Soundgarden play secret Live 105 acoustic show in SF

SoundgardenBy Marc Fong //

Soundgarden //
Harlot – San Francisco
April 12th, 2013 //

LIVE 105 presented an exclusive Soundgarden session at Harlot in SF last Friday.

Chris Cornell (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Ben Shepard (bass, backing vocals) performed an abbreviated acoustic set that included “Blow Up the Outside” and “Half Way There.”

Little Green Cars perform at The Chapel in San Francisco

Little-Green-CarsWritten by Mike Frash

Dublin-based Little Green Cars performed Thursday night at The Chapel in San Francisco as they work their way to Coachella. The harmonizing folksters will play a 12:30 set in the Gobi Tent Sunday.

Between Coachella weekends, Little Green Cars will bounce around the Southwest US, putting on intimate shows in San Diego, Phoenix & Los Angeles before heading home for a European tour. They are currently touring in support of their new LP Absolute Zero.

Phosphorescent’s western ballads & swelling jams light up The Independent

PhosphorescentWritten by Mike Frash ~ Photos by Mark Fong

Matthew Houck may create and produce his music in a solitary environment, but he’s currently touring with a revamped five-piece backing band, including two keyboardists. Lead keyboardist Scott Stapleton stole the show throughout the evening at the Independent Saturday with his ferocious speed, quick dexterity and enthusiastic head-banging. While the keys & synth enhanced Phosphorescent’s sound for most of the show, these instruments did not work in mimicking the violin sounds in “Song For Zula.” This lead single from the new Phosphorescent LP Muchacho is one of the best songs of 2013 so far, but without the strings present, the song loses almost all of the emotion from the record cut, and it sounded hollow.

One of best moments of the night did not include Phosphorescent’s backing band. The first encore song “Wolves,” from Houck’s 2007 record Pride, allowed him to loop the outro lyrics “To wait till those wolves make nice”, essentially adding his own layered harmonization to beautiful effect. The entire group let loose during “Quotidian Beasts,” another standout track from Muchacho. It’s an upbeat track that allows every artist in the group to shine. “Quotidian Beasts” transitions back and forth between the wall-of-sound refrain and the verses, which show off Houck’s unique, crackly voice.

Phosphorescent exhibited a duality of sound from song to song at this live show; the setlist traded back and forth between methodical, western ballads and swelling jams. This is an effective way for Houck to exhibit his music, as things might get a little too mellow otherwise. The track that ended the set seemed aimed at San Francisco. The lonely cowboy desperation in “Down to Go” includes the exclamation-point-lyrics “Leave the city, can’t we go, I mean right now, I know it’s a pity, It’s getting cold…” He must be referring to a San Francisco summer, right?

PHOTOS: PST LIVE featuring 9th Wonder and Rapsody at The Independent

PST-LiveBy Marc Fong //

9th Wonder & Rapsody //
The Independent – San Francisco
March 16th, 2013 //

9th Wonder is a Grammy-winning producer, DJ, college lecturer and social activist. Formerly in the hip-hop trio Little Brother, he has produced tracks for Jay-Z, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu and many more. Rapsody is signed to 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records, and the two joined forces to perform at The Independent on Saturday.

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band delight at Fox Theater Oakland

Josh-Ritter

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band played to a sit down audience at Fox Theater Oakland Wednesday in support of their new record The Beast In Its Tracks, which dropped in early March. Take a look at a snippet of “Joy To You Baby,” the lead single from Josh Ritter’s 6th LP below after the snaps.

Upcoming Shows at The Fox Theater Oakland:
Band of Horses featuring Jake Bugg ~ Saturday April 13
Sigur Rós featuring Oneohtrix Point Never ~ Tuesday April 16
David Byrne & St. Vincent ~ Sunday July 21

Josh Ritter – The Beast In Its Tracks Album Teaser from Josh Ritter on Vimeo.

