Music Blogger Archives — Page 36 of 39 — San Francisco Bay Guardian Archive 1966

NOISE: 10 to the 75

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January 4, 2007

75 Degrees‘ Rick Bond was late with his holiday year-end Top 10 in terms of the print edition of the Guardian, but it’s never too late for our always-interested, always-ravenous-for-news blogestablishmentarianistic virtual side. Fill our Top 10 void, Rick. Here ’tis, at last:

75 Degrees of inseparableness. Courtesy of www.rasputinmusic.com

1. 75 DEGREES, “X-MAS CLASSIC (GHOSTRIDE THE SLEIGH)”
NOBODY MAKES A BETTER HIP-HOP BAY AREA HOLIDAY JOINT THEN THE SEVEN FIZZLE!…actually, nobody else ever has.
2. San Quinn, The Rock
3. Mista FAB, “Ghostride It”
So good it hurts.
4. Oakland A’s getting out of the first round of the playoffs!!!
5. Stacy Dash in Playboy
6. Nacho Libre
7. Little Star Pizza
Deep dish classic with pepperoni instead of onions.
8. Glen Goins introducing the Mothership/P-Funk on tour in 1976, YouTube
He sings and plays guitar better than most people who do only one of those things today and he’s just the intro guy.
9. Sly Stone on Merv Griffin singing “If You Want Me To Stay,” YouTube.
10. Aretha Franklin singing “Bridge Over Trouble Water” AND playing piano, YouTube.

Honorable mentions: Flipsyde (shows and album = DOPE), 75 Degrees’ The Last Great Hip-Hop Album being featured on iTunes! and the term: “Strangerous” as in, “Call me girl, why you gotta be so strangerous?”

P.S. 75 Degrees has got a new official Myspace page too: www.myspace.com/seventy5degrees

NOISE: Malkmus mender

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January 3, 2007

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OK, I have to say one of my fondest straight-outta-Stockton moments had to be the time when, on stage at the Fillmore, Stephen Malkmus gave a shout out to his family in the audience – and the restaurant they just patronized: Benihana. Did I hallucinate that or what?

malkmus roger kisby.jpg
Married, not harried. Photo by Riger Kisby.

By the way, the guy is now legally in the family way – he recently got hitched. And these days he has Sleater-Kinney/Quasi drummer and ex-Guardian worker bee Janet Weiss in his band the Jicks. So enjoy! It’s been a while since the now-Portland-oriented ex-Pavement big-muck-amok has returned to the Bay-ish. Malkmus appears Friday, Jan. 5, at Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, SF. (415) 474-0365. Tickets are $20.

NOISE: Trainwreck Riders lick those “Christmas Time Blues”?

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January 3, 2007

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Trainwreck Riders are stoked now – they have a new video for their song, “Christmas Time Blues,” and now we’re telling all y’all about it.

The official story is the SF band and Goldies winners hit the streets of the city last month with a Super-8 camera and a bag full of costumes that they dug up from their basements. They started the day at “Drink Liquor” (the corner store that they used to buy alcohol at when they were in high school), picked up some 40-ouncers of Olde English as inspiration, and shot a video at some of the old stomping grounds that they sing about.

You can give ’em your critique when they headline at Cafe du Nord Friday, Jan. 12 – it’s their first above-board bill-topping appearance here since September and likely their last till post-SXSW. They ride on into 2170 Market, SF, after the doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $10.

NOISE: James Brown is dead – long live James Brown

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December 28, 2006

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Whoa, I go crazy – James Brown in his casket. Who would have thought it could happen? To the hardest working of us all?

Newsday reports that a gold casket carrying the Godfather of Soul’s body, drawn by two white horses, arrived at the Apollo Theater today as thousands of fans lining the street erupted in chants.

james brown.jpg
Died on Christmas day. Courtesy of AFP

NOISE: Joanna Newsom overwhelms in SF

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December 22, 2006

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Guardian contributor Max Goldberg caught Joanna Newsom‘s recent performance at Great American Music Hall. Here’s his review:

Sans bangs and decked in red, Joanna Newsom played the last of a sold-out three-night stand at the Great American Music Hall Wednesday, Dec. 20. It was a performance concentrated and sustained enough to feel like a dream: no small thing given the general crush of people.

Joanna Newsom in all her furry finery.

