BenJamin Wallen

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

April 24, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

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

PHOTOS: Haunted Summer, yOya & Owl Paws 4/8

April 11, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

Haunted Summer with yOya, Owl Paws //
The Chapel — San Francisco
April 8th, 2014 //

Haunted Summer, yOya & Owl Paws performed at the Chapel on Tuesday, and Benjamin Wallen captured the moments in time. View them below.

Listen to Haunted Summer’s “All Around”:

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Haunted Summer, Owl Paws, The Chapel, Yoya

PHOTOS: Bonnie & The BANG BANG, The Parmesans at Bottom of the Hill 4/4

April 10, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen 1 Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

Bonnie & The BANG BANG, The Parmesans //
Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco
April 4th, 2014 //

Bonnie & The BANG BANG and The Parmesans opened at Bottom of the Hill last Friday. Benjamin Wallen was on the scene with his keen eye.

Listen to Bonnie & The BANG BANG’s “Car Crash” below:

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Bonnie & The BANG BANG, Bottom of the Hill, The Parmesans

PHOTOS: Guy Fox, Big Tree, The Districts at Bottom of the Hill 3/21

March 26, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

The Districts performing at Bottom of the Hill March 21st.

The Districts at Bottom of the Hill.

By Benjamin Wallen //

Guy Fox with Big Tree, The Districts, New Moon //
Bottom Of The Hill — San Francisco
Friday, March 21st 2014

Bottom of the Hill offered an eclectic showcase of musicians last Friday, including the sounds of funk/soul, indie rock & alternative folk/jazz. The Districts, hailing from Pennsylvania, pack a punch with an aggressive sound and lots of energy, though they could be soft when they wanted to. Marked with straight-edge X’s on their hands, the young group impressed. Big Tree was next, offering sweet melodies and harmonies from the singers. Headliners Guy Fox simply brought it. Bottom of the Hill was packed for their performance that connected with a sound so familiar and friendly. Their brand of indie rock has a nice, complex finish to it.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Big Tree, Bottom of the Hill, Guy Fox, The Districts

PHOTOS: The Sam Chase, Bonnie & The BANG BANG, Before the Brave at Slim’s 3/14

March 19, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen 1 Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

The Sam Chase, Bonnie & The BANG BANG, Before the Brave
Slim’s — San Francisco
March 14, 2014

Having not been back to Slim’s since I started photographing concerts, I was very excited to get back to a place I grew up coming to as a wee one living in Marin. I knew I was in for a high energy show this past Friday, and Before The Brave, Bonnie & The BANG BANG and The Sam Chase all delivered.

Before the Brave was new for me, and I must say I really enjoyed their music. Rooted within a singer-songwriter style, deep songs layered in modern pop music floated throughout the venue. Catchy playing and lyrics grabbed me right off, but songs expanded, taking us all deep within soft melodies. Going to keep an eye out for these guys in the future.

Bonnie and The BANG BANG was the initial reason I was at Slim’s Friday. I have seem them a few times in smaller venues in and around SF and was stoked to hear their highly anticipated new tunes and see them play a bigger venue (with some other lighting than small club red). When the lights dropped, the classic Nancy Sinatra hit foretold the basis of bands name — “My baby shot me down….” Frontman Patrick James Stiles brings energy to lead singing we don’t often see from many bands. Barefoot and pacing the stage, the emotion and strength of songs was felt by all. Backed by a set of awesome guitarists that feed off each other, bleeding into songs with passion, is the secret ingredient here. I can’t wait to hear the new stuff from these guys. If you get a chance to see them, do so. You will leave a fan.

Last and certainly not least was The Sam Chase. After addictively listening to their music for days in a row, I knew The Sam Chase had something special going into their set. Many members fill the stage with all sorts of styles, making it so you couldn’t hide the foot stomping and dancing that came along when they played. Dressed to a T, the band brought it. Genre-varied, they were backed with a bit of horn and lots of banjo, showcasing that they are a great all-around band. It’s music I’d imagine you would hear in a roadhouse somewhere from Texas to the streets of New Orleans. The dirty-clean contrast of the rock is just what the doctor orders when knocking back some shots and kicking those heals up, having a blast.

