Synthpop trio CHVRCHES play first U.S. show in SF

March 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

ChvrchesBy Mike Frash //

CHVRCHES //
The Independent – San Francisco
March 10th, 2016 //

Super-buzzy Scottish electronic pop group CHVRCHES (pronounced as you would expect, “Churches”) played their debut show in the U.S. on Sunday night. The Independent in SF hosted the synth-heavy trio, which sold out their first U.S. concert months in advance. CHVRCHES have only two shows on the docket, this SF performance and one down the California coast in Los Angeles, before heading to South by Southwest to likely make a big splash.

This was a brief show (around 47 minutes), but it’s not surprising since CHVRCHES have not released their debut EP yet, let alone a full album. The good news is their songs are well-developed for the stage, and Lauren Mayberry’s vocals deliver in a live setting. Mayberry exhibited some nerves at the beginning of the set, but she grew more comfortable with each song. By the time Mayberry revealed she might have left the iron on in her hotel room and she neurotically kept thinking she might burn down the hotel even after alerting hotel staff, she had connected with the crowd packed into The Indy.

The show finished with the track that put CHVRCHES on the map, “The Mother We Share”. This addictive song, along with “Recover”, are so accessible they could be radio hits a year from now. Surely CHVRCHES are a group on the rise; any artist that can get a Monday crowd rowdy and materialize fans who sing along to songs without a proper record release foreshadows good things to come.

Setlist:
Lies
We Sink
Lungs
Now Is Not the Time
Gun
Science/Visions
Night Sky
Recover
Under the Tide
The Mother We Share

Encore:
I Would Die 4 U (Prince cover)

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Win Tickets: Autre Ne Veut @ The Independent March 11

March 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Watch Autre Ne Veut’s new music video for “Play by Play.”

Ready to catch an emerging artist before he blows up? Then mark your calendar for next Monday, March 11 at The Independent for Autre Ne Veut. Last week for New Music Tuesday, we proclaimed Autre Ne Veut’s second LP Anxiety is a “modern R&B gem,” earning Arthur Ashin’s sophomore effort 4 Bams. “The lyrics and vocal delivery are full of heartache and passionate in-the-moment urgency, often in powerful climatic fashion.”

Enter to win two tickets from Showbams! Click here to go to our Facebook page, and “Like” or “Share” the facebook contest promo to be eligible to win. We’ll pick one random winner Wednesday March 6th at 6pm PST.

The hype is going through the roof for Autre Ne Veut (for good reason) since the new record was released last Tuesday, so buy tickets before they are gone for $12 to secure your spot at the show.

The-Independent

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Toro y Moi headlines two nights at The Independent for Noise Pop

March 4, 2013 by 5 Comments

Toro Y MoiPhotos by Mike Frash, Marc Fong & Sam Heller // Written by Mike Frash //

Toro y Moi with Sinkane //
The Independent – San Francisco
March 1st-2nd, 2013 //

Toro y Moi headlined two nights of Noise Pop at The Independent last Friday and Saturday, closing a spectacular week of live music at the place where Noise Pop started 21 years ago. Chaz Bundick, who goes by Toro y Moi as his multilingual stage name, proved that he can captivate a room while barely budging from his statuesque position at his command central, surrounded by keyboard, synthesizer & other sound modulation technology.

Chazwick Bundick, one of the leading early influences behind the “chillwave” movement, played his new material from Anything in Return to perfection, proving that Toro y Moi has progressed further into dance territory. “Rose Quartz” opened the night, setting the crowd off into a show full of swaying, psychedelic music moments. The jam of the show Saturday night was “So Many Details.” The live-performance outro to this song is an impressive sonic blast of building, repetitious beeps and the looping lyrics “You send my life, into somewhere I can’t describe … so many details.” Moments like this showcase Toro y Moi’s dexterity performing live, as Bundick’s seemingly uses his Jedi mind-powers to subliminally convince a 450-pax crowd to jump on his wave, sway-dance a bit and chill the fuck out.

Toro-Y-Moi

It must have been a banner weekend for Bundick, as he headlined Noise Pop and joined his buddy Ernest Greene (aka Washed Out) at 1015 Folsom on Friday night for a DJ performance. The two know each other from school days at the University of South Carolina, where they influenced one another and basically established this much ballyhooed chillwave music subgenre. But at least one thing is clear after hearing Toro y Moi perform live this past weekend: Chaz Bundick has no interest in being constrained within the chillwave box.

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Chk Chk Chk “Slyd” their way through Noise Pop!!!

March 1, 2013 by 4 Comments

Chk Chk Chk
Photos by James Nagel

!!! is back, so put on your short shorts, locate those dancing shoes and get prepared to rock out and rage. Sacramento’s Chk Chk Chk pulled tracks from the scope of their discography Thursday night at Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, but new tracks from their forthcoming record Thr!!!er provided the evening highlights.

Midway throughout the set, lead singer and single-handed party starter Nic Offer launched into “Slyde,” the first track unleashed upon the (mostly) unknowing public. Those lucky enough to be in attendance at this Noise Pop-headlining event witnessed the first of a few US shows before the new LP drops in late April. Nic and the rest of the incredible band members in Chk Chk Chk have put in proper practice, because they nailed the first performance of their lead single.

Chk Chk Chk

Just as “Slyde” finished, Offer snarked “Tricky one I tell ya!” Then, for the first time of the night, the most upbeat man in music looked at his bandmates and proclaimed “We did it!!!” Offer’s joy was palpable from every corner of Great American Music Hall, and it’s moments like this that make you root for Chk Chk Chk. “You can say you were there the first time we played that.”

No one is better at showing a crowd how to get down. Climb the speaker banks at regular intervals? Check. Jump in the crowd and create a mob scene? Check. Inspire the rest of the patrons to loose their collective shit since the ceiling of temperance & reservations has been shattered by pure musical leadership? Triple chk.

Chk Chk Chk

The most certain sure thing is that Offer doesn’t do it alone. The nouveau-disco jams are steady and polished, producing a groovy canvas that allows Nic’s freak flag to fly high, and subsequently take everyone else present along for the ride.

“There’s a new album coming…You were here, so I want you to know all the lyrics.
~Nic Offer at Great American Music Hall”

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Noise Pop Wednesday: Ramona Falls, Social Studies, Harriet, Mahgeetah

February 28, 2013 by 86 Comments

Social-Studies
View our Noise Pop preview.

Noise Pop offered excellent mid-week options Wednesday, and while Rickshaw stop welcomed a post-hardcore bill headlined by Ceremony and Bottom of the Hill hosted local faves The Fresh & Onlys, the place to be Wednesday was at Brick & Mortar Music Hall, where the capacity crowd dug into indie rock with a tinge of electronica.

The Wednesday night Noise-Pop show glimmered with hopes and high expectations, as Ramona Falls & Social Studies showed off their road-perfected sets, Harriet got back in the live music game, and Mahgeetah showed that it’s bit foolish to arrive late during Noise Pop week.

Ramona-Falls

Ramona Falls have a smiley stage presence and friendly vibe in a live setting that doesn’t prepare you for their hyper-charged, synth-serious sound aesthetic. Portland based Brent Knopf is the leading creative force behind Ramona Falls, and he expanded the project for his 2012 LP Prophet to include a full band in the recording process. Knopf’s warm voice and lyrical delivery is pleasantly reminiscent of Ben Gibbard (The Postal Service & Death Cab for Cutie) and John Darnielle (Mountain Goats).

And it’s a live treat that Ramona Falls is touring with violinist Lauren Jacobson. Her strings added an extra emotional layer that isn’t present on Prophet. Much of the school night crowd thinned out early, and they missed a stellar set.