Conspirator elevates audience at The Independent

Conspirator

Conspirator made a Fun-Friday stop at The Independent March 15 to lay down some heavy electronic fusion for dance and jam fans alike. Featuring two members of jam-staple The Disco Biscuits, Conspirator have embarked on a lengthy 2013 tour in support of their recent EP Unleashed.

Upcoming Shows at The Independent:
The Pimps of Joytime ~ Friday March 22 and Saturday March 23
Poolside ~ Wednesday March 27
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk ~ Friday April 5

Flogging Molly at Fox Theater Oakland

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Seven-Piece celtic punk outfit Flogging Molly, fronted by the ever-passionate Dave King, jigged their way through Fox Theater Oakland this past Saturday. Mariachi El Bronx & Donots opened.

Marc Fong was on the Scene in Oakland getting some sick snaps.

The Revivalists put on a good ol’ time at The Indy

RevivalistsBy Marc Fong //

The Revivalists //
The Independent – San Francisco
February 23rd, 2013 //

The Revivalists aren’t a traditional New Orleans group. While they certainly incorporate brass instruments in the true spirit of NOLA, this seven-piece inches closer to indie rock than most groups out of The Crescent City, and David Shaw’s soulful vocals pair well with Ed Williams’ pedal steel guitar for a Southern blues feel.

It’s not easy to pin down The Revivalists’ sound to any one genre, and they are a live act that is more than worthy of your ears and eyes. The Independent hosted the fast-rising group last Saturday, and Marc Fong captured plenty of breathtaking moments.

Con Brio bids farewell to Xandra Corpora at The Independent

Con-Brio
Photos by Marc Fong

Xandra Corpora, the lovely lead lady for Con Brio, said goodbye to her bandmates in what was her farewell performance Friday evening at The Independent in San Francisco. Loyal fans were in attendance for the local SF band’s final performance with Corpora’s strikingly soulful vocals taking center stage.

Ellie Goulding is lights-out at The Fox Theater Oakland

Ellie Goulding

Genre-bending pop queen in waiting Ellie Goulding performed to a sold-out Fox Theater Oakland on Friday in continued support of her 2012 long-player Halcyon.

Marc Fong was in the pit grabbing great snaps of the singer songwriter & multi-instrumentalist.

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Fun. celebrate a year of triumph at the Fox Theater Oakland

fun.Photos by Marc Fong // Written by Mike Frash //

Fun. //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
February 7th, 2013 //

No one can disagree that Fun. has had a banner year. During the 2012 Super Bowl, their horrifyingly catchy track “We Are Young” was featured in Chevy advertisement, and the pop sensation led by Nate Ruess haven’t looked back. They sub-headlined festivals throughout 2012, started playing much bigger venues and won best song for “We Are Young” on Sunday evening at the Grammys. They also won Best New Artist, even though they released their sophomore LP in 2012.

In support of Some Nights, Fun. performed at the small-yet-quintessential SF venue The Independent last March, and it was clear by then that Fun. would never play such a small venue again in the Bay Area. Now that they are one of the most popular acts in the country, they were able to sell out the Fox Theater Oakland months in advance of their show. Marc Fong was on the scene last Thursday to capture the moment.

Local Natives drench Fox Theater Oakland in harmonious grooves

Local NativesBy Marc Fong //

Local Natives //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
January 30th, 2013 //

Local Natives sold out the Fox Theater Oakland on Wednesday night, supporting their brand new LP Hummingbird (read our review here). The LA-based group put on a strong show, and they have a great stage presence as they deliver ascending harmonies over contemplative grooves.

Check them out live if you can, as they should be touring throughout most of 2013.

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PHOTOS: Cody ChesnuTT at The Independent 1/29

Cody ChestnuttPhotos by Marc Fong

Cody ChesnuTT brought his R&B, neo-soul stylings and battle gear to The Independent on Tuesday. Most of the songs performed this night were from his two most recent efforts, Black Skin No Value and Landing on a Hundred.



