Re-viewing the DIY scene
a change…
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so i need to apologize, as i often do, for my lack of consistency over this last year. the early part of the year i actually didnt even attend any shows, nor bought any new music, but over the summer & subsequent months ive been real busy with show attendance & new music purchasing, but havent taken the time to post any reviews, & im sorry.
as a way to hopefully remedy this in the future, something ive been thinking about for some time now, ive decided to shift all of my music related content; reviews, pictures, etc., to my tumblr & instagram accounts, & on the occasions i feel particularly inspired, use this blog to discuss more personal topics, stuff like my philosophies on life, politics, economics, etc.
again, im sorry for my lack of consistency & i hope that i will be able to improve with these new goals in mind.
show tonight!
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hey everybody, so even though im still working on a review of their show @theopl, & short demo they released that night, i wanted to just shoot out a quick post saying that l & k will be playing tonight @hotelutah in sf. if youre in the area & looking for something to do tonight, show starts @9, $10.
walken headlines bottom of the hill; faces melt!
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hey everybody, man its been a long time. i almost wish i could say its because ive been just too busy, or even that ive just been too lazy to post anything. but sadly the truth is i havent been to any shows or bought any new music this year until just over a week ago (well i did go to a show in march, but i only caught part of the show, & then never ended up posting anything about it). anyways, i did get to a fantastic show last weekend, so here is the good word.
i swear its been like five years since the last time i saw walken perform, so when i got a text from my buddy sean kohler, that they would be playing at bottom of the hill, i was uber excited to go, & when i discovered they would be playing with a band which featured tyson from two gallants, it became a “cant miss” situation.
walken (named for the great christopher walken), is a four piece heavy metal group, originating from half moon bay, they now call san francisco home. known for their fast, technical riffs, & crushing breakdowns, this evening had it all. walken is actually the longest running band with ties to the coastside, forming around 2000-01, during the height of the coast’s punk rock “golden age”, they are the only band from that era that is still active. though over the years they have gone through several lineup changes, mr. kohler being the only original member left, as well as some slight stylistic changes. where they first were an extremely complex, theory driven metal band, full of odd time changes & fast, sweeping riffs, they have developed into a somewhat more traditional metal band, though still intricate, with slight hints of western/southern rock. as I said, it had been some time since I last saw them perform, & thus I didn’t really recognize any of the songs they played, nonetheless, the set was exceptional! loud, raucous & a bit funny, including a song supposedly about cats.
before walken, was a four piece group, called burning curtains. I had never heard them before, yet I was very excited to hear them, as I had read they featured Tyson vogel from two gallants & Andrew kerwin from trainwreck riders. a very interesting alternative rock band, their sound ranged from punk & anthemic rock to folksy bluegrass styled rock. they were extremely high energy & a lot of fun.
on stage before them, was an awesome alternative country rock group called old pal. a six piece outfit, featuring three guitarists, two singers (one of the guitarists & a co-front woman), a bassist & drummer, they had a spectacular tone & a very tight performance. overall, they had the most calm & soothing sound, but still great dance music.
the opening group of the evening was a punk/grunge rock group called rare parts. a five piece, with three guitarists, a bassist & drummer, they were alright, but it was hard to really tell, as they pretty much just created a wall of sound & distortion, making one wonder why they had the three guitars, as you counldnt really distinguish any variety in what they were playing.
still, overall a really awesome night of diverse musical groups, all with a unique offering, all of which call the sf bay area home.
also, check out these upcoming events:
tomorrow night, 6/5, @ the opl in hmb, l&k will be performing, & its ko’s birthday! so come hang out & celebrate this pillar of the coastside music scene!
then next weekend, 6/13-14, come to Hellacon! a multimedia pop-culture event for the bay area, @ the new parkway in Oakland. be sure to be there on Saturday @ 2:30 for the world premiere of “in hydria”, a horror/thriller short written by my friends Christina kishpaugh & john Gifford & directed by Gifford, staring a devilishly handsome, crazy homeless guy…
2014 in review
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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here's an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 540 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 9 trips to carry that many people.
Click here to see the complete report.
punk rock playtime in pacifica
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about a month back i went to another great show @winterstavern in pacifica, which is very quickly turning into a highly rated little music venue.
headlining this evening was a bay area hardcore punk group called great apes. a four piece of young guys, playing some straight up hardcore punk. reminiscent of three summers gone (& other bands i consider something of a family including box the compass, with eyes like static, bullets in, & loma prieta), they were very high energy & heavily guitar driven. distorted riffing, layered sing/shout-along vocals, & fast paced rhythm coaxed the audience into gleeful joyous gyration. though they were loud & heavy, they also had some catchy pop undertones. fast & loud, their set was full of high energy & raucous fun.
before them, was san francisco pop-indie-punk trio, daikon. as usual, they put on a fantastic show. their unique blend of melodic & harmonic rock guitar lines, with strumming bass, & manic drums, creates a sound parts emo, parts punk, & parts alternative rock. a very 90s style & sound, for fans of early get up kids. their live set is always a fun time, their light-hearted demeanor comes in somewhat of a juxtaposition to their often somber & emotional songs, but they obviously dont take themselves too seriously, & do a great job of entertaining the crowd.
the opening group was a very unique two piece. electric chair repair co., was a live drum & bass duo, who played a grungy, punk rock. heavy distortion & other effects saturated the bass lines, & complex, kind of tribal drums laid a heavy foundation, & topped with rough shouting vocals. though not traditional punk, it embodied the “up yours, i do what i want” spirit of punk. so much so, that there is really no other group to compare them to. still, recommended for anyone a fan of loud, aggressive music.
now, next week i promise to finally get out my 2014 in review post. hope the year has been good to you all, & that the next is even better.
Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron Official Teaser Trailer
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so awesome!
Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron Official Teaser Trailer & Poster!
Check out the first official teaser trailer & new poster for Avengers Age of Ultron!
for those who love psych rock!
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hey there everybody! well, ive got a bunch of record reviews to catch up on over the next few weeks, but right now you all should know that my good friends in nacosta are back in the bay area, & will be playing @the brick n’ mortar tomorrow night! come out, & get down with some great indie-psych rock!
identical homes’ record release @ bottom of the hill
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saturday night i hit the bottom of the hill in sf, to see identical homes for the release of their first record, a hydrophelia. but headlining that night was a band called sea lioness, who were also celebrating a digital release of a new ep. sea lioness was a five piece rock outfit, featuring members of cannons & clouds, with an easy listening vibe & spectacular vocal harmonies. they also had two percussionists, one on a full drum set, the other with a set of varying sized toms & a ride cymbal, which really helped propel the music into a heavier rock territory. as their set progressed, the music got more & more progressive as well, but they still hovered in a range of light rock & dance themes. they had a wonderful groove to all their songs, & the vocal harmonies were the icing on the cake. good fun & high energy gave their otherwise easy listening sound a memorable performance.
on stage before them was the brand new identical homes. a three/four piece group, with former members of the rum diary & shuteye unison, their music was a slight departure from their previous bands. mostly driven by keyboards & synths, this gave them a highly electronica sound, accentuated by live drums, & complimented by familiar guitar riffs & the delicate, yet haunting, vocals of songwriter daniel mckenzie. actually some of their new music seems to be more related to trent reznor’s more recent work (i. e. year zero, hesitation marks, & how to destroy angels) than any of their own past work, with the exception of the track miles & miles, which could easily fit on one of the shuteye unison records. most of the set was performed by three guys; dan on keys, synth, guitar & vocals, another keyboardist, & a drummer (sorry, i dont know who was who), but they were later joined by another guitarist. their set was also accompanied by projected slides, mostly environmental stuff (i. e. landscapes & wildlife). they played a soothing, yet powerful set, comprised of many of the songs on their new record, which dan was kind enough to send me a copy of & i will soon review in full. it was a great set, its always fun to hear new music from members of old favorites, especially when they are moving in exciting new directions.
before identical homes, was a progressive rock group from san diego, named ilya. they had a very powerful stage & audio presence, with a sound that blended many different styles, or at least hinted at many different styles, from post-rock, to electronica, to goth & black metal. the vocals also had a hint of norwegian or icelandic accents, kinda like bjork. they were a six piece, a female front/vocalist, a guitarist & a keyboardist & another member who both/either/or, a bassist/acoustic guitarist & a drummer. their stage set up also had several lamps which pulsed through varying colors, which added strongly to the overall moodiness of their music. their set was very rhythmic & groovy, a little funky, totally rockin’ & somewhat psychedelic. the vocals, with several backup singers, created lush soundscapes with great depth, as well as charm & beauty. a strong set, full of movement & great complexity.
the opener this evening was a wonderful singer/songwriter, calling himself sunny jim brown. he was a mighty treat, playing several songs on banjo, including a cover of a smiths song. but the real treat was when he put on his handmade guitar. thats right, i said HANDMADE, truly taking the term diy to a whole ‘nother level. one of the most memorable songs was about werewolves, which was full of time changes & some great creepy lyrics about howls in the night & chill winds blowing through the woods. really a fantastic opening set, & particularly unique to the evening.
well, i know ive been promising it for months now, but i will really try to get all the many record reviews i have due out in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned (ill try to get at least one each monday & tuesday, being those are my days off).
brand new music!
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well Ive just had my initial listening of identical homes’ first record “a hydrophelia” & am very impressed with the material. identical homes is a new bay area band featuring members from the rum diary and shuteye unison. the new record, released by parks & records, is quite different from those previous bands, but still has some familiar sounds. their official release party is tomorrow night (may 24) @ bottom of the hill. I highly recommend this for any fans of their previous groups, & even to fans of trent reznor’s more recent work (year zero, hesitation marks & how to destroy angels), as well as fans of radiohead.
Re-viewing the DIY scene 