2014 April – Showbams

WIN TICKETS: DIIV at Great American Music Hall 5/1 (THUR)

April 30, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Enter to win a pair of free tickets to this show below.

DIIV with Chris Cohen, Surf Club //
Great American Music Hall — San Francisco
May 1st, 2014 (Thursday) //

Zachary Cole Smith has had quite the busy past few years as he ended his tenure with NYC show-gazers, Beach Fossils, only to form the successful offshoot called DIIV (originally Dive). Though the band is still performing behind 2012’s heralded release, Oshin, fans of this angsty, energetic act are sure to be thrilled at the news of a new LP on the horizon, likely to drop this year. Expect a blitzkrieg amount of energy flowing off the stage into the crowd as these uptempo songs are pumped out in an even more frenetic tempo in a live setting. Chris Cohen, as well as Surf Club, will handle the opening duties this Thursday night at the Great American Music Hall.

Buy tickets if you know you want to go!

Enter to win if you can attend this show Thursday, May 1st at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

Submit your full name and email address below.
Contest ends Thursday, May 1st at Noon. Winners will be picked at random & notified by email. Your email will be kept private – we will share your email with no one.

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CONTEST CLOSED

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Chris Cohen, DIIV, Great American Music Hall, Surf Club

The “Know Your Rights” infographic at a festival

April 30, 2014 by The Festival Lawyer 55 Comments

Download the infographic image or PDF //

SHARE THIS KNOWLEDGE WITH OTHERS
People often suggest to me that either 1) It’s somehow “Un-American” to talk about your rights when dealing with the police or that 2) Somehow only someone who is intending to break the law would need to understand their legal rights.

As to 1) This is really some dangerous nonsense. In fact this honestly might be one of the craziest ideas that has ever taken root in our Country and as to 2) As I always say “It’s better to know your rights and not need them, than to need your rights and not know them.”

The accompanying article goes into an overview of some 4th Amendment law in more detail. But really the infographic is meant to be shared even without the article. Feel free to share this infographic on Twitter and Facebook. Tag family members or friends who might be going to a music festival. Share your experiences and insights. Do more reading of your own and share that too.

As the very last part of the infographic says
You have rights. Know them.

•Tweet & Retweet at Twitter (use the hashtag #KnowYourRights)
•Share at Facebook
•Upvote & Comment at Reddit
•View at The Free Thought Project
•View at Copblock
•View at WhiteRaverRafting
•Share DanceSafe‘s promo
•Share Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s AMPLIFY Project promo
•Share Flex Your Rights‘ promo

Ed. Note: The Following breaks down the Festival Lawyer’s infographic in more detail:

The “Know Your Rights” infographic – A Police encounter “Flow Chart”

A lot of people write me asking how they should have handled a negative encounter they had with the police at a music festival or rave.

I keep hearing phrases like, “I wish I had known that I didn’t have to make a statement” or “I didn’t know I could say no” or “I wasn’t sure if I had a right to leave or if the cop was detaining me.”

The fact is that you DO have rights in dealing with the police. The “Know Your Rights” infographic is meant to be used as a practical flowchart of what your rights are at every stage of a police encounter.

A COP “STOPS YOU” AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 4th Amendment of the Constitution prohibits “unreasonable” searches and seizures. That means you are supposed to have a right as a citizen to freely go about your business without being randomly detained or investigated. In order to “stop” you, an officer first has to have a belief that you were engaged in criminal activity.

There are 3 levels of police “stops”. At each higher level of police encounter, the police officer has to show more justification as to why he stopped you.

Consensual Encounter – A police encounter where you are not the subject of a police investigation and are free to leave. Officers don’t have to legally justify a consensual encounter because you can leave at any time.

Detention – A police encounter where you are temporarily stopped while the police investigate you for a crime. Officers must have a “reasonable suspicion” that you were involved in criminal activity to detain you.

Arrest – Permanently stopped and on your way to jail. An officer must have “Probable Cause” to believe you committed a crime to arrest you.

You know how H20 can be in three different physical states? (Steam, water and ice if you don’t have your 4th grade science notes handy) Well, the 3 levels of police stops are similar. Each of these levels is sort of a different legal “state” of being. And your rights are different in each of these “states”.

There are some big differences of course. In the H20 example you end up with an ice cube. In the police stop final state you end with a cell mate named “Bubba”.

One of the main goals of the infographic is to give you the right questions to ask so that you will know at any time which level of police “state” you are in. (Get it? police state? See what I did there?).

AM I FREE TO LEAVE?

If you are stopped by a police officer, the first question out of your mouth should be, “Am I free to leave?”

Asking this question gets you an immediate answer as to whether you are legally “detained” or free to leave. It also puts you in the best legal position possible should you later want to challenge the legality of the police stopping you. If you challenge your detention, the officer will have to show a “reasonable suspicion” of criminal activity based only on the facts existing at the moment you said the phrase and he detained you. Nothing AFTER that moment can be used to justify the stop.

Here is a practical example of the use of the “Am I Free to leave” phrase.

“YES” = LEAVE

As you can see from the decision tool, if you get a “YES” after you ask “Am I free to leave? The only “action item” is to LEAVE.

Again, there is a legal reason for this. If you don’t leave immediately when given the chance, a judge may later rule that you were free to leave but that you chose to stay. (In other words, it was a “Consensual Encounter”). As I mentioned above, an officer never has to legally justify a “Consensual Encounter”.

