SF Show of the Week // GO4FREE to The Presets at The Warfield 11/13 (THUR)

November 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The-Presets

Written by Mike Frash //

The Presets with Antwon, Chela, Franki Chan, Marco De La Vega & Chauncey //
The Warfield – San Francisco
Thursday, November 13th 2014 //

Win a pair of free tickets to one of our SF Shows of the Week by entering your name and email below. Contest ends Wednesday, November 12th at Noon.

The Presets last full length, Pacifica, was one of our top 10 albums of 2012, and lucky for us the captivating Aussie duo return to SF this Thursday at The Warfield.

We were there for their return to touring at The Independent, when they blew minds sub-headlining at Treasure Island Music Festival, along with their appearance last year at Fox Theater Oakland, so we can promise one thing: you will dance.

And if you don’t find yourself dancing while taking in The Presets, perhaps it’s time to check yourself.

This couldn’t be more true than right now as The Presets wrap up the Check Yo Ponytail tour, where the party-starting electro-house outfit have joined forces with a dynamic group of dance and rap upstarts that includes Le1f, Antwon, Chela and Frankie Chan.

The Presets are busy at work on their fourth LP, but that didn’t stop Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes from releasing two excellent singles this year.

First came “Goodbye Future”, a tech-house blaster that slightly signals a return to a song structure reminiscent of “This Boy’s in Love”.

“No Fun” balances a wonky breakbeat with a four-on-the-floor chugger, until it blasts off into a refrain that crescendos into the euphoric stratosphere.

The Presets are one of our favorite dance acts that incorporate live instrumentation and singing, and you can win big by seeing them for free courtesy of Showbams. Enter your name below.

Buy tickets if you know you want to go.



Recommended Shows in SF this week:
*We’ll be giving away free tickets to all shows marked in italics below. Follow us on Twitter to be the first in line to win tickets to these events.

Mac DeMarco on Tuesday, 11/11 at The Fillmore
Hiss Golden Messenger on Tuesday, 11/11 at The Independent
Slayer on Tuesday & Wednesday, 11/11 & 11/12 at Fox Theater Oakland
Shakey Graves on Wednesday, 11/12 at The Independent
First Aid Kit on Thursday, 11/13 at Fox Theater Oakland
Les Sins (Toro y Moi) on Thursday, 11/13 at 1015 Folsom
Generationals on Thursday, 11/13 at The Chapel
Run The Jewels on Friday, 11/14 at Mezzanine
*Jacques Greene on Friday, 11/14 at Rickshaw Stop
*The Sam Chase on Friday, 11/14 at The Chapel
Greensky Bluegrass on Friday & Saturday, 11/14 & 11/15 at The Fillmore
Tame Impala with Delicate Steve on Saturday & Sunday, 11/15 & 11/16 at Fox Theater Oakland
SOHN on Saturday, 11/15 at Mezzanine
The Stone Foxes on Saturday, 11/15 at The Chapel
RAC on Saturday, 11/15 at The Warfield
*Los Straitjackets on Sunday, 11/16 at The Chapel
Field Report on Sunday, 11/16 at Brick & Mortar Music Hall

Win-2-Tickets

Contest ends Wednesday, November 12th at Noon. Enter your name (first and last) along with your email below. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on Wednesday afternoon.

Like Showbams on Facebook, follow Showbams on Twitter and follow Showbams on Instagram. Subscribe to our social channels for a better chance to win!

CONTEST CLOSED.

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PHOTOS: Foster The People, Sylvan Esso at Fox Oakland 11/8

November 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

foster-the-people_postBy James Nagel //

Foster the People with Sylvan Esso, Soko //
Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
November 8th, 2014 //

It was a night of slick pop, both established and emerging, in Oakland on Saturday.

Tight production, awesome lighting, dynamic and colorful. These descriptions dutifully describe Foster the People 2.0. Mark Foster has come a long way from writing commercial jingles. And now he sports blond hair à la Bart Simpson as he leads the People in continued support of the group’s second effort, Supermodel. Foster The People are as glossy as it gets in 2014, and the photos below help to inform this opinion.

2014 breakout act Sylvan Esso opened for FTP for the first time on Saturday at The Fox, and just as when they opened for tUnE-yArDs and headlined at The Independent, show goers responded without hesitation throughout, as Amelia Meath’s dancing inspires replication. Producer and passionate nob-turner Nick Sanborn flipped off the crowd in the middle of the song for no apparent reason — perhaps to elicit some kind emotive response.

Openers Soko were a bit awkward between songs, and the crowd of late teens seemed hesitant to embrace the unfamiliar early on in the night.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: , , ,

Jack Antonoff doubles down his place in pop with Bleachers

November 10, 2014 by 1 Comment

Bleachers_post1By Steve Carlson //

Bleachers with Wild Cub //
The Independent – San Francisco
November 6th, 2014 //

Jack Antonoff, most well-known as the guitarist and songwriter for the Grammy-winning band fun., brought his acclaimed side project Bleachers and its rollicking, energetic live show to The Independent last Thursday, and the sold-out crowd was in the palm of his hand from the first notes. Antonoff deftly led his band through nearly every track off the debut album Strange Desire (only the Yoko Ono collaboration “I’m Ready To Move On” was thankfully omitted), and he even threw in a couple of covers to pad the setlist, including Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” and an acoustic rendition of Steel Train’s excellent song “Bullet” from their 2010 self-titled release.

