Heads Up

Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

Waiting for the second manicure of my life, flipping through trashy magazines with my excitable fellow preeners, I came upon a photo of glittery purple monster Katy Perry; the conversation switched to her skills as a pop singer and place in the cultural zeitgeist (general consensus: the candy-coated songs are terrible guilty pleasures, her candy-coated bosom and infantilizing sexuality are kind of ick). We flipped the page.

Fast-forward several hours and – tickled by intense declarations of love and copious champagne at an intimate ranch wedding – the preeners and I are ecstatically throwing our whole selves into this “Teenage Dream.” Limbs in the air, with broad toothy smiles, we were in it, and without any trace of remorse or snark.

Music does that to you. We all seek out the challenging works of the genius craftspeople, but sometimes, it’s all about that quick and thrilling release, of both endorphins and mind. Letting it all go for the moment. Soaking up the sound. Musicians and bands below such as Naytronix and Father John Misty – and even genuine pop-star-in-training Maria Minerva – have both the challenge and the release. Why pass up the chance to see that live?

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Naytronix
Let’s get this out of the way: Naytronix is actually Oakland’s Nate Brenner, tUnE-YaRds’ bassist, who has her tripped out mixing sensibility, and is also a member of experimental East Bay act Beep! That said, he’s clearly on his own path with the robotic-dance-party Naytronix project, with dense synth samples and shiny disco pop grooves. Plus, I’m partial to Bay Area-heavy outputs. Check out the video for his single “Baby Don’t Walk” off his debut album, Dirty Glow (Oct. 9). It’ll make you want to Frankenstein twist in Golden Gate Park like some kind of Lynchian character.
With Sonnymoon, Bells, B. Lewis
Tue/25, 7:30pm, $8
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
www.cafedunord.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMv9srKQn-0

Father John Misty 
This Father John Misty appearance comes before the long-sold out show later this week at the same venue. The absurdist LA folk singer-songwriter (a.k.a Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman), with strong vocals, a dapper sense of humor, and cocked hips, sent electrifying ripples through the Outside Lands crowds last month; one can only imagine how he’ll creep indoors. Silver lining: if this one does indeed sell out, there’s always the Jansport/Noisey Bonfire Sessions party thingy this weekend on Treasure Island – it’s free with RSVP and he plays alongside the Dodos, Geographer, and White Fence.
With Jenny O
Wed/26, 8pm, $15
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtOToiIDNRA

Dreamdate
Oakland’s Dreamdate could have been born of the 1990s Pacific Northwest. The trio, led by singer-songwriter Yea-Ming Chen, is lo-fi but poppy, minimalist but warm and sweetly melodic. A stripped down garage rock effort worthy of both tween swooning and headbanging. The trio has been bopping around the Bay for a few years now, and tonight, it shares the stage with some more melodic up-and-comers, the She’s.
Thu/27, 9pm, $7-$10
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 371-1631
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNlEmSaNH74

Erin Brazill and the Brazillionaires
Self-described noir pop six-piece Erin Brazill and the Brazillionaires is set to use its Amnesia performance as an opportunity to release a new video. Not just any run-of-the-mill, song-to-performance video, this is the visual version of a song suite based on Hitchcock films including Rear Window, The Birds, Psycho, and Frenzy. A brow-raising undertaking indeed. But this talented local group – which includes the use of a washboard, clarinet, cigar-box guitar, and organ – doesn’t seem to shy away from a challenge. Plus, Amnesia says there will be a “lingerie fashion show” that night, whatever that means, presumably not the bands in their delicates.
Sat/29, 9pm, $7-$10
Amnesia
853 Valencia, SF
(415) 970-0012
www.amnesiathebar.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFFl2kZy5a8

Maria Minerva
“Like a ’90s TRL countdown as envisioned by Peaking Lights, Maria Minerva’s fuzzed-out hypnagogia is the stuff of bygone pop anthems, filtered experimentally and relentlessly through Macbooks, cheap software, and a boatload of filters and effects. Commended by The Wire for her contribution to the blossoming meta-pop movement, the elusive Estonian producer strikes a captivating balance between high art and radio trash, traditional top-40 conventions and anarchic nonconformity. “ — Taylor Kaplan
With Father Finger, Bobby Browser, EpicSauce DJs
Sun/30, 8pm, $12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvSQ7OnJMlA

Under the Central Freeway: A Live Music Festival
The main room will have locals Kelley Stoltz, Religious Girls (who just dropped new album I Want to Believe last week), Sweet Chariot, Will Sprott, the Wrong Words, Shalants, and Super Natural. And in the loft, DJs the Selector DJ Kirk of Sweater Funk, TS and OddznEndz, PASystems, and Dr. Linder. This one’s kind of a no brainer. Spend all day under the freeway at Public Works, then squint when the doors open and release yourself into the night.
Sun/30, 2-9pm, $15
Public Works
161 Erie, SF
(415) 932-0955
www.publicsf.com

Heads Up: 8 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

Legends of doom, of ska, and of Latin jazz all make SF appearances this week: Yob, the Uptones, and Eddie Palmieri. And then there’s the indie rock wizard crew, Wilco, which is bringing out fellow legends Cibo Matto and the irreverent Jonathan Richman for its one-two punch of Bay Area shows.

Of course, there are other kinds of icons, there are future-greats in the making (Ringo Deathstarr and Holograms) and events bound to create lasting memories (Bay for the Bayou Benefit) glittered up with even more prestige via Allen Toussaint.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Ringo Deathstarr
Ringo Deathstarr has it all: the rampant My Bloody Valentine comparisons, the supercute girl with bangs, the supercute boys in tight pants, the best band name ever (psh, Pitchfork incorrectly dubbed them “absurdly named fuzz-rockers”), and the musical chops to back it all up. The Austin, Texas trio also seems like fun to hang out with; invite them for a beer after the show to celebrate their newest release, Mauve (which drops Sept. 24 on Sonic Unyon Records).
With Permanent Collection, Chasms
Wed/19, 9pm, $7
Milk Bar
1840 Haight, SF
(415) 387-6455
www.milksf.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxyYPlv4RVs

Azure Ray
“Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor are Alabama natives, childhood friends, and progenitors of dream pop duo Azure Ray. Throughout most of their Azure work, the pair grounded their tracks in vocal harmonization and added in some folksy acoustic guitar and/or piano melodies, such as in 2010’s Drawing Down the Moon. But in the latest LP released this month, As Above So Below, Fink and Taylor immerse their warm vocals in electronic atmospherics, vocal delay effects, and a smattering of bass.” — Kevin Lee
With Soko, Haroula Rose
Thu/20, 8pm, $15
Swedish American Music Hall
2174 Market, SF
(415) 431-7578
www.cafedunord.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G939RSPIfIU

Bay for the Bayou Benefit
This event, featuring New Orleans R&B artist/iconic singer-songwriter-pianist Allen Toussaint and his band, and soulful locals the California Honeydrops and the Shots, would be a must-see without the added bonus of it being a fundraiser, though it does get a bit pricey thanks to that important benefit aspect. The concert (and live auction) will raise funds to help save the Louisiana coastal wetlands – which are rapidly disappearing.
Bimbo’s
Fri/21, 8pm, $75-$100
1025 Columbus, SF
(415) 474-0365
www.bimbos365club.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGAFOz5GA8I

Wilco (and Cibo Matto and Jonathan Richman)
“As recent sold-out performances at the Fox attest, Chicago’s Wilco is an easy sell. Eight albums in with 2011’s The Whole Love, Jeff Tweedy continues to catalog tender hearts at the edge of maddening fights, backgrounded arguably the most expansive band in rock. But the added draw this time are the openers; Friday is a second chance for anyone who missed Cibo Matto’s reunion show at Bimbo’s last year, while Saturday features beloved raconteur Jonathan Richman, with extra of room for him to let loose his signature dance moves.” — Ryan Prendiville)
Fri/21 with Cibo Matto; Sat/22 with Jonathan Richman
7:30pm, $49.50
Greek Theatre
2001 Gayley Road, Berk.
(510) 548-3010
www.apeconcerts.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp1AIh2DkI0

Holograms
Stockholm’s Holograms boasts the anxious panic of synthy ’80s new wave backed by hard-hitting punk beats, riffs,and hollers. Something like slapping Sham 69 on an illuminated dancefloor, neon lasers darting over their snarling faces. You’ll pogo if you know what’s good for you.
With Maus Haus, Group Rhoda, DJ Omar
Fri/21, 9pm, $10-$12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOrRmH4azlk

Yob
“Eugene, Oreg.’s Yob has been producing sprawling doom metal landscapes since 1996, but it’s taken until 2012 for it to get noticed. Though the mainstream press has finally picked up on the band — Spin Magazine placed its sixth album, Atma, in its top 50 records of 2011 — Yob’s masterful songwriting and awesomely sinister energy hasn’t lost any of its edge. Atma is a megalith of slow, chugging riffs and discordant melodies, the shortest song clocking in at seven minutes and 33 seconds. Vocalist (and Krav Maga instructor) Mike Scheidt shrieks and growls over the sludge like a demon that has finally been unleashed.” — Haley Zaremba
With Acid King, Norska
Fri/21, 9pm, $12
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaSkJMH3-Pw

The Uptones
You know that checkerboard brand of 2tone ska, when it moved from its first wave in Jamaica to its second in the UK and US? Bands like the Toasters, the Specials, the English Beat, and yes, the Uptones, were all a part of that bubbling new scene. In fact, the Uptones have oft been breathlessly noted for having the specific distinction as “one of the first bands devoted to playing ska on the West Coast.” Three decades and some change later, the brass-heavy Berkeley ska band is still doing it, for your reverential skanking pleasure.
With Nino Zombie
Sat/22, 9pm, $10
RKRL
52 Sixth St., SF
www.RKRLsf.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYG-LTM_byU

Eddie Palmieri
Nicknamed the “Latin Thelonious Monk,” Eddie Palmieri has been bringing Latin dance music – with a twist – to the States since ’60s. The colorful jazz pianist and bandleader has inspired generations of performers with unconventional style and an exciting fusion of sounds. This weekend, he plays a free show in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
Sun/23, 1-3pm, free
Yerba Buena Gardens
745 Mission, SF
www.ybgf.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftQDhQ2UXo8

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

The long-predictable MTV Music Video Awards aired last week, and I’d venture a guess that many of you didn’t tune in, and perhaps an even greater number didn’t know it was on. For those who missed it, you didn’t miss much, just a lot of vanilla pop stars and one awesome Frank Ocean.

For every big name, shiny-toothed act, there are hundreds better – and weirder – under the radar. Imagine if the award show was packed with acts like Chelsea Wolfe (this week at the Rickshaw Stop), legendary punk band the Zeros (at Brick and Mortar Hall), or Oakland’s Metal Mother (at the Rock Make Festival), instead of Taylor Swift, One Direction, Demi Lovato and their ilk. Speaking of the latter, how is “Best Video With a Message” an actual category these days?