In other words, once you get a “YES”, the best and only advice is “You got to get out of there”

“NO” = DETENTION

A “NO” answer means that you are detained and no longer free to leave. You are enough of a suspect that Marge Gunderson would consider you to be, “fleeing the interview” if you left at this point.

It’s important to remember that officers DON’T have to read you your Miranda rights in a detention. Don’t respond to questions like “What is this?” or “Whose backpack is this? or even something innocent like “How long have you been here?” as they can be legally used against you later.

MUST SHOW ID

Some civil libertarians would argue that you legally never have to show a police officer your ID unless you’re driving a vehicle or you are a passenger on a commercial airline. The problem with that is that a number of states have what are called “stop- and-identify” laws. These laws give cops the authority to make you identify yourself if officers have a “reasonable suspicion” to believe criminal activity may be taking place.

As of 2013, 24 states had stop-and-identify laws. Since you already asked to leave and were told “NO”, the officer clearly thinks he has a “reasonable suspicion” to detain you. To me, it’s too risky not to show your ID (and give your correct name) once detained. But as with everything in this article, do your own research for your state laws and make your own best decision.

WHY AM I BEING DETAINED?

If you are detained, calmly ask, “Why am I being detained?” This can be valuable if you later want to fight your case in court.The answer the cop gives may limit what he can later claim was the reason for stopping you.

It’s important not to use this question as an excuse to start arguing with the cops. I can’t stress enough the prior advice about not talking to the police. People who talk to the cops end up in a legal situation we call “raptus regaliter” (royally screwed).

“AM I NOW FREE TO GO?”

In an encounter with the police, the courts require you to keep asking to leave or you may be deemed to be in a “Consensual Encounter”. If the answer is “YES” then leave. If the answer is “NO” you will need to determine if you are under arrest by asking the following:

“AM I UNDER ARREST?”
“YES” = ARRESTED
“NO” = “FUNCTIONAL EQUIVALENT” (COVER BAND ARREST)

Legally, if a detention goes on long enough, it becomes an arrest even if the officer doesn’t say the magic words “You are under arrest”. Basically, if you keep asking to leave and the cop doesn’t let you go the courts say you are in the “functional equivalent” of an arrest. I call this a “Cover Band” arrest. The officer may not be calling it an arrest, but it sure looks, feels and sounds like an actual arrest.

Whether the officer is calling it a “detention” or an “arrest” as a practical matter you should make the two statements listed at the bottom of the infographic to fully protect your legal rights.

“I’M NOT GIVING YOU CONSENT TO SEARCH MY PERSON OR PROPERTY”

Cops always make it seem like you’re some kind of a criminal if you express the slightest hesitation about having your property searched without a warrant. You can expect to hear an “If you have nothing to hide, why can’t we search your stuff?” type of response from the cops.

Know this…If the police are asking you permission to search you or your property, it usually means they know they are making an illegal search.

The police may have a legal right to search you without your consent. (For example, if you are arrested and the officer had probable cause for that arrest) But what you’ve done by making this statement is preserve all your legal rights and force the police to show they are legally entitled to search you.

“I DON’T WANT TO GIVE A STATEMENT. I WANT A LAWYER”

Cops will say that a person invoking their rights in this way has “lawyered up”. In addition to sounding cool, there is a really good legal reason for “lawyering up”.

As I mentioned above, the police only have to read you your Miranda rights if you are under arrest (or a “cover band” equivalent of arrest). The police can legally question you without Miranda rights in a detention.

In Salinas v. Texas (Jun 17, 2013) 133 S. Ct. 2174 the Supreme Court took that rule a step further. The Supreme Court ruled since it’s legal to question you during a detention it’s also fair for a prosecutor to comment on your silence. In other words the prosecutor can say how suspicious it is that you didn’t respond when a cop made a damning accusation to you like, “I know it was you, Fredo!”

The Court ruled that your silence in the fact of an accusation can be used against you unless you make it clear that you were affirmatively exercising your right to remain silent and have a lawyer present for questioning.

In other words, you have to SAY OUT LOUD THAT YOU WISH TO REMAIN SILENT…which would make an awesome Newspeak poster in Oceania by the way.

VIDEO TAPE THE ENCOUNTER

Recording a police encounter can be one of the most helpful things a festival buddy can do to help a friend being arrested. However, it’s also one of those areas where you can easily end up in legal trouble yourself from taping.

I strongly suggest you review your state’s laws and have an understanding of what you need to do legally before attempting to video the police. Here is a good starting place.

If you feel you can safely and legally video tape the encounter I suggest that you say the following if cops instruct you to turn off the camera.

“Officer, I’m not interfering with you in any way. I am just documenting this arrest. This is a public place and I’m entitled to record this.”

While making this statement, I would make a show of backing up and getting out of the way to prove that you are not interfering but just observing.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals, Show Experience, The Festival Lawyer Tagged With: A cop stops you at a music festival, flowchart, infographic, Music Festival, The Festival Lawyer

WIN TICKETS: TOY at the Chapel 4/30 (WED)

April 29, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Enter to win a pair of free tickets to this show below.