The show, with its complete performance of Ys (Drag City), didn’t feel like a revelation so much as an acknowledgment (and a celebration with many from Nevada City, Newsoms and otherwise, in attendance. Ex-boyfriend Noah Georgeson and brother Pete Newsom turned in a flimsy opening set). Part of this was due to its being the last date of a seven-week tour, and part of it was because of the classical, note-for-note nature of the performance. Joanna Newsom conceived of this suite of songs, sweated it out, and we, her fans, have listened and begun to discover its place in our lives. Last night these paths converged.

The music’s live arrangements — Van Dykes Parks’s dense orchestrations were pared down for a five-piece, Balkan-tinged band — certainly added new shades, especially in the way Neal Morgan’s thudding drums sent the climaxes marching forward, as well as the lovely steel-strung sound-textures traded back and forth by Kevin Barker (banjo, acoustic guitar) and Ryan Francesconi (tambura, bouzouki, acoustic guitar). And much as Smogster (and current Newsom beau) Bill Callahan was missed for “Only Skin”’s final summons, Morgan’s lilting voice was the perfect counterpoint for Newsom’s – his softened hers, made hers sound a bit more country. Newsom’s maturation as a singer was one way the songs from The Milk-Eyed Mender (she book-ended Ys with “Bridges and Balloons,” “The Book of Right-On,” “Sadie,” and “Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie”) were recast. Her voice is still awestruck, but it’s lost some of its hiccup — smoothed out so that you can still see the folds — for Ys.

I was struck by how simple the songs from the first album seemed post-Ys, almost like little lullabies (especially closer “Clam, Crab…”). The scale of the new compositions is such that the old songs feel like a breath, something that can be plainly felt rather than fought out, gnashed, destroyed, and won over again and again. The way she so fearlessly gives herself over to soaring on the back of some emotion or image and then pulls back to take a longer view, often recalling a line and melody from earlier in the song, is frankly overwhelming. Time and time again, she plunges into a fast-moving river, all the while being extraordinarily careful not to let us let go of those movements that brought us into the song in the first place. Endurance is certainly a factor here, and when she brought the band back out in the encore for a new long song, the scales tipped: it was too much — we were spent. It’s no wonder given the way the listeners on the Great American’s upper-levels seemed to lean over the balcony’s edge. With all eyes on Newsom, the focus was at times nearly unbearable.

As always, it was a treat to see her play the harp, those spindly hands realizing the complex rhythm-melody interlays as if they were talking to one another. I caught myself waiting for the long, low strings to be plucked to see (and feel) their resonance. With Ys, she was directing as much as playing, shaping the album anew rather than running it through — she took hold of the notes and found the words, each one the right one.

NOISE: Coup keeps on keepin’ on…

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December 20, 2006

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FOR THE COUP

THE SHOW GOES ON

New Orleans Musicians Fund to Assist band recover from devastating bus crash

The Coup will play Claypool’s Mad Hatter’s Ball New Year’s Eve

Grace Pavilion, Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa — December 120, 2006 — The Harmony Festival has received many queries about whether or not The Coup, having recently survived a devastating tour bus accident in which they lost all of their belongings and were forced to cancel their tour, would be able to play as scheduled on New Year’s Eve at the Mad Hatter’s Ball (Grace Pavilion, Santa Rosa) with Les Claypool and the New Orleans Social Club.
The Harmony Festival is proud to confirm that The Coup will indeed play New Year’s Eve, broken bones and all.
We’d also like to note that the New Orleans Musician’s Hurricane Relief Fund – a non profit beneficiary of the show – has volunteered to donate 50% of the funds they raise at the show to The Coup, which lost their instruments, recording equipment, clothes, phones – even their I.D.s and the keys to their cars and homes. Boots Riley, leader of The Coup has made several trips to New Orleans in support of local musicians and now its their turn to return the favor.
So while the main reason to go the New Years Eve Celebration is to have a fabulous time -you will also be able to party with a purpose and directly support two worthy causes.

Les Claypool will be joined by The New Orleans Social Club featuring members of the Neville Brothers and The Meters including George Porter, Jr., Leo Nocentelli, Ivan Neville, Henry Butler, Raymond Weber, and The Coup’s Boots Riley and Pam the Funkstress–the funkateers Billboard just dubbed “the best hip hop act of the past decade.” A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund.

EVENT

The North Bay debut of Les Claypool’s New Year’s Eve Hatter’s Ball

DATE

Sunday, 31 December 2006

HOURS

Doors open at 7pm. Show starts @ 8pm and goes till late!

