Localized Appreesh is our thank-you column to the musicians that make the Bay. To be considered, contact emilysavage@sfbg.com.
The Mallard seems to be everywhere right now; opening up shows for Shonen Knife or Hot Snakes, topping MTV Hive’s list of “overlooked garage rock albums of 2012.”
Which, yeah. We somehow overlooked the band’s record, Yes on Blood (Castle Face Records), at first too. It’s a Nuggets-worthy, hair-shaking gem ran through a modern fuzz machine. And live, it’s even better. The so-called “inside-out-echo-laser-garage-psych-rock” four-piece takes elements of the past and tweaks them like they’re unspooling a tape, letting elements of retro sound slowly drop away and bunch up on the floor. So here we are, jumping on the bandwagon with our tail between our legs, not to mix idioms or whatever.
So in that Hive shout-out, there’s a mention of some similarity to another local garage rock act: Thee Oh Sees. Just so happens that the Mallard is opening up for that Dwyer-led band this week at the Uptown. But before the Mallard, led by long-hair Greer McGettrick, plays alongside yet another awesome act, McGettrick took the Localized Appreesh challenge. Turns out, her first album was Nirvana and she doesn’t care much for food.
PS: The Mallard also plays the totally free Rock Make Street Festival in the Mission next weekend (Saturday, Sept. 15) alongside John Vanderslice et al. See? Everywhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoZ9hsJdJYw
Year and location of origin: 2010, San Francisco.
Band name origin: it started in my head, I said it out loud, and then wrote it down.
Band motto: “just don’t get caught.”
Description of sound in 10 words or less: 160-200 BPM, 110 dB, 4/4, echo, reverb, distortion.
Instrumentation: bass, vocals, guitar, drums, guitar, vocals.
Most recent release: Yes On Blood, February 2012 on Castle Face Records.
Best part about life as a Bay Area band: Thriving, ambitious, and supportive music scene.
Worst part about life as a Bay Area band: boring weather.
First album ever purchased: Incesticide.
Most recent album purchased/downloaded: Head Full of Steam, the Go-Betweens.
Favorite local eatery and dish: I don’t really like food.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiieNHFb-AE
The Mallard
With Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps
Sat/8, 9pm, $12-$15
Uptown
1928 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 451-8100
www.uptownnightclub.com