**Environmental concerns aside, there is something satisfying about delving into the lost art of film photography. Or maybe I was thrilling to analogue on account of all the pretty cameras that were on sale at the opening of Union Square’s new Lomography store on Thursday, Dec. 8. Pretty patterns, candy colors — coupled with the hand-infused vodkas in flavors like sasparilla, orange peel, and bayleaf being churned out by experimental mixers Cocktail Lab, the creative possibilities were intoxicating. The store specializes in cameras that produce Instagram-esque shots, check out the thousands of color-soaked photos that have been uploaded to its website by film freaks around the country. (Caitlin Donohue)
**A couple words used (and possibly made up) to describe Jose James’ show at New Parish on Friday night: swoontastic and babymakingmusic. The rising neo-crooner gigged in San Jose and SF the preceding two evenings, but for our money it’s hard to beat the intimacy of the small Oakland venue. Whereas James’s previous shows in the Bay Area featured more traditional jazz with restrained piano accompaniment, on this tour he was backed up with a full band capable of illustrating his range. It made for a super talented quintet including keyboardist Kris Bowers (who appeared on Kanye and Jay Z’s Watch the Throne album), bassist Solomon Dorsey, trumpet player Takuya Kuroda (a familiar collaborator of James’s), and standout drummer Nate Smith. (Ryan Prendiville)
**If there was one cohesive thread linking the entirety of the sold-out Tycho show at the Independent on Saturday night, it would be water. Basic H20. Though, more to the truth, water spruced up with rolling waves, psychedelic cuts, vintage surfers, and a hazy orangeish moon on the horizon — the latter a constant in the current Tycho aesthetic, gracing the cover of the recently released album, Dive (Ghostly International). Behind the live three-piece, there was a running stream of visuals with a few shots that appeared to be out of surfer-cinematographer George Greenough’s groundbreaking 1975 surf film, Crystal Voyager. Tycho’s ebb and flow rose with its backdrop; there was silvery synth and acid-popped live drum hits laced together with smooth, wandering guitar and rippling bass. With shots of giant kohl-rimmed eyes and warming balls of sun, the performance was complete. And what better night to see Tycho (a.k.a. SF’s Scott Hanson, a.k.a graphic designer ISO50) than the evening of the blood-red lunar eclipse? (Emily Savage)
**It’s been over a year since Dave Portner – the yelping member of Animal Collective better known as Avey Tare – released his crocodile-inspired solo debut Down There (Paw Tracks). Maybe Tare needed to spend some time away from the songs that dealt with divorce, death, and illness, as he only recently set out on tour in support of the album. He finished his brief solo tour on Sunday night at Oakland’s New Parish, and I couldn’t wait to finally check him out. The dismal grey weather was well-suited to Tare’s dark and murky debut. A youthful crowd clad in an unsettling amount of lumberjack plaid filled the venue. Onstage was a creepy Yoda skeleton and a white sequined cloth-draped table with a few baby crocodiles placed around several electronic instruments. (Frances Capell)