VENUE

Grace Pavilion

Sonoma County Fairgrounds

1350 Bennett Valley Road

Santa Rosa, California

RV and van camping is allowed at the fairgrounds. To make reservations, email camping@harmonywinterfestival.com.

TICKETS

Advance: $50, Door: $60, VIP Magic Pass: $100 (limited availability)

Available online at HarmonyFestival.com and InTicketing.com

This is an all ages event.

“Expect the usual high grade midnight antics,” said Colonel Claypool. “And of course there will be plenty of special treats, surprises and New Year’s mayhem for all!”

“We are very excited to offer the North Bay a world class New Year’s Eve event to call its own,” said Sean Ahearn, program director for the Harmony Festival. “Harmony’s 2006 Hatter’s Ball with Les Claypool marks the first time that his band will perform locally. We are thrilled that legendary artists like the New Orleans Social Club and The Coup accepted our invitation to join the party, and we invite the local community to help us make the event an annual North Bay New Year’s Eve tradition.”

In addition to the all-star line up, this year’s Hatter’s Ball will once again feature the Most Original Hat Contest and a diverse array of mad hatters. Attendees are encouraged to costume accordingly! VIP tickets include green room and side-stage viewing access, preferred parking, and complimentary champagne, beer and hors d’oeuvres. RV and van camping will be allowed for all general ticket holders. To make reservations, email camping@harmonywinterfestival.com.

A party with a purpose

Known for being a party with a purpose, the Harmony Festival will honor the legendary New Orleans Social Club’s performance at this year’s New Year’s Eve Hatter’s Ball by raising funds throughout the evening for New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund.

Les Claypool

Les Claypool is one of the most unlikely success stories in music history. His trademark voice, thumping bass and unique worldview have become the calling cards for a number of wildly successful and influential albums, books and films. Musical outfits he’s been involved with include the seminal alt-rock band Primus, Oysterhead featuring Trey Anastasio (Phish) with Stewart Copeland (The Police), and Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains, just to name a few. Les has been performing his New Year’s Eve shows for the last decade in San Francisco, and will be performing his first ever hometown show in the North Bay.

New Orleans Social Club

Six weeks after Hurricane Katrina, a parade of Crescent City legends united to celebrate the indomitable spirit and culture of their native city. Scattered around the country, they gathered in Austin as a loose-knit collective dubbed The New Orleans Social Club. Over the course of seven magical days and nights, they recorded Sing Me Back Home. Grammy nominated producer Leo Sacks and multiple Grammy-winning Ray Bardani assembled a dream team: Ivan Neville on organ, Henry Butler on piano, and two founding members of The Meters – Leo Nocentelli on guitar and George Porter, Jr. on bass. Rounding out the quintet was the wickedly funky Raymond Weber on drums. George assumed the mantle of musical director and the group was called The New Orleans Social Club. Joining the core band were guests including Irma Thomas, Marcia Ball, Dr. John, Willie Tee, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, John Boutte and more.

The Coup

The Coup is one of the most overtly political bands in rap history. Wicked funk and smooth soul grooves fuel their revolutionary music. Formed in the early ’90s, The Coup were influenced by conscious rappers like Public Enemy and KRS-One. Raised in East Oakland’s Funktown neighborhood, lead rapper/producer Boots Riley was involved in political activism long before he was a musician. His fervent dedication to social change was the overriding influence on every Coup album. Pam the Funkstress, the first female DJ star in the famously competitive Bay Area turntablist scene, later joined the group. The Coup’s uniquely bent grooves point to “Dirty Mind”-era Prince, late-80s Too Short, and the trunk-rattling hyphy sonics of the New Bay movement.

New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund

The New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization founded by Ben and Sarah Jaffe of Preservation Hall immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The NOMHRF mission is twofold: to provide humanitarian outreach to New Orleans musicians affected by the storm and to revive New Orleans’ unique musical culture. NOMHRF brings musicians home with rent subsidies and grants for home repairs, creates and underwrites gigs, supports the second line tradition by helping to offset the cost of bands for parades, and replaces flood-damaged instruments. We empower musicians to earn a living and heal the city with their music. Since the levee failure, more than 1000 New Orleans musicians have received these services from NOMHRF, as well as referrals to health care clinics, social services, and other relief organizations. For more information, please email info@nomhrf.org or call (800) 957-4026.