Social-Studies

Social Studies is a local SF group led by Natalia Rogovin, and her sultry vocals combined with her stunning, classic beauty will surely continue to elevate the group. They sound like slightly faster Beach house with an electronic jolt. Rogovin exhibits in-the-moment stage presence similar to Ruth Radelet from Chroamatics, and she is adept enough to guide auditory pleasure seekers into a hypnotic trance. Unfortunately, the drunk chick toward the front who continued to loudly proclaim “you’re killing it” and “keep going” at quiet moments did not allow herself to drift away with the chill waves.

The penultimate performers this night have been touring with Ramona Falls, and Rogovin made sure it was clear that they were happy to be home for Noise Pop. And since Social Studies are hometown heroes, it makes sense that they drew a denser audience than the headliners. Holler & swaller!


Harriot

Contrasting Ramona Falls & Social Study’s endless touring, Harriet came to Noise Pop from LA with a fistful of new material never performed to a live audience. Based on this performance, Harriet is a band to keep both eyes on. Alex Casnoff’s stage banter is delightfully devious; he introduced a song by saying it is “about strippers you feel connected to after a lap dance.”

Casnoff promised an album to be released later this year, and it should be a good one.

Local SF group Mahgeetah were on fire when I walked in, but it was their last song of the night. They were thrashing away at a raging jam, finishing with a fuzzy wall of sound that was impressive. Instantly upon walking into Brick and Mortar I regretted leaving the house a bit late.

And to a certain degree, the opening acts are what Noise Pop week is all about. Most Noise Pop shows have two or three openers, and the supporting acts are almost exclusively from the best coast. If you can swing it, get to the venue early and discover an up-and-coming act.

•!!! (Chk Chk Chk) tickest are somehow still available for Thursday night. Get ’em while you can. Don’t count on walking up to Great American Music Hall to buy tickets at the door.

•Free Energy will be performing Thursday at Brick and Mortar Music Hall. Wednesday night’s B&M show sold out, so buy tickets while you can.

Noise-Pop-2013

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Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Toubab Krewe are Instrumental at The Independent

February 18, 2013 by 1 Comment

Dirty-Dozen-Brass-BandPhotos by Sam Heller

Two instrumental groups with fairly different musical palates joined forces at The Independent Friday for a pleasing one-off combination. Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Toubab Krewe have been making their way through California on different paths, but their travels united them for one night over the past weekend.

Live music fans that embrace a variety of instrumental-based live music walked away happy, as these two groups provided a juxtaposition to the evening that isn’t often found in the standard headliner/opener format. The duality of sound from these two groups provided a welcome mental get-away from the city.

Toubab-Krewe

Toubab Krewe invoked visions of Africa with their swelling percussion and diverse melody that emits from instruments such as the soku (Malian horsehair fiddle), kora (21-string harp-lute) and kamelengoni (12-string harp-lute). These foreign sounding (and looking) instruments are played in unison with the more familiar guitar and bass, and the result is a nuanced world-music sound.

Toubab-Krewe

The opening performers, whom could normally headline the Independent on their own as judged by the amount of early arrivers, are heavily influenced by traditional West African music. It wasn’t just Toubab Krewe’s take on world music that impressed, but it was the wall of sound that brought the most intense auditory pleasure, especially when the wall of sound built to a release point. There is no doubt these moments were enhanced by the house lights at The Independent.

Toubab-Krewe

Toubab-Krewe

Once the excursion to Mali was complete, it was time to head back to New Orleans for some southern love. There is a special place in my heart for NOLA brass, and Friday’s headlining performance from New Orleans institution Dirty Dozen Brass Band reminded me why: It’s all about the party and feeling good!

The Dirty Dozen opened with “Ain’t Nothin But a Party,” getting the crowd involved early with the call and response of “Paaaartay.” The legendary brass group then launched into “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and then worked it back into “Ain’t Nothin But a Party.” “Dirty Old Man” was a highlight toward the end of the set, as three ladies made their way on stage to make the song more of an interactive skit than the telling of a story.

It must be noted that the current keys performer that is touring with the Dirty Dozen did a top-notch job of keeping the show going, not allowing songs end for the most part. Instead, the keys created a bridge from song to song. The keys were a welcome addition to the group, as the addition of the keyboard player made the show sound more jam-based and less classical New Orleans. But there was plenty of brass of course, and what is left of the original Dirty Dozen performed wonderfully over grooves that were locked in by the keyboards and drums.

Both groups had almost equal amounts of time to perform on Friday, and that was a fair move since so many people were in attendance for Toubab Krewe. It was a night to remember as two excellent instrumental bands, one string-based and the other brass-based, brought their music and culture to San Francisco.

Upcoming Shows at The Independent:
Israel Vibration – Tuesday February 19
Con Brio – Friday February 22
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk – Friday April 5

Dirty-Dozen-Brass-Band

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Solange breaks away from sister’s shadow at The Independent

February 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Solange

Solange played to packed house at The Independent Tuesday night. A diverse, young & mainstream crowd gathered early to find out what all the hype is about. While Solange has proven to be a talented hit-maker in her own right, it must be mentioned that Solange Knowles is the younger sister of Beyoncé (she’s so hot right now).

Solange

Solange

Solange is a different artist than her mega-star sis. Solange’s music is rooted in R&B 80’s Pop, as opposed to producing catchy girl-power anthems. If you came to this show looking for something similar to the swagger and control Beyoncé exuded at her much ballyhooed Superbowl halftime performance, you failed the expectation game.

Solange

Solange

This show marked the opening of Solange’s stateside tour, and the quick 11-song set was heavy in tracks from her third LP True, which was released at the end of 2012 to critical acclaim. At one point Solange admitted she was “out of shape” after a dance number toward the end of the set. She allows her personality to show with her stage banter and facial expressions, but Solange’s stage presence and dancing is relatively reserved. And that’s fine – it matches the tone and mood of her music.

Overall, the set felt extremely short and the best song live was a cover of Selena’s “I Could Fall in Love.” Solange should hone in on her live act as her tour progresses – Just don’t expect Beyoncé Jr.

Solange

Solange

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Marco Benevento gets TigerFaced at The Independent

February 5, 2013 by 2 Comments

Marco-Benevento

Marco Benevento and Mike Dillon, the melodic elements behind the jazz-fusion supergroup Garage A Trios, played a long and excellent show at The Independent on Saturday, February 2.

It was a night of delightfully endless jams and improvisation, and the fun crowd was there to party, dance and celebrate life behind the exuberant leadership of the Tigerfaced headliner Marco Benevento.

Marco-Benevento

Mike-Dillon

Mike-Dillon

Mike Dillon began the evening with an eclectic “New Orleans Punk” set. Since last summer, Mike Dillon has been touring with trombone upstart Carley Meyers, who is a New Orleans-based star in the making. Meyers plays the trombone with perfection, passion and she matches Mike Dillon’s punk rock stage persona. Meyers should be part of the NOLA staple of musicians that reign over Jazzfest for the foreseeable future.

Mike-Dillon

Marco Benevento joined the Mike Dillon group for their final song in his casual pre-show digs.

Marco Benevento joined Mike Dillon, Carly Meyers & the rest of Dillon’s band for their final song
in his casual pre-show digs.

Marco-Benevento

Marco-Benevento

Benevento’s positive vibes and mellow, zen-like leadership capabilities are something to behold at a live show. He listens, adapts, reacts and obviously gets high from music. You can see it in Marco’s face when a song hits a peak or euphoric point. Benevento soaks up the moments, taking them in with a genuine smile.