There are always the exceptions at events like these, the Rihannas, if you will. Still, things would certainly be more entertaining if Burnt Ones were on the screen, or YACHT, or Los Straitjackets. Lucky you, all those mentioned (save for Rihanna) will be here, playing live shows around the Bay in the foreseeable future.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

YACHT
Headliner Hot Chip is certainly worth seeing at some point in your life, but opener YACHT is what made this whole show package a must-see. The shiny retro-futurist duo behind perennially underrated art project YACHT (formerly the solo project of Jona Bechtolt) can be summed up in the following Youtube comment, “they make strange, interesting music. I guess that’s why I admire them so much.” Truth.
With Hot Chip
Tue/11, 8pm, $35
Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 302-2250
www.thefoxoakland.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHNtMWKqMeg

Chelsea Wolfe
Breathy, textured vocalist Chelsea Wolfe – in particular black-gossamer-swaddled Chelsea Wolfe in the video for “Mer” off groundbreaking Apokalypsis –  is basically that scene in The Craft when the four high school goth-witches gather on the beach to call manon and wake to a sandy funeral for endless sea creatures.
With Crypts, Dia Dear, DJ S4NtA-MU3rTE
Wed/12, 9pm, $12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjSkktZL7zk

Nommo Ogo
“The Bay Area is overloaded with ambient electronic acts inviting you to lose yourself in their Pink Floyd-on-codeine haze, but Nommo Ogo’s attention to detail sets it apart from the pack. Balancing old-school, Cluster-meets-Zelda synth tones with live guitars, field recordings, jittery percussion, and the occasional buried vocal track, its records are unusually dynamic, and compositionally advanced, for “ambient” fare.  — Taylor Kaplan
With Candle Labra, Secret Sidewalk
Thu/13, 9pm, $10
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ine2G-YU2Ok

The Zeros
So many bands have claimed it, but the Zeroes truly were early pioneers at the forefront of a burgeoning movement; the LA born Chicano punk band was in an elite league in the late 1970s with the likes of the Plugz and few others. Looking at their snarling baby faces – “Don’t Push Me Around” (!) – on warped tape from all those years ago, it’s hard to believe they’ll be at Brick and Mortar Music Hall this weekend, in the flesh.
Fri/14, 9pm, $14
With Wimps, Midnite Snaxxx
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 371-1631
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdeGc04sKio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrgVDwHXGYo

Earlimart
LA’s thoughtful Earlimart is back after a four-year recording gap with new album System Preferences. The arresting indie band (which sounds something like deceased friend Elliot Smith meets tourmates Grandaddy), you’ll recall, is made up of boy-girl duo Aaron Espinoza and Ariana Murray. System Preferences sees release this month on Espinoza’s own Ship Records.
Fri/14, 9pm, $15
Independent
628 Divisadero,SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sIiwwYu39s

Rock Make Street Festival
I say it every year – the Rock Make Street Festival is annually the best bang for your buck. Your buck being nominal ($3 to $5 donation!), and the bang provided by local up-and-comers from the ever-widening net of indie rock. Led again by co-organizer Tartufi, this year’s bang-up lineup includes John Vanderslice, Exray’s, Burnt Ones, Metal Mother, Will Sprott (the dreamy, crystal-throated vocalist of the Mumlers), Yalls, Oakland’s Twin Steps (members of Religous Girls), Permanent Collection, Kids on a Crime Spree, and DRMS. Now in its fifth year, the street fest continues to shine as a beaming beacon of hope for good clean fun on the asphalt.
Sat/15, noon-7pm, $3-$5 donation
Treat and 18th Street, SF
www.rockmake.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyUpLM4sE04

Los Straitjackets
“Nashville, Tenn.’s Los Straitjackets have been pairing genuine musicianship with over-the-top gimmick for more than 20 years and 11 studio albums. True, quality songwriting and matching costumes sounds oxymoronic, but Los Straitjackets defy common sense. The foursome plays instrumental, surf-inspired rock music, with an extensive list of covers, including “Deck the Halls” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but their original material is where the band shines.”– Haley Zaremba
With Daddy-O Grande, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys
Sat/15, 9pm, $20
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls9-smAgSRI

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

Your prime concert options this week – Lightning Bolt, Les Sins, Roach Gigz, Doe Eye – are about as varied as the shows I attended this past government-sanctioned holiday weekend.

If that sounds like the start of a bad joke, it’s not. The shows really were incredibly diverse. My Friday night stop at Oakland Metro was so damn hardcore, a crust punk made fun of me in the bathroom for worrying about the TP attached to her shoe. Sheesh.

Then the tender Americana-folk Saturday show at the Independent was punctuated by croaking vocals and men in hats hooking arms to casually swing dance with smartly dressed ladies. All smiles and ciders. By Monday, I was packed in tightly at Slim’s, dutifully banging my head along with all the other post-hardcore pleasure seekers.

My point? Enjoy variety, celebrate the smorgasbord of life, throw all your live music choices in a bingo spinner and follow whatever balls shoot out of the wire chute. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Lightning Bolt
I used to say that Rhode Island noise two-piece Lightning Bolt was like a hippopotamus in a pink tutu, twirling high in a pirouette then landing with a clattering crash into the ground, cracking the asphalt below in a jagged pattern, and leaping right back up again into the sky. I stand by that.
Tues/4, 8pm, $12-$14
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JpHoAnaPK0

Big Business
Another (former) dude duo, LA-via-Seattle’s Big Business was long the vanguard of stoner metal twosomes – this one made up of Karp’s Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis of Murder City Devils. It also forever has the best promo shots in the um, business. In 2010, BB added Scott Martin of 400 Blows, and became the hard-hitting power trio that stands before you today. Note: Warren and Willis also freelance as half of the Melvins.
With Federation X, Pins of Light
Tue/4, 9pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w92aMkbYFRI

Fucked Up
“Famous for bizarre and unpredictable onstage antics, these Toronto-based punk rockers are all about pushing the boundaries. Whether it’s choosing an unprintable band name, getting moshing banned from MTV Live after causing thousands of dollars in damage to the set, or releasing a sprawling rock opera that SPIN Magazine named as the best album of 2011, Fucked Up have proven their fearlessness and artistic ambition with every move they’ve made since they’re formation in 2001” — Haley Zaremba
With Ceremony
Wed/5, 9pm, $19
Slim’s
333 11th St., SF
(415) 255-0333
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW0-jrDeSgQ

Les Sins
Chazwick Bundick a.k.a. Toro Y Moi has yet another moniker: Les Sins, his EDM side project. This week, Bundwick takes that dancefloor-worthy project (again, Les Sins – keep up, please) to the tables for a DJ set at incessantly affordable club night, Push the Feeling. It’s just $5 with RSVP, so go for it.
Fri/7, 9pm, $5 with RSVP
Underground SF
424 Haight, SF
(415) 864-7386
Facebook: Push the Feeling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM1d49qrUnw

Roach Gigz
At Kreayshawn’s headlining Slim’s show last winter, there was a notable opening act: Roach Gigz, a fellow Bay Area rapper, who bound onto the stage with endless energy, amusingly down-to-earth rhymes, and an effortless flow. He just released his official debut LP (after many EPs and mixtapes) Bugged Out, and tonight returns to the venue to take his proper slot as headliner.
With Main Attrakionz, A-1, Baby E
Fri/7, 9pm, $24
Slim’s
333 11th St., SF
(415) 255-0333
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208zbUoQcas

Doe Eye
Golden-throated chanteuse Doe Eye (21-year-old Maryam Qudus) is a singer-songwriter-guitarist known for doing it all; she wrote her debut EP, Run Run Run, solo and took a minimalist approach. For her followup, she took her early oeuvre and added luxuriant layers. Tonight, she celebrates the release of her sophomore EP, Hotel Fire, – produced by John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone studios – with the Magik*Magik Orchestra, which gave the record those lush string arrangements. To wit: Doe Eye is giving away a free copy of the record to the first 50 people who purchase advance tickets to the show.
With Churches, Eazy Tiger
Sat/8, 9:30pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB2vEprFOGc&feature=plcp

New York Night Train Soul Clap and Dance Off
“Considering the garage powerhouse that is Oakland, it’s weird to me that we don’t have a huge dirty-funk, pervy girl group, kooky Hairspray 1960s dance-party scene here. (Hard French and any concert by Shannon and the Clams come close.) NYC DJ Jonathan Toubin was set to bring his great Night Train party here last year, but he was almost killed by a freak accident in Portland that made national headlines (a car drove into his hotel room and ran over him in bed). Well, he’s recovered enough now to get the party going again, and this groovy dance-off will also be an all-ages celebration of life.” — Marke B.
With performances by Shannon and the Clams, Mikal Cronin, DJs Jonathasn Toubin and Primo
Local dance contest judges include Ty Segall, Jesus Angel Garcia/Sam Prestianni, Todd Cote, Dema Grim, Adesina Dowers, Kim Murphy
Sun/9, 8pm, $13
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JeOQJcQVNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQaaCFbKnj0

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

It just so happens that some of the screamiest, gnarliest, most brutal sludge, grindcore, and hardcore acts born of the 1990s (and still out there cracking skulls today) will descend upon the Bay Area this weekend. The list includes Eyehategod, Dropdead, Iron Lung, Bastard Noise, Noothgrush, Citizens Arrest — shockingly, on its first ever West Coast tour — and more. Get ready to go hoarse screaming along, and to return home with less hair and bruises on your toes.

Of course, if you’re not into such death-doom-despair, there are some jazzier (Béla Fleck and Marcus Roberts), folkier (Brown Bird), post-hardcore-rier (Desaparecidos) and discoish (Tiger and Woods) options out there for you as well.  Plus, since the coming weekend is of the elusive three-day variety, I’ve gone ahead and added in next Monday’s epic show too (Hot Snakes!). I aim to please.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Desaparecidos
“Omaha, Nebraska’s indie rock king and side-project junkie Conor Oberst has had a busy summer. After a 10-year hiatus, his post-hardcore band Desaparecidos are back, and they’re pissed off. Continuing the harsh sociopolitical criticism established in their first and only album Read Music/Speak Spanish, Desaparecidos precluded their summer tour by releasing two new scathing singles.” — Haley Zaremba
With the Velvet Teen
Tue/28, 9pm, $25
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com

With the Velvet Teen
Regency Ballroom
Wed/29, 8pm, $25
Regency Ballroom
1290 Sutter, SF
(415) 673-5716
www.theregencyballroom.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC2m2IzHPVU

Béla Fleck and Marcus Roberts Trio
After inventive five-stringed banjoist (and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass mainstay) Béla Fleck and classical jazz pianist Marcus Roberts met at a jam session in Savanna, Georgia, the musicians did a one-off performance, then recorded jazzy-bluegrass record, Across The Imaginary Divide. Now, Fleck and Roberts (along with Roberts’ trio) will bring that peculiar bled to Yoshi’s for a series of lively performances. 
Wed/29-Sat/1, 8pm, $30-$40; 10pm, $26-$40
Yoshi’s
1330 Fillmore, SF
(415) 655-5600
www.yoshis.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeOXF5WhfsU

Eyehategod
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the metal community feared the worst for tortured vocalist Mike Williams of pioneering sludge metal band Eyehategod. His home was flooded and he was nowhere to be found. There were countless rumors in threads across the web that Williams was amongst the missing. Turned out, dude was arrested. He’d been arrested on narcotics charges in nearby Morgan City, Louisiana and in the process, subsequently kicked his heroin habit. He emerged, and wrote the song, “New Orleans Is the New Vietnam” about the response to the disaster. Side note: you might also know Eyehategod from the Gummo soundtrack. Tonight’s brutal line-up is filled out with post-Man is The Bastard act Bastard Noise (a.k.a Don’t Steal My Skull Logo, Akron/Family) and doomy Bay Area legend Noothgrush.
Fri/31, 7pm, $20 
Oakland Metro
630 Third St., Oakl.
(510) 763-1146
www.oaklandmetro.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UW_3Ed6BZk

Tiger and Woods
“Tiger and Woods are electronic music’s Batman and Robin, a mysterious disco-spinning duo whose origins are little known. They lurk in the shadows, devoting themselves to the search for the rarest funky cuts on vinyl to remix and remaster. They travel around the world, performing in masks (well, wide-brimmed hats) and concealing their identities while dropping their latest funkified remakes. Last year’s Through the Green served as both an homage to and a fun romp through 1980’s keyboard-laden, post-disco.” — Kevin Lee
With Lovefingers, Kenneth Scott, Rich Korach, Brian Bejerano
Fri/31, 9pm, $15–<\d>$20
BeatBox
314 11th St., SF
(415) 500-2675
www.beatboxsf.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa9BQtMbCyc

