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