Marco-Benevento

This tour, Marco Benevento has been rockin’ futuristic coke-bottle glasses, and this night he didn’t leave the piano until the end of the set, when he put the tiger-face that had been adorning his piano on his head. This led to a couple more tracks from his 2012 LP TigerFace, and a show closing number with “Limbs of a Pine.”

Marco-Benevento

Upcoming shows like Marco Benevento at The Independent:
•The Wailers perform Survival on Thursday, February 7.
•North Mississippi Allstars – Friday February 8, Saturday February 9
•The Dirty Dozen Brass Band – Friday February 15, Saturday February 16

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Marco-Benevento

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Reggie Watts & Michael Winslow join forces for the “Sound Effects Summit”

January 30, 2013 by 1 Comment

Reggie-Watts-and-Michael-Winslow

Pop-culture nostalgia was in full swing Monday night at The Independent, as live sound effects expert Michael Winslow (from the Police Academy movies) joined Reggie Watts for part two of his “Reggidency” for SF Sketchfest.

Winslow started with a solo set, followed by a Watts solo set. Then the two joined forces for a very weird, one-off performance dubbed “The Sound Effects Summit.”

Reggie-Watts

Michael-Winslow

Watts welcomed the audience and introduced Winslow, and Winslow launched into his audio/visual act that is completely pre-conceived; Winslow’s set was accompanied by a DVD menu, so it looks like this is an act he has done many times. Watts watched from the side of the stage taking in the set, enjoying it with those at the sold out show.

Michael-Winslow

And it was pretty fun and entertaining. He pleased the crowd with his trademark voices and sound effects. Winslow created an alternate take on a scene from Star Wars, providing all of the dialogue, sound effects and musical score from his mouth. (Princess Leah: “Ahhhh! I have to go the bathroom!”)

Michael-Winslow

The set ended in costume, as Winslow impersonated Jimi Hendrix fully glitched-out.

Watts then took over with his delightfully awkward pauses, anticipatory teasing and unique, looping songs. In the end, it would have been nice to have a little more Watts solo time.

Reggie-Watts

Reggie-Watts

He seems to thrive on improvisation, avoiding routine and repetition. For example, at his Outside Lands set in 2012, he walked off stage halfway through, thanking the crowd. He came back a minute later, saying “They tell me I have 25 minutes” and launched into improv. It’s almost as if he tests himself on improvisation, forcing situations where he has to dig his way out. And he usually thrives in this situation.

Reggie-Watts

Watts’ ramblings are entertaining; he’s able to captivate a 450-person room talking under his breath, promising to start his first song 5 times before actually doing so. Part of the comedy is that he is shy and understated at times, then he’ll build a tasty groove and get sassy.

Reggie-Watts-and-Michael-Winslow2
The third set of the evening was what everyone was waiting for, and both solo sets had already delivered.

This wacky collaboration started with two songs pretty quickly, and Winslow provided beats and sounds a capella while Watts layered in instrumentals and provided the lead singing. It was a strong start to an experience that got increasingly awkward.

From there it became Andy Kauffman-esque, as it seemed like the duo were playing a trick on the audience. And it probably wasn’t intentional. The awkwardness was a product of improvisation meeting rehearsed comedy.

Winslow started relying on some of his female character voices and bad jokes, which was a little over-the-top, and you could tell it was throwing Watts off his improv game. He even asked if this was the Carol Burnett show or if he was Gilda Ratner. Yes, those two are comedy icons, but that is not exactly why folks were here.

Reggie-Watts-and-Michael-Winslow

Beyond the unfunny tangents and self-conscious moments Reggie Watts was having, it was a set worth seeing. Overall, the “Sound Effects Summit” delivered on its titled premise.

SIDENOTE: There was a 3-camera crew and sign-off waivers present on the door to The Independent, as Watts was filming an “Untitled Reggie Watts Documentary.” I’m sure they got some usable footage for whatever Watts is producing.

Reggie-Watts

Reggie-Watts

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Tycho guide fans into an ethereal trance in SF

January 21, 2013 by 1 Comment

TychoPhotos & videos by Kevin Raos // Written by Mike Frash //

Tycho //
The Independent – San Francisco
January 18th-19th, 2013 //

SF ambient-techno producer Scott Hansen, better known by his stage name Tycho, played two sold-out shows at The Independent last weekend to highly attentive audiences. Tycho’s music has the uncanny ability to lull you into into a semi-dream state with ambient melodies, then a well-timed minimalist house beat kicks in to pick up the pace and euphoria.

Friday’s crowd was guided into a hypnotic trance by Scott Hansen, who has been playing live shows with drummer Rory O’Connor and bassist/guitarist Zac Brown for more than a couple years now.

The visual imagery at a Tycho live show is striking and certainly complimentary to Hansen’s unique sound. For his photographic and design works, he also goes by the moniker ISO50, so Hansen is clearly a man of many aliases. The timing of the visual editing matches the beats and emotional builds perfectly.

The chillwave, downtempo adventure Tycho leads in a live environment provides a floaty, ethereal experience. More than most other live shows, a Tycho set allows the concertgoer to close their eyes and forget where they are.

Tycho

Tycho

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New Music Tuesday: Jessie Ware • A$AP Rocky • Yo La Tengo • Parquet Courts • Christopher Owens

January 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Jessie Ware - If You're Never Gonna Move

Every Tuesday, we focus on new music releases by naming our top tracks, album highlights, lowlights and important takeaways for select albums.

Jessie Ware – If You’re Never Gonna Move [EP]

4.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“If You’re Never Gonna Move”
“Sweet Talk”

Album Highlight: Tracks from the tail end of the Devotion LP like “If You’re Never Gonna Move” and “Sweet Talk” get the proper spotlight in this EP.

Album Lowlight: Not much to complain about here.

Takeaway: Jessie Ware is already a star to many. Ware should be a force to be reckoned with by the end of 2013 due to her MTV-pop appeal and her credibility within the EDM scene.

A$AP Rocky – LongLiveA$AP

4-BamsTop Tracks:
“Fuckin’ Problems” feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar
“Long Live A$AP”
“1 Train” feat. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T.
“Goldie”

Album Highlight: The diversity of beats, track production and supporting players. LongLiveA$AP has appearances from Schoolboy Q, Santigold, Skrillex, Drake, Joey Bada$$, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Kendrick Lamar, which means A$AP has surrounded himself with some of the most creative names in music from the last couple years.

Album Lowlight: Repeated use of “purple.” We get it, you love purple swag, purple drank and probably the fact that purple doesn’t rhyme with shit.

Takeaway: With his first LP finally arriving — and delivering — A$AP Rocky takes his place as one of the top rappers in the game. It’s not surprising the best tracks on the album are super-collaborations that involve Kendrick Lamar.

Yo La Tengo – Fade Out

3.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“Before We Run”
“Ohm”
“Cornelia and Jane”
“The Point of It”

Album Highlight: The amazing penultimate track “The Point of It” and the slow-building, triumphant finale “Before We Run” end the LP on a high note.

Album Lowlight: The pacing of the record slows down around “I’ll Be Around” and “Two Trains,” but the energy lull around the two-thirds mark works to enhance the wonderful ending.

Takeaway: Fade Out is a slow-grower. Give it an extra listen if it doesn’t strike you the first couple times. The subtleties add up to a sum that is greater than it’s parts.

Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold

3.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“Stoned and Starving”
“Master of My Craft”
“Borrowed Time”

Album Highlight: “Stoned and Starving” feels like some magical mix of Broken Social Scene and King Tuff. Any way you look at it, this is a great track.

