The Lab launches Remote View with Painted Caves, Austin Cesear, Its Own Infinite Flower this Friday, 2/15/13

February 14, 2013 by Tim Draut · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, News, Show Preview, Video

The Lab is launching a monthly, three-part series called Remote View, playing host to real time experiments in performance and sound, and the inaugural event will take place this Friday, February 15. This week’s audio-visual showcase will feature music from Painted Caves, Austin Cesear, Its Own Infinite Flower, and projections from Paul Clipson. DJ Konrad from NO UFOs was recently announced as the surprise guest DJ for the event. RSVP on Facebook for updates.

Friday will not be the first time that Painted Caves have collaborated with video artist Paul Clipson at The Lab. Watch video footage from a dark performance at the venue in August 2012, below.

The second installment of Remote View will take place on March 9, featuring Vallens, Ensemble Enconomique, and San Francisco’s Kwjaz. The third and final night of the three-part event will conclude with a special performance from Barn Owl on April 5.

The “live aural trilogy” is an exercise in sonic curation in widescreen developed by Evan Caminiti (Barn Owl), Jon Porras (Vallens), Sky Madden (Chasms) and Lisa McGee (Higuma). The four Bay Area musicians came together to start a unique project over a shared love of performance, visual stimulus, and amplification.

The Lab is an alternative art and music space in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District, offering a community based venue for members of drone, experimental, and industrial bands to share their music and art. This alternative environment introduces local audiences to sensory experiences that aren’t found at your typical indie rock show or dance club.

Painted Caves, Austin Cesear, Its Own Infinite Flower
The Lab
February 15, 2013
9pm, $6-10

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Video: Planet Booty – “Everyday Lightning” (playing Public Works 2/15/13)

February 14, 2013 by Russell Jelinek · 2 Comments »
Filed Under Mp3, New Release, News, Show Preview, Video

I’ll be honest: when I initially saw that East Bay funk band Planet Booty submitted to The Bay Bridged, I didn’t think I would enjoy what I was about to hear. In the past, I’ve complained about how bad modern efforts at funk have been, and the first photo I saw of them was six guys posed around what appears to be an ass-shaped disco ball. Also, their name is “Planet Booty”. Still, I gave it a chance (we listen to ALL submissions at The Bay Bridged), and I’m glad I did. The talk box intro on “Treat My Body Right” over heavy synths and subtle guitar hooked me, and things just got better (and more funky) from that point forward.

Nathan Germick, who started Planet Booty as a studio project with his brother Dylan, explained to me what the band is all about. “Our mission is to pursue the sounds that we’re passionate about and not get hung up on insecurities along the way,” says Germick. “Our hope is that ethos rubs off on the audience. You can be sexy, laugh at yourself, and seriously chase your passions all at the same time.”

I suggest you take his advice – don’t judge Planet Booty by their name or promo shot, judge them by the fantastic grooves they lay down. You’ll have a lot of fun if you do. Check out the song that roped me in, “Treat My Body Right”, followed by their new video for “Everyday Lightning”, below. The large white suit in the video should give you a not-so-subtle hint about one the band’s major influences. I’m not sure exactly what the glowing codpiece gives you, but I do know that it’s not subtle. Planet Booty will perform at Public Works February 15.

Hottub, DJ Assault, Planet Booty, Double Duchess
Public Works
February 15, 2012
9pm, $10 advance/$15 door

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Video: Cocktails – “Hey Winnie”

February 14, 2013 by Russell Jelinek · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, News, Show Preview, Video

Photo by Matthew Scott

We’ve been talking about Cocktails a great deal lately, with good reason. The songs that they’ve shared from their debut EP, “Hey Winnie” and “No Blondes (In California)”, are fantastic garage pop tunes, they’re booking fun shows, and now they’ve added a great video to the mix. The video for “Hey Winnie”, which was directed and produced by Cocktails guitarist/keyboardist Lauren Matsui, features the band robbing a thrift store (No Shop in the Mission), while a slicked-up knife-wielding Joel Cusumano (of DSTVV) is just a little late to save the day.