Other highlights included an extended, Springsteen-esque jam of “You’re Still a Mystery”, featuring a saxophone solo that would’ve made the late Clarence Clemons proud, and an abundance of manically entertaining stage banter between songs. There was no mention of fun. this night, and judging by the crowd’s tendency to sing along with every song, nobody minded that at all. Antonoff suggested that Bleachers will announce a return to the Bay Area sometime in 2015, undoubtedly to an even larger audience.

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Opening the show was Nashville’s own Wild Cub, who surprised a few in the audience with an energetic, tight performance. Seven songs and one marriage proposal later (the band was kind enough to pause and bring the house lights up for the lucky couple before launching into their hit single “Thunder Clatter”), Wild Cub made it clear to the packed house why they’re a band worth keeping an eye on. They return to the SF Masonic on December 15th as part of the KFOG Concert for Kids, in what will be their third Bay Area appearance since August.

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SF Shows of the Week // GO4FREE to Daedelus, Lagwagon or Mirah

November 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

11.4.14_SotW_postBy Mike Frash //

Win a pair of free tickets to one of our SF Shows of the Week by entering your name and email below.

• Daedelus: November 7th (FRI) @ Mezzanine
• Mirah: November 9th (SUN) @ The Independent
• Lagwagon: November 9th (SUN) @ Slim’s



Daedelus: November 7th (FRI) @ Mezzanine // BUY TICKETS

Alfred Darlington is a producer and instrumentalist (he holds his keyboard for proof in his press shot!) that isn’t afraid of duality. Just look at his 2014 record The Light Brigade, a contemplative work that balances ambiance and moments of intensity, then compare it to his upbeat, raucous live Boiler Room set from a year ago (embedded above). This prodigious music maker isn’t afraid to take the listener on a journey based in weirdness, and I mean weird in a very good way — think along the lines of Flying Lotus and Animal Collective.

Contest ends Friday, November 7th at Noon.



Mirah: November 9th (SUN) @ The Independent // BUY TICKETS

Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Mirah is kicking off a West Coast tour this weekend, making a Sunday night stop at The Indy. Touring in support of Changing Light, her fifth full length, Mirah’s experimental pop traverses a musical landscape that explores existence and the ever-changing nature of life. Sounds like a deep way to start a new week!

Contest ends Friday, November 7th at Noon.



Lagwagon: November 9th (SUN) @ Slim’s // BUY TICKETS

Lagwagon was one of my favorite acts when I first discovered punk rock in the mid 90’s, and the Fat Wreck Chords staple from SoCal has been putting music in its place for over 20 years. Even though the touring has never stopped, Lagwagon’s first album in nine years, Hang, was just unleashed last week. End your weekend with some scorching melodic punk that never got soft (we’re looking at you Blink).

Contest ends Friday, November 7th at Noon.

Win-2-Tickets

Pick the show you would like to attend from the dropdown, then enter your name (First and Last) along with your email. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on Friday afternoon via email.

Like Showbams on Facebook, follow Showbams on Twitter and follow Showbams on Instagram. Subscribe to our social channels for a better chance to win!

CONTEST CLOSED.

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Aussie psych rockers Pond deliver perfection at The Indy

November 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Pond-postBy Patrick Kelly //

Pond //
The Independent – San Francisco
October 30th, 2014

I have little idea how, but last week, Pond snuck into SF with limited fanfare. Months ago, when the show was announced, I had assumed it would be one of the buzziest shows of the year. With these Aussies rolling off the success of their sister group Tame Impala (the bands share a couple of members) and the psychedelic rock scene making a little comeback, I figured The Independent would be a scene within itself, resplendent with those calling out for a Tame Impala cover while trying to talk over the extended shredding.

What I got, thankfully, was the exact opposite: It was entirely about the music. I’ve known bands to be tighter at the end of their tour, but calling Pond’s performance “tight” would be an understatement. They nailed the licks and the jams; they had the confidence that everyone in the room knew how tight they were playing. And most importantly, they played it looooouuuud from the start. The fans, and they were true fans, ate up every minute of the hour-plus show –- the unheard tunes off the upcoming Man, It Feels Like Space Again, the complicated and catchy favorites off of Beard, Wives, Denim as well as Hobo Rocket and of course, the extended jams.

I had measured expectations coming in: Pond’s albums are forceful, interesting and catchy. But until you see the heart behind the tunes in person, it’s hard to predict if the force of their studio digs will show through live. With all of the heart they put forward last Thursday, it’s easy not only to say that they wildly exceeded my expectations, but also that they’ll almost surely be among my Top 10 shows of the year.

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