Album Lowlight: The chord repetition becomes a bit monotonous during some of the slower tracks.

Takeaway: Distortion, lo-fi sound, stoner singing and lyrics and surf-rock-meets-Brit-rock chord simplicity. Light Up Gold feels familiar but offers originality with its genre-blending tracks.

Christopher Owens – Lysandre

2.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“Here We Go”
“A Broken Heart”
“Lysandre”

Album Highlight: When the guitar solo allows the record’s best track “Here We Go” to take off. This tracks sums up Lysandre pretty well.

Album Lowlight: It’s a bit too minstrel with the reoccurring Lysandre’s theme. At times, it feels like the pied piper is traveling down a lonesome road with you.

Takeaway: Owen has crafted a record with even more confessional whispers in his first solo since the breakup of Girls. The attempts at cohesive pop are more straight forward than Ownes’ work with Girls, but the themes of insecurity and dwindling confidence continue on.

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Coachella 2013: Predictions, wishes & rumors vs. reality

January 14, 2013 by 7 Comments

Coachella 2013By Mike Frash //

With a casual tweet, festival season is about to begin. Anticipation over the imminent 2013 Coachella lineup is building, and recent history shows the festival lineup could come this week.

Do you have your accommodations set? Hopefully your ticket is taken care of, because Coachella 2013 could already be close to sold out.

Presale ticketing for this year’s Coachella sold out within hours of going on sale both weekends last May, and it was the first time pre-sale sold out in such a quick fashion. The Coachella 2012 general on-sale sold out within an hour for both weekends a year ago, and if you weren’t ninja-quick at getting into the waiting room, you were shit out of luck. Take all this into account, and there might be a very limited amount of tickets available after the 2013 lineup drops. Is it possible Coachella 2013 is completely sold out from presale ticketing?

Coachella

Headliners: Reality vs. Rumors
The headliner rumors arrived early this year, with speculation over The Rolling Stones and Daft Punk dominating the conversation. At this point The Rolling Stones seems like the more likely of the two to be headlining, even though they haven’t played a whole lot of festivals since Altamont in 1969. Besides, Coachella rumors about Daft Punk and David Bowie playing Coachella are a yearly running gag at this point — we’ll believe it when we see it. Bowie even has a confirmed album coming out in the spring, but his bandmates are saying Ziggy has ruled out performing live … forever.

Reunions are a big part of Coachella’s top-notch lineups, and last year saw the regrouping of At The Drive-In, Pulp and Refused. This year it looks like The Postal Service and My Bloody Valentine could happen. Blur would also make sense since they reunited at the Olympics last year. Black Sabbath was reportedly on board to headline last year until they had to pull out at the last moment, and they have a new album coming out in June. Outkast would be the perfect hip-hop headliner, but that seems unlikely with Big Boi pushing his new LP. Wu-Tang Clan seems like the most likely rap act to play the main stage, but are they big enough to headline one of the three days each weekend?

Last year saw The Black Keys headline Friday along with Swedish House Mafia, and most people thought The Black Keys weren’t worthy of headliner status. But Coachella is good at king-making groups and artists, elevating them to the top level simply by making them headliners. Goldenvoice could repeat last year’s Friday concept by crowning Phoenix, The xx or Mumford and Sons headliners while putting deadmau5 on the top line to satiate the EDM masses.

Reality (likely headliners):
The Rolling Stones, The Postal Service, deadmau5, My Bloody Valentine, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wu Tang Clan, No Doubt, Mumford & Sons, The xx

Rumors (probable wishlist-fiction):
Daft Punk, Outkast, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails (How to Destroy Angels is likely)

Artists to see before they get big:
Last year, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Death Grips, Azealia Banks, First Aid Kit, and lots of other artists performed at Coachella before getting exponentially bigger by the end of 2012. Possible contenders for 2013 include Angel Haze, AlunaGeorge, FIDLAR, Foxygen, Wilde Belle, & Earl Sweatshirt, although the hype for Earl is already tremendously loud.

Coachella

Best EDM acts most likely to not perform in the Sahara Tent:
• deadmau5
• Bassnectar
• Tiesto
• Simian Mobile Disco
• Andy Stott
• Nicolas Jaar
• Dan Deacon
• John Talabot
• Disclosure
• Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Artists most likely to return for second consecutive year:
Kendrick Lamar and Dawes, because Dawes somehow plays every festival.

Headlines we’d like to see:
“Frank Ocean, Tyler The Creator join Earl Sweatshirt’s first solo set”
“Progressive-house trend baffles Sahara tent candy-kids”
“Thom Yorke, Bradford Cox & Trent Rezner play a combined 9 sets each weekend”
“Katie Perry attends Coachella again, never considered for performing duties.”

Plausible Acts We’d Like to See:
Alabama Shakes
alt-J
AlunaGeorge
Andy Stott
Angel Haze
Animal Collective
Atlas Sound
Atoms for Peace
Bassnectar
Bat for Lashes
Beach House
Ben Howard
Big Boi
Bjork
Black Sabbath
Blur
Cloud Nothings
Chromatics
Crystal Castles
CHVRCHES
Dan Deacon
Divine Fits
Disclosure
Die Antwoord
Django Django
Ducktails
Earl Sweatshirt
Father John Misty
Fiona Apple
Frightened Rabbit
Grimes
Grizzly Bear (Added 1.17.13)
Haim
Hot Chip
How to Dress Well
James Blake
Jamie Lidell
Japandroids
Jessie Ware
John Talabot
Jim James
Kendrick Lamar
Kishi Bashi
Killer Mike
Local Natives
New Order
Nicolas Jaar
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Major Lazer
Matthew Dear
Mumford & Sons
Passion Pit
Penguin Prison
Phoenix
Pretty Lights
Sigur Ros
Skrillex
Spiritualized
Stars
STRFCKR
Tame Impala
The Faint
The Joy Formidable
The Knife
The Postal Service
The Rolling Stones
The Walkmen
The xx
Toro Y Moi
TNGHT
Ty Segall
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Vampire Weekend
Warpaint
Wavves
Wild Belle
Wild Nothing
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeasayer
Yo la Tengo
!!!

Coachella

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Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue elevate The Fillmore

January 7, 2013 by 1 Comment

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone Shorty is probably the most important cultural ambassador for New Orleans today. This seems like obvious sentiment after witnessing the the second of three sold out shows to end 2012 at The Fillmore in San Francisco.

The evening’s set was laced with cover songs, many directly from the Crescent City, but Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue were willing to cover songs from almost any genre. The familiar song selections along with Trombone Short’s smart band leadership and charming stage presence elated the older audience at The Fillmore, San Francisco.

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

This young NOLA musician has gotten surprisingly popular; when an artist can sell out three consecutive nights at The Fillmore without ever having a bonafide hit single, something special must be going on, right? After seeing Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue perform on December 30th, the reason for his popularity came into focus.

Trombone-Shorty

He’s an amazing trombone & trumpet player, but we already knew that. He’s also a thrilling lead performer without his brass in hand. When he put down his instrument and just rocked the mic, Troy Andrews was just as captivating. Once the show was over though, it appeared his best quality as a performer might be his work as a bandleader and teacher.

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

The Orleans Avenue band members got to shine properly because Trombone Shorty allows them space to improvise and perform solos, but you never forget whose show it is. And for the encore, Trombone Shorty brought out three youngsters to perform, & thay impressed on brass while performing solos during “When the Saints Come Marching In.” Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, watched “his local students” closely as they performed, as if they were in a one-on-one class. What a treat and gift to give his brightest students: a taste of success & something to strive for by performing to a sold out crowd at The Fillmore.