Dropdead
Long-running Providence, Rhode Island hardcore act Dropdead plays two shows of the three-day Prank Fest 4. And the pro-animal rights, anti-authoritarian band arrives in the Bay Area this weekend for the first time in eight years. Shit’s about to get fast. The fest also includes Citizens Arrest at Oakland Metro on Saturday, and two-piece powerviolence act Iron Lung at the Gilman Sunday night.
With Citizens Arrest, No Statik, Bumbklaat, Effluxus, Deathraid, Merdoso, and more
Sat/1, 7pm, $20
Oakland Metro
630 Third St., Oakl.
(510) 763-1146
www.oaklandmetro.org

With Bumbklaat, Permanent Ruin, Vaccum, Elegy
Sun/2, 1pm, $10
Thee Parkside
1600 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
www.theeparkside.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyBYJpG7hyU

Brown Bird
And here’s yet another – entirely contrary – Providence, Rhode Island act deserving of your attention. Brown Bird (MorganEve Swain and David Lamb) last year traveled with similarly soulful folk-punk/bluegrass act Devil Makes Three. Earlier this year, Brown Bird came by with Yonder Mountain String Band. This week, the foot-stomping twosome is in the headliner spotlight at the Independent.
With These United States, Halsted
Sat/1, 9pm, $14
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_LMMQqBwjk

Hot Snakes
Hot Snakes, the reunited band of noted San Diego musicians, led by John Reis and Rick Froberg, looked like they were having a blast earlier this year at Bottom of the Hill, positively ripping through thunderous post-hardcore classics off 2000’s Automatic Midnight, 2002’s Suicide Invoice, and 2004’s Audit in Progress. Given their backgrounds and sonic exercises in post-Hot Snakes bands (Obits, Night Marchers), there wasn’t a rusty nail in the bunch. So they’ve rejoined their post-Drive Like Jehu act and toured, and are now touring once again; I guess it’s post-reunion at this point, though no less exciting for the wild-eyed fans.
With the Mallard
Mon/3, 8pm, $23
Slim’s
333 11th St., SF
(415) 255-0333
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgfvRmQ5f4Q

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

On one end of the spectrum, there are the exquisite singer-songwriters such as Eleni Mandell and Dana Falconberry; on the other end, there’s massive metal mayhem aboard the USS Hornet, at an event dubbed Slaughter by the Water. And then there are the Go-Going-Gone Girls, go-go dancing in between the disparate acts. 

Let your mood ring guide you this week. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Dana Falconberry
Texas-based singer-songwriter Dana Falconberry just premiered a new video for the lush orchestral folk-pop track “Lake Charlevoix,” off her forthcoming Antenna Farm Records LP, Leelanau. And then there’s her pinch-your-cheeks cute ditty “Petoskey Stone.” If all the tracks are this dreamy, and wide-eyed innocent in nature, Leelanau could just be the soundtrack of fall.
With Emily Jane White, Night Hikes
Tue/21, 9pm, $8
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com
http://vimeo.com/46158541

Night Beats
So-called masters of the “perfect three-minute” pop song, Seattle’s Night Beats go further and fuzzier than traditional pop purists, and layer on psychedelic guitar work, a lo-fi garage aesthetic, plenty of reverb, and bluesy soul (a la former tourmates, the Black Lips) – making a sound that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hunter S. Thompson-created drug trip. 
With Terry Malts
Thu/23, 9pm, $7
Thee Parkside
1600 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
www.theeparkside.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQwu3EmaJ3k

Eleni Mandell
Eleni Mandell is another singer-songwriter (recently described as “honey-throated) with sophisticated arrangements, though her insouciant persona is deeply rooted in the warm asphalt and beachy breezes of Los Angeles. While she’s known for a gentle and laid-back approach, she recently gained more responsibility. Her eighth and most recent album, I Can See the Future, is an ode to her experiences picking out a sperm donor and giving birth to twins, solo.
Thu/23, 8pm, $14
Café Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
www.cafedunord.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cH_ELG2Obw

The Very Best
“The Very Best’s latest album MTMTMK represents the first time the band recorded as a duo, following the departure of original member, Parisian producer Etienne Tron. If anything, Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and London-based producer Johan Hugo have turned up the intensity, setting an uplifting tone throughout the album. Mwamwaya alternates between English and his native Chewan, and his ascending vocals provide a sharp contrast to Hugo’s quick and bass-heavy club beats.”   — Kevin Lee
With Seye, Palner, Miles the DJ
Fri/24, 9pm, $15
Mezzanine
444 Jessie, SF
(415) 625-8880
www.mezzaninesf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE7c0WYIAJs

Slow Club
Here’s one surefire way to get eyeballs on your music video: nab Harry Potter to star in it and to lip-sync along to your soulful harmonies. The charming (non-obnoxious) boy-girl British indie pop duo knows how to cause a stir. Side note: Slow Club is also one of two bands on this list (the other being the Very Best) that is playing the totally sold-out “Gentlemen of the Road Stopover” in Monterey this weekend. So, lucky us. We get ’em first and there are still tickets available at press time.
With Echo Twin
Fri/24, 7:30pm, $10-$13
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 371-1631
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0tTp25txOE

Slaughter by the Water
“Hosted by Testament’s Chuck Billy, Slaughter By The Water 3 features Bay Area thrash legends Exodus, along with Autopsy, Impaled, Philm, Fog of War, Severed Fifth and more, all performing on the USS Hornet, a World War II era aircraft carrier that is now a museum in Alameda.” — Sean McCourt
Sat/25
Pier Stage: noon-9pm, free
Main Stage: 5:30-12:30am, $35–$45
USS Hornet
707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3, Alameda
www.slaughterbythewater.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u95JTXzyHyA

Go-Going-Gone Girls, the Boars, and the Aquamen
It’s hard to beat a raucous 1960s-esque girl group with matching outfits, high hair, and noisy garage-punk fits (backed by guitarist Klaus Flouride of Dead Kennedys fame). But if anyone can raise the bar to threat level chaos, it’s likely primal surf rock’n’rollers, the Aquamen or ”’60s-style frat rockers” the Boars. Let this be a battle to the head-banging, hip-swiveling death.
Sat/25, 10pm, $7
El Rio
3158 Mission, SF
(415) 282-3325
www.elriosf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFRlARZ2zfg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c4uniNLNF0

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

The global spectacle of the Olympics is through for now (see you in Russia 2014!); the local frenzy of Outside Lands 2012 has passed. So what’s there to do and see this week? Well, there’s Twin Shadow, Sam Flax, Three Mile Pilot, Midnight Magic, and two free shows: Flosstradamus with Riff Raff and Floating Points, and afternoon with the San Francisco Opera (separate outings).

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Sam Flax
Sam Flax has a visionary vibe – out of the noisy norm, beyond genre, new, colorful, and electric. It’s a quality shared with the other acts on this bill. The event – dubbed “An Anthology of Savage illusions,” and hosted by Mashi Mashi – also includes Maus Haus, Seventeen Evergreen, Michael Stasis, Mohani, Warm Leatherette DJs and art (instillations, illustrations, and sculptures) by Carlos A. Etcheverry, Edmundo de Marchena, Slenna DaFonseca.
Thu/16, 7pm, $7-$15
CELLspace
2050 Bryant, SF
Facebook: Mashi Mashi presents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTVY9K3NkFo

Twin Shadow
Stylish 1980s-repping R&B/dark new wave crooner Twin Shadow returns to the Great American for a set of headlining shows, this time on the heels of sophomore album, Confess, which saw a proper release July 10 on 4AD. He’s basically Prince in Purple Rain during the video for “Confess,” the titular first single off the album.
Thu/16-Fri/17, 9pm, $21
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiC9XNQSxFQ

Flosstradamus, Riff Raff, Floating Points
This is like the Internet IRL. British electronic musician Floating Points programs the quality background, Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus brings the flash, and reality celebrity/royal mess rapper Riff Raff uses MS Paint to spray-paint dicks, dollar signs, and marijuana leafs all over the site. Plus it’s free, and there’ll be opening sets by DJs and producers Ghosts on Tape, Debase vs. Popscene, Dibiase, Groundislava, Elephant & Castle, Richie Panic, Marco De La Vega, DJ Dials, KM/FM, Moziac, D33J, and Tyrell Williams. That’s a lot of pages to bookmark.
Fri/17, 10pm, free
1015 Folsom, SF
www.1015folsom.com
do415.com/event/2012/08/17/scene-unseen

Three Mile Pilot
More than 20 years after its influential San Diego inception, Three Mile Pilot (the emotional lo-fi indie band that spawned Pinback and Black Heart Procession, among others) still knows how to make a guts-pummeling album. 3MP proved this with 2010’s The Inevitable Past Is The Future Forgotten, the first release after 13 years of radio silence, and again this summer with new EP, Maps.
Sat/18, 10pm, $20
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UeBxHFhK4

Midnight Magic
“It’s become apparent that the PR agents have discovered the trick to getting my attention: listing the name of a band next to the words “ex-mems of LCD Soundsystem,” thereby exploiting the hole left in one of my bodily organs by that now defunct group. The connection here is a bit tenuous, referring to former members of Hercules and Love Affair (quite a good name drop on its own) enlisted to play backup at LCD’s last shows. Moving beyond the past, the nine piece disco outfit’s releases so far — “Drop Me a Line” and “Beam Me Up” — have a promising, lively romanticism that’s doing all the influences justice.” — Ryan Prendiville
With Tron Jeremy, Brother Sister, hosted by Ava Berlin and Andy Vague
Sat/18, 10pm, $10-$15
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EaYwmv7hcA

San Francisco Opera
A grand yearly tradition that gives us peons (a.k.a those of us who cannot afford top-shelf liquor or a fancy night out) a shot of upper-crust culture. The program, with conductor Giuseppe Finzi, features soprano Leah Crocetto, tenor Michael Fabiano, and more soloists performing “a selection of operatic favorites.” Pack some cheese and wine, something classy. 
Sun/19, 2pm, free
Stern Grove
19th Avenue at Sloat, SF
(415) 252-6252
www.sterngrove.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew3nJW5GzB8

Nashville Pussy
Deep-fried Southern rock meets heavy metal band Nashville Pussy stops by Oakland in between slots on a much higher priced ZZ Top tour.
With Fang, Turbonegra
Sun/19, 8pm, $12-$15
Uptown
1928 Telegraph, Oakl.
www.uptownnightclub.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPyd8pO1Lfc

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
1

Outside Lands is nearly here, and you’ll read plenty about that in the paper. But the festival is now sold out, plus I do realize there are many people simply not interested in attending festivals period. For you, those averse to the outside and massive crowds, there are other sonic highs in the Bay Area this week – including Foxygen, Shonen Knife, Redd Kross, new club night Y3K, and, wait for it, Neil Diamond.

My first real memories of music – and vinyl records – are of Diamond, mouth agape, in a denim suit with frizzy hair dipped down towards his navel on the iconic cover of Hot August Night (1972). In my childhood home, Neil Diamond came first. And my starry-eyed mom was there at the Greek in Los Angeles during the live album recording. “It was a lovely still night…Diamond admirers were everywhere” she says, adding, “The acoustics were excellent and his voice was pitch perfect.”

Okay, so maybe you weren’t born-and-bred in the Diamond cult; but you get that feeling right? It’s like how cat-burglerish actress Anne Hathaway recently described another, very different concert in Vanity Fair. “I was there and it was beautiful…we all knew we were there seeing something special.” (LCD Soundsystem’s last show.)

