In honor of the upcoming installment of the Bay’s wondrous Literary Death Match — Fri/12, 6:30, $10 at Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. — here are some pics from last month’s raucous Valentine’s Day edition. It was a fight for love … to the death!
Live Shots
Live Shots: San Francisco Bombers vs. Red Devils, Kezar Pavilion, 03/06/10
Guardian photographer and writer Charles Russo sent over these pics of this Saturday’s roller derby match between the San Francisco Bombers and Brooklyn’s Red Devils.
Live Shots: El Perro Del Mar and Taken By Trees, Café du Nord, 3/2/10
Back in the early ’90s, when MTV played video after video and I was still a kid, I remember seeing tall, hot chicks like Sarah Assbring, the sole member of El Perro Del Mar, flash across the screen, dancing to Axl Rose and Aerosmith. Taking the stage, Assbring immediately struck me as a rock video model, her bright blonde hair chopped off with a stiff asymmetrical edge, lips dark with black-red lipstick, and lids full of smoky shadow. I was immediately envious of her black silky jumper, stitched with an oversupply of fabric under the sleeves that made for the perfect raven wings whenever she lifted her arms.
The sounds of El Perro Del Mar are always sweet and shy, much like the musician herself. She said very little and smiled even less, and yet had me wrapped around her every breath. When she sang, her eyes focused intently on an unknown object in the back of the room, with her eyebrows at a constant downward angle. Often she would raise her hands into the air or send them straight out in front of the mic, nearly reaching the fans in front. She was intense.
Highlights were “A Change of Heart,” which was as delightful live as it is on Love is Not Pop, and “Gotta Get Smart.” After singing the lyrics to the breakup anthem,, Assbring posed a question to the crowd: “Have you ever had your heart broken?”
“Two times,” a man in the front row answered.
“Will you ever be able to love again?” she asked him directly.
“I already have…thanks to you.”
The crowd giggled and awed; Assbring blushed and started “A Better Love” almost immediately. Near the end of the set she covered The XX’s “Shelter,” giving the song a smoky, jazzy twist that continued to build and build until its rushing end. When the set finished, the crowd cheered and yelped, hoping that the double-headliner show would still allow for an encore. Assbring and the band returned, thanking the crowd for requesting their return with an ABBA-esque number, setting the perfect mood for Taken By Trees.
A multitude of drums and mallets filled the space with African beats, inviting Victoria Bergsman, the solo singer who takes on the name Taken By Trees onto the dark stage. After the first song finished and the crowd cheered, Bergsman’s wild eyes searched the room. A naughty smirk swept across her lips.
“I heard a wolf in the crowd and now I know where you are.”
In terms of energy, Bergsman’s songs were a stark contrast to El Perro Del Mar. Reminding of Lion King, with feel-good micro melodies galloping left and right, I wanted to dance and leap.
Bergsman dedicated a song to a dear friend, encouraged the crowd to clap, and consistently closed her eyes while she sang, often folding her hands in front of her. She was still and mischievous, always looking like she was planning her next cat attack.
Telling the crowd of her tour of San Francisco earlier that day, she explained that she was falling in love with the area.
“I’m thinking about moving here. Should I move here?” she playfully asked the crowd. Without a delay, the place burst into a mess of encouragement.
Live Shots: Four Tet, The Independent, 2/26/10
That beat. It was all about that beat. And everyone had filled up the Independent theater on February 26 to hear Four Tet’s hypnotic beats all night long. His new album, There Is Love in You, was released last month and Four Tet joined several other electronic groups last Friday on one of the closing nights of the SF Noise Pop festival. Looking like a mad scientist, tangled amongst endless cables and blinking techno-gizmo’s, Four Tet honed in on some marvelous beats that made everyone on the dance floor shake their money-makers. The evening started with a three other electrifying numbers, that included Nathan Fake, New Villager, and Rainbow Arabia, who also contributed some breathtaking beats to an evening of electronically charged music.
Live Shots: Zee Avi, Rickshaw Stop, 2/25/10
For the 3rd night of the SF Noise Pop festival, three bands shared the stage with Zee Avi at Rickshaw Stop. Noise Pop is such a marathon of music, with each band rushing on stage, setting up their equipment, rocking out for about eight songs and moving aside to make room for the subsequent performers. Luckily through all this movement and music, each group really held their own and the audience kept begging for encores that were never possible.