Trombone-Shorty

The crowd ate up the songs with the young performers, and “Saints” started and ended a NOLA medley that included the theme song from “Treme” and an interlude of “Who Dat,” which was made famous by Rebirth Brass Band. Other covers included The Guess Who’s “American Woman,” Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman,” & Snoop Dogg’s “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”

Trombone Shorty kept coming back to familiar tunes, which kept recharging the mostly 40+ crowd. While the medley felt like canned “NOLA” culture compared to what you might experience in New Orleans itself, you’ve got to give the man credit for showcasing his roots and keeping this important American culture alive.

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

The positive energy Trombone Shorty circulated on stage clearly effected the band members in a positive way. And since everyone on stage was truly having a fun time, this real energy permeated into the audience. Trombone Shorty knows how to work a crowd, make his band better by giving them space, and plays his instruments with passion and mastery that is unmatched.

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Trombone-Shorty

Filed Under: Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , ,

Sea of Dreams offers exotic, crazy-sexy NYE in SF

January 3, 2013 by 3 Comments

Sea-of-Dreams5By Mike Frash //

Sea of Dreams //
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco
December 31st, 2012 //

Sea of Dreams NYE 2013, coined “Lunasea,” offered four stages of live and electronic music, interesting chill-out areas in a tea room and burlesque room, and the best group of revelers you can find in San Francisco on New Years.

The scene that’s created at the SF Concourse Exhibition Center at the end of every year jolts you out of the routines and rigors of life, and enables you to take a journey if you choose, if just for one night. The people that made their way to “Lunasea” seemed to be a mix of Burners and High Sierra Music Festival goers – meaning that most everyone was kind and in a sharing mood.

Sea-of-Dreams

Gogol Bordello – Lunasea Stage: East Hall

Gogol-Bordello

The crazy-sexy music choices at Sea of Dreams are another reason why many people choose this event for New Years. This year, gypsy-punk troupe Gogol Bordello stormed the main stage for the NYE countdown show.

Gogol Bordello’s stage presence, energy and WTF awesomeness is probably only matched by Die Antwoord, but Gogol Bordello brings the crazy with five people taking the spotlight at points. Eugene Hütz is the lead presence, and he doesn’t disappoint.

Gogol-Bordello

Gogol-Bordello

Gogol-Bordello

Gogol-Bordello

Shpongle’s Quixotic Masquerade – Lunasea Stage: East Hall

Shpongle's-Quixotic-Masquerade

Shpongle premiered his “Quixotic Masquerade” at Lunasea 2013. The electronic music pioneer joined forces with performance art troupe Quixotic to create a show that was sexy and exotic. The first half hour featured only the art troupe Quixotic, then at 1:10am Shpongle appeared from behind his multi-colored DJ platform

Shpongle’s sound is decidedly rooted in traditional & world music sounds, and a live violinist accompanied the digital music for the show. The experience was sexy, weird, and exotic – perfect for Sea of Dreams.

Shpongle's-Quixotic-Masquerade

Shpongle's-Quixotic-Masquerade

Shpongle's-Quixotic-Masquerade

Shpongle's-Quixotic-Masquerade2

Trentemoller - Galaxsea Stage: West Hall 12:05am

Trentemoller – Galaxsea Stage: West Hall

Glitch Mob - Galaxsea Stage: West Hall 1:30am

Glitch Mob – Galaxsea Stage: West Hall

Pumpkin - Galaxsea Stage: West Hall 1am

Pumpkin – Galaxsea Stage: West Hall

Realistic Orchestra - Galaxsea Stage: West Hall 9pm

Realistic Orchestra – Galaxsea Stage: West Hall

The Scene at the Basscraft Stage

The Scene at the Basscraft Stage

The Scene at the Lobby Stage

The Scene at the Lobby Stage

Sea-of-Dreams

Sea-of-Dreams

Sea-of-Dreams

Filed Under: Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Best albums of 2012

December 21, 2012 by 12 Comments

10-Best-Albums-of-2012Subscribe to our Spotify Playlist “Best Albums of 2012.”

2012 has been a rich year for music, and our consensus top 10 albums show diverse musical selections. Each Showbams contributor selected their top 10 albums from 2012, and we averaged them together to create Showbams’ Best Albums of 2012:

1. Tame Impala – Lonerism
2. Passion Pit – Gossamer
3. Kendrick Lamar – Good kid, m.A.A.d city
4. Jack White – BlunderBuss
5. The xx – Coexist
6. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
7. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
8. The Presets – Pacifica
9. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
10.Tanlines – Mixed Emotions

Honorable Mention:
Dr. John – Locked Down
Hot Chip – In Our Heads
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill

Take a look at our contributor’s favorite albums of 2012 below:

Tame ImpalaMike Frash – San Francisco
1. Tame Impala – Lonerism
It’s rare to find an album that grabs you from the very beginning and compels you to listen beginning to end, the first time you spin it. Lonerism is timeless; you could convince someone that it’s from the late 1960s if they didn’t know better. “Apocalypse Dream” sets a masterful psychedelic-sad tone, “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” is the type of song people dreamed Oasis would create 10 years ago, and “Elephant” just flat out rocks.

2. The xx – Coexist
Coexist grew on me more than any album in recent memory. It’s about love, regret, angst, pain, and forgiveness. “Angels” begins the album with one of the best love songs ever (no hyperbole), and after 30 minutes of intense back and forth emotion, “Our Song” brings our two characters back together. Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim are the two main characters in the this story, and they play off each other even better than their first record. Jamie xx brings it all together with his subtle beats and sounds. This album is a love story for the ages.

3. Sun Kil Moon – Among The Leaves
Mark Kozelek’s fifth studio album under the name Sun Kil Moon combines masterful lyricism and captivating cadence to the point where it becomes addictive. The songwriting is creative and pretty out there at times, and is mostly self-reflexive and literal. The instruments are kept to a minimum – most of the album is Kozelek singing over acoustic guitar, but this minimalist approach just works for me.

4. Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE
5. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
6. Passion Pit – Gossamer
7. John Talabot – Fin
8. Chromatics – Kill For Love
9. Wild Nothing – Nocturne
10. Delicate Steve – Positive Force

Honorable Mention:
The Presets – Pacifica
Purity Ring – Shrines
Father John Misty – Fear Fun

Neil-YoungPete Mauch – Los Angeles
1. Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
When someone as legendary as Neil Young puts out an album with timeless songs like “Ramada Inn,” “Walk Like A Giant,” and “Twisted Road” there is absolutely no other album I can put in front of this list. Psychedelic Pill may be Neil Young’s best effort since the 70’s.”

2.Tame Impala – Lonerism
This sophomore album oozes with psychedelic-laced pop tunes that are very reminiciant of The Beatles, especially after they experimented with mind altering drugs. From the opening track of “Gotta Be Above It,” you know you’re in for quite the mystical journey.

3.Father John Misty – Fear Fun This Fleet Foxes outcast may have one-upped his former band with this debut album. “Hollywood Forever Cemetary Sings” is quite possibly my favorite song of the year as well.

4. Kendrick Lamar – Good kid, m.A.A.d city
5. Dr. John – Locked Down
6. Jack White – BlunderBuss
7. Gary Clark Jr. – Blak and Blu
8. Alabama Shakes – Boys and Girls
9. Grizzly Bear – Shields
10. Lumineers – Lumineers

Honorable Mention:
Animal Collective – Centipede Hz
Django Django – Django Django

The xxMolly Kish – San Francisco
1. The xx – Coexist
Coexist was an extremely strong and highly anticipated sophomore effort. I was so excited
about this that I listened to it immediately when it became available. Coexist continues the journey
initially set out on the band’s debut album and brings the music to an even more provocative
soundscape, highlighting Jamie xx’s production skill and minimalistic dance beats.