My point? Go see something special. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Foxygen
If you need oxygen to breathe, you need Foxygen to pant. The vaguely French inflected, 1970s-referencing bi-coastal duo oozes sexy glam rock excess. And vocalist Sam France has the reassuring swagger of Lou Reed with a little burst of Bowie.
Tue/7, 9pm, free
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 371-1631
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwK32IuseGM

Neil Diamond
For those in awe of furry-chested croonership; the entertainer, the Jewish Elvis, the sweaty LA icon. Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night boasts the moody ballad “Solitary Man,” bouncy pop classic “Cherry Cherry,” the original, non-reggae “Red Red Wine” and frat boy standard, “Sweet Caroline.” Now, on the 40th anniversary of that multi-platinum double album, Diamond is touring again, playing the hits.
Tue/7, 8pm, $52-$117
HP Pavillion
525 W. Santa Clara, San Jose
pavilionsanjose.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liw6vVhVP7I

Redd Kross
“When brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald first formed the band that would become Redd Kross in the late 1970s, they were just 11 and 15 years old — and famously played their first gig opening for Black Flag. Returning with their first new album in 15 years, the excellent Researching The Blues, which dropped this week, the group continues to twist infectious melodies and pop sensibilities into short, stunning bursts of rock’n’roll.” — Sean McCourt
With the Mantles, Warm Soda
Wed/8pm, $20
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGPMa6k4mFk

Parallels
The Toronto synth-pop trio (formed by ex-Crystal Castles drummer Cameron Findlay) might as well be made up of snowy elves, stabbing sharp crystals through other dimensions, or glitter-covered black dancing dresses, forever spinning around Princess Lili. It’s so very ’80s fantasy movie. And singer Holly Dodson’s Grimes-ish high lilt is the ideal match to the eerie electronic atmospheres.
Thu/9, 9:30pm, $14
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezWfz4uCMYg

Y3K
“Here’s the dark, dreamy, bass-crazy lineup of mega-wicked promoter Marco de la Vega’s first monthly youthful assay: Gatekeeper, Teengirl Fantasy, Nguzunguzu, 5kinandbone5 with secret spec1al guest, and the Tenderlions. Good thing I turned 18 last month, see you there.” — Marke B.
Fri/10, 10pm, $18
DNA Lounge
375 11th St., SF
415-626-1409
www.dnalounge.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxzvFcUJdHQ

Shonen Knife
Last time the legendary Japanese pop-punk act Shonen Knife came to town, it played an entire encore set of Ramones covers. Not to say that it will happen again, but just fair warning that the trio is capable of such magic.
With the Mallard, Chuckleberries
Fri/10, 9pm, $14
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADo6wawOUFo

Al Jarreau, George Duke Trio
“One of the most versatile, expressive vocalists of the last 50 years, Al Jarreau jumps restlessly between soul, jazz, pop, and samba traditions, refusing to let any genre tags define him. George Duke is an undisputed keyboard champion, whose ’70s jazz-fusion recordings have permeated modern hip-hop and neo-soul to an astonishing degree.” — Taylor Kaplan
With Mara Hruby
Sun/12, 2pm, free
Stern Grove
19th Avenue at Sloat, SF
(415) 252-6252
www.sterngrove.org
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gZr5sqJmV0

Heads Up: 8 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

This is a week of ebullient greetings and sorrowful goodbyes. So long Snoop Dogg, welcome Snoop Lion‘s Reincarnated. Back down on earth – and more pertinent to concert-goers in the Bay Area this week – we’ll open our arms to the Yolks, finally on a proper tour. And say nice to see you again to Buraka Som Sistema, and welcome return to Peaking Lights (the duo met here).

And with a single tear rolling down the cheek, we’ll shout bon voyage to the current repertoire of Extra Action Marching Band, in this form at least – they’ll surely regroup with some magical new production soon enough.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Bleached
With the demise of their former band, Mika Miko, LA sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin dusted themselves off, imbibed in a steady liquid diet of early melodic punk, girl group pop, and woozy psychedelia, and formed infectious, so-very-California quartet Bleached.
With DIIV, Lenz
Wed/1, 8pm, $12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–PGy31IeI4

Hood Internet
The Chicago-based mashups artists (duo ABX and STV SLV) of Hood Internet have long been hailed as the Next Big Thing in the bridge between hip-hop and alternative rock/indie pop – if you think that sounds like something straight out of ’96 Lollapalooza (or perhaps, Homerpalooza), you wouldn’t be too far off. Recent mashups include Danny Brown vs. Dirty Projectors, and then there’s new single “Won’t Fuck Us Over,” which started as a cover of the National’s “Mr. November,” and features BBU, Annie Hart, and Hart’s screaming baby.
Wed/1, 9pm, $14
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQWyqquA_xk

The Yolks
Here’s yet another act from the Windy City. Chicago’s three-chord rock’n’rollers the Yolks are hauling a Hammond Organ out during this, their first actual tour after five years as a band. Though they’ve yet to travel, you may already know their sound thanks to our own Nobunny – he covered “Somewhere New” on his first LP, Love Visions. This week, Nobunny gave the Yolks another boost by enthusiastically noodging social networking fans, “GO SHOW ‘EM SOME LOVE.” You heard the bunny.
With the Okmoniks, the Shrouds
Thu/2, 9:30pm, $7
Knockout
3223 Mission, SF
(415) 550-6994
www.theknockoutsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_mWgrGCyWQ

Buraka Som Sistema
“Buraka’s a reportedly rough and tumble neighborhood in Lisbon; Som Sistema quickly translates to “sound system”; put it together and you have a partying collective of DJs, producers, MCs, and dancers spreading the Angolan-originated, techno and hip-hop influenced genre of kuduro. Understanding Portuguese is not a prerequisite, as the group’s seemingly competitive desire to hype up a crowd, proves immediate and universal.” – Ryan Prendiville
Thu/2, 9pm, $20
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOMe-8Tf1Y0

Judgement Day
Progressive string-metal band Judgement Day should be in high spirits this weekend – the San Francisco trio will be celebrating the release of its third full-length, Polar Shift at Bottom of the Hill. It’s the violin and cello-packed follow-up to 2010’s epic Peacocks/Pink Monsters. Check action-packed single “Forest Battle” below.
With Giant Squid, A Sun That Never Sets
Fri/3, 10pm, $10
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_kdTWRDvY0

Peaking Lights
“Originally from the Bay Area, Madison, Wisconsin-based duo Peaking Lights weaves an infectiously stoney web of dub, Krautrock, and loopy, gloopy pop a la Panda Bear, seemingly tailor-made for record collectors and serial name-droppers. “ – Taylor Kaplan
With Woods (co-headlining), Wet Illustrated
Fri/3, 9pm, $16
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HINIs3Sp5Lk

Extra Action Marching Band
Seismic shifts are upon us. As the theatrical, whimsical, horny, and brassy Oakland collective recently stated, “These two shows will be the final performances [of] Extra Action’s current repertoire. We have begun work on an all new show and won’t be performing publicly for quite some time.” Get on that loyal fans, don’t miss the chance to see your favorite “high school marching band on acid.” 
With Itchy-o Marching Band, KROB, Donkey, Staiano
Fri/3, 9pm, $12
Vitus
1410 Ballroom (14th and Broadway), Oakl.
www.vitusoakland.com

With Itchy-O Marching Band
Sat/4, 9pm, $20
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 371-1631
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffQPG-OjIQc

Drive tour: College, Anoraak, Electric Youth
Are we yet over the chilling, punctuating soundtrack to last year’s Gosselin vehicle, Drive? Nope, not yet ready to shift gears. We’re still very much engulfed in the Krauty, synth-filled drama. Hey Gosling, just keep driving – and check out these performances by bands off the noteworthy soundtrack while you’re at it.
Sat/4, 9pm, $15-$17
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOWPA0oRSd0

Heads Up: 8 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
2
Heads Up: 8 must-see concerts this week

Total Trash’s bodacious two-day barbecue bonanza in Oakland tops the list of must-see live shows this week, but there’s plenty more to see, including synth heavy beach-pop created by an ex-choir boy, beat punk girl gangs, and some Adult Swim-approved indie rock.

Of course, Fiona Apple at the Fox Theater is long sold out, but if that wasn’t the case, Miss-Long-Album-Title would be here too. Enjoy it, ticket-holders. Or, squire your spots now for her Sept. 11 show at the Warfield.

But in the meantime, here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Crystal Stilts
Someone commented on the video below, “The Doors mixed with The Velvet Underground calling from the grave!” And yeah, that’s pretty much it for the Brooklyn-based jangle-pop five-piece.
Wed/25, 8pm, $15
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zIJTwhsHjc

St. Lucia
Synthy beach-pop? Holidays on molly-days? Futuristic yacht rock? Sun-baked dream-pop? Yes, St. Lucia is all that, and then a little sprinkle of white sand more. There are sax solos over synth and pinging calypso beats here, people. Sip a fruity cocktail at the show at the show, and soak in the warmth of shiny former choir-boy Jean-Philip Grobler.
Thu/26, 9:30pm, $14-$15
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZYM3XwgHwA

The Ettes
The Ettes are like a black-leather clad girl (and token dude) gang. And bone-rattling garage revival is the name of the game for the Nashville-via-LA crew. Or wait, they call it “beat punk.” Whatever. The perpetual openers – for stadium rock bands like the Black Keys, Dead Weather, and Kings of Leon – get some deserved spotlight/headline time at Thee Parkside. Here’s a weird video they made with Patton Oswalt.
Thu/26, 9pm, $10
Thee Parkside
1600 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
www.theeparkside.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJxkN9cKQAs

King Tuff
A few years back, before he made the move from Vermont to LA’s Laurel Canyon, sleazy garage guitar wonder King Tuff recorded 30 demos in the middle of the night. It just pours out of him. The result was a self-titled Sub Pop album that stood out as something only Tuff could create. He later told me, “If I’m into something, it’ll bleed into my music…so sometimes, I don’t listen to anything.”
Thu/26, 9pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eghg8092l_E

Wye Oak
“Baltimore rockers Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner make up indie rock duo Wye Oak, a band with a folk foundation but contrasting distortion and dream pop leanings. Recently commissioned to write and record a song for the Adult Swim Singles Program — a series of summertime freebie downloads — Wye Oak came up with “Spiral,” a swirling, poppy and decidedly darker track than previous tunes.” – Julia B. Chan
With Dirty Projectors
Fri/27, 8pm, $25
Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 302-2250
www.thefoxoakland.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-7dTjgn7dc

Total Trash BBQ Weekend
Paint your face with tangy barbecue sauce – it’s Total Trash BBQ Weekend! What better way to celebrate summer – and all things sticky and American – than with your friends from Total Trash? Night one, do the Watusi on the swanky Continental Club dancefloor with garage doo-woppers Shannon & the Clams, surf-punks Guantanamo Baywatch, and more. And on day two (Total Trash Barbecue Bonanza), invade Eli’s Mile High Club with Oakland priestess Mom, fuzzy punks Pangea, colorful art-rockers Sam Flax, and so-many-more. Plus, there’ll be a corn-eating contest and grills for cooking. As always, bring a napkin.
Sat/28, 7pm, $8-$10
Continental Club
1658 12th St., Oakl.
Brown Paper Tickets: Night One

Sun/29, 5pm, $8-$10
Eli’s Mile High Club
3629 MLK Jr. Way, Oakl.
Brown Paper Tickets: Night Two

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_qazrmZLhg

The Psychic Paramount
“Spiritualized minus the spacecraft? Tortoise as a bar band? Post-rock without all the drama? The Psychic Paramount is a record collector geek’s dream band, reflecting countless sub-genres as it hammers away at a relentlessly Krautrockian insistence on mechanical groove.” — Taylor Kaplan
With Phil Manley Life Coach, Barn Owl
Sun/29, 8pm, $12
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeF8ksPNqXM

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

Use a selection of mixtapes as a base crust, add a pinch of sweet Young Magic, some crunchy Grass Widow(s), extract of Phono Del Sol and warm Summer Soul, along with a creamy dollop of pastoral My Best Fiend. What have you got? The week in San Francisco sound pie. Stick a fork in it.