The night started with Tiny Television, who was accompanied by singer Jen Korte. The band had a folksy sound and their songs were rich and warm. Their slide guitar player was pure genius and with the whole band wearing cowboy boots this group was totally country cool.
Then came the Leslie and The Badgers, hailing from LA. Leslie and her gaggle of boys also hit some great country notes and Leslie’s voice had magical pieces of Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline sprinkled though out it. The highlight of their set was a sing-a-long piece about how it’s ok to hurt somebody, just remember to say you’re sorry.
The four cute girls in the Hot Toddies belted out surf songs and got the audience so energized that they all started to jump and bounce around just like bubble gum! The Hot Toddies were totally crowd-pleasers with their hilarious lyrics about everything from dating old guys on the internet, to the seriousness of a wet dream and how Seattle makes them totally horny. Sweet!
And finally, just a bit before midnight, Zee Avi made her way on stage, to sing us sad songs about drugged out boyfriends and happy songs about true romance found outside a bee hive. She’s so cool and her voice is so lovely, making for the perfect ending after an extreme evening of awesome, almost never-ending, music.
Live Shots: K.Flay, Bottom of the Hill, 02/21/2010
After braving crummy weather and the odd timing of her Sunday night show, I finally got to see my new favorite female rapper K.Flay live. To be honest, K.Flay a San Franciscan by way of Illinois, is way more than just a rapper. She makes her own beats, mash-ups, and plays guitar, in addition to rocking a mic and a party.
I originally stumbled across her mixtape “Mashed Potatoes,” a 12 song mash-up album in which she tweaked some classics for exciting results. Put it in your CD player while driving across the Bay Bridge and you’ll discover that a Red Hot Chili Peppers’ classic was ripe for K.Flay’s interpetation in “On the Bridge.” She also flips Eminem’s “Crack a Bottle,” as a dedication to her favorite drink, Vanilla Coke (in a bottle not a can).
The show had a pretty good turnout for a rainy Sunday night. While I showed up a little late, K.Flay already had the crowd jumping around by switching off between rapping, making live beats, and playing guitar. Despite a few technical difficulties, she moved the show along, held the crowd’s attention, and kept her cool at the same time. Go, K.Flay.
Live Shots: De La Soul, Yoshi’s Fillmore, 02/12/2010
By Chhavi Nanda
Word came that De La Soul’s flight was delayed, but they’d still make it. Anticipation levels rose to a fever pitch in the crowd. Fumes from the blunt smoke hazed the faces of the eager fans. Then finally, they made their entrance on to stage chanting “De La” with the audience responding with a unison scream “Soul!”
Hip-hop legends and creators of one of the greatest albums ever (1989’s 3 Feet High and Rising), De La Soul put on a gonzo show at Yoshi’s in the Fillmore. As soon as I arrived, I got on to the dance floor and scurried to the front. I was standing next to two men, one of whom told me, “We’ve been waiting for this shit for 10 years.” They came ready to wave their hands in the air, and were well-equipped with all the necessary paraphernalia for a De La Soul gig. The man next to me had a pair of De La Soul Nikes in his bag, never worn, and a silver sharpie, which the band members used to autograph them. He was accompanied by his cousin with an old cassette of Buhloone Mindstate, De La Soul’s third full-length, produced by Prince Paul, which was also signed.
De La Soul worked the nostalgia hard, summoning the golden age of hip-hop with its characteristic innovative wordplay and almost hallucinogenic diversity of metaphor.The crowd was reminded how far back (and ahead) we all were from Gucci Mane.
The V.I.P.’s may have revelled in their loft seats, but the heart and soul of the show was on the dance floor. De La Soul set a reminiscent feeling through everyone’s bodies, singing and flowing joints we hadn’t heard in years. Tracks from 2009 mixtape Are you In: Nike + Original Run, produced by Flosstradamus, fit seamlessly into the flow and got the crowd crazy. The effect was timeless — and sweat-drenched.