Harmony Productions

For four decades, Harmony has served the communities of the Greater Bay Area with events that promote positive social change and celebrate life. For more information, visit us at HarmonyFestival.com.

Press contacts

:

Michael Coats (Michael@coatspr.com, 707 935 6203)

Dennis McNally (DMcScribe@aol.com, 415 896 2198)

Paisly A. Marechal
Coats Public Relations
paisly@coatspr.com
707-935-6203

Hawk eyed

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December 20, 2006

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Urban wildlife sightings are always joyous things – but not if you’re a rat. We spied this gorg bird from our offices on Potrero Hill and watched it tear the entrails from a humongoid rodent. Missed our deadlines, but it was much better than the Discovery Channel.

Photos by Joe Pennant.

NOISE: As the Toph turns ??

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December 20, 2006

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Hey everyone loves Red Wine, eh? Well, show the love when Toph One celebrates his birthday with a little veeno and a heaping side of beats. This very special Red Wine Social happens tonight, Dec. 20, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Dalva, 3121 16th at Valencia, SF. Other wheels of steelers include Doc Fu and Pause. And it’s all free. So feel free.

Courtesy of True Skool’s Web site.

NOISE: Chime power

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December 20, 2006

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Drifting aimlessly amid the holiday chaos? Tell me all about it. There’s nothing like seasonal activity disarray (SAD) when it comes feeling sorry for yourself, grumpy, and liable to purchase the first bright shiny object to obliterate the pain.

So if you’re feeling listless and confused, there’s a few shows to check in lieu of pouting in front of the boob toob: The Powerful PWRFL (a.k.a., Kazu Nomura, who has been compared to Syd Barrett) will be here, riding a wave of cold air from Japan via Seattle. I dug the eclectic noise-maker’s CD – but don’t ask me to cough up the title of it. A big kid in a crazy red and white costume swiped it. But you can hear the sounds tonight, Dec. 20, at 21 Grand (with Liz Albee and George Cremaschi, the Norman Conquest, and darwinsbitch) and tomorrow, Dec. 21, at Stork Club, both in O-city. Word – well, if you consider PWRFL a word. Txt cltre scks.

Also up: the Winter Solstice Celebration at the lovely and creepy Chapel of the Chimes Mausoleum in Oakland.
“From the Darkness, Solace” is the theme for the event, tomorrow, Dec. 21, 7-11 p.m. More than 30 artists will kick out the original music throughout the columbarium in honor of the darkest day of the year. Dress warmly. Flashlights encouraged. $10-$20.

The lineup goes a little like this:

STAGE 1
SoRiah (throat singer)
Garth Powell (percussion)
Sarah Wilson (piano)
LX Rudis (synth)
Eric Glick Rieman (piano)

STAGE 2
Jeff Stott (oud)
Kanoko Nishi (koto)
Ernesto Diaz Infante (guitar)
Devin Hoff (Bass)

STAGE 3
Bob Marsh (cello)
Tako Oda (countertenor)
John Raskin (saxaphone)
Jen Baker (trombone)

STAGE 4
Tim Perkins (elec)
Johnathon Segal (multi)
Danielle Degruttola (cello)
Jess Roland (multi)
Lance Grabmiller (elec)

STAGE 5
Mike Perlmutter (reeds)
Stephen Kent (didgeridoo)
Sameer Gupta (tabla)
Shoko Hikage (koto)

NOISE: Crash! The Coup’s bus flips

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December 11, 2006

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Our best wishes go out to the Coup and Mr. Lif, who were in a frightening bus crash on Dec. 2. The Bay Area hip-hop band’s vehicle flipped and caught fire in Imperial, Calif., at 3:50 a.m. after a Friday night performance at the House of Blues. Now the Coup may have to cancel the rest of its tour with Lif.

Boots in better times. Credit: Alexander Warnow

Epitaph issued a press release stating: All occupants managed to get off of the bus before it became engulfed in flames and were transported to El Centro Regional Medical Center. However, Silk-E, Mr. Lif’s DJ, Wiz, the group’s bus driver, Glenn, incurred severe injuries requiring them to be flown to hospitals in San Diego and Palm Springs. Silk-E suffered several broken ribs and a punctured lung and Wiz suffered a deep laceration to the head and a broken leg.