Unfortunately, that recipe was supposed to include two spicy shakes of the flamenco passion of Charo, but she had to cancel her Yoshi’s shows this week due to illness. Here’s wishing her a speedy recovery. Check out this sexy video to see what we’ll be missing. Heartbreaking, really.

But don’t let it bring you down. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Young Magic
Last time Australian electronic-psych trio Young Magic swung through town, then opening for Youth Lagoon, we declared them a band to watch. Here’s your chance, don’t blow it.
With Quilt, Shock
Tue/17, 8pm, $10-$12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ydYhTG4LbI

Churches
Local power-pop trio Churches (with members of Rogue Wave, Port O’Brien, and Grand Lake) channels reflections of the past, those rough, alienating, fresh hell years of high school in the loud grunge angst of the ’90s.
With Waters, Tijuana Panthers, Chasms
Wed/18, 9pm, $10-$12
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dztzf2Z8Nw8

Mixology, Mixtapes and Remixes
More of an event than a straight-forward show, Mixology, Mixtapes, and Remixes does still have a rough sonic edge: music swapping, DJs, live music. The San Francisco Mixtape Society (recently profiled in SFBG) is hosting a swap, so bring a mixtape, CD, or USB stick inspired by the creepy/sensual theme of “night creatures.” There’ll be DJ remixing by Friendzone, Yalls, and Giraffage; along with performances by ethereal Heathered Pearls and Gorillaz co-founder Dan the Automator.
With Push the Feeling (epicsauce DJs and YR SKULL) 
Thu/19, 6pm, $10-$12
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse, SF
(415) 379-8000
calacademy.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKw58G4APDc

Grass Widow
Its been called out here before as an absolute must-see, apologies. However this is the official album release party, so…go, celebrate Internal Logic with this harmonizing local post-punk trio. And read our interview with the band in this week’s issue.
With American Splits, Wax Idols, the Worlds Longest Guitar Solo with Breaks
Fri/20, 9pm, $10–$12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meCV2sfThYA

Summer Soul Friday Night
San Francisco has a way of letting us float through a teenage Shangri-La, well into adulthood. Summer Soul Friday Night, hosted by the Bold Italic and Dusty Stax, sounds as though it will vibe like the Enchantment Under the Sea meets Motormouth Maybelle’s record store. There’ll be sharp-dressed young men in ties and ladies in skirts or dresses (as required) swaying to the soulful punch of the Gold Star Band, lead by Quinn DeVeaux and featuring guest star crooners Carletta Sue Kay, Paula Frazer, Tahlia Harbour of Sonny and the Sunsets, and Freddie Hughes, among others. Also included: Dick and Sama of Rooky Ricardo’s spinning vinyl, and a summer cocktail by Templeton Rye.
Fri/20, 8pm, $30
Verdi Club
2424 Mariposa, SF
summersoulfridaynight.eventbrite.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRHgav4AoCc

Phono Del Sol Music and Food Festival
Phono Del Sol returns this weekend, and the price is still right:  just $7 to $10 max (unless you go VIP) for the pleasure of chilling in the grass with pals while rollicking locals Fresh & Onlys, sincere globe-trotters Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and Santa Barbara synth-and-flute freaks Gardens & Villa fill the park with sweet music. Produced by the Bay Bridged blog, this year’s curated lineup also includes Vivian Girl Katy Goodman’s shimmery solo effort La Sera, along with Northern California bred acts such as Dominant Legs, Sea of Bees, and Mwahaha.
Noon-6pm. $7–$10.
Potrero Del Sol Park
25th Street at Utah, SF
www.phonodelsol.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaUDCpTxmj4

My Best Fiend
“My Best Fiend cranks out pastoral ballads of human frailty that mutate slyly into psychedelic, space-bound epics. The Brooklyn outfit’s debut full-length, In Ghostlike Fading, emanates a distinctly ’70s vibe, recalling the heady propulsion of Pink Floyd’s looser, slower jams; the stoned disillusionment of David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name; the sun-drenched melancholy of Neil Young’s Harvest.”  — Taylor Kaplan
With White Cloud
Sat/21, 9pm, $10
Brick & Mortar
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P61iJ_I4i8

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
1

Slowcore, witch house, sugar-pop. The throwaway signifiers tend to make anyone remotely involved bristle. But when you’ve got an amorphous blob of musicians stretched out across the country/world with similar milieus, you tend to want to identify these similarities, to connect all those rich musical dots.

It’s our duty as music nerds, to categorize and look for patterns, to listen to the influences of the bands we love, to find the path of sound that keeps rolling backwards in time and space. And so that brings us to White Ring, influenced by Waka Flocka Flame and presumably, vintage horror films (and playing DNA Lounge this week). Or to early 1990s act Codeine, foreparents to a rather sad-core future genre, back in the saddle again and playing San Francisco. It’s topsy-turvy Music Appreciation 101 in the city this time around.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

The Babies
Those humming bloggy masses have long been itching for this one: the closely-watched collaboration between Cassie Ramone and Kevin Morby, members of Vivian Girls and Woods respectively (the Brooklyn group was originally conceived of as a side project  to play house parties). The resulting mixture is simple, sweet garage-pop, best served warm over ice cream. Check “Here Comes Trouble,” the Pixies-ish limited seven-inch released last December; or newest single “Moonlight Mile” off the upcoming fall release Our House on the Hill.
With Pamela, Love Devotion
Wed/11, 9pm, $8
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk Street, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mzlfJbG1i0

Marina & the Diamonds
Welsh pop singer-songwriter Marina & the Diamonds (singular, like Florence + the Machine) had an underground sleeper hit with 2010’s The Family Jewels — thanks mainly to diamond crusted call to arms “I Am Not A Robot.” She returns to SF this year with a huge new album under her glittery belt, Electra Heart, which takes her in an even poppier – if too sugary – and more polished direction. Regardless, she puts on a helluva eye-popper show.
Wed/11, 8pm, $22.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
www.thefillmore.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_oMD6-6q5Y

Codeine
While Codeine only existed the first time around for five short years beginning in ‘89 (its reissues and this subsequent tour are billed as a “commemoration,” not a reunion), it managed to have a lasting effect and influence on the many dreary slowcore bands that followed, most notably, Low.
With Mark Eitzel
Thu/12, 9pm, $18
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYgSslrAOUc

White Ring
It’s perfect that this show falls on Friday the 13th, because this NYC duo’s music — lumped in fairly with the so-called witch house scene — is creepy as hell. With lasers, lights, billowing fog machine clouds, and the eerie vocals of Bryan Kurkimilis and Kendra Malia rising over warped synths and chopped beats, a White Ring appearance is a veritable haunted house party.  
With Deathface, and DJs S4nta_Mu3rte, Chauncey_CC
Fri/13, 10pm, $13
DNA Lounge
375 11th St., SF
(415) 626-1409
www.dnalounge.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsFGEHZ8zyc

SS2
Last year, Sacramento’s S.S. Records celebrated a decade of life with its own intimate music fest. It went so well, they’re doing it again. Bands such as San Francisco legends Icky Boyfriends along with late ’80s psych-garage stalwarts Monoshock, and newer Modern Lovers-ish LA weirdos Wounded Lion (now on In the Red) will come together to play the two-day 11th anniversary gathering this weekend.
Fri/13-Sat/14, 9pm, $12 each day
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk Street, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClOWGmAmi9w

Street Justice and Awesome
Remember the original version of the Sega Genesis game Streets of Rage? It was all tight jeans, big muscles, ominous background noise, mobster bosses, and beating killer punks with pipes. The sonic equivalent would be SF hardcore band Street Justice (tag for this one is “Vigilante music for those who are mad as hell and don’t want to take it anymore”). And Awesome, well that’s members of Filth, Strychnine, Econochrist, and Sahn Maru, so you pretty much know what you’re getting into there. Moshy good times.
With Utter Failure
Sat/14, 10pm, $5
Bender’s
800 S. Van Ness, SF
(415) 824-1800
www.bendersbar.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQmgw3xEKAE

Aesop Rock
“Recently rated the industry’s most intelligent rapper by Listverse, San Francisco resident Aesop Rock is a hip-hop maverick with a quick tongue and sharp wit that will leave your feet tapping and your head spinning.” – Haley Zaremba
With Rob Sonic & DJ Big Wiz
Sun/15, 8pm, $22.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-6000
www.thefillmore.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbd4h1kaFlY

Heads Up: 8 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 8 must-see concerts this week

You’ve got a midweek day off? You’re stoked. Go see some live music with that hard-earned free time. Oh, and happy independence, America. That’s what we’re celebrating, correct?

Eat a barbecued tofu dog slathered in relish and drink some park beers in celebration of such things as country pride and days without responsibility. Then fill those Bay Area music venues, checking in on America’s favorite proto-punk troubadour, Mali’s favorite virtuoso progeny, the Big Time Freedom Fest, woozy dream poppers, a punk rock museum benefit, and more.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Jonathan Richman
Last time the Modern Lover cult hero Jonathan Richman did a slew of shows at the Make-Out Room, he brought drummer Tommy Larkins to the outings, performed for hours on end, sang in multiple languages, chatted awkwardly, mixed up his pacing and flipped his set list so time floated by without a lull. He also danced samba-like solo – twisting his thin frame as a contortionist. Who’s to say this round should be any different? We know Larkins is back at least.
Mon/2-Tue/3, 7:30pm, $15
Make-Out Room
3225 22nd St., SF
(415) 647-2888
www.themakeoutroom.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjFU98mEem4

Vieux Farka Toure
The son of Ali Farka Toure, Malian singer-guitarist is legend in his own right. Oft referenced as a “guitar virtuoso” or more specifically  “The Hendrix of the Sahara,” Vieux’s graceful, quick-fingered guitar skills rival those of the rock’n’roller regime, yet he blends in traditional West African influences. Fresh off the Touré-Raichel Collective (his collaborative album and tour with Israeli musician Idan Raichel), Vieux this time swings into town solo, his strumming again center stage.
Mon/2, 8pm, $22
Yoshi’s SF
1330 Fillmore, SF
(415) 655-5600
www.yoshis.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IecSMEH9ZVg

“Big Time Freedom Fest”
What’s more deliciously new America than the string-lit back patio at El Rio? That’s where dreams are made and shattered. People fall in momentary beat-fueled lust, cheap beers with lime wedges are sipped en masse, and fried food is gobbled up without a second thought. It’s tradition, years in the making. This seventh annual Big Time Freedom Fest features some awesome local heavy-hitters: Religious Girls, Tartufi, Finn Riggins, Battlehooch, and Night Call, all for $8, in the outdoor heavy-hung fog.
Wed/4, 3:30pm, $8
El Rio
3158 Mission, SF
(415) 282-3325
www.elriosf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMUsyZY4kA

Giraffage, James & Evander
“Glitchy” seems to be the key word for San Francisco’s electronically-constructed solo project, Giraffage. I’m on board. Those little glitchy effects break up otherwise endless ambient affairs, spinning the act from dream-pop to hip-hop in a cotton candy pillow. Tonight’s a co-headlining set with fellow Bay Area suspected Ambien-poppers, James & Evander. That “synth/stoner pop” Oakland act released magical debut LP Bummer Pop last month. How many more pops can we squeeze in this show description? Pop.
With Astronautica, Young Pharaohs
Thu/5, 9pm, $6
Milk Bar
1840 Haight, SF
(415) 387-6455
www.milksf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrrL0sYLgA0

Liars
“This year’s WIXIW (say wish-you) finds Liars reinventing the wheel again, to produce their most synthified affair yet; picture the rocktronic fusion of Kid A-era Radiohead, approached with the finely calibrated ambience of Bjork’s Vespertine, Trent Reznor’s swagger, and Tom Waits’ lumbering dynamics.” – Taylor Kaplan 
With Cadence Weapon
Thu/5, 8pm, $22.50
Great American Music Hall
859 O’Farrell, SF
(415) 885-0750
www.slimspresents.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggR6RuBh8I0