2. Stars – The North
“The North” is Stars’ 7th studio album and it delivers an infectious and comprehensive survey of
the band’s 12 year discography. The lyrical collaboration of Torquil and Seligman remains
at the forefront of the songs and it exhibits a maturity in both range and content. Stars have set the indie rock standard on everything from synth heavy pop songs to piano rock ballads, and they continue to lead and influence.

3. Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel…
Fiona Apple’s “The Idler Wheel…” was an album I have wanted to hear since 1999”s
“When the pawn.” Along with exhibiting her talents as a pianist and blues rock vocal ingénue,
Apple’s inclusion of samples and entrancing drum beats brings her work to a whole new level.
The album is one you could play on repeat for days without realizing it, and you might continue
playing it anyways.

4. Yeasayer – Fragrant World
5. Dr. John – Locked Down
6. Passion Pit – Gossamer
7. The Lumineers – The Lumineers
8. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions
9. The Presets – Pacifica
10. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Here

Honorable Mentions
Animal Collective, Centipede Hz
Hot Chip, In Our Heads
Bloc Party, Four

Tame-ImpalaKevin Raos – San Francisco
1. Tame Impala – Lonerism
Tame Impala has created the definitive psychedelic rock album of 2012. Taking what they did with their debut album, Innerspeaker, and infusing it with more fuzzy guitar and Beatles-esque vocal style, Lonerism takes the listener on a mind-altering, hallucinatory, psychotropic exploration that is unlike anything in 2012. Flashbacks to this album will be frequent and intense.

2. Passion Pit – Gossamer
Another sophomore success, Passion Pit’s Gossamer is an electro-pop marvel. I think this album will remain one of the more memorable albums beyond 2012 for its pure pop and danceability. Catchy hooks and upbeat melodies make this one of the best indie pop albums of the year.

3. Jack White – Blunderbuss
Everything Jack White touches turns to gold, and this time is no different. It’s hard to think that with as much as we’ve heard from Jack White, that this is his solo album debut. I have the feeling that Jack White is going to be around for a long time, and this is only the beginning of a successful solo career.

4. Grimes – Visions
5. Sigur Ros – Valtari
6. John Talabot – Fin
7. Step Dad – Wildlife Pop
8. Electric Guest – Mondo
9. The Big Pink – Future This
10. Kishi Bashi – 151a

Honorable Mention:
Memory Tapes – Grace/Confusion

Passion-PitEric Shaden – San Francisco
1. Passion Pit – Gossamer
For me, a great followup to Manners. This avoids the sophomore slump with a good mix of tracks. My favorite of the year.

2. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city
With so many hip hop albums released annually it takes something special to rise above the fray. Kendrick Lamar does this on good kid, m.A.A.d city. My best hip hop album by far.

3. Jack White – Blunderbuss
Great to hear such a solid rock album, especially in 2012. This reminds me of the White Stripes while still sounding fresh and new. I knew after one listen that this would be one of the top albums of the year.

4. Japandroids – Celebration Rock
5. Miike Snow – Happy to You
6. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
7. Santigold – Master of My Make Believe
8. Frank Ocean – Channel ORANGE
9. Chairlift – Something
10. Purity Ring – Shrines

Father-John-MistyKevin Quandt – San Francisco
1. Father John Misty – Fear Fun
Josh Tillman left his post as drummer for Fleet Foxes only to create his best solo material to date under the moniker, Father John Misty. This rousing tale of drinking, womanizing and tripping his way down the West Coast is full of catchy hooks and twisted lyrics that are perfect for an easy escape from the norm. Don’t sleep on seeing Tillman and his merry pranksters live as he commands a stage with the best of them.

2. Tame Impala – Lonerism
This sophomore effort from the lads down under takes their already stellar formula, utilized on InnerSpeaker, and polishes it even further. A wider breadth of sound is the result on Lonerism, as Kevin Parker gains more confidence as witnessed in more robust melodies brought up in the mix, larger crescendos and bolder subject matter in his lyrics. A deeper range of sound has also come through as these guys continue to only get better with age.

3. DIIV – Oshin
Beach Fossil’s Zachary Cole Smith released a whopper of a solo effort this year under the aquatic-name, Diiv(Dive). Heavy on the reverb and not lacking any quality of pop shoe-gaze mentality, this album has a way of grabbing you and holding on for a few months as the infectious guitar hooks play over and over in your skull. Though they may not break the mold for a certain brand of Brooklyn meets hip ocean beachside sound, they certainly put out one of the better records in that style.

4. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
5. The Walkmen – Heaven
6. Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, m.A.A.d City
7. Pond – Beard, Wives, Denim
8. Jack White – Blunderbuss
9. White Fence – Family Perfume Vol. 1
10. Dr. John – Locked Down

EPS
How to Destroy Angels – An Omen
TNGHT – TNGHT
Captain Murphy – Duality

PresetsSean Little – San Francisco
1. The Presets – Pacifica
I have to admit the first time I heard it I was a bit let down. I was expecting something more akin to Apocalypso and wasn’t sure if I was into the fact it wasn’t a very indie dance forward album. The more I listened though the more it grew on me, and the more I started to appreciate the way they took chances and pushed boundaries. Songs like Ghosts and A.O. are a far departure from their last album, but still have an infectious quality to them that is at home in headphones or on a dance floor. The more I hear this the more I like it making it my number `1 album.

2. Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
An all-around amazing album. Most rap now is so over produced and homogenized it’s great to see someone make an album that reminds you of the old days, where beats were thoughtful and albums had an overall story arc, not just one single after another. Kendrick is going to be doing big things and holds the torch as the only real west coast rapper pumping out thoughtful tracks that make you pay attention to the lyrics as much as move. Probably the only rap album I listen to regularly these days.

3. Godspeed You! Black Emperer – Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!:
Trippy, heady stoner metal that you can listen to pretty much anywhere and vibe to. It isn’t for everyone, but the way the craft songs that stretch and grow creating a real atmosphere is unique and not seen as often in a world where few have the attention span for a 25 minute song. Few others know how to build on just one note and continue to grow a vibe until it crashes like a wave, taking the listener with it. A great album to listen to no matter what your mood, just hit play and let it take you wherever you want it to.

4. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions
5. Lindstrom – Small Hans
6. Cat Power – Sun
7. Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
8. Hot Chip – In Our Heads
9. Scuba – Personality
10. Scissor Sisters – Magic Hour

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Impending Apocalypse Now: 21 Songs for the End of the World

December 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Impending-Apocalypse-NOW-Subscribe to the “Impending Apocalypse Now” Spotify playlist.

So the world ends on Friday. That’s too bad, I was just getting used to Dubstep.
Here are 21 lucky tracks that somehow relate to the impending apocalypse. And they are pretty great songs too.

21. David Bowie – “Five Years”

20. St. Vincent – “The Apocalypse Song”

19. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “I’ll Love You (Till The End Of The World”

18. STS9 – “When the Dust Settles”

17. Andrew Bird – “Yawny At The Apocalypse”

16. Bright Eyes – “Four Winds”

15. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising”

14. R.E.M. – “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

13. The Clash – “London Calling”

12. The Rolling Stones – “Gimme Shelter”

11. Muse – “Apocalypse Please”

10. The Cure – “The End of the World”

9. Medeski, Martin & Wood – “End Of The World Party”

8. The Postal Service – “We Will Become Silhouettes”

7. Radiohead – “Ideoteque”

6. The Decemberists – “Calamity Song”

5. Tom Waits – “The Earth Died Screaming”

4. Morrissey – “Everyday Is Like Sunday”

3. Metallica – “Blackened”

2. Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”

1. The Doors – “The End”

Subscribe to the “Impending Apocalypse Now” Spotify playlist.