TOY with Seventeen Evergreen, Bellavista, Liquid Oil Lighting by Mad Alchemy //
The Chapel — San Francisco
April 30th, 2014 (Wednesday) //

UK quintette TOY mash together swirling psych & indie rock with 90s era shoegaze in a highly entertaining way — And you can see it for yourself Wednesday night in San Francisco at The Chapel. Opening for TOY are Seventeen Evergreen & Bellavista, and Liquid Oil Lighting will be provided by Mad Alchemy. Commit to losing yourself in music Wednesday if you are in or near SF, and enter your name & email below to score a pair of free tickets!

Buy tickets if you know you want to go!

Enter to win if you can attend this show Wednesday, April 30th at The Chapel in SF.

Submit your full name and email address below.
Contest ends Wednesday, April 30th at Noon. Winners will be picked at random & notified by email. Your email will be kept private – we will share your email with no one. All Ages.

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CONTEST CLOSED

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Bellavista, Seventeen Evergreen, The Chapel, Toy

String Cheese Incident bring special guest, new music to the Fox Theater Oakland

April 29, 2014 by Kevin J Quandt Leave a Comment

Photos by Sam Heller // Written by Kevin Quandt //

String Cheese Incident //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
April 25th, 2014 //

West Coast fans of the String Cheese Incident received quite the gift of a three-night run at the increasingly popular Oakland venue, The Fox Theater. While JazzFest pulled some Bay Area music fans down south to New Orleans, many rabid SCI fans were chomping at the bit for an intimate run of shows in a region known for colorful performances and eclectic crowds. Friday’s show demonstrated to a capacity crowd that String Cheese still want to melt some faces, create some new music and generally have a good time with their devoted army.

After rather strong reports of Thursday’s show being above average for the beginning of a 3-night romp, expectations for the second night were understandably high. “Dudley’s Kitchen” opened the show to a gleeful response before heading into “Search”. Michael Kang’s mandolin playing left a little to be desired, but made up for it once he grabbed his fiddle in the second half. As the energy rose in the room a quick segue led into the Bob Marley classic, “Exodus”. The first set also saw the debut of the new Kang song, “You’ve Got the World”, and though it was a decent tune, it began to throw off the flow to this set just a small amount. “Freedom Jazz Dance” was featured before the set wrapped up with “Sweet Melinda” into “Far From Home”. Each member was well represented in this first suite of songs, and they seemed to be be enjoying themselves; as demonstrated through some feverish pogoing from singer/guitarist, Billy Nershi.

Jerry Harrison, from Talking Heads and Modern Lovers fame, was bound to show up at one of these shows as he produced SCI’s latest release, Song In My Head. Well, the second set featured the legendary musician more than once, including opening the set with his 1980’s solo classic, “Rev It Up”. Harrison’s voice cut through the other members in an impressive way, and seemed to elevate the playing of everyone on stage. New track “Beautiful” was debuted to mixed reviews, but in the end is a stellar, upbeat tune that the majority of hardcore fans may come to embrace.

Another longtime spotlight song came in the form of “Sand Dollar”, which demonstrated some patience in their improvised segue into “Rosie” that featured the return of Harrison. A rather impressive suite of tunes closed out the set. “Desert Dawn” led into the final appearance by Jerry as he joined in on Talking Heads, and SCI, stalwart, “Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)”. Cheese generally knocks this song out of the park, and it certainly didn’t hurt to have an original member anchoring the vocals and tagging up with Kyle Hollingsworth for a barrage of kets and synths. The show wasn’t done there as “Desert Dawn” re-appeared and led to one more joyous uproar before wrapping up the second set.

“Black Clouds” was featured as the encore to the delight of the throngs of attentive fans, and Friday closed out in solid form. Though the String Cheese Incident may not do it for everyone, it is truly hard to deny yourself of the good time that their shows bring.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Fox Theater Oakland, String Cheese Incident

New Music: Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots

April 29, 2014 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots //

Top Tracks:
“Everyday Robots”
“Lonely Press Play”
“Mr. Tembo”

Album Highlights: It’s been quite some time since music fans have had a reason to pay attention to Blur or Gorillaz, but that doesn’t mean Damon Albarn has fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, over the last two years, the English singer-songwriter has collaborated with some big names: Flea and Tony Allen for starters (on 2012’s Rocket Juice & the Moon), and later the legendary Brian Eno, Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, members of Metronomy and Django Django, as well as a host of Malian musicians for his Africa Express project — the result being 2013’s Maison Des Jeunes.

But Everyday Robots marks Albarn’s first official solo album, following a venture into the film and opera worlds for a short time. On the 12-track LP, he channels a slight folk-soul sound that may be best characterized by the record’s title track and first single, a deliberate social commentary on technology’s adverse effect on modern-day humanity. “We are everyday robots on our phones,” Albarn croons over hauntingly beautiful strings to open the song, setting the mood for a relatively sleepy album highlighted by other such dreary numbers as “Lonely Press Play” and “The Selfish Giant,” the latter featuring Bat for Lashes’ Natasha Khan on background vocals.

If there’s one outlier on Everyday Robots though, it’s the playful “Mr. Tembo,” which recounts the story of a baby elephant Albarn met in Tanzania to the tune of a joyful, ukulele-based melody. While Albarn’s experiences traveling the world serve as lyrical fodder for a large chunk of the record, he also makes a point of continuing his working relationship with Eno, joining forces with the fellow Brit on a couple of cuts, including the extensive, yet soothing, “You and Me” in which he ponders his own existence.