Shana Falana
Formerly of San Francisco, the now New York-based psychedelic dream popper Shana Falana returns to her beloved Bay in support of new In the Light EP, bringing along a new multimedia show. Falana’s lilting church choir-like vocals matched to looping guitar and percussion gives the impression of a surreal religious experience deep in the X-Files woods. I want to believe.
With Kelley Stoltz, the She’s, B and Not B
Fri/6, 9pm, $15
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
www.cafedunord.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUqgXal-knk

Punk Rock Museum Benefit
Given punk’s lasting impact on so many musical branches, and influence on the raw sounds of countless beloved acts, a Punk Rock Museum seems absolutely necessary. Why didn’t we think of this? The new museum – spearheaded by Taquila Mockingbird and based in LA – has been established to “further preserve the punk rock genre.” For this show, parts of the museum travel to San Francisco. There will be a mix pieces (photographs, old fliers, art by the likes of Winston Smith, etc.) from the permanent museum collection, and of course, live music to carry on the legend: Debora Iyall (of Romeo Void), Metal Circus (A tribute to Husker Du), and Meri St. Mary and the Housecoats. Also, DJ Big Nate will be spinning classic punk cuts.
Sat/7, 9pm, $15
Thee Parkside
1600 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
www.theeparkside.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePIImGMjn_8

Cool Ghouls
Local psych-rockers Cool Ghouls seem to be everywhere lately, opening up Noise Pop retrospective shows, making appearances at lots of local venues, playing Save KUSF benefits; a.k.a traveling around town with beer-fueled, good-time rock’n’roll in tow. They’ve got a bright and free EP currently up for grabs on their Tumblr, an upcoming slot at the Independent before Sonny and the Sunsets, and a full-length LP coming in the fall; this Hemlock show is a good chance to check out the five-piece in smallish setting.
With LA Witch, the Sister Ruby Band
Sun/8, 9pm
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk Street, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

There must be something about living in California that makes people want to pick up an instrument and strum, pluck, or smash. Be it surf-infused rock’n’rollers in San Diego dedicated to the Church of John Swami Reis (Mrs. Magician), illustrious weirdo harpists (Nevada City, Calif. born Joanna Newsom), San Francisco psych poppers (Magic Trick) or sticky LA streets punks (the Shrine), the sounds of the state continue to boil.

Sure, California boasts hundreds of miles of beachy coast, Hollywood streets lined with gold flecked stars, the bubbling Disney-pocalypse, camp-friendly mountainous ranges, and craggy tourist pits. It’s endless and sunny, (even when it’s foggy). And in different cities throughout this unwieldy giant of a region, scenes of sound have popped up decade after decade. It’s all rather inspiring and decadent if you take a step back and listen.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Joanna Newsom & Philip Glass
It’s a (likely) once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch the revered composer and the tree-fairy harpist with pipes of chirping gold, together, in concert. And of course, the show is a benefit for Big Sur’s Henry Miller Memorial Library, which typically hosts forested indie concerts throughout the summer months.
Mon/25, 8pm, $62.50-$140
Warfield
982 Market, SF
(415) 345-0900
www.warfieldtheatre.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb5Jp_duKNM

K-Holes
To be in a k-hole is essentially to remain stuck in a drugged, spaced-out soup of one’s own mind. So is all that all that rage funneled into punishing, grinding guitar lines and scratchy howls necessary for K-Holes, the NYC five-piece named after such a state, but which sounds more like an extrovert coke binge than an introvert k-hole? Perhaps not, but it gets the point across. K-Holes (a.k.a Jack Hines of Black Lips, Julie Hines, Sarah Villard, Cameron Michel, and Golden Triangle’s Vashti Windish) have a dragged-from-the-pits-of-hell sonic spark and the anti-capitalist lyrics to back the sludge punk ambiance.
With Dirty Ghosts, Blasted Canyons
Tues/26, 9pm, $8-$10
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 371-1631
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLgKjlLN-uQ

Gallery Crawl Nightlife: Tim Cohen’s Magic Trick
Here’s yet another win in the brilliant series of Thursday nightlife events at the Cal Academy of Sciences. This time, the earthly sciences wonderland gets transformed into a pop-up museum with guest curators picking the best things to see and hear. Use your senses, friends. Along with a whole lot of bold pop-up art, there’ll be a performance by San Francisco’s own moony rock’n’roll treasure trove Tim Cohen’s Magic Trick, and additional music by folkYEAH! founder-DJ Britt Govea.
Thu/28, 6pm, $10-$12
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive, SF
(415) 379-8000
www.calacademy.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTgs7LjCh60

Mrs. Magician
Check dystopic Zombies-esque single “There’s No God” off this year’s salty Strange Heaven (released by Swami – John “Swami” Reis’ label; FYI, Reis also produced the record). The rolling waves of fuzz, upbeat melodies matched to deathly serious lyrics, and classic surf guitar wobbling should draw you in quick. “There’s no god/la la la la.”
With Mantles, Kids On A Crime Spree
Fri/29, 10pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq4r_aBBwC8

Dent May
“With his new release, Do Things — a slice of sun that sounds like the product of playing with a drum machine after listening to “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” on repeat/acid — May proves that the party is wherever he goes.” — Ryan Prendiville
With Quintron and Miss Pussycat
Fri/29, 9pm, $9-$12
New Parish
579 18th St., Oakl.
www.thenewparish.com

Sat/30 9:30pm, $10-$12
With Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Shannon and the Clams
Elbo Room
647 Valencia, SF
(415) 552-7788
www.elbo.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXS_C77rbME

The Shrine
LA’s the Shrine just signed to Tee Pee Records, and is about to release growly punk sophomore album Primitive Blast (July 10). From a preliminary and rudimentary listen, I gather the LP is steeped in shredding and skating on sticky Los Angeles nights, which makes sense – the band’s debut album was recorded with the help of pal Chuck Dukowski, he of hardcore punk/City of Lost Angels skateboarders Black Flag fame.
With Glitter Wizard, Hot Lunch
Sat/30, 9:30pm, $8
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk Street, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4amJTck5rM

Lower Dens
“The Baltimore outfit’s breakthrough record, Nootropics, doubles down on thick, Krautrockabilly grooves, with the Zen-like propulsion of Lou Reed cruising the Autobahn. The production aesthetic is fascinating, in its ability to sound dry, and soaked in reverb, both at once, and the album’s second half reveals a newfound interest in musique concrete, giving the material an artieredge.” — Taylor Kaplan
With No Joy, Alan Resnick
Sun/1, 8pm, $15
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GafB7NQvQWg

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

There are some thrilling Pride events heading your way this weekend, and trust me, that thorough events list is a-coming.

But before all that, a friendly reminder about the other glitzy-grimy concerts and shows this week and weekend that’ll get your motor running: cosmic hip-hop extraterrestrial wordsmiths, Grass Widow for charity, your DAD, hardcore-with-horns, supersexy beatmakers, and more.

It just so happens that most of the essential concerts this time around are located in the Mission District; you might want to hunker down in the hood for a week, surviving on Pimm’s cups, spicy burritos, and a smug sense of self-satisfaction. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Hélène Renaut
Hélène Renaut premieres a dreamy-creamy new video for her song “The Deer Convention,” made by local filmmaker Zach Von Joo, at this Lost Church appearance. Renaut, who has a sweet French ’60s folk-pop singer thing going on, Françoise Hardy and the like, is Brittany-born and San Francisco-based. Is Zou Bisou Bisou passé now, or can we still reference it? How about that slow-twisty tween beach dance scene in Moonrise Kingdom? Ooh-la-la.
Wed/20, 7:30pm, $10
Lost Church
65 Capp, SF
www.thelostchurch.com
This is not the video (that premieres at the show, of course, and at midnight on the Web)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kMwNsBIV9c

La Plebe
Described by openers the Fucking Buckaroos as “phenomenal hardcore-with-horns,” La Plebe lives up to its reputation. The decade-old act is very much worth checking out, like Rancid in Spanish with the added depth of brass. This show kicks off the band’s summer tour, so send ’em out in raging SF style.
With Fucking Buckaroos, Dazu
Wed/20, 8:30pm, $8
Sub-Mission
2183 Mission, SF
(415) 255-7227
www.sf-submission.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoSYwe77_to

Baby and the Macks, Dresses, DAD
This show introduces Baby and the Macks (Anna Ashe’s new soul band), welcomes back SF’s Dresses, and celebrates avant-pop Oakland phenom, DAD. And you know how we all love celebrating DAD in June.
Thu/21, 9pm, $7-$10
Amnesia
853 Valencia, SF
(415) 970-0012
www.amnesiathebar.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD6OMLcf46U

Grass Widow
Premiered last week, Grass Widow’s “Goldilocks Zone” video is creepy, retro sci-fi fun, a perfect sensation for the melodic local post-punk band with those eerily enveloping vocal harmonies. The track is a cut off newly released record Internal Logic, for which there’ll be a proper album release show July 20 at Rickshaw Stop. But before that, catch the trio just prior to its summer tour with a show at Verdi Club – a benefit for The Haley Butcher Organization, which helps terminally ill children.
With Carletta Sue Kay, Hindu Pirates, Nicole Kidman (Jon Barba), Shannon and the Clams
Fri/22, 8pm, $12
Verdi Club
2424 Mariposa, SF
(415) 861-9199
www.verdiclub.net
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFJazD46uvA

Sister Crayon
Sacramento quartet Sister Crayon mixes uber-sexy textured electro music bursting with hypnotic beats (on traditional kit and drum machine) and the delicately swelling, airy vocals — à la Blonde Redhead — of Terra Lopez. The band, which opened for Built to Spill on its last tour, is coming off two sold-out hometown shows in SacTown, a free covers EP, and a video for their smooth if silly cover of Biggie’s “Going Back to Cali.”
With Sea of Bees, Jhameel 
Fri/22, 9:30pm, $12   
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BklxcL7li_o

THEESatisfaction
Seattle-based duo THEESatisfaction likely created the cosmic sound of the future, showcased in debut full-length (though many DIY CDs and records came before it) awE naturalE. That shiny long-player is packed tight with anthemic, wordy, sisters-with-attitude extraterrestrial wordsmithery. Whatever you do, don’t funk with that groove.
With Le Vice
Fri/22, 9pm, $14
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
www.independentsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGWFBt_IPOg

The Men
Not to be confused with JD Samson’s electro-poppy Men, the Men is scuzzy, smash-your-instruments, hollering rock’n’roll hardcore. Yet it’s outta step with conventionally noisey acts of that genre; just check out the melodies and Buzzcocksian chords in latest release Open Your Heart (March 2012, Sacred Bones). It’s aggressive sonic assault for music nerds.
With Wax Idols, Burnt Ones
Sun/24, 9pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NEjJJYp9fo

Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

How can a week go wrong with a Big Freedia show on the horizon? Knock on wood. Especially since this is a makeup show (she had to cancel her Noise Pop appearance due to an emergency surgery). The return alone would be cause for celebration. And yet, this week there’s also a night of gritty Canadian punk, an exotic R&B dream, and some club time with Brooklyn’s Day-Glo neo-gothsters.

You can only hope for such a fun and messy variety, perhaps in some sort of hand-picked exquisite corpse of a show: you draw the sexy rounded hips, vintage Fender, and luxurious shiny-pony hesh hair; I’ll add the shredded T-shirt revealing glittery star pasties and some Joan Crawford brows.