Live Shots: Erykah Badu with Dave Chapelle and Goapele, Fox Theater, 02/19/2010
It’s 1998 and I’m on a trans-Pacific flight to Japan with my mom to visit my “Japanese grandma” Kiyo. I’ve just received my first mix tape from my super-cool older “sister” Leenie, with cuts on it that range from the Runaway Bride soundtrack to Sash!’s Encore Une Fois. And then there’s one of the last tracks, “On and On” by Erykah Badu. I blast this tape on my walkman for almost the whole 17-hour flight and play it throughout the trip, from bullet train rides through lush fields of tea plants to visually overstimulating jaunts in the neon-saturated neighborhood of Shinjuku in Tokyo.
So when Erykah Badu performed on Friday night at the Fox Theater, to a sold-out audience, nostalgia was running through me at full force — and probably not just for me, but also for a few others in the audience. Dressed in an excessive amount of layers, Badu took the stage with poise and energy, after a surprise introduction by Dave Chapelle. With her fifth album coming out in March, titled New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), Badu had a confidence on stage that can only come after years of performing in front of adoring audiences. She also seemed to be having a lot fun with her music, introducing the eerie sound of the theremin into her pieces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CPCs7vVz6s
Goapele, hailing from Oakland, opened for Badu and got the evening started with some cool R&B tunes, including songs from her new album Milk and Honey, which comes out this spring. Goapele not only had a blast on stage, but her outfit was beyond sexy and her hat was an art piece unto itself.
Badu sang On and On at Friday’s concert and there I was, totally 14 again, running around Japan. So now I must ask: Where does Badu take you?
Live Shots: Huun Huur Tu, Cowell Theater, 02/11/2010
Sometimes music is so powerful that it can transport you to another world. Huun Huur Tu, a throat-singing group from the Russian Republic of Tuva, create melodies that make you think you’re riding a horse through some ancient, windblown prairie.
The four-man band performed Thursday night at the Cowell Theater, bringing with them a variety of ancient and modern instruments, including the igil, a long two-stringed guitar-like instrument made of pine trees, that is held tightly between the knees while played. The igil is decorated with a carved horse’s head at the top of the instrument’s neck. There was even an instrument made of two real horse hooves, that were clapped together to create the sound of horses galloping. Many of Huun Huur Tu’s pieces used throat singing, a type of singing where two or more pitches can be heard at the same time from a single voice.
The songs Huun Huur Tu performed were about riding, nature, or the power of community. These voices made a wild, almost hypnotic mix of melodies, that for me were space-agey and futuristic — odd because this technique of singing is an ancient form of Tuvan folk music. I left the theater feeling calmed by the meditative quality of the music, and yet exhilarated by the novelty of the experience. My fiance came with me, and inspired by the performance, he’s been trying to recreate the sounds of the Tuvan throat-singing all morning, ha, but somehow it doesn’t compare.
Live Shots: Best Coast and Vivian Girls, Bottom of the Hill, 02/09/2010
The vintage starburst lights were tinted red and Bottom of the Hill was packed with hipsters toting hand-me-down apparel: ratty old sweaters, torn hats and grandma’s old prescription glasses. Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino let out the first words to “When I’m With You,” and the crowd anxiously listened to each note echo through the mic, paired with her slow, distorted guitar strums.
I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else in the room felt like we had just stepped into a time machine and shot straight back to a 1960’s dive bar on the beach. A little bit Beach Boys and part Ronnettes, the antique sounds were innocent and as gold as Cosentino’s sandy locks.
The L.A. duo was so calm, Cosentino strumming and singing with her pink lips parted as wide as a Charlie Brown caroler. “Love, of Love” she cried in perfect harmony, closing her eyes and showing her light brown eye shadow. Guitarist Bobby Bruno was a true shoegazer, his long black hair hanging over his strings and glowing with shades of pink from the stage lights above.
Playing through their EP Something in the Way (RCRD LBL), they made each song float over the crowd in waves, heads and bodies bobbing up and down like buoys in a tide. This show was Best Coast’s first in San Francisco and Cosentino said she was a little worried that people wouldn’t show up until after 10, thereby missing a part of their set.
“Did anybody watch Lost?,” she asked the crowd. “We were joking that people wouldn’t come in until after the show, but you guys are troopers — here, right at the beginning.”