Upcoming Independent shows similar to Cody ChesnuTT:
The Wailers performing Survival on February 7
North Mississippi Allstars on February 8 and 9
Con Brio on February 22

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Erykah Badu & The Coup ring in the New Year at Fox Theater Oakland

Erykah BaduBy Marc Fong //

Erykah Badu with The Coup, Syd tha Kid //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
December 31st, 2012 //

It was an activist-themed New Year’s Eve this week in Oakland as Erykah Badu and her awesome hair headlined the Fox Theater to ring in 2013.

Local hip-hop and funk-rock heroes The Coup founded in 1991 by rapper Boots Riley delivered a strong set as always before “the queen of neo-soul” took the stage as the evening’s main event.

Happy New Year!

Wintersalt Fest brings beats and top electronic talent to SF

Diplo headlined Wintersalt 2012
1. Wintersalt Low 93By Marc Fong //

Eye Heart SF curated Wintersalt on December 28th & 29th, a two day DJ-driven festival that took place at Fort Mason in San Francisco.

The event showcased some of the best electronic acts, such as Diplo, DJ Shadow and Mixmaster Mike, along with fast-rising stars Zedd, St. Lucia, Dillon Francis and Paper Diamond.

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Zedd headlined night one of Wintersalt
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Travis Barker & Mixmaster Mike joined forces
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DJ Shadow played his future shit, and collaborated with Lyrics Born & Lateef.
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Theophilus London delivered delicious rhymes over phat beats.
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Emcee k.flay had no problem getting the crowd moving.
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St. Lucia showed why they are one of the best new groups from 2012.
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Rufus and Martha Wainwright bring friends & holiday cheer to the Fox Oakland

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“Rufus & Martha Wainwright’s Christmas 101” delivered holiday cheer & fun family sing alongs December 19th at The Fox Theater Oakland. The couple is continuing the seasonal gathering that their talented musical parents Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle started many years ago.

The show featured country legend Emmylou Harris, former Eeels drummer Butch Norton, Van Dyke Parks, Maria Muldaur, and many more.

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Neurosis at The Fox Theatre Oakland 11.17.12

Photos by Marc Fong

Neurosis played their record release show to the hometown crowd the Fox Theatre Oakland Saturday, performing tracks from their brand new LP Honor Found in Decay. The veteran post-metal group is led by Scott Kelly on vocals & guitar.

PHOTOS: ‘Trail of Dead’ at The Independent 11/8

Photos by Marc Fong

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead //
The Independent – San Francisco
November 8th, 2012 //

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, more commonly referred to as “Trail of Dead”, trashed away at The Independent last Thursday after playing Fun Fun Fun fest in their hometown of Austin, Texas.

While their name sounds like a melodic death metal group, their hardcore sound lies somewhere between punk and progressive rock. The group, led by Jason Reece and Conrad Keely, is in the middle of a quick two-week tour.

Die Antwoord bombard Fox Theatre Oakland with zef music

Photos by Marc Fong
Written by Michael Frash

South African superstars-on-the-rise Die Antwoord blasted Oakland’s Fox Theatre Friday with Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er’s awe-inspiring dance moves, DJ Hi-Tek & outrageously dope outfits (or lack of them) that got the freaky crowd jumpin’.

Die Antwoord reps zef music, vivid ‘rap-rave’ that originated in Cape Town’s Afrikaans suburbs. And their 2012 tracks ratchet up the lyrical shock value & the EDM factor, & this shows live. For example, The Fox crowd was treated to classic gems like “EXP€N$IV $H1T’s” line ‘It’s like an Angel peed in my mouth’ after Ninja repeats ‘Sippin Dom Perignon Dom-Dom-Perignon’ for 4 verses. And huge bass drops are more present than ever.

Die Antwoord was headlining the penultimate show of the Sónar on tour in the US, which also featured azari & III, seth troxler, paul kalkbrenner, tiga, gesaffelstein, & nic fanciulli.

Sea Wolf at The Independent 11.05.12

Alex Church’s indie group Sea Wolf played The Independent Monday in San Francisco supporting their excellent new album Old World Romance. Marc Fong was there to snap photos.

Check out The Independent calendar for upcoming shows, including Social Studies, A.C. Newman, & Milo Greene in the next week.