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Best tracks of 2012

December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Some of our favorite tracks in 2012 are from The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Japandroids, Father John Misty, & Electric Guest.

The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Japandroids, Father John Misty, & Electric Guest created classic songs in 2012.

Showbams contributors have listed their favorite tracks of the year.
What were your favorite songs in 2012? Leave a comment below.

View our Best Shows of 2012
View our Best Albums of 2012

Mike Frash – San Francisco @MikeFrash
Subscribe to Mike’s “Best Tracks of 2012” Playlist on Spotify.

1. Sun Kil Moon – “Among the Leaves”

When a song get’s it’s 50th play and just gets better, you know you’ve found something special. This song showcases Mark Kozelek’s voice and songwriting perfectly, and is so good he named the album after it. With every spin the descriptive lyrics evolve in the mind of listener. Kozelek tells the tale of a girl he sees around town and wants to help. And when the wind instruments kick in, the song takes off and flies.

2. Tame Impala – “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”

This track might me the most simple song from Lonerism, but it is also the most memorable. It’s plenty trippy like the rest of the album, and it’s also the most catchy song – the one that’s still bouncing around your head a day later. “It feels like we only go backwards, but every part of me says go ahead.” This refrain so basic yet effective, and Kevin Parker’s familiar vocals blend seamlessly into Tame Impala’s psychedelic fuzz rock.

3. Passion Pit– “It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy”

Once Michael Angelakos’s bi-polar disorder disorder and attempted suicides were made public, this album and track worked on a higher level. It may be the most biographical song on Gossamer (that says a lot), and the penultimate track steps into anthem territory with confessional optimism. It’s like Michael is telling himself, repeating over and over, that he’s going to make it. Knowing the context of the song makes it more effective, but the biographical background is not needed to know this song is great.

4. Japandroids – “Fire’s Highway”
5. Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”
6. The xx – “Angels”
7. John Talabot – “Destiny” feat. Pional
8. Fiona Apple – “Every Single Night”
9. Tanlines – “Brothers”
10.House – “Kindness”

Honorable Mention:
Killer Mike – “Reagan”
The Presets – “Fall”
Wild Nothing – “Paradise”

Pete Mauch – Los Angeles @PeteMauch

1. Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”

2. Neil Young – “Walk Like a Giant”

3. Trey Anastasio – “Scabbard”

4. Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”
5. Neil Young – “Ramada Inn”
6. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools”
7. Alabama Shakes – “Hold on”
8. Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
9. Gary Clark Jr. – “Numb”
10.Jack White – “Freedom at 21”

Molly Kish – San Francisco @MollyKish

1. Lumineers – “Ho Hey”

Due to the incredible commercial success of the Lumineers self-titled debut, you couldn’t escape this song in 2012. Infectiously simple both in lyrics and structure, this song’s basic pop composition grabs it’s audience’s attention immediately and has you singing along from the first listen. An instant crowd pleaser and multi-format radio hit, I still have yet to change the dial.

2. Azealia Banks – “212”

A Hard hitting hip hop club hit, this song’s dirty beat and even filthier flow is an immediate dance party call to arms. Bursting onto the scene with this track produced by Lazy J, Azaelia Banks jumped into the female rap game spitting fire. Incorporating the repetitive use of the word cunt into a chorus and making it contagiously catchy and not crude: genius.

3. The Presets – “Youth in Trouble”

The Presets came back to the EDM scene after a four year hiatus and did so with authority. Starting off one of this year’s best dance albums, this standout track is a club banger. With its extreme builds, relentless bass line and scream along party lyrics, the Presets win my “drop of the year” award in this bar setting track.

4. Electric Guest – “This Head I Hold”
5. Fiona Apple – “Hot Knife”
6. The xx – “Reunion”
7. Kishi Bashi – “Bright Whites”
8. Dr. John – “Locked Down”
9. Yeasayer – “Reagan’s Skeleton”
10.Bloc Party – “Octopus”

Honorable Mentions
Passion Pit – “I’ll be Alright”

Kevin Raos – San Francisco @kevinraos

1. Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”

Best track on the best album of the year. The more I listen to this album the more my opinion of it morphs and shifts. That’s one of the best things about an album like this – you hear something new every time you listen.

2. Electric Guest – “This Head I Hold”

This song sounds like it could have been written 50 years ago. Classic sound, classic song. One of my favorites of the year.

3. Lana Del Rey – “Born to Die”

I put this in my top 3 simply because I want to comment about my love/hate fascination with Lana Del Rey. Lana Del Rey’s fragile demeanor and futile resistance towards fame make her one of the most interesting artist of 2012. I’m not a giant fan of her music as a whole, but I LOVE this song.

4. alt-J – “Fitzpleasure”
5. Stepdad – “My Leather, My Fur, My Nails”
6. Django Django – “Default”
7. Passion Pit – “Carried Away”
8. Memory Tapes – “Thru the Field”
9. Trey Anastasio – “Scabbard”
10.Matthew Dear – “Her Fantasy”

Eric Shaden – San Francisco @3ricShaden

1. Major Lazer feat. Amber of Dirty Projectors – “Get Free”

2. Kendrick Lamar – “Swimming Pools (Drank)”

3. Passion Pit – “Constant Conversations”

4. MIA – “Bad Girls”
5. Santigold – “Disparate Youth”
6. Hot Chip – “Motion Sickness”
7. Purity Ring – “Lofticries”
8. Frank Ocean – “Thinkin Bout You”
9. Chairlift – “Sidewalk Safari”
10.RAC feat. Penguin Prison – “Hollywood”

Kevin Quandt – San Francisco @KJQuandt

1. TNGHT – “Higher Ground”

The duo of Hudson Mohawke and Lunice brought their unique brands of production into one insanely big release this year. This highlight track, among others, features chopped vocals, a plethora of hand-clapping and a massive bass tuba beat that has been destroying dance floors the better part of 2012. Higher Ground begs to be properly rhymed over, but in the meantime the production is the shining light of the year.

2. Pond – “Eye Pattern Blindness”

What an epic rock track these Aussies churned out this year. Taking notes from Floyd and Zeppelin equally have helped these lads write and perform a rock masterpiece full of twist and turns, not to mention it clocks in at a rare 6 minutes. Syd Barrett is smiling down from above.

3. Japandroids – “House That Heaven Built”

From the distorted wall of guitar to the infectious chorus, epitomizing the sound of Brian King and David Prowse, this track has angst and energy slathered all over it. These guys don’t write typical rock and roll songs, and it is refreshing to see their hard work paying off in dividends. A true rock gem for the ages.

4. Father John Misty – “Hollywood Cemetery Forever Sings”
5. The Allah-Las – “Tell Me What’s on Your Mind”
6. How to Destroy Angels – “Keep it Together”
7. Cloud Nothings – “Wasted Days”
8. Jack White – “Love Interruption”
9. Clark – “Secret”
10.Woods – “Size Meets Sound”

Honorable Mentions:
Liars – “No. 1 Against the Rush”
Thee Oh Sees – “Lupine Dominus”
Chromatics – “Kill For Love”

Sean Little – San Francisco @splittle

1. Nikki & The Dove – “Mother Protect” (Goldroom Remix)

Nikki & The Dove are great as is, but what Goldroom does with this track is reinvent it in a way that’s thoughtful and massive all at once. It’s one of those rare remixes that you hear after the original, and never listen to the original again. It’s that good. Goldroom has really blown up over the last year, touring the globe and this is the track that arguably started it all as it was supported by Aeroplane and The Magician among others giving it, and him, serious credibility. Keep him on your radar and expect more of this for a long time to come.