NOISE: I’ll be your mirror… for a major outlay of cash

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December 7, 2006

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supposedely some guy bought it for like 75 cents and Saturn records is assisting in the selling of the record.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VELVET-UNDERGROUND-NICO-1966-Acetate-LP-ANDY-WARHOL_W0QQitemZ300054910309QQcmdZViewItem

NOISE: Grammy noms…or nattering nabobs of nonsense?

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December 7, 2006

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The 49th Grammy nominations have been announced, and can we get a witness — despite the feisty, principled stance by the Dixie Chicks and the continuing wonder of Mary J. Blige, are the Grammys still too hidebound and geriatric to really… matter?

Gnarlsome twosome.

I mean, we all pay attention to it, we’ve all been griping about it since the beginning of time — but James Blunt, record of the year? Corinne Bailey Rae is cute n’all, but isn’t Gnarls Barkley a complete shoo-in for this award? More nattering to come, for sure.

NOISE: Sonny Smith surfaces

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December 4, 2006

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That playwriting sonuvagun Sonny Smith is back in town. You can find him at 12 Galaxies Tuesday, Dec. 5, opening for Bob Frank and John Murray.

Smith describes Frank as “a gifted Memphis singer-songwriter who landed a one-album deal with Vanguard Records” back in the ’70s. Frank’s subsequent eponymous album “earned critical comparisons to Gordon Lightfoot, Ian Tyson”; the songwriter is apparently back after hooking up with his old Memphis pal Jim Dickinson.

lower 9th sign

Smith also sends the above photo from his tour travels. It’s a sign posted outside a ruined church in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans.

NOISE: Saturday, it’s a free-for-all of other worlds, Crumar, and Pens…

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December 1, 2006

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Free stuff on a Saturday — we are so there, after blowing our wads of nonexistent cash on holiday gifties.

Don’t stare – it’s Phil Crumar. Courtesy of asphodel.com.

First off: Phil Crumar, SF beat maker and Asphodel artist, will be ho-ho-ho-ing for the man, the Virgin man, that is — when he performs Saturday, Dec. 2, 3 p.m., at the Megastore at Stockton and Market. Word has it Organer and the Court and Spark’s Mike Taylor will be playing earlier at 2 p.m. Sounds like quality, quality local rock and hop — on a chilly, sparkly weekend afternoon. Wanna meet next to the mint chocolate Citizen Cupcake cupcakes?

Later that evening — if you’re not going to see Jana Hunter in SF — head over to the free opening of “Other World,” curated by Bay Area artist Christine Shields, at Eleanor Harwood Gallery, 1295 Alabama at 25th Street, SF. It runs 7-10 p.m. The show offers “visions into the realm of spirits, shadows, forests, night creatures and those who have passed on. Worlds parallel to ours but less physical in nature sometimes seep into this world leaving curious images, sensations, or sounds. “Other World brings the work of 13 artists into one space creating a place in between this world and the Other.” Or so the press release/email blast sayeth.

Artists in the show include Lara Allen, Adam J Ansell, Julianna Bright, Alice Cohen, Georganne Deen, Veronica De Jesus, Colter Jacobsen, Jason Mecier, Donal Mosher, Kyle Ranson, Amy Rathbone, Jovi Schnell, and Shields herself. There will be a performance by Mosher and music by SteepleChase.

While you’re in the Mission on Dec. 2, stop into Needles and Pens, 3253 16th St., SF, for the reception for “The Dispossessed,” which showcases new work by Monica Canilao. The opening runs 6-9 p.m., and Ghost Family provide the haunting sounds.

Boo! I mean, yeh! Free art!

NOISE: Burn, babies, burn

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December 1, 2006

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It’s a whole lotta noise in a teeny tiny package: Deluxe Incinerator, C.I.P.’s three 3-inch CD collection of disc by Bay noise nabobs SIXES and Xome and Texas playmate Goat.

Xome in action. Courtesy of Lars Knudson.

I just opened this small package of bristling static, fuzz, and feedback, and I gotta say it’s just the thing to stuff in your favorite noise fan’s stocking.