Did I mention Cocktails are booking fun shows? It just so happens that they are playing the Night Light in Oakland with Warm Soda and Bad Vibes February 23, just got added to the Mac DeMarco show at the Rickshaw Stop April 3, and are planning an April tour with Primitive Hearts in support of the EP release. You can also see more of Joel Cusumano’s sweet ‘stache at the FREE Bay Bridged Noise Pop Happy Hour March 1 if you’re into that sort of thing.

Without further ado, here’s Cocktails’ video for “Hey Winnie”:

Warm Soda, Cocktails, Bad Vibes
The Night Light
February 23, 2013
9pm, TBA
21+

Mac DeMarco, Cocktails
Rickshaw Stop
April 3, 2013
8pm, $10 advance/$12 door
All Ages

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Thee Oh Sees get heavy with upcoming LP out 4/16/13, release new track

February 14, 2013 by Lauren Espina · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Mp3, New Release, News

John Dwyer just doesn’t stop. This guy drinks reverb, eats guitar strings and probably sleeps in a sweat-soaked, instrument strewn garage. One of San Francisco’s most restless musicians, he’s fronted several different projects over the last two decades, including the now defunct Coachwhips and Pink and Brown, but for the last few years, Dwyer has bestowed his undivided attention unto his main squeeze — the scuzzy, fuzzy garage-psych-punk outfit Thee Oh Sees.

The band has released at least one album a year for the past nine years, and will follow suit this year with its twelfth studio album and fourth LP in two years, Floating Coffin. Following up last year’s critically acclaimed record Putrifiers II, the album will be out on April 16, 2013 via Castle Face Records, and according to Dwyer, it will offer a much heavier and more sinister sound than Thee Oh Sees previous releases.

“These songs occur in the mindset of a world that’s perpetually war-ridden,” explains Dwyer. “Overall, it’s pretty dark, and much heavier than our other albums.”

Thee Oh Sees recently premiered the album’s closing track “Minotaur,” a saucy number with bass and strings at the helm instead of guitars. Its much more slinky and less jangly than what we’re used to from the band, though, never getting the same sound is exactly what we should expect from Thee Oh Sees. They always deliver, maybe not what you ordered, but something you’ll gladly eat right up. Listen to the new song below.

Thee Oh Sees – “Minotaur”

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EOTB Noise Pop-Up featuring Glenn Jackson this Friday, 2/15/13

February 13, 2013 by Tim Draut · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Mp3, News, Show Preview

Local move-maker Peter Arko (a.k.a. EOTB, or Ears of the Beholder) will take over Noise Pop Festival’s Noise Pop-Up Party this Friday, February 15, introducing us to the latest in rising Bay Area beatmakers for the third year in a row. In the past, EOTB has showcased local artists such as Yalls, Kites Sail High, Spaceghost, Giraffage, Some Ember, and Shortcircles, and this year’s event welcomes four acts – Glenn Jackson, Natural Curves, Dailon, and Dutty Wilderness.

The evening’s opener, Seattle’s Dutty Wilderness, is a 90’s beatmaker homage by Reed Juenger, a member of Beat Connection. Following Juenger is Dailon, a recent addition to SF’s beatmaker scene, and local electronic producer Natural Curves. Stream tracks from Dutty Wilderness and Natural Curves, below.

Headliner Glenn Jackson (half of East Bay electronic pop duo James & Evander) closes out the night with a dance party, spinning a DJ set and offering up a taste of his debut solo effort. His brand new Morning Swim EP is out now on Ceremony. You’ve already heard the EP’s first single, “Save”, and you can stream the other two tracks below.

Visuals will be provided by Danny Firpo, with warm up DJ jams from EOTB for those who arrive early.