2. Bicep – “Vision of Love”

This is stripped down, essential house. This track could be thrown into any 90’s house set and not skip a beat, which is a testament to Bicep and how they hone their craft. Two dudes from Ireland that just seem to constantly pump out hits and push the party and boundaries. This is the song that shows less can be more, and stripped down production can have a big impact especially when compared with many of today’s overproduced tracks. When the pianos come back in at 3:39 it’s all over.

3. Moonlight Matters – “Come For Me” (Might Mouse Remix)

This is huge. It’s just euphoria in a song. I’ve ended more than a few sets with this and hands are in the air, drinks are being tossed around and people are just losing their shit. Don’t sleep on this stellar remix as many people have and it’s a shame. Words don’t do it just so just listen and wait for it to kick in.

4. Waze & Odyssey – “Love that (Burns Hot Enough)”
5. ColeCo – “Rickey Smiley”
6. Moon Boots – “Off My Mind”
7. Presets – “Ghosts”
8. Van She – “Jamaica”
9. Lykke Li – “I Follow Rivers” (The Magician Remix)
10.Chris Malinchak – “The Fourth”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Santigold captivates a packed Fox Theater Oakland with some help from her SG1 dancers

December 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

SantigoldBy Mike Frash //

Santigold //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
December 12th, 2012 //

As we near the end of 2012, it’s safe to say that Santigold has had a long and successful year. The 36-year-old singer-songwriter’s star is rising fast, and she’s done it by releasing genre-bending tracks that are super catchy and by also touring endlessly.

In support of her current material, Santigold (born Santi White) first appeared in the Bay Area headlining Sea of Dreams on New Years Eve almost a year ago. That was four months before her addictive LP Master of My Make-Believe was released. Santi played a short festival set at Outside Lands opposite Jack White, so it was a pleasure to experience a full Santigold show at a sold out Fox Theater Oakland on Wednesday.

Santigold’s unique sound blends electronic production, indie rock sensibilities and hip hop phrasing and confidence. She’s likable & relatable in her new record, and it translates at her live show.

From the beginning of “Go!” the disparate crowd was fully engaged all night long, even during great ballads like “The Riot’s Gone.” She said her bay area fans are her favorite rather convincingly, she smiled and showed emotion comfortably on stage, and her stage banter helped her connect with the audience.

Her 2012 record Master of My Make Believe makes more sense live because Santigold gets to act out the different parts she’s established. She exudes femininity and is strong and powerful. Her outfits are outrageous and fun, and her SG1 background dancers fill the stage with props and casually precise choreography.

Santigold

Santigold’s live performance is decidedly “feminist” (can we find a more positive term for this), not only because she celebrates girl-power and female creativity. Her all-male backing band is figuratively emasculated in their outfits, which look like they work at Hot Dog on a Stick at the mall. The band’s outfit certainly works with the 80s-nouveau aesthetic overall, and it reminds you that this Santigold & SG1’s parade.

It’s Santigold’s SG1 dancers who provide a large portion of the entertainment value at Santigold’s live show. Without them, stronger lighting and video accompaniment would be necessary. But the SG1 dancers fill out the stage, and their style wreaks of post-ironic swagger, without a hint of a smile. They work with props like pom-poms, umbrellas, briefcases, and sledgehammers while performing backup singing duties at times. Their staged antics are highly entertaining, and their pantomiming performance alongside Santigold’s strong delivery harks back to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

One of the highlights was when Santigold brought up selected super fans to dance to “Creator,” which is certainly an allusion to the viral video from Sasquatch 2009 that put her on the map after one person started a huge dance party on the lawn during “Unstoppable”. “Big Mouth” capped off the set with a nice peak, bookending the set with the opening and closing tracks from Master of My Make Believe.

The absence of “Look at These Hoes” as the most exciting and aggressive track on Santigold’s newest LP was a slight disappointment. The evening ended with a song that had the SG1 dancers showing off their “dirty south’ moves, showcasing their booties as the final prop.

After touring for more than a year, it would be easy to go through the motions, but White made her material feel fresh and far from stale in proving why she is So Damn Gold.

Setlist:
GO!
L.E.S. Artistes
Lights Out
Say Aha
Get It Up
Hold the Line (Major Lazer cover)
Disparate Youth
This Isn’t Our Parade
I’m a Lady
Anne
The Keepers
Creator
Freak Like Me
Starstruck
Brooklyn Go Hard (Jay-Z cover)
Shove It
Fame
Big Mouth

Encore:
Unstoppable
B-O-O-T-A-Y (Spank Rock cover)

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The 25 best songs with whistling

December 14, 2012 by 51 Comments

Whistle

The art of whistling is rarely used anymore in contemporary music. Whistling sets a whimsical, light-hearted tone, often projecting a happy-go-lucky state of mind. Whistling simply helps to keep things positive.

UPDATED 5/15/14: We’ve updated this list based on your comments. We’re now including TV theme songs and film soundtracks, along with dance tracks. And we’ve added 10 new selections, bumping it up from 15 to 25. Whistle On!

Here are 25 songs that incorporated whistling most successfully. Listen to all these songs in one playlist.

25. The Andy Griffith Show Theme

24. STRFKR – “Miracle Mile”

23. Roger Whittaker – “Finnish Whistler”

22. Hanna Motion Picture Soundtrack (The Chemical Brothers) – “The Devil is in the details”

21. Angus Stone – “Wooden Chair”

20. Django Unchained Soundtrack – “Triniti”

19. Daedelus – “Bright Stars”

18. Claude VonStroke – “The Whistler”

17. Kill Bill Vol 1 Soundtrack – “Twisted Nerve” by Bernard Herrmann

16. The J. Gelis Band – “Centerfold”

15. Phish – “Guyute”

14. Bobby Day – “Rockin Robin”

13. Monty Python – “Always Look On The Bright Side of Life”

12. Frankie Knuckles – “The Whistle Song”

11. Beck – Sissyneck

10. NONONO – “Pumpin Blood”

9. Foster The People – “Pumped Up Kicks”

8. The Black Keys – “Tighten Up”

7. Bobby McFerrin – “Don’t Worry Be Happy”

6. Peter, Bjorn & John – “Young Folks”

5. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes – “Home”

4. Andrew Bird – “Danse Caribe”

3. Paul Simon – “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”

2. Guns N’ Roses – “Patience”

1. Otis Redding – “Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay”

Filed Under: BAM of the Week Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Who’s better with Big Boi: Little Dragon or Kelly Rowland?

December 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Big-Boi

Big Boi appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on Friday with Little Dragon supporting him for the album’s lead single, “Mama Told Me”. Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors was released on Tuesday, December 11.

When Big Boi first announced his album and track list, Little Dragon was featured on the lead single “Mama Told Me.” But due to lawyer shenanigans, Little Dragon couldn’t collaborate with Big Boi for the album.

Subsequently, Big Boi replaced Little Dragon with Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child. On Tuesday, Big Boi made an appearance on “The View” with Rowland supporting him on “Mama Told Me”.

So who’s better with this track? Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon or Kelly Rowland?

ANSWER: We’ll go with Little Dragon.

Filed Under: New Music Tagged With: , , , , ,
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