Take a gander at C.I.P.’s Blake Edwards’ evocative description of the project: “First I feel harsh noise is best delivered as a short, explosive, focused punch: a 60 or 70 minute CD of noise more often than not just loses impact after a while. Second, a traditional ‘compilation’ usually gives you six minutes maximum by any artist, which really isn’t enough time for them to really stand out from the dozen or so other artists on the compilation. Similarly I want there to be more ‘down time’ between the tracks — time to pop the CD out (or shuffle to the next one) so there was more dead time between the track so that each stood on its own. Last, I didn’t want to create any sense of ‘hierarchy’ or listening order by placing the tracks all on one CD.” SIXES, he writes, “delivers three tracks of blistering motor oil splashed across your eyes; deep ugly wrought tones scrape flesh right off the balls of your feet and serve it up to you in blood sauce.” Yummo.

The limited edition release of 1,000 is available at cipsite.net; just the follow-through after you track down that 10-LP boxset California, which SIXES and Xome also popped up on.

P.S. Xome also appears Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., as part of the Brutal Sound Effects Festival, a music and film event, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission, SF. Check www.ybca.org or call (415) 978-2787 (ARTS).

NOISE: Hark, Maceo Parker

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November 28, 2006

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Guardian intern Aaron Sankin caught Maceo Parker at the Fillmore on Nov. 22. Here’s what he thought:

Maceo Parker blows up. Courtesy of www.maceo.com

If you’re real funky you can pretty much do anything you want on stage. What are the odds that George Clinton could have gotten away with landing a pretend spaceship and pretending he was from another planet (Planet Funk in Groove Galaxy) if he played an acoustic guitar and sang songs about his feelings? Slim to none. But since he is George Freaking Clinton, quite possibly the funkiest cat to every walk on two legs, he has a free pass to dress, talk, and act however he damn well pleases.

The reason I bring this up: Maceo Parker may be just as funky as the prime Minster of Parliament Funkadelic. You’re probably asking yourself, “If this guy is so funky why have I never heard him?” Hey, man, back off — no need to get all agitated.

You have heard him. Parker rose to prominence as the sax player in James Brown’s band. If you know anything about how the Hardest Working Man in Show Biz ran his band, you’ll know that he packed his band exclusively with the best musicians around (see: Bootsy Collins). Anyone with Brown’s seal of approval is sure to be a dynamite musician. So it’s a sure bet that Parker knows his way around a saxophone.

NOISE: Oh joy, the turkeys are safe…

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November 27, 2006

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…But us turkeys are out and in the clubs once again! With much delay — and lots of delay pedals — we quickly wrap up our wearabouts. We being the royal we — or the twice-as-tubby-we now that we have mowed through all that dark turkey meat, three different kinds of stuffing, several pies, and a few small children.

Aye, it’s Daevid Allen. All photos by Kimberly Chun.

Dang, it was fun seeing Daevid Allen’s University of Errors at the Hemlock back on Nov. 17. Citay rolled out the classic rock jams — as well as a bitching George Harrison cover. Then the Gong and Soft Machine vet entered spieling in verse and singing olde SM tunes.

Lou Lou and the Guitar Fish wig out for Birdman Records at 12 Galaxies.

Later, after the turducken lovin’ was done, on Nov. 25, we repaired to the Birdman Records holiday party and Dema birthday soiree at 12 Galaxies. Lots of quality Birdman entertainment was on the agenda — and a weather-beaten once-lost, now-Tenderloin-based member of 13th Floor Elevators was in the haus. Brian Glaze and a solo-esque Greg Ashley performed. Too bad we missed Howlin’ Rain and Time Flys later that eve – had to skee-daddle.

Brian Glaze gets down early in the evening at the Birdman shindig.

Greg Ashley pulls tapes, plays guitar, and goes solo-ish at 12 Galaxies.

That same night at Bottom of the Hill, Lemonaid was pouring it all out loud, slushy, and droney to a sparse crowd. Then Les Georges Leningrad got a few stomping with ear-bleed beats.

Les Georges Leningrad go batty.

When’s our next four-day vacation?

NOISE: Lady Sov sobs, Budget Rock roars

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November 16, 2006

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Y’know we all think Lady Sovereign seems like a tough little cookie but geez, she was all tears at the Mezzanine Tuesday night, Nov. 14. Griping that she couldn’t hear herself in the monitors (her bus was also an hour late due to a breakdown), she sat down a song or two in and held her hands and apologized for being “diva-ish.” Poor kid. And too bad for the tough dance girls all around me who seemed superpsyched to get some Sovereign ack-shun.