Album Lowlight: As seldom as Albarn’s songwriting chops require questioning, there are moments on Everyday Robots when not everything falls perfectly into place. “Hostiles” continues where “Everyday Robots” leaves off, but it doesn’t offer anything different from what we hear just minutes prior. In the meantime, “Hollow Ponds” issues a similar sentiment, leaving the listener longing for something more. And with tracks like “Parakeet” and “Seven High” serving more as filler than substance, it’s not totally surprising that Albarn’s solo debut feels short despite spanning a total of almost 47 minutes.

Takeaway: It’s clear from listening to Everyday Robots that Albarn has a lot on his mind and he’s spent a lot of time thinking about the bigger picture. That said, this isn’t an album that you’ll want to throw on before a night out on the town. These are contemplative offerings that we get from Albarn — a man trying to come to grips with the current state of society, for better or worse. As we quickly come to find out, it’s not all roses and sunshine for the 46-year-old Londoner, but this latest material shows just how insightful he still can be.

~Josh Herwitt

Filed Under: Featured, New Music, New Music Tuesday Tagged With: Damon Albarn, Everyday Robots, New Music

WIN TICKETS: Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band (featuring Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio) at the Indy 4/30 (WED)

April 29, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Enter to win a pair of free tickets to this show below.

Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band with Tara Jane O’Neil, Black Cobra Vipers //
The Independent – San Francisco
April 30th, 2014 (Wednesday) //

As the epic New York act TV On The Radio wraps up the finishing touches on their latest release, singer Tunde Adebimpe decided to take has side project out for a little stroll across the country. Well, to be fair, Tunde has relocated to Los Angeles in the past few weeks and what better to say “hello” to the West Coast than to take some new friends on a little tour up the Pacific. Higgins Waterproof Black Magic comes across on a similar sonic plane as TVOTR, yet is more stripped down, featuring a few less members but simultaneously developing thick sound.

Songs like “Mad Lifeline” take on a West African influence while “The Blast, The Bloom” leans closer to something more akin to psychedelic rock. Higgin’s Waterproof features a unique conglomeration of musicians; Alex Holden (Big Numbers), Ryan Sawyer (Lone Wolf and Cub) and Josh Werner (Lee “Scratch” Perry, CocoRosie). As Tunde hints that TVOTR will be releasing their latest effort, “sooner than later”, so this may be your only time to catch this project. Wednesday’s bill will also include Tara Jane O’Neill and local upstarts, Black Cobra Vipers.

Buy tickets if you know you want to go!

Enter to win if you can attend this show Wednesday, April 30th at The Independent in SF.

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CONTEST CLOSED

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Black Cobra Vipers, Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band, Tara Jane O'Neil, The Independent

PHOTOS: Bicycle Day Weekend with Lotus, Gramatik, MiMOSA & more

April 28, 2014 by Sterling Munksgard Leave a Comment

By Sterling Munksgard //

Bicycle Day Weekend featuring Lotus, Gramatik, MiMOSA, Star Slinger, OPIUO //
The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco
April 19th-20th, 2014 //

Tigers and EDM and 4/20, oh my!

Bicycle Day SF took place over two nights featuring speakers on drugs, live painting, costumes, light shows and multiple floors of dance music. Electronic jam band Lotus along with electronic producers Gramatik, MiMOSA, Star Slinger and OPIUO each performed at The Regency Ballroom, and we were on the scene to capture plenty of great moments from this year’s annual event.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Bicycle Day SF, Gramatik, Lotus, Mimosa, Opiuo, Star Slinger

PHOTOS: The Soft White Sixties at Slim’s 4/25

April 28, 2014 by tom dellinger Leave a Comment

By Tom Dellinger //

The Soft White Sixties with Chicano Batman, A Million Billion Dying Suns //
Slim’s — San Francisco
April 25th, 2014 //

One of the most talked about San Francisco bands, The Soft White Sixties, returned for an engagement at Slim’s this past Friday night. The band has been touring steadily since their last appearance at The Chapel in February which included a successful run at SXSW. With the winds of mounting critical acclaim at their back, they sailed into town and demonstrated once again why critics continue to claim, “this is a band to watch.”

Anticipation was in the air on Friday as the two openers, the eclectic Chicano Batman and A Million Billion Dying Suns got things rolling. It was a late night and by the time TSWS hit, the room was packed and ready for the hometown band to strut their stuff, which is exactly what they did. A heavy touring schedule has been kind to the Sixties. They were both fresh and crisp the instant they took the stage. In addition to his vocal abilities, lead singer Octavio Genera is one of the most energetic and charismatic performers around and on Friday, he once again put it all on the line as he worked that stage; delivering a performance as if there would be no tomorrow.

Everyone in the band seemed to have that extra punch in them as they drove through the set with an intensity that was palpable. Joey Bustos on drums was particularly sharp and driving hard as the band responded. At the end of the night one could see those sparkling eyes and smiles on the faces of the fans as they knew they had just experienced something special.