Ali Koehler of Vivian Girls (who had earlier shared their iPod playlists with me) stepped in as the drummer for Best Coast’s set and the trio played two new songs, both of which were more upbeat, with lots of cymbal action and heavy bass drum solos. Cosentino promised we would find them on the new album soon. At the end of the set, Bruno threw on a black sweatshirt, complete with cat ears affixed to the hood.
Vivian Girls took over at 10:45, hitting it hard and urging the crowd for a little more action. “You guys should dance more,” bassist Kickball Katy said with a grin, the same of which stayed glued to her face throughout the entirety of their show. The crowd happily responded with a small, male mosh pit in front of the stage.
Cassie Romone’s lips were bright red to match her red blouse, skirt and the carpet on the stage. Mid-show Koehler approached the mic and pointed out her and Romone’s nearly identical ruffly, red shirts. Apparently this happens a lot.
Costentino joined the trio of Brooklyn ladies for a song, creating a stage billowing with womanpower. Totally normal girls rockin’ hard, Vivian Girls put out some stellar garage songs for the packed house, but my absolute favorite was their A cappella rendition of “He’s Gone”, which they dedicated to the opening band, “The bananas.” Their voices quietly squeaked and peaked, totally exposed in a not-so-perfect harmony but all together delivered an incredible gem that only live shows like that can offer.
Live Shots: St. Vincent, Great American Music Hall, 02/08/10
It was a cold and rainy Monday night, but that didn’t keep the fans away. St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, was performing at the Great American Music Hall in support of her latest album, Actor (4AD) and the sold-out event was packed with smitten groupies.
Wearing a tiny black dress, her curly crown of hair bouncing to every beat, St. Vincent entranced her audience with her sweet voice and unusual lyrics. She played along with the help of a band that included flutes, violins, clarinets and drums. But when she took the stage solo, aided only by her electric guitar, these were the moments when the whole room seemed to glitter. The opening band, Wildbirds and Peacedrums from Sweden, were also wonderful, pounding out drum-driven beats that actually gave me goosebumps. The husband-and-wife duo use only voice and a variety of percussive instruments — a musical concoction that made me think of Björk at a powwow. What a perfect night to warm up under a blanket of fiery musical talent.
Live Shots: VV Brown and Ebony Bones, Popscene, 02/04/10
Outside, the night was horrid and pouring sheet after sheet of chilled rain. Inside, Popscene at 330 Ritch’s stage was blazing with bold UK women and their undeniable vocal prowess. The evening started with Brit babe VV Brown, a young singer/songwriter — on tour to promote her recent Travelling Like the Light (Universal, 2009) — who qualifies as the indie version of the Adele and Duffy types.
The set started shy, with VV Brown (born Vanessa Brown) hiding behind a glamorous Mardi Gras mask of shimmering silver, adorned with a fan of black feathers and peacock accents. Song one, “Game Over,” was spent with her vocals streaming into a small megaphone pointed towards the mic. The sound quality was a displaced and muddled, similar to an old record player. Her tiny frame was decorated in a shiny gold swimsuit top and red-plaid tapered pants, cinched tight at the waist.
When the mask came off, Brown’s face was painted with a red blindfold, her trademark bouffant standing tall and proud. She was full of energy, hopping around stage, singing with full facial expressions, banging on the drums and pounding the bongos.
Brown happily announced that the show was her first gig in San Francisco and only her 2nd show in the U.S. “And I wrote this song while sitting on the toilet,” she said as a preface to “Back in Time.” “It’s about Einstein, love, and betrayal.” Hitting the gong with four solid swings, her voice chimed in with an eerie echo and not three seconds later, cut short when her mic cord fell onto the floor.
“Isn’t that what we all love about live music? We just keep going,” she smiled with a confident grin. She played through a majority of the songs on her freshman album, “Traveling Like the Light”, including her most recognizable tracks, “Crying Blood” and “Shark in the Water.”
Brown’s cover of “The Best I Ever Had” by Drake was quite impressive — the girl can rap! Totally sexy and 100 percent more badass than one would assume, Brown sang the lyrics “You’re the fuckin’ best” with her fist pumping and voice creamy smooth.