Lady Sovereign is killing us softly with her lack of song.
All photos by Kimberly Chun

But before that show, this past weekend, Nov. 10-12, was all about the beauty of Budget Rock at Stork Club — and damn if that wasn’t the bestest BR yet with incredible performances by Guilty Hearts, the Shrugs, Original Sins (Brother JT sang barefoot — and was that the raddest, weirdest cover of “I Want Candy” ever?), SLA, and the Omens (pictured below). It was as if each band was taking the previous combo’s crazed performance to heart and was determined to go that much further into total garage-rockin’ madness. If every night could only be Budget Rock night…

The Omens rip it up at Budget Rock Nov. 10.

NOISE: I was almost the Riottt

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November 15, 2006

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What about that Be the Riottt press-list line?! Guardian intern Aaron Sankin got to sample it firsthand when he attended the music fest at Bill Graham Civic on Nov. 11. Here’s what he thought:

Girl Talk explodes the Riottt; the one-man party-starter
made an appearance at the eventtt.

Call me a cynic, but it’s tough for me to take seriously any concert that has its own manifesto. It’s not that I don’t think that concerts shouldn’t try to affect social change now and again — any time you can get many young-type people together in one place it would be stupid not to try to get them to get off their lazy, hipster asses and doing something positive for a change. But at the Be the Riottt music festival at the Bill Graham Civic last Saturday, I was having a tough time buying it. Here’s the manifesto:

NOISE: Hill ‘n’ Twin

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October 31, 2006

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Andrew Hill’s quintet was amazing the other night – too bad you weren’t there on that sleepy Sunday night to catch ’em. Of note in particular were trumpet player Charles Tolliver and drummer Eric McPherson. Hill himself was frail, reedy voiced, but relentlessly inventive.

On a completely different note, check out Madeline on Orange Twin Records at the Stork Club Nov 7. A Cat Power-esque folkie to watch for.

NOISE: Meditating on Incubus…and on coveting your neighbor’s cellie

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October 30, 2006

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Guardian intern Aaron Sankin checked out the Incubus show put on Verizon Wireless on Oct. 20; here’s what he thought:

Incubus + Verizon Wireless = Synergy!

The LG VX8500 Chocolate phone is available from Verizon Wireless for $149.99. It has an iPod-style touch wheel, Bluetooth compatibility, a digital music player, and a 1.3 megapixel digital camera that can take both pictures and movies.

I assume it can also make and receive cellular telephone calls, even though it’s capacity to do so isn’t really advertised anywhere.

If my phone were to break suddenly, such as if I were to absentmindedly drop it in a toilet during a heated conversation with my bookie (I never said to bet on the Mets!) or have it accidentally fall from my pocket while running from the zombie hordes (they’re everywhere!), I would seriously consider taking a look at this phone.

The people at Verizon Wireless should be happy because they worked like hell to put this idea in my brain. The other group of people who should be very pleased with themselves are Incubus because they joined with Verizon Wireless to have a special private concert at Bimbo’s on Oct. 20 in the most epic feat of techno-musical cross-promotion since Bono realized that Apple loved iPods almost as much as he loved himself.

First, a disclaimer: My relationship with the band Incubus is fairly complex. I first heard about them through a friend when I was in eighth grade. This was during their early period when all they wanted to do was be like Primus and years before any modern rock radio station would touch their stuff.

From the first moment I heard their music, I loved it. It was funky and spazzy and, most importantly, it was mine. Incubus was the first band that I unconditionally loved that no one else had heard of. It made me feel underground, important and cool (the last one being especially important to an uncoordinated middle-schooler looking for angle to talk to girls).

Once they broke into the mainstream, I started liking them less and less. With their albums Make Yourself and Morning View, they seemed to loose some of what made them exciting and distinctive, and got lost in the slop of the myriad or post-grunge alt-metal bands. Two years ago, they came out with Crow Left of the Murder and it was the first new Incubus album that I liked even half as much as the first time I heard them way back in eighth grade.

Anyway, this event was a private party held Verizon Wireless in support of the LG Chocolate phone, which was just released in America last month. When people bought the phone, they could enter a contest to win tickets to this show. If they were one of the lucky winners, they got an email on their phone that contained a bar code. This bar code was their ticket into the concert. Instead of scanning a piece of paper, the security guard at the door scanned the phones.

My phone cannot do this. It can, on the other hand, play Journey’s “Wheel In The Sky” whenever someone calls. While this has never gotten me into a concert, it did once get my into a bar conversation with drunk 35-year-old investment banker who later bought me a rum and coke because, “Journey is awesome!” Yes, yes they are.