Next month will find the band at BottleRock in Napa. Just as one of the most talked about bands at last year’s event was Vintage Trouble, one can reasonably expect that to be the case for The Soft White Sixties. Much like Vintage Trouble, and their vocalist, Ty Taylor in particular, you simply can’t build a stage too big for Octavio and TSWS. Expect them to explode.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: A Million Billion Dying Suns, Chicano Batman, Slims, The Soft White Sixties

The National showcase natural evolution, continue to inspire

April 28, 2014 by Mike Frash 1 Comment

Photos by James Nagel // Written by Mike Frash //

The National with Portugal. The Man //
Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
April 26th, 2014 //

The National’s music can be taken as moody, or perhaps even depressing on the surface level by those not familiar with their work. Some of The National’s most rewarding auditory gems only reveal themselves upon repeat listens, and through this repetition, it’s easier to identify and appreciate the crafty song structures and oddly pleasurable feeling the National can provide. But enigmatic constructs can be thrown out the window when it comes to experiencing The National live. Their performance at the Greek Theatre Saturday showed they have grown to be more comfortable with themselves, evolving for the better while steadfastly staying true to their roots.

So what has changed? One obvious, noteworthy shift is they command theaters now, two nights in a row this past weekend in Berkeley, while eliciting rapturous crowd engagement — silence during the quiet parts while compelling the crowd to carry the load on “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” to end the show, no small feat at an 8,500 person venue. Frontman Matt Berninger mentioned early on it was good to be back. The last time The National played on the U.C. Berkeley campus was with Modest Mouse and REM in 2008. Now six years later, the performance Saturday offered an experience that was segmented into two distinct halves.

The first section of the concert showcased much of the excellent material from Trouble Will Find Me, The National’s sixth album, released in May 2013. There was a sense of arrival with the new music, that they’ve ‘figured it out’ in their lyrical storytelling. There are more direct statements of clarity and satisfaction, admitting “tiny bubbles hang above me, it’s a sign that someone loves me” to open the show stands in stark contrast to the passive aggressive, latent adolescent state of mind found in “Mr. November”. The newest record is less snarky, more direct, as though the guys in The National have grown up substantially.

The songwriting will never be cheery (and let’s hope it never is), but there is more confidence and awareness lyrically. Berninger may claim that “when I walk into a room, I do not light it up” in “Demons”, but that notion is see-through self-degrading hyperbole in the context of the performances this past weekend.

While there is a slightly brighter outlook to the new words, more “Sea of Love” than “Terrible Love”, Berninger, the Dessner & the Devendorf brothers have banded together to create music more springy and full of life, often faster with a more uplifting tonal quality than previous efforts. Some older tracks are treated through this prism — “England”, a somber song from High Violet, was crisp and faster, allowing the song to soar higher, and to be more inspiring live.

If the performance was front loaded with new material, the second half favored the wants and needs of longtime fans. Unsurprisingly, it’s the older material that inspires Berninger to channel his one of a kind angst-joy spectacle. In “Squalor Victoria”, Berninger added a line about his “little brother the fuck up,” slamming the mic & stand to the floor, a coy plug for his brother Tom’s documentary titled Mistaken By Strangers, chronicling the singer’s little brother being a little fuck up on the National’s High Violet tour. “Abel” was a platform for Berninger to lose himself in punk rock intensity as he used to do more often, while per usual, “Fake Empire” and “Mr. November” found the lead man not only reaching out to the audience, but running through it as well.

Poised and energetic with precise control, The National’s music is more accessible and impactful than ever before, and the group is pulling it off in front of the biggest audiences of their career. Slowly winning over fans for 15 years, The National have earned it.

Show Notes:

•Portugal. The Man, the opener of the night, were an interesting contrast of falsetto versus baritone between Portugal’s John Gourley and The National’s Matt Berninger.

•”About Today” was one of the most poignant songs of the evening toward the end of the first set. The cut from Cherry Tree was a treat.

•The follow up performance Sunday, April 27th featured The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir for “I Know You Rider” and “Terrible Love” during the encore. Sunday’s setlist included nine songs that weren’t played on Saturday.

•The National uses basic video production equipment in a very effective way. GoPro cameras flank the artists, and the imagery is filtered with glich-filled, broken pixilation, reflecting the fractured feeling of disconnect found in The National’s music.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Greek Theatre Berkeley, Portugal. The Man, The National

WKEND MIXTAPE V9: Bonobo • Tycho • James Murphy & Pat Mahoney

April 25, 2014 by 3ricshaden Leave a Comment

Get your WKEND started RIGHT with new mixes from Bonobo & Tycho, along with a throwback mix from James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (formerly LCD Soundsystem).

Bonobo — Essential Mix

Our first mix comes from Bonobo for BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix. As a highly accomplished producer and DJ he provides us with over two hours of expertly-mixed tunes. Bonobo’s own tracks and remixes show up alongside those from Jungle, Sharon Von Etten, Dark Sky, Jimpster, Will Arcane, Kelis, Martyn, Leatherette, and Vangelis.

Tycho — Fader Mix

Next up is a mix from Tycho for the Fader mix series. This spring-focused mix features tracks from My Bloody Valentine, Casino Versus Japan, Washed Out, Goldroom, Aphex Twin, Com Truise, and more. This is a beautiful mix that shines on days like today.