Enjoy these sublimely sunny afternoons sucking down ice cold beverages on outdoor decks (hey there Zeitgeist, Thee Parkside, Dr. Teeth, and the rest of you) and these naturally cooled down evenings inside venues with your favorite music-makers. Go, start prepping for the exquisite chaos soon to arrive.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

White Lung
Vancouver, BC bred post-punk act White Lung boasts rapid, heart-pumping energy lead by driving guitars, smashing drums, and screaming melodic vocals casually reminiscent of Pretty Girls Make Graves. The band just dropped brutal sophomore LP Sorry (Deranged) last month. With hooky Oakland badass punks Wax Idols in the lineup as well, your ears should bleed by night’s end.
With Wax Idols, CCR Headcleaner
Mon/11, 10pm, $6
Knockout
3223 Mission, SF
(415) 550-6994
www.theknockoutsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PoQhaNiXvg&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrrg_XTVMdI

Buffalo Tooth
The local garage rockers, who described their sound as “Blue Cheer/Black Flag, basically bands with colors in their names,” this week finally celebrate the release of their psychedelic new seven-inch. The self-titled release was recorded by rock’n’roll renaissance man Matthew Melton (formerly of Bare Wires, currently of Warm Soda). They share this show with sister band Poor Sons, and party-punks Uzi Rash and Parmesans.
Wed/13, 9pm, $5
Elbo Room
647 Valencia, SF
(415) 552-7788
www.elbo.com

Big Freedia
Finally. New Orleans’ queen diva of sissy bounce is back in the Bay to make up for her unfortunately canceled Noise Pop show early this year. But let’s not dwell on the past, Ms. Azz Everyone is here now (presented by Noise Pop and Hard French with Future | Perfect DJs) and ready to shake it. Wear your best Crayola pastel short-shorts for the IRL booty battle.
With Hard French DJs Brown Amy and Carnita, and Future | Perfect DJs S4NtA Mu3rTE, Water Borders, Vin Sol, 5kinAndbone5, Richie Panic
Thu/14, 9pm, $16
Public Works
161 Erie, SF
(415) 932-0955
www.publicsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-cT6SwFIHA

RØSENKØPF
Brooklyn’s Day-Glo neo-gothster crew RØSENKØPF comes to our coast in support of its debut self-titled album, out this month on Wierd Records. Along the way the band has gathered comparisons to the following acts: Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, early Black Dice, Hawkwind (hmm), Birthday Party, and…Bats Day at Disneyland? Full disclosure: that last one was me.
Fri/15, 8pm, $6
Retox Lounge
628 20th St., SF
(415) 626-7386
www.retoxsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_J20Vmwzt4

How to Dress Well
“[Experimental pop producer How to Dress Well] is able to translate dreams into signature ethereal compositions full of dark emotions and R&B passions.” – Julia B. Chan
With Babe Rainbow, Finally Boys
Fri/15, 9pm, $14
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbdeacVXbik

Japanther
So you missed out on purchasing tickets to the now-sold out Japandroids show at the Independent earlier in the week (check out our interview with that act in this week’s print issue); no mind, the similarly punny yet elder Japanther – kindred in name and vibe mostly – is here this week too, and it should be just as riotous, perhaps a bit scrappier. The early Aughts-formed art-punk band is know for its spazzy parties of live shows, screaming through a modified telephone, and the like. 
With Pharmacy
Sun/17, 9:30pm, $7
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJmn59mizGQ

Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

How is it already today, today? I mean, how is this week already so present? Long weekends really mess with that standard five in, two out routine, flipping the days on their side, and giving you enough time to buy new shoes and clean out the sock drawer (literally) without feeling like you’re missing out on all that day-drinking at the park. It’s already time to slip on those fresh kicks and catch Kurt Vile, Wet Illustrated, Xiu Xiu, and Mogwai live in venues around this city and its outlying counties.

Last weekend, we as a community fêted the Golden Gate Bridge and all its 75-years-of-burnt-orange glory with super loud fireworks, hidden only partially by rolling fog. We danced in the streets of the Mission for Carnaval. We celebrated tiny sonic explosions with SF Pop Fest. We barbecued tofu and waved flags with the best of ‘em.

And next weekend, friends, is only so close. And there are a whole lot of worthy shows in that short time period in between, up to, and including. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Kurt Vile and the Violators
In asking a friend to recount his recent experience at a Kurt Vile and the Violators show last week up north on this current tour (taking the mumbly, guitar-slinging troubadour and his killer rock’n’roll backing band to SF tonight), I was treated to this concise description: “loud epic jammy amazingness.” Yeah, what he said.
With Black Bananas
Wed/30, 8pm, $22.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
www.thefillmore.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcg9tA0H0zY

Wet Illustrated
Bay Area garage rock band Wet Illustrated — which features members of Ty Segall’s band, and Lilac — clears a path to so many throwaway descriptors: weirdo, homegrown, pop, punk ethos. Okay, a few more: swirly, moody, silly, psychedelic, Nuggets box set-esque, hip-shaking good times. I’m out of adjectives and buzz phrases. It’s everything.
With the Mallard, Swiftumz, Chris Thayer
Thu/31, 8pm
Verdi Club
2424 Mariposa, SF
(415) 861-9199
www.verdiclub.net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcQt6DawrRI

Xiu Xiu
The video for Xiu Xiu’s “Honeysuckle” off recently released LP Always is a rather representative bid into the decade-old Jamie Stewart project. It’s airy and dreamy, art-pop and creepy as hell. Watch the blood pour out of current bandmate Angela Seo’s forbidden fruit and try to eat an apple any time later in the day, I dare you.
With Yamantaka Sonic Tita, Father Murphy
Thu/31, 9pm, $14
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYKGR8Er4vM

Little Barrie
For some seriously evil, reverb-drenched surf guitar riffs, try this early Aughts-born UK garage trio, lead by Primal Scream guitarist Barrie Cadogan . And if you’ve yet to catch the Little Barrie wave, check it out recorded pre-show; the band released jangly new full-length King of the Waves — with horrorcore-lite single “Surf Hell” — this spring on Tummy Touch Records.
With Mamas Cookin’
Thu/31, 9pm, $5
Vitus
201 Broadway, Oakl.
(510) 452-1620
www.vitusoakland.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHmsblNnnGM

Mogwai
Classic ’90s post-rock act Mogwai makes ample use of distortion and effects, layering endless swelling guitar instrumentals in a hypnotic, uneasy curtain of fog  – maybe rock’n’roll is actually cyclical, because the Scottish quintet still sounds up to that modern-retro slow, pulsating speed. Once upon a time it made for great studying-with-headphones ambiance, tonight it makes for the perfect stoney date.
Fri/1, 9pm, $25
Regency Ballroom
1300 Van Ness, SF
(415) 673-5716
www.theregencyballroom.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHO6pbjQ9ec&feature=fvst

Slough Feg
Named “Best Lord of Metal” in last year’s Best of the Bay awards, Slough Feg’s Mike Scalzi is still at it, still raising classic metal hell, much to the delight of Bay Area metal fans and beyond. All hail the Lord Weird.
With Cormorant, Young Hunter
Sat/2, 9:30pm, $8
Thee Parkside
1600 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
www.theeparkside.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxmaOJcASD4&feature=fvst

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

Weirdo jazz, San Pedro punks, free daytime brewery parties, the highly desirable remains of the Misfits, and more, in this week’s Heads Up.

Just a lot of great shows you should be going to, alright? Apologies. Didn’t mean to snap at you. Sadly, that’s about all I can muster post-Bay to Breakers. The sun-baked, beer-soaked ragers and blistering top 40 pumping all morning and through the night rubbed my Divisadero-based brain the wrong way. Hope everyone’s houses are still standing, and may they be free of the retched urine stain.

Let the bloody chaos — err, week of mind-bending and enthusiastically nutty shows — begin yet again. Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

San Francisco Offside Festival
This fest is a brief but fascinating look into the current world of jazz, including an experimental night at El Valenciano with modern “garage jazz” quartet Bait & Switch, and brand new quintet These Are Our Hours, which features members of the Oakland Active Orchestra. The second night at 50 Mason Social House explores straight-forward contemporary jazz, focusing on three Bay Area composers (bassist Marcus Shelby, trumpeter Erik Jekabson, and guitarist Alex Pinto) and their respective trios. Night three’s location is under wraps for now, but the fest promises to deliver an evening of “genre-expanding music that intersects jazz in distinctive ways.”
Thu/24, 8pm, $10 per night or $25 for festival pass
El Valenciano
1135 Valencia, SF

Fri/25, 8pm, $10 per night or $25 for festival pass
50 Mason Social House, SF

Sat/26, check www.sfoffside.com

I Break Horses
“Listen to “Winter Beats” from 2011’s Hearts, and you’ll probably have Stockholm, Sweden’s I Break Horses figured as a purely dreamy, slightly cold shoegazing act. Just listen to those mesmerizing synth arpeggios and slow, distantly winsome vocals. But as soon as the snares start cracking on “Wired” and build into a beat that a person could actually bounce around a bit too, some of the ice starts melting away” — Ryan Prendiville
With Silver Swans, DJs Omar and Aaron
Thu/24, 9:30pm, $14 Advance
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Sg7YkPnEYw

Toys That Kill
Toys That Kill is back! That instantly likeable F.Y.P. offshoot –  with the same snot-nosed, sugared up forever young yelps of singer Todd and jubilant pop punk spirit – has finally released a new album Fambly 42, out this month on Todd’s iconic San Pedro label, Recess Records. The band tours to Oakland this weekend for night two of 1-2-3-4 Go! Records’ Go Go fest. 
With Avengers, the Bananas, Fleshies, Terry Malts
Fri/25, 9pm, $12
New Parish
579 18th Street  Oakl.
(510) 444-7474
www.thenewparish.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzMLr-laYrs

Jaberi & Deutsch
Full disclosure: Deutsch is an old pal. But Jaberi is a brand new face, and he’s got the crackling R&B vocal pipes that round out this East Bay-based, lo-fi keyboard duo.
With Lake, Half-Handed Cloud
Sat/26, 9:30pm, $8
Hemlock
1131 Polk, SF
(415) 923-0923
www.hemlocktavern.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaRk8SzZBFI

Terry Malts
Punk-minded chainsaw pop act Terry Malts (also On the Rise alums) play this free, all-ages show at a brewery this weekend. Beer, Malts, and – fingers crossed – sunshine. What possible reason could you have to not go?
With Uzi Rash, Synthetic I.D., Yi
Sat/26, 4-9pm, free
Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
1195 Evans, SF
Facebook: PosDes+Speakeasy Present
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1K9O4FkzOs

Danzig with Doyle performing The Misfits
Dying to catch singer (Glenn) Danzig and guitarist Doyle (Wolfgang von Frankenstein), back to muscle-y back, singing something about skulls (“I want your skull”), death, ladies (“She was virgin vixen”), Halloween (“Hallo-weeeeen”), or other ghoulish, fist-pumping Misfits delights? This may be your last chance – last caress, if you will. Neither is a current member of the theatrical hardcore band, but they were the ones – along with Doyle’s brother Jerry – who essentially started it all.
With Kyng, Monstro
Sun/27, 8pm, $38
Warfield
982 Market, SF
www.thewarfieldtheatre.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChjZqbwDVFg

Lazer Sword
The formerly SF-based electro duo returns this week for an album release party, celebrating their sophomore album, Memory (Monkeytown), a stripped down, “more emotional, [more] adult,” and “sleeker, sexier” affair from the previously ADD act. Stream here.
Icee Hot with DJ Stingray
Sun/27, 10pm, $5 before 11pm; $10 after
161 Erie, SF
(415) 932-0955
www.publicsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ula6lbWLG0

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

This week, musicians come from far and wide, from broad plains on the other side of the spinning globe, plucked from different coasts of varying notoriety, and from our very own backyards to entertain us. It’s a veritable Google Earth of sonic endeavors.

Far: exquisite Malian vocalist Khaira Arby. Around the corner: Thee Oh Sees with new Oakland act Warm Soda. Not quite as far as West Africa: Brooklyn’s Light Asylum, and Manhattan’s Emily Wells (different nights). Out of this word: Carletta Sue Kay. Now that’s entertainment. Let’s globe trot together from the comfort of our own venues, shall we?