Once inside, the real silliness began. There was a screen next to the stage where people could send text messages from their phones and see them on the screen. The messages ran the gambit from “Incubus rox” to “I love my new phone”. Joe Strummer rolled in his grave, and Gene Simmons wished he thought of it first. I tried texting, “Once Incubus killed a pirate in support of the Basque separatists,” but it didn’t make the cut. Why must the telecom industry continually spit on the proud Basque people day in and day out? It truly crushes my heart.

But running up people’s cell phone bills with needless text message charges wasn’t the only goal of the night. Incubus was also there to shoot the video for their upcoming single, “Anna Molly”. Much like Verizon did with its customer service, Incubus decided to outsource the production of their video. They told everyone there with the new phone to take videos of the band playing and send it in to them and they would eventually painstakingly edit the clips together to make the band’s video. I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is probably terrible. But hey, at least they’re trying.

Incubus opened the show with, “Anna Molly.” It sounded like Pearl Jam. In fact, it sounded a lot like Pearl Jam. This is neither a coincidence nor is it a bad thing. They recorded their new album, Light Grenades, with Pearl Jam’s longtime producer. Vocalist Brandon Boyd even pounded a bottle of red wine onstage like Eddie Vedder seems to do at every show.

Their set was incredibly solid. Their newer stuff sounded great, particularly “Sick Sad Little World,” and everyone there appeared to know ever word to every song, which always bodes well for a band. And when they played a couple songs from their first album, I wasn’t the only person there who got noticeably excited (there were at least three others).

I guess the whole thing was pretty successful. It made me want to buy a phone I have no real need for and made me remember what I loved about this band when I was a pimply-faced eighth-grader trying to appear hip. I believe, in the business world, they call they synergy.

NOISE: A very little Arthur Night music

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October 25, 2006

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Visual art curator and Angeleno contributor Carol Cheh snagged the final dregs of Arthur Nights 2006 in LA on Sunday, Oct. 22. Here are her brief impressions of art and architecture:

Kyp Malone stands alone.
Courtesy of Arthur magazine online.

I arrived at the downtown Palace Theatre just in time to catch TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, Fiery Furnaces, Comets on Fire, and as much of Ocrilim as I could stand (about five seconds).

Malone offered a soulful and utterly compelling a cappella performance. The Furnaces did their groovy, organ-based, ’70s-styled thing…and Comets on Fire lived up to their name (although the axes-of-the-gods jam sessions were really not my cup of tea – at least not on this night). All three delivered very good sets.

I think the star of the evening, however, was really the Palace, an old-fashioned Hollywood movie theatre built in 1911. Its ruinous grandeur and air of faded opulence, along with cool period features like a crank elevator and a deluxe powder area in the ladies room, delivered ambiance galore for this knighted gathering of the über-hip. The free ice cream rocked, too.

NOISE: Where there’s a Will Oldham…there’s a long interview to follow

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October 23, 2006

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The teen star of John Sayles’ Matewan, Will Oldham could have ended up like Macauley Culkin – home alone, something of a charicature. Instead he became a model for, one imagines, Jenny Lewis — as well as, in some ways, members of a freak-folk/out-folk/whatever-folk movement, folks that go their own way in a somehow communal spirit. And perhaps that’s because Oldham is so in touch with a spirit — call it synchronicity or divine providence — that allows him to thread together Old Joy, his 1997 Will Oldham album, Joya (Drag City), Madonna, Emily Dickinson, and latest Bonnie “Prince” Billy full-length, The Letting Go.

I spoke to Oldham about The Letting Go and his new film, Old Joy, and wrote about it in “Sonic Reducer.” Here’s the rest of the interview.

Bay Guardian: How did The Letting Go come about?

Will Oldham: I met the man who recorded it, Valgeir [Sigurosson] when I toured with Bjork a few years ago, and ran into him again last summer, and we just discussed doing something together, and at the time I was finishing up this set of songs. Every set of songs are a little bit special, but these had, I guess, a little bit more drama and gothic horror than in the past.

I also started to speak with Paul [Oldham] and Dawn McCarthy about doing some work on the rcord. And Valgeir had some experience with capturing beautiful, dramatic experiences on record.

NOISE: Diddy doo dah!

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October 18, 2006

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