James Murphy & Pat Mahoney — Fabriclive 36

We end this week with a classic mix from 2007 posted yesterday by DFA Records. James Murphy & Pat Mahoney, formerly of LCD Soundsystem, offer up an hour of fantastic tracks including those from Instant Funk, GQ, Lenny Williams, Baby Talk, Love Committee, Junior Bryon, City of Women, and LCD Soundsystem. James and Pat offered up a primer for this mix:

“We’re pretty excited. We find doing mix CDs horrifying to a certain degree because there’s nobody there, so it’s just like, “What are we doing?!” It’s like you’re just yelling into the air. We bought an old Bozak for this – the first DJ mixer ever built, hand-built. It sounds incredible. Everything sounds nicer and bigger and smoother and beautiful. The mix itself will have a little bit of stuff that isn’t necessarily what we’d play in a club. But we’d like it to be fun. So we’ll just do it a bunch of times live. Do it until you like it, that’s actually our motto.”

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Mixtapes Tagged With: Bonobo, James Murphy, Pat Mahoney, Tycho, WKEND MIXTAPE

WIN TICKETS: The Soft White Sixties at Slim’s 4/25 (Friday)

April 24, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Photo by Tom Dellinger //

Enter to win a pair of free tickets to this show below.

The Soft White Sixties with Chicano Batman, A Million Billion Dying Suns //
Slim’s — San Francisco
April 25, 2014 (Friday) //

As part of the promotional odyssey for their debut LP Get Right, San Francisco’s very own The Soft White Sixties will be headlining Slim’s this Friday night. Presented by Performer Magazine, and with support from Chicano Batman and A Million Billion Dying Suns, this local buzz band brings their infectious brand of “Working Class Soul” back to the Bay. Their first hometown performance since their electrifying appearance at the Noise Pop Festival 2014, anticipate a rowdy night with the boys, ready to “get right” in their local haunt. Gearing up for next month’s gig as part of the festival bill for Bottlerock in Napa Valley, this will be the last San Francisco stop on their tour leading up to the festival. Catch your sneak preview of what undoubtedly will be a highlight set of that weekend.

Buy tickets if you know you want to go!

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Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Slims, The Soft White Sixties

PHOTOS: Poor Man’s Whiskey at Great American Music Hall 4/18

April 24, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

Poor Man’s Whiskey //
Great American Music Hall – San Francisco
April 18, 2014 //

Bay Area favorites Poor Man’s Whiskey returned to the Bay Area last weekend for another set of countrified covers. Previously, PMW took on Dark Side of the Moon with a bluegrass flair. The first set Friday was a welcome trip through highlights from all their albums. The second set ripped into great versions of Allman Brothers classics. They ended with a acoustic “Melissa” encore had the crowd quiet, except for the famous chorus — it was a great way to end a super high energy second set.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Great American Music Hall, Poor Man's Whiskey

New Music: Death – Death III

April 24, 2014 by Scotland Miller Leave a Comment

Death – Death III

Top Tracks:
“North Street”
“Restlessness”
“First Snowfall in Detroit”

Album Highlights: Not very often does something come along and completely re-write the annals of music history in quite the same way as the discovery and release of …For All the World to See in 2009, an album from of the early 70’s trio named Death. Perhaps one of the most important revelations in recent musical lore, the commitment of showcasing the recordings done by three brothers from Detroit is now complete. Death III is a collection of songs recorded over a nearly three decade-long career, which for the most part, went unheard.

The best part about the discovery of Death is the raw guitar playing talent of David Hackney. The album begins with an instrumental track that features David and some of his six-string prowess. The next track, “North Street”, sounds like it just missed making the final listing of their feverish and now legendary full-length first album, and is an instant proto-punk classic. It makes you just want to get up and flail around the room to Oingo Boingo’s Who Do You Want to Be like Tom Hanks in the film Bachelor Party.

“Restlessness” provides the droning head bob that any fan of rock ‘n’ roll, of the heavier variety, is looking for out of their music. A vintage drum line opens this track, followed by a killer guitar lick that seems to birth the well-known, three-chord punk progression. David’s guitar solo speaks with the best of them and accompanies the storyline of a “poor man’s” blues by crying it’s way through the fills.

Album Lowlight: Due to the lack of popularity from big recording studios at their height as a band, many of Death’s recordings are a bit lackluster in terms of quality. It can be tough to get a bedroom or garage recording to sound good without the monetary help required for mastering. There are a few vocal segments that are tough to make out, and a few drum beats that get washed out by an over-milked guitar amp, as evidenced by “Free”. But overall, these tracks sound clean.

“We Are Only People” and “Yes He’s Coming” take the listener down a different path, a bit more of a Pink Floyd psych-rock path, almost as if they were experimenting with their own spirituality as well as their instruments, simultaneously.

As this is a collection of recordings and not a proper album release, there is no real flow involved when listening. The track listing is well put together with what there was to work with, but it’s missing a few uptempo songs in the latter half of the release.

Takeaway: Music is deeply rooted in emotion and feeling, and more often than not experimentation. The Hackney brothers of Detroit were full of all of these. Death III gives the listener insight into the minds of a young group of musicians in the 70’s transitioning out of the Flower Power era of the 60’s and into what would become the birth of punk music by bands like The Ramones and the Sex Pistols. Not only has this band been overlooked by the history books, but David Hackney’s guitar playing has been missed. Listen to “First Snowfall in Detroit” and try to not let your soul weep like it does when you listen to “Little Wing”.