Afro-punk-electro-pop songstress Ebony Bones didn’t hit the stage until midnight, but took it over by storm with a full band decked out in color, makeup, wigs and beads. I managed to drool over the awesomeness of the first song and snap a few photos, but I regretfully had to pull myself away in order to catch my train. There’s no way it wasn’t amazing.
Live Shots: Phoenix at the Fillmore, 01/26/2010
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
I remember the first time I heard the music of the amazing French band Phoenix (http://www.wearephoenix.com/). I was in college and some kid in my Spanish class gave me a copy of their first album, “United,” and I sat in my tiny closet-sized, pink wallpapered room and played it over and over again. When I find music I like, I play it ad nauseam, driving everyone around me crazy. That album also became the background to many a make-out session with my now fiance in that teeny pink room. Today when I listen to Phoenix’s music, it’s like downing a huge glass of sweet nostalgia.
Last night they performed at the Fillmore. The show was packed with lip-syncing Phoenix devotees, who bounced up and down to each intoxicating piece with syncopated perfection, which was actually kind of frightening when the floor began to bounce with them (eeek!). The band, which just released a new album last year titled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, was contagiously energized and fantastic throughout the whole set, as they disappeared and reappeared from inside clouds of smoke and a wildly colorful light show. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one reminiscing during the concert because Phoenix’s music is the perfect medium for making fond memories.
Live Shots: Timmy Mezzy, Maggie McGarry’s, 12/3/09
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
I have a new favorite song and I need to share it with all of you. It’s about bubbly water and it’s by the band Timmy Mezzy … and it’s amazing.
Timmy Mezzy, hailing from The Sunset District of San Francisco, have other musical delights, such as love songs dedicated to ice cream and a tune about having nothing to do at all. The five piece combo rocked Maggie McGarry’s in North Beach on Thursday night to a thoroughly enthused crowd, peppered with obvious groupies who sang along to Bubbly Water and boogied across the tiny dance floor late into the evening. These guys have got something going, so check out their next show, because their music makes me happy and want to smile and I know it’ll make you all bubbly too.
Live Shots: Hip-Hop DanceFest, Palace of Fine Arts, 11/22/09
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
For the 11th Annual Hip Hop DanceFest, 11 dance troupes graced the stage for Sunday afternoon at the Palace of Fine Arts. The dance companies hailed from California, South Korea, Norway, Canada, London and New York, showcasing a diverse definition of what hip-hop dance means today. There was some tap dancing, classical music, and Michael Jackson tributes. The ages of the dancers ranged from very young kids to seasoned adults, but their skill and proficiency was perfectly cohesive and steeped full of energy. There was also a spectacular trio, the ILL-Abilities Crew, made up of three dancers with various disabilities who danced with such passion and talent that it brought the whole crowd to a standing ovation. It was obvious after seeing these dance companies perform that hip hop is a dance of all nations, where everyone speaks the universal language for throwing down.
Live Shots: Fauxnique’s “Luxury Items,” ODC, 11/8/09
Photos and text by Ariel Soto
“Luxury Items” at ODC, starring Monique Jenkinson (aka female drag goddess Fauxnique, is a sparkling and often very funny and touching performance piece that explores the idea that beautiful objects have to show their worth. I spoke with Monique about her performance and she described it as the artist’s process of creating beauty through an imposed vow of poverty. The artist’s dilemma is to make things of priceless value, while struggling against the brutality of the profession, creating a socially conscious and frustrated aesthete. The character in the show is based more on Monique than Fauxnique, but drag is present and alive nonetheless. Monique told me that her performance is like an essay, using maps, video and movement to create each and every decadent story. Her complex and riveting vision is part of what snagged her a Guardian GOLDIE award this year. Monique says that “Luxury Items” will be repeated in February, so be on the look out!
Live Shots: Accordion Festival, Cafe Du Nord, 11/05/09
Photos and text by Ariel Soto
Bella Ciao
Those Darn Accordions
Big Lou’s Polka Casserole
“What time is it? It’s polka time!” That’s right, it was polka time at Cafe Du Nord last Thursday night, as three different accordion bands took the stage to play not only polka, but also Broadway show tunes and even some country. The bands, which included Those Darn Accordions, Big Lou’s Polka Casserole and Ciao Bella, drew quite a diverse crowd.