Glenn Jackson (DJ), Natural Curves, Dailon, Dutty Wilderness, EOTB (DJ)
Noise Pop-Up Shop
1772 Market Street
8pm, $5, 21+

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Giggle Party covers the Pixies’ “Debaser”, playing free show at Brick and Mortar tonight!

February 13, 2013 by Jason Shane · 1 Comment »
Filed Under Bay Area Bands, Mp3, News, Show Preview

We first covered Giggle Party last month, giving you the scoop on the SF-via-Dallas outfit’s latest EP, This City Smells Like Piss. Although I’d argue that only certain neighborhoods in our fair city smell like urine (hey nothing’s perfect, right?), that’s beside the point – Giggle Party brings an infectious brand of “spazzy punk/pop” that is a notable addition to the Bay Area scene, and they keep pumping out quality releases, one after the other.

Now, the band is back with a ridiculously awesome (and undeniably danceable) cover of the Pixies’ “Debaser”, the opening track off the legendary indie act’s sophomore album, 1989′s Doolittle. What makes the cover (beyond the racing guitars and synths) is the combination of male and female voices, à la Black Francis and Kim Deal on the original; the song wouldn’t have been complete without that interplay, and these Texas ex-pats deliver in stellar fashion. Listen to Giggle Party’s take on “Debaser” below, and if you’re unfamiliar with the original, check it out here (and you’ll want to ask yourself why you’re unfamiliar with the Pixies – that’s a major problem).

Giggle Party plays a free (yes, FREE) gig tonight at Brick and Mortar with Turtle Rising and Guitar Wizards of the Future. You can grab copies of their cover of “Debaser”, This City Smells Like Piss, and the rest of the band’s catalog over on Bandcamp.

Giggle Party, Turtle Rising, Guitar Wizards of the Future
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
February 13, 2013
9pm, FREE
18+

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Review & Photos: Enslaved, Pallbearer @ Slim’s, 2/9/13

February 13, 2013 by Mike G. · Leave a Comment »
Filed Under News, Show Photos, Show Reviews

Pallbearer (Photo: Mike G./Mark Pantoja)

Pallbearer had one of the best—if not the best—metal releases of 2012 with Sorrow and Extinction. The album clocks in at around 50 minutes despite having just five tracks, which tells you a lot about the type of music they’re playing. That is, epic would be an understatement. This is some of the most towering, majestic metal ever made.

Saturday night was my first chance to see Pallbearer live, and the band delivered. What impressed me most was that the guitars were every bit as Earth-shatteringly heavy as on the record. From what I could tell, based on their live set, there is absolutely no studio wizardry going on to give them such a massive sound on their album—not that it sounds heavily produced or anything, just that it can be tough to achieve the exact tone you want in a live setting. Pallbearer brought the thunder.

And it wasn’t just the guitars: singer/guitarist Brett Campbell hit all of the soaring melodies on Sorrow and Extinction cuts “Foreigner” and “An Offering of Grief”, sounding like the love child of Ozzy and Geddy Lee howling across an abyss of doom.

The best part, though? There was something a little unrefined about their set—not shaky but rough around the edges. And even though Sorrow and Extinction topped Pitchfork’s year-end “Best of Metal” list, you can hear it there too: moments where the seams show, where you realize this is a band that has yet to really achieve its full vision. I want to immediately see them live again, but I also hope they go straight back to the studio and record another album.

While I felt the crowd thinned out a bit after Pallbearer’s set, there was no doubt that the majority of the crusty punks in attendance had come for Enslaved. More than two decades after they founded the band, Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson are still going at it, and they’re still clearly loving every minute. I mean, it’s not everyone’s jam, but if you enjoy playing extreme progressive Viking metal, then how could you not love life if you were Bjørnson or Kjellson, who started Enslaved as teenagers? It’s like that one girl with the face tattoo said: “Enslaved or fucking die, man. Enslaved or fucking diiiiiiiiiiie!”

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