~Scotland Miller

Filed Under: New Music, New Music Tuesday Tagged With: Death, Death III, New Music

PHOTOS: Cyril Neville at The Mystic Theatre 4/20

April 24, 2014 by tom dellinger Leave a Comment

By Tom Dellinger //

Cyril Neville //
The Mystic Theatre — Petaluma, CA
April 20th, 2014 //

As Jazz Fest approaches in New Orleans, we were fortunate to catch Cyril Neville at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma this week. Though he can most often be seen with the band, Royal Southern Brotherhood, all the members are currently on small tours of their own as the band is on a break. For his northern California dates, Cyril has put together a band that delivers jaw dropping moments and were a perfect fit for him.

As expected, there were a few classic tunes unique to the New Orleans catalog, but they also went well beyond that; including rock, soul and funk. It was a well paced show and Cyril was in top form, connecting with the audience as he took them on a rich musical journey and experience which resulted in a pair of encores. Joining Cyril was New Orleans-based Cranston Clements on guitar with a Bay Area rhythm section, Darryl Anders on bass and Aaron Green on drums. The contributions of each of these players were noticeable throughout the night. Cranston showed his impeccable command of guitar each and every time he took a solo. The kind that drew loud vocal approval from the audience many times over. The same was true for the rhythm section. Tight, driving and complex, their passion was evident throughout and no doubt, provided an inspired background for Cyril to work his magic.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Cyril Neville, The Mystic Theatre

PHOTOS: Motörhead at The Warfield 4/18

April 23, 2014 by Marc Fong Leave a Comment

By Marc Fong //

Motörhead //
The Warfield – San Francisco
April 18th, 2014 //

As you’d expect, an older, rowdy crowd dressed in black and leather attended Motörhead’s performance in San Francisco last weekend between consecutive weekend appearances at Coachella. Guitarist Phil Campbell danced around the stage with loads of energy, a stark contrast to Lemmy hanging back behind the microphone with his bass. Showbams photographer Marc Fong was in the pit getting snaps.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Motörhead, The Warfield

St. Lucia go ‘Live at the Landmark’ in SF’s City Hall

April 22, 2014 by Molly Kish 1 Comment

Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Molly Kish

St. Lucia with Conway, benefiting Operation Gratitude //
City Hall — San Francisco
April 17th, 2014 //

Brooklyn buzz band St. Lucia took over the main lobby of City Hall this past week headlining the San Francisco edition of the Jack Daniel’s “Live at the Landmark” series. The beautiful venue accommodated an exclusive crowd of less than 200 people, providing a stunning backdrop for the electro-pop outfit and their opener, Conway. Bathed in hues of blue and purple, the setting remained in a gorgeous dusk-lit color scheme, echoing the sky-lit entry way leading you into the municipal foyer. There you were greeted by Civic Hall’s grand staircase underneath its epic dome, lined with awe-inspired crowd reveling in complementary Jack Daniels and the gorgeous stage site.

Following a short set by Conway, St. Lucia took the stage. Jean-Philip Grobler immediately commented on how excited they were to be playing such an impressive venue. Touring steadily over the past year, behind the acts’ breakout success When the Night, Grobler and his backing band members kicked directly into their performance like a well-oiled machine. Focusing on hits off the 2013 debut album, their set list ran consistent with that of most dates on their current touring schedule. Kicking things off with the building choral chant of “The Night Comes Again” straight into the tropic-themed sensory transposition of “The Old House Is Gone”, St. Lucia effortlessly prompted their crowd to start shuffling their feet and bouncing along. Grobler and crew made an extra effort to get the intimate audience involved during their mid-set crowd participation segment, consisting of a group pogo amidst back to back performances of When the Night hits “All Eyes On You”, and “Elevate”.

Known for their big sound and impassioned performances, hardcore St. Lucia fans could see that the band was struggling a bit with the limited sound equipment and confined space. Although a near perfect setting for acoustics, the speaker set up for the evening remained contentious throughout the entire concert. Although hindered by the tiny towers of pitchy speakers, Grobler and crew kept the show rolling like a pack of seasoned professionals. Exchanging sassy glances with each other throughout the entire performance, the crowd could visibly recognize that St. Lucia, despite the technical difficulties, were there to have fun. Giving an energetic show punctuated by their spot on rendition of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”, St. Lucia brought the party vibes to City Hall, giving the Bay Area audience a uniquely memorable evening of live music at an undeniably legendary landmark.

St. Lucia at SF's City Hall // Jack Daniel's "Live at the Landmark"

Conway at SF's City Hall // Jack Daniel's "Live at the Landmark"

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Conway, Jack Daniels, San Francisco City Hall, St. Lucia

Disclosure’s ‘Wild Life’ invades the Greek

April 21, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Photos by Sam Heller & James Nagel // Written by Molly Kish & Mike Frash //

Disclosure‘s “Wild Life 2014” with Claude VonStroke vs. Justin Martin, Kaytranada, Bishop Nehru //
Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
April 18th, 2014 //

Dance shows have been few and far between at U.C. Berkeley’s Greek Theater over the years (Daft Punk & Amon Tobin are among the few electronic shows that have happened at the Greek), but one of the most popular and influential dance acts on the planet, Disclosure, headlined a mini-one-day-fest dubbed “Wild Life” at the intimate theatre Friday, and the name ended up matching the scene appropriately.

Neon-wear was kept to a minimum as the audience appeared to be more “Yuma” than “Sahara” tent in nature, which makes sense given the IDM over EDM artist curation of the evening. The inner-bowl floor section of the sold out Greek was pretty much at maximum capacity by 7:30pm, and it continued to compress all night while the corners of the seating area and grass section were vacant. It seems most dance music enthusiasts will defer to bass over space every time.