Those Darn Accordions
Bella Ciao
There were some utilikilts, cowboy hats, lots of poofy skirts and in my friend L’s words “Aren’t their a lot of guys with ponytails in here?” We counted eight in total. But no matter what they were wearing, everyone seemed to be enjoying the music and several couples even took to the dance floor for a little polka dancing. And then there were all the lovely accordions, their shiny black and white keys gleaming, their bellows breathing in and out, keeping everyone in time and on time, all in the name of polka time!
Live Shots: Matisyahu, Fillmore, 10/22/09
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
The Fillmore Theater was filled with yarmulkes and heart-pumping beats last Thursday as Matisyahu, a Hasidic Jewish reggae singer, bounced
his way across the stage. The eclectic crowd at the sold-out show seemed to represent everyone, from religious diehards to So-Cal blonds in high heels. Matisyahu’s lyrics convey his strong religious beliefs, but somehow he’s able to reach a broad and diverse crowd. With his long payots swaying to each reggae beat, one might imagine they were dreads and this was a Rasta show straight from Jamaica. But isn’t that what makes going to see music so great? There are no rules, just pure creativity and a smorgasbord of cultures and ideas around every bend.
Live Shots: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, 10/2-10/4
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
Continuing with the constant flow of summer concerts, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival constructed five stages in Golden Gate Park and brought three days of music for one of the most popular events of the summer. The stages, with quirky names like the Rooster and Banjo, hosted musicians whose tunes ranged from hometown bluegrass to music that could have backed a Ford truck commercial. The crowds were rather overwhelming, with huge human traffic jams of people
trying to get from one stage to the next. But despite the throngs of fans, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, soaking up the last bits of Indian summer sunshine and throwing back more than a couple bottles of beers.
Live Shots: Quijeremá at Red Poppy Art House, 9/25/09
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
“I think this is going to be really romantic music,” J said to me, as we sat down in our seats, our toes literally touching the mics and instruments on the makeshift stage area at Red Poppy Art House (http://www.redpoppyarthouse.org/). It was a perfect Fall evening and we were about to embark on a musical adventure through Chile with trusty our guides, the Quijeremá quartet. And yes, the music was very romantic, but also very sad.
Live Shots: Power to the Peaceful 9/12/09
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
The air was thick with friendship and love as about 70,000 people went into tree pose to say a united prayer for peace in Speedway Meadows this Saturday for the 11th annual Power to the Peaceful concert. The day long concert has been the pride and joy of Michael Franti for the past decade, whose own music strives to motivate and cultivate love and peace between all us human beings.
This year the special guests included Alanis Morissette, Cherine Anderson, and Sly and Robbie along with inspirational speakers such as former Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney and Tibetan monk Namkha Rinpoche who hinted at the possibility of the Dalai Lama coming to next year’s Power to the Peaceful.
Live Shots: Jonesin’ and the Sandwitches at Hemlock Tavern, 9/3/09
Text and photos by Ariel Soto
Donning matching black and white outfits, the Jonesin‘ duo bounced around the stage, singing old Dolly Parton covers and also their own lyrics, that sometimes focus on aliens, their amour, roller skates, and the foggy city we all call home. Their music is totally bubbly and funky with just a hint of country and irony. With only their mikes and a boom box for back-up , these two belted it out at Hemlock Tavern for their official Hi, We’re Jonesin’ (Telemarketer’s Worst Nightmare) record release party and as a send-off for their around the country tour, which includes stops in Kansas, Mississippi and Texas, too.
Live Shots: More Outside Lands — Calexico, Ween, M.I.A., more
All photos by el fotografo clandestino
Cuckoo for M.I.A.
John Vanderslice
Calexico
Calexico
Calexico
Modest Mouse
Live Shots: Outside Lands — Nortec Collective, Street Sweeper Social Club, Atmosphere, Lenka, more
All photos by el fotografo clandestino
Outsidestock
Nortec Collective
Nortec Collective
Street Sweeper Social Club
Street Sweeper Social Club
Street Sweeper Social Club