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Light Asylum
Supernatural goth-pop duo Light Asylum is back, this time celebrating the release of its self-titled debut full-length, out now on Mexican Summer. Both gritty and ethereal, the record is a study in straddled extremes. Light Asylum also plays Amoeba at 5pm Monday.
Mon/14, 9pm, $12-$15
Public Works
161 Erie, SF
(415) 932-0955
www.publicworks.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTk3R–Heug

Khaira Arby
She’s been hailed as “Mali’s reigning queen of song,” and is revered outside of Timbuktu by fellow world acts, including the Sway Machinery, which asked her to join it on tour a few years back. She writes and sings in indigenous languages of the Sahara desert and in those, her voice has a husky, powerful draw.
Wed/16, 9pm, $10-$15
New Parish
579 18th St., Oakl.
(510) 444-7474
www.thenewparish.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UDecjaj4ek

Warm Soda and Thee Oh Sees
The name brings to mind cola burps. But it’s actually a brand new pop band put together by Oakland’s Matthew Melton, formerly of Bare Wires. And this will be your first chance to catch it live. And of course, fellow locals/headliners Thee Oh Sees routinely shred. And that goes for the rest of the lineup as well.
With the Mallard, Burnt Ones
Wed/16, 9pm, $12
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSZTJsUWqXA

Emily Wells
Her variable voice is intoxicating, as are her live-looping violin skills. Sure, the video below is old and the multi-instrumentalist/”one-woman orchestra” has a brand album (Mama, Partisan Records) that’s full of endless layers and vigor. But this song’s called “Take It Easy, San Francisco,” and so we will.
With Portland Cello Project
Thu/17, 8pm, $15
Swedish American Hall
2174 Market, SF
(415) 431-7578
www.swedishamericanhall.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6e2wOt1E2Y

Alright, here’s one off Mama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tnMlQcWcsI

Suckers
Riding a sunny art-pop rainbow of sticky, digitally-enhanced highs on newly released sophomore record Candy Salad (French Kiss), Suckers – whom you may know from previous single “It Gets Your Body Movin’”  –  journey to our coast this week from their adopted-home base of Brooklyn. Collective thanks again, Brooklyn, these Suckers are stuck in our heads.
With Young Man, Vanaprasta
Thu/17, 9pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17 St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZjfpBO_n2w

Carletta Sue Kay
Carletta Sue Kay vocalist Randy Walker has a fancy new (and if you can believe it, debut) album out this week – Incongruent (Kitten Charmer, May 15) – but is already something of a local legend, having opened for the likes of Kurt Vile, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Girls, the Fresh & Onlys, and Kelley Stoltz. Oh, and recently got a damn profile in the New York Times. Go, hear that silky, bluesy four octave vocal range once more, and rightfully fete the singer-songwriter. Carletta Sue Kay also plays Amoeba at 6pm Thu/17.
With Avengers, Erase Errata
Fri/18, 8pm, $15
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
www.cafedunord.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=324m9sDQQl8

Black Sabbath’s Paranoid
The next round in a creative ongoing series from UnderCover Presents, “Black Sabbath’s Paranoid” pits more than 50 Bay Area musicians against one monumental heavy metal record. Each band covers one song, then on to the next. Note: there will be heavy metal-themed sandwiches sold outside, courtesy of Brass Knuckles.
With Extra Action Marching Band, Uriah Duffy with the Memorials, Sabbaticus Rex & the Axe-Wielders of Chaos, Tiger Honey Pot with Max Baloian, and more
Sat/19, 9pm, $20 (includes cover CD)
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421
www.theindependentsf.com

Heads Up: 7 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0

Are you ready for another folk revival? It’s definitely here, in fact, this is a rather late post about such things – New York Magazine just did a spread including Mumford & Sons, the Head the Heart (whose June 1 show at the Fillmore is already sold out), and the Lumineers, for chrissakes.

It was the startling revelation elsewhere that Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros was also the formerly angular-haircut-having leader of electroclashy IMA Robot that really got me thinking about about all this. Could it already be time for New Weird America 2.0?  (Grain of salt: Mumford & Sons are from England.) That last round was only a handful of years ago – Devendra, all those acts on the pages of beloved Arthur Magazine, et. al. –  though this batch seems decidedly less weird. These acts, as NY Mag points out, have broader crossover appeal.

It makes sense, recessions seem to bring out the twang in folks, and many of these beard-and-suspenders types rose up around 2009 or later. What else brought this to the forefront of my thoughts? This week in the Bay Area, the debatable leaders of this relatively newish pack, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, make their first visit since that Railroad Revival tour with Mumford & Sons last year.

Also this week, New York’s jazzier swing folk duo Two Man Gentlemen Band – I’m stretching here – takes the steamboat (we wish) to San Francisco. And of course, there are shows with our own homegrown fiddlers, banjo-pickers, and boot-wearers. As always, a few tangentially related or just plain totally unrelated acts made the list below.

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

Breathe Owl Breathe
The dreamy folk pop trio brings inherent playfulness – they wrote a children’s book –  to frosty despair, mixing somber lyrical content with lush vocal harmonies, subtle elegant strumming with the sporadic hand clapping.
With Victoria Williams
Wed/2, 9pm, $10-$12
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTEkELB7mFk

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
On stage this ten-piece folky, psychedelic rock tribe looks like a ragtag flurry of ecstasy. (Mia Sullivan)
With Aaron Embry
Wed/2, 8pm, $32.50
Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 302-2250
www.thefoxoakland.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8&ob=av2n

Trainwreck Riders
The punk-tinged alt-country rockers have been together since 2000 (under the TR name as of 2004) and the born-and-bred San Franciscans have gained a steady local following thanks to moxie, bluegrass spirit, and encouraged sing-alongs. Noteworthy: the whole evening lineup is packed with Bay Area up-and-comers, so it’s an excuse to watch the whole show.
With Passage Walkers, Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits, Apogee Sound Club
Fri/4, 8pm, $10-$12
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MzDqtjCQkA

Battlehooch
The song and video for “Pickin’ Fields”  (the first release of the band’s single series) are reason enough to fall in pleasantly bemused love with the “shape-shifting” orchestral folk rockers. The San Francisco six-piece buzzes through genres, and in the process, riles up crowds.
With White Cloud, B Hamilton
Fri/4, 9pm, $7-$10.
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
1710 Mission, SF
(415) 800-8782
www.brickandmortarmusic.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiKCUPBeREE

Father John Misty and Har Mar Superstar
This is a weird (read: awesome) lineup – Father John Misty is the darkly folk rock ex-Fleet Foxes drummer and Har Mar Superstar is a swarthy, sex-soaked R&B god recently caught live with ’80s-esque backup singers and a surprise Blood Orange appearance. Well, I guess they both do have that sexy thing going on.
Sat/5, 10pm, $12
Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., SF
(415) 621-4455
www.bottomofthehill.com
NSFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS84BMFszW0

Again, NSFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g98QXm42mmA

Two Man Gentlemen Band
Former street performers are always the best entertainers. And with their years playing to unwilling pedestrians, the Two Man Gentlemen Band’s Andy Bean (singer, tenor guitar, banjoist) and Fuller Condon (upright bass) have learned to pluck out crowd pleasers: jazzy, irreverent dixieland swing with a knowing wink. They come in support of recently released LP Two At A Time.
Sun/6, 9pm, $10
Amnesia
853 Valencia, SF
(415) 970-0012
www.amnesiathebar.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c85RZ5biws&feature=fvwrel

Meshuggah
Swedish. Extreme. Metal. And holy hell is it fast. Not folk in the slightest, but well worth a trip the Fillmore.
With Baroness & Decapitated
Sun/6, 8pm, $29.50
Fillmore
1805 Geary, SF
(415) 346-6000
www.thefillmore.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A_tSyJBsRQ

Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

Tony Robles
-
0
Heads Up: 6 must-see concerts this week

Is it mundane to still be talking about the weather? What if we’re reminiscing about fickle San Francisco, and a rejuvenating weekend full of beaming hot sun, melted sundaes, and stretches of eternity park lounging with thousands of your closest compatriots?

What if that much-needed industrial shot of Vitamin D super charged our brains for the week ahead? Why can’t we believe in the goodness of the occasional bright weekend to dismiss week in, week out monotony?

What else drags our tired souls from the pits of a dull routine? Why, the ebb and flow of musical intake, of course. That jolt of bass, the kick of drums, the oom-pah of brass, the buzzing expanse of synth: it kick-starts our brains with a correspondingly industrial shot of adrenaline, rolling fog or shine. 

Here are your must-see Bay Area concerts this week/end:

The She’s
The melodic teenage rock’n’roll group seems to be living the garage pop dream right about now. The local quartet has a sparkly newish album making serious waves, has opened for dream-show Girls, and recently played Noise Pop before Surfer Blood to a sold-out crowd. While yes, a tad bit jealous, we must admit, it’s deserved: the She’s talent – bassist Samantha Perez has been playing since she was 7, and the others started around then too – and, their surfy fun vibes keep us coming back for more.
With Bilinda Butchers, Trails and Ways
Wed/25, 8pm, $10.
Rickshaw Stop
155 Fell, SF
(415) 861-2011
www.rickshawstop.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KhxRuEf5ho&feature=relmfu

The Touré-Raichel Collective
Both wildly popular in their home states, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli pianist Idan Raichel came together for the languid, subtly gorgeous joint album The Tel Aviv Session – mixing in respective cultures of music through gentle plucking and steady drum beats – and bring that magic tonight to the Herbst.
Thu/26, 8pm, $25-$85
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness, SF
(415) 621-6600
www.sfwmpac.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmfHid85XoM

Opeth and Mastodon
A doomy double bill of Swedish heavy metal and Southern-fried sludge. Both acts are epic in their own special way.
Fri/27, 8pm, $32.50
Fox Theater
1807 Telegraph, Oakl.
(510) 302-2250
www.thefoxoakland.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VUm1jzqth4

Public Access: Hype Williams
Hype is indeed the word. The Xanax-slow atmospheric pop duo from London, named after the filmmaker, is making a name — and sound — all its own. Once shrouded in wobbly synth mystery, as these things usually are at the start, Hype Williams keeps the buzz a-growing. With openers Gatekeeper, Teengirl Fantasy, and Zebra Katz, it’s going to be a trippy goth pop carnival of a night.
Fri/27, 9pm, $15.
Public Works
161 Eerie, SF
(415) 932-0955
www.publicsf.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeZsad3s3hk

Tragedy
The crust punk band, born of the early Aughts, is three parts His Hero Is Gone (depths-of-hell growling vocalist- guitarist Todd Burdette, guitarist Yannick Lorrain, and drummer Paul Burdette) and three parts Death Threat (overlapping others, plus bassist Billy Davis), and all parts blistering, head-banging, good times. Playing twice in the Bay Area this weekend.
With Talk is Poison, Hunting Party, Replica, Negative Standards
Fri/27, 7pm, $10
Oakland Metro
630 Third St., Oakl.
www.oaklandmetro.org

With Needles, Sete Star Sept, Permanent Ruin, Stressors
Sat/28, 9pm, $10
Thee Parkside
1660 17th St., SF
(415) 252-1330
www.theeparkside.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgtXLWxDlvg

Sonya Cotton
Sonya Cotton is a folk force, an endearing vocalist and musician (known to swing a delicate uke) with church of nature-like calm; it’s not difficult to picture Cotton tearfully cradling a fallen deer in a lush forest, singing with woeful empathy of its journey. See below. Note that it’s difficult to watch, but her tone brings significance to the sadness.
As part of the Power of Song Series
With Conspiracy of Venus
Sun/29, 9-11pm
Brava Theater Center
2781 24th St, SF
www.songbirdfestival.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udDyGA1vInE

12345Page 3 of 5

48hills.org is the official publication of the non-profit San Francisco Progressive Media Center.
Contact us: info@48hills.org