcast #304)
• Gothic Tropic, Seatraffic, Cruel Summer play ProFans showcase at Brick & Mortar, 5/19/13

Outside Lands 2013 lineup announced!

April 16, 2013 by Anna Gazdowicz · 2 Comments »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Coming to the Bay, Feature Article, News

Get your layers ready for a summer festival in Golden Gate Park. The lineup for Outside Lands 2013 has been announced. Headliners include Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nine Inch Nails, and many other notable acts (local and otherwise) fill out the rest of the bill.

See the full lineup for yourself and check out ticket info (tickets go on sale on April 18th at noon). The festival takes places August 9th-11th, 2013.

A clever lineup announcement video has been released as well, featuring people wearing animal costumes and rollerskating through Golden Gate Park:

Full lineup: [More...]

Related Posts:

• Photos: Outside Lands Music Festival 2012
• Videos from Outside Lands 2012: Jack White, Metallica, PAPA, Washed Out and more
• Photos & Tweets: The 2012 Outside Lands Music Festival

Album Premiere: Magic Fight – ‘Wooden Swords and Stolen Echos’ (release show tonight at El Rio)

April 16, 2013 by Russell Jelinek · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Feature Article, Mp3, New Release, News, Show Preview

Oakland’s Magic Fight has already shared two tracks from their debut album Wooden Swords and Stolen Echos, and we’re happy to premiere the full album here on The Bay Bridged today. Overall, the album takes on much darker themes than the first two singles, “Fangs” and “Legs”, but songwriter Alex Christopher Haager has a talented ear for harmonies and melodies that he uses throughout, even in those gloomier moments. Magic Fight plays a release show tonight at El Rio, and has another gig late next month at Amnesia with Kids on a Crime Spree and Teenage Sweater. Listen to Wooden Swords and Stolen Echos below (via SoundCloud).

Magic Fight, There’s Talk, Mosaics
El Rio
April 16, 2013
7pm, $5

Kids on a Crime Spree, Teenage Sweater, Magic Fight
Amnesia
May 30, 2013
9pm, $7–10

Related Posts:

• Magic Fight – “Fangs”

Surf Club releases new split single with Manatee, plays Slim’s on 4/23/13

April 15, 2013 by Katie Kopacz · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Mp3, New Release, News, Show Preview

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

Related Posts:

• Looking back at SF Popfest 2012: a collection of photos, videos and highlights, including Seapony, BOAT, Manatee, Surf Club and more
• Review & Photos: Beach Fossils, Surf Club, Black Jeans @ Slim’s 4/23/2013
• Horrorscopes – “Conundrum”

Video: Comfort Slacks – “Coffee” (complete with karaoke video campaign)

April 15, 2013 by Russell Jelinek · 1 Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, News, Video

Probably the worst part about being in a band is the world of PR. You spend all sorts of money and time recording your art just so it can sit in the inbox of some dumb blogger or club booker. Perhaps you write up a nifty bio that compares yourself to other artists you hope the dumb blogger will like too, and hopefully you never make an appearance on Folder Rock. Not only is it difficult to stand out in the sea of all-too-easy-to-share flood of music, being too boastful or outlandish could just as easily turn someone off as a boring submission would.

Well, Napa duo Comfort Slacks put A LOT of effort into spreading the word about their band. They sent out a personalized, handwritten note to our offices along with a toy microphone that could be used to create a karaoke video for their song “Coffee”. A portion of their website is dedicated to their “Coffee Karaoke Campaign” and has received over 25 versions from their fans. Of course, all of this work would have been for naught if the music sucked. Luckily, the indie pop Comfort Slacks makes is quirky and fun, which their PR campaign highlighted better than any audacious press release possibly could have. The video for “Coffee” and a shot of their PR package are below.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts