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hey everybody, as promised, here is the second of three promised reviews!
two weeks back, on Friday august 9th, I was lucky to go see daikon & a few other bands play @ the bottom of the hill in s. f.
it had been probably near a year since the last time I saw daikon, so I was particularly excited to see my good friends take the stage. the band themselves were rather excited also, because apparently this was their first time playing b. o. t. h., which is, according to them, one of their favorite venues (not much of a surprise, considering it is one of the best & favorite venues of most locals).
daikon is an indie pop “punkish”, three piece from san Francisco. there performance this night was a great example of how its not the size, but the quality of your equipment that really matters, as guitarist eric Shapiro proved by playing through, what seemed like a 50 watt little amp, but which gave out such strong tone you wouldn’t have even noticed without seeing it on stage (which due to its small size, you almost couldn’t). their set was strong consisting mostly of songs off their two more recent vinyl records, as well as a few songs from their earlier cassette tape, “lose your confusion” & also debuted three brand new songs, appropriately entitled new #1, 2 & 3 (not necessarily in that order). the new tracks carried their signature sounds, yet one of them (sorry cant remember exactly which number) was slightly more punk, with more aggressive vocals. their high energy, & the overall catchiness of their songs got the crowd swaying & cheering. what a fantastic set.
before them was a four piece power punk group called worth the taking. I had somewhat mixed feelings about this band. they had a sound very reminiscent of the mid-nineties punk groups commonly signed to fat wreck chords, somewhat childish, immature emo punk. fast tempo, upbeat punk anthems, which admittedly are very catchy, but ultimately not impressive. with that said, I will at least give them the credit that they were talented, & very good at what they were doing, it was just that it was something I personally had grown out of several years ago. nostalgic at best, they tried, but mostly failed, at engaging the audience with nervous banter in between songs, reminding me of my early years of performing.
the opening band was on the other side of the spectrum. a very talented & enjoyable indie rock group called upstairs downstairs (which apparently is not a sexual innuendo). this group, a five piece, really pulled me in. they had a great sound, a pleasurable blend of dreamy shoegaze, folkish indie rock, with just the right touch of artsy nineties alternative. for me, the most impressive & endearing part of their performance & sound, was the way the lead guitarist used, creatively controlled feedback to accentuate the more delicate rhythms, giving them that somewhat grungy twist. another thing that help blend & push their music was the subtle, atmospheric keyboards, which 2/3 of the way through their set, their keyboardist got up & ran out of the venue (apparently he was due to be at outside lands, which had just started that day). I would have loved to have had this band play all night, but of course things must come to a close, & so they did eventually leave the stage. luckily, I checked their website, & they will be playing again in early September, @ amnesia bar w/ ash reiter (another really fantastic indie rock group from s. f.). I suggest you go check that show out.
so, there it is, review number two. check back tomorrow, for my final update, tracing figures @ café du nord!
last Monday night I had the pleasure of seeing one of the best bands ive recently discovered in some time, deafheaven. & at one of my favorite venues, the bottom of the hill.
deafheaven was the headliner this night, so I was really excited to see what they would pull out. I was wise this time & brought earplugs, as I had learned the first time I saw them, they certainly live up to their name. they definitely delivered a spectacular headlining performance. the crowd was in rare form, breaking into a chaotic mosh pit within seconds of the first notes. kinda crazy, & very unexpected, I haven’t seen a mosh pit in a small club, ever, I think. in my younger days I probably would have jumped right in, but I decided to stick to the edge. the band, a five piece from right here in San Francisco, really put on a stellar show, crisp clean performance with a nice mix of new & old songs. the benefit of seeing them headline was; first, the longer set time, giving them ample time to play a well rounded set, & second, the performance itself is a little enhanced, considering the crowd is mostly there to see them. & their stage presence was certainly enhanced, most notably in the lead singer, who had a number of stage quirks I missed the first time I saw them. such as; sticking his fingers down his throat, & licking his hands/fingers then rubbing himself, & grasping his crotch. a little unnerving at first, but hey it creates fun stage dynamics. he also got a lot of crowd surfing in, along with many members of the audience, including several stage dives, another thing which was a bit unexpected. still, even with all these crazy antics going on about me, the music was still center stage, showcasing their remarkable ability to blend the dreamy melodic tones of post-rock, with the brutal onslaught of black metal. the dynamics of their music continues to impress and astound me. a fantastic performance, definitely the highlight of the evening.
just before deafheaven, the stage was occupied by a great trio, named marriages, featuring two members of red sparrows (another spectacular post-rock group). they had a bit more tonal, & slightly muted sound, with very atmospheric, almost ethereal, vocals. a good balance I suppose to the much more abrasive style of the headliners. their song writing was wonderful, & performance flawless, but I honestly felt they were maybe a bit too subdued for this particular show. but again, it did provide a wonderful balance to the other groups that evening. really quite a mature, & highly developed musical experience, they could very easily create a beautiful, & inspiring soundscape, full of hills & valleys, & several layers of texture. ultimately they could easily have held their own as headliners, & probably do/will.
the opening band this evening was another post-metal sounding group, monuments collapse, which even featured the bassist of deafheaven as vocalist. much like deafheaven, they blended the ambient melodies of post-rock, with abrasive, screaming vocals, & more hardcore overtones. not just a carbon copy of the headliners, they had a slightly more groove, even a little “chucka chucka” style, similar to some of the heavier post-rock groups out there, but then included hoarse & guttural growls. perhaps a bit more “rough-around-the-edges” than the more crisp & polished sounds of deafheaven, I actually really enjoyed this group, & hope to hear more from them in the future.
altogether, this was a fantastic night. im not sure when ill be going to another show, but I will be trying to keep up this consistency of posts. perhaps next will be a record review of sorts, either the new trust’s “keep dreaming” or the wild ones’ cd. so stay tune for more music & keep it diy.
last friday dozens of fans of san francisco’s progressive metal outfit, grayceon, received two wonderful gifts. first & foremost they flocked to “the bottom of the hill” to see the band preform live. & second, upon entrance to the club, received a ticket redeemable for a complimentary copy of the band’s new cd, all we destroy. it goes without saying the crowd was pleased.
grayceon was preceded by two bands, hollow mirrors & worm ouroboros. the first, hollow mirrors were a solid, heavy four piece rock’n’roll band. they had some really good rhythms, & layering of sound, including a few songs with piano/organ. their vocals were soft & mellow, but firm & present. really just a good old fashioned rock band.
after them came worm ouroboros, a power trio fronted by two ladies. they began to shift the mood of the show toward the darker end. with heavy yet melodic guitar riffs & fuzzy driving bass lines, backed up by punctuated drums with intricate cymbal work, these three had a beautiful & painful sound. the dual female vocals were a great mix of high & delicate with softer swooning, a perfect soprano & alto combination. the songs were well crafted with a lot of building crescendos & spanning valleys. a relatively short set, but very well paced, & left the crowd anxious for the last act of the night.
once the three members of grayceon were set up (& their drummer zack returned to his throne) they spared little time before pummeling the crowd with face melting metal. lead singer & electric cellist, jackie, who was all dressed up for the event, quickly opened up with her bloodcurdling bellows. the ability she has to switch between her sweet liquid velvet singing voice to the screeches of a soul in eternal torment never ceases to amaze me. these three are some of the most talented musicians i have ever encountered, particularly guitarist max. not only does he rip up the fret board with precision & technical prowess, but he strums without a pick, just his thumb & fore finger, yet shreds with no blood spraying (which in some circles might not be considered very metal). & bringing everything together, the solid backbone of the band, is zack, an amazingly accomplished drummer, who delivers complex patterns with style & grace. the music itself is vast reaching, much more mature than your average metal band, complete with various time changes & the builds & breaks to put them at the fore front of metal trends. to call them progressive is an understatement. the energy they sprayed out to the crowd was returned at least 110%, & when the band walked off stage, they were quickly urged back on by the chanting crowd. they gave the crowd what they wanted. coming back on stage for one more song, rather impromptu, & as they tore through the song, the crowd went absolutely crazy. the gratitude was expressed with slamming bodies, & then brief praise off stage, & the time to say goodnight had come.
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