17-year-old rapper & producer Bishop Nehru got things going with a brief, scorching set. Kaytranada then took over on the decks with his hip-hop oriented sound patterns, offering a flavor of trap that’s far from abrasive, mixing repetitive melodies with garage drum & bass. Once the sun began set, it was Claude VonStroke & Justin Martin’s turn, and unsurprisingly, things got a bit dirty.

SF-based Dirtybird founder VonStroke and partner in crime Martin joined together for a set marketed as “Claude VonStroke vs. Justin Martin”, but the set hardly felt back to back due to its unified focus. The performance was well-paced and diverse in its curation while consistently staying within the ethos of the Dirtybird backbone — playful, minimal tech-house. The volume was teasingly-low to begin the set, eliciting a “turn that shit up” chant from the rabid shoulder-to-shoulder floor crowd. Within minutes, the sound equalized and the full energy of the theater got on the train for the duration of a fun, bouncy set, something that was mentioned as a “dream come true.”

Disclosure finally took to the stage, kicking off their set full-force with the crowd-stirring remix of “F for You”, accompanied by CGI Mary J. Blige on back-up vocals. Maintaining the energy percolating in the crowd, the duo rolled rolled right into the breakout hit off Settle, “When a Fire Starts to Burn”. Igniting the amphitheater into a dancing frenzy, everyone from the ground-floor pit to the hillside above chanted along with the lively chorus, mesmerized by the band’s intense light show. Utilizing the unique proximities of the outdoor venue, Disclosure brought their stunning festival stage design and atmospheric optics with them to the Greek.

Aside from their worldwide hit singles, Disclosure played several deeper cuts off of their 2012 EP The Face, including “Tenderly” and “Flow” along with their own remix of “Running”, their 2011 collaboration with Jessie Ware. With several performers both touring through the Bay Area and on layover between weekend sets at the Empire Polo Club, murmurs of surprise guests circulated heavily leading up to this showcase. Nearing the end of their set, the crowd grew antsy in anticipation, waiting to hear two of the largest hits off of the band’s platinum full length debut. Promising the captivated crowd a few more songs to conclude their epic set, Disclosure broke into an encore sing along of “Help Me Lose My Mind”, and a live-vocal final song featuring special guest Sam Smith on “Latch,” which caused the entire crowd go out on a wild, extremely loud note.

It’s refreshing to witness intelligent dance music prospering, playing to an enthusiastic & packed Greek Theater Berkeley. Disclosure are revamping contemporary dance music by repurposing past dance elements into poppy, progressive packages, influencing mainstream music in a meaningful way.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Bishop Nehru, Claude VonStroke, Disclosure, Greek Theater Berkeley, Justin Martin, Kaytranada

PHOTOS: The Knife at Fox Theater Oakland 4/15

April 21, 2014 by Pedro Paredes 2 Comments

By Pedro Paredes //

The Knife //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA
April 15th, 2014 //

“Self-awareness is the illusion that this is happening only to you” echoed the crowd after the words of our DEEP Aerobics instructor (short for Death Electro Emo Protest Aerobics) at a sold-out Fox Theater in Oakland last week.

As the audience followed the dance steps and pop mantras recited by the person in charge of warming things up before The Knife, the night’s main event, we knew that we should expect nothing typical for the rest of the evening.

The tone had been set. It was time to shake off the habitual.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Photos Tagged With: Fox Theater Oakland, The Knife

PHOTOS: Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Bob Weir at Sweetwater 4/18

April 21, 2014 by Sterling Munksgard 1 Comment

By Sterling Munksgard //

Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Howell Devine //
Sweetwater Music Hall – Mill Valley, CA
April 18th, 2014 //

A New Orleans institution, Preservation Hall Jazz Band hit the road every year when they aren’t delighting local audiences in the French Quarter. When visiting Preservation Hall in NOLA, the group take requests from show-goers in the hallowed 100-person space — just don’t request “Saints”, it’ll set ya back $10.

In between consecutive weekend dates at Coachella, the legendary group played at Sweetwater Music Hall just over the Golden Gate Bridge and one of the Bay Area’s own local icons, Bob Weir, joined them as well as opener Howell Devine beforehand onstage. So did folk songstress Maria Muldaur for Pres Hall’s headlining set during what would be a memorable evening in Marin County.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Bob Weir 5

Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Maria Muldaur

Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Bob Weir 4

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: bob weir, Coachella, Coachella 2014, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2014, grateful dead, Howell Devine, Maria Muldaur, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sweetwater Music hall

PHOTOS: Ellie Goulding at Bill Graham Civic 4/19

April 21, 2014 by James Nagel Leave a Comment

By James Nagel //

Ellie Goulding with Conway
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium — San Francisco
April 19th, 2014

The lights dimmed, commanding thousands of deafening screams from the sold out crowd, reminiscent of the moment the Beatles graced the stage of the Ed Sullivan show… well, I just mean it was really loud.

Ellie Goulding saved most of her hits for the final songs/encore, but treated the crowd to her latest hit, “Beating Heart”, from the film Divergent, about halfway through the set. She left no mystery of what her last song would be, saving “Lights” and “Burn” for the very end.

If you weren’t able to make it to the show, emulate the experience by listening to her songs while clicking through the photos below!