Keep an eye out for these names. Good things are sure to come from this trio of talent.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Before The Brave, Bonnie & The BANG BANG, Slims, The Sam Chase

PHOTOS: The Wild Feathers, Saints of Valory & Jamestown Revival at The Independent 3/3

March 6, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen 1 Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

The Wild Feathers with Saints of Valory, Jamestown Revival //
The Independent – San Francisco
March 3rd, 2014 //

The Wild Feathers, Saints of Valory and Jamestown Revival brought a diverse spectrum of styles to The Independent on a Monday night.

Jamestown Revival procure a stripped-down and lonely soul-searching, yet welcoming Western sound. They rocked with strength and the pleasant harmony of great vocals. You can hear the Texas-based sound mixed with the classic rock feel of songs you can put on repeat over and over again, and it never get old. Great discovery here.

Saints of Valory screamed U2 to me. They have a big sound, an epic aura and profound vocals. Great buildups filled in with catchy hooks. Covering Lorde was a nice treat and a fun, fresh play on a song we have all heard too many times. Very much arena music for the modern day, Saints of Valory is the stuff you’d expect at immense venues with fireworks going off.

Headliner The Wild Feathers had many, many guitars on stage. When I noticed them, my thought was “Wow, so many guitars.” But once they graced the stage, it all made sense. The Wild Feathers packed the house on a rainy, cold Monday night, something that is frankly hard to do.They offered the edge of what you hear from a hard rock band like Black Sabbath in some ways — full, hard-lined guitar packed with a solid punch and tons of energy. Toss The Wild Feathers on the car stereo and tear off down the road, and it would be hard to find anyone who wouldn’t love this blend of Southern rock with a modern twist. Feeling so familiar, yet unlike anything you have heard from this genre in a while, The Wild Features brought some of the original roots of rock back to an over-effected world.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Jamestown Revival, Saints of Valory, The Independent, The Wild Feathers

Dustbowl Revival, Papa Bear & the Easy Love recharge Americana roots in SF

February 26, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen 2 Comments

By Benjamin Wallen //

Dustbowl Revival & Papa Bear and The Easy Love with Quiles and Cloud //
Great American Music Hall — San Francisco
February 22nd, 2014 //

It was a night of Americana at Great American Music Hall last weekend, led by Dustbowl Revival, who transcend genres and bring together so much of what is so great about the contemporary roots-revival movement.

But early on this evening, Quiles and Cloud took the stage. The classic guitar and singing blended vocals wonderfully, making me feel as comfortable as sitting on my couch on a rainy lazy day. The stage tonight, decorated with earthly tones and twigs gave us a very organic feeling, taking down the grandiose flair of the the music hall. It was as though a band of wayfaring travelers wandered by the venue looking for a show to play and just got lucky enough.

The next group up, Papa Bear and the Easy Love, teleported us all to a time where the hippy mentality of “love everyone and play wonderful music filled with positive vibes and energy” won the culture war. As many fans of older music tend to dream of what would a show be like four decades ago, the show took me there. The Easy Love hit the mark, making everyone wonderfully happy and swaying side to side. Toward the close of their set, the band brought out members from all bands playing that night for The Band’s classic “I Shall be Released”. With all these talented folks onstage, one could not help but perfectly visualize “The Last Waltz” finale. The set seemed to go on for longer than I expected, but what happened after was a bit strange.

They announced the dance floor would need a circle cleared and they would begin with a special “capoeira”. Wild dancing and playing ensued, something I had never seen before. I have been to many festivals around the world, and I didn’t quite understand this part of the show. Nevertheless, the dancers and players gave it their all as people gathered around and cheered. As the night wondered on, I was eager for Dustbowl to take the stage. I had seen Dustbowl a few times before but never with singer and washboard player Liz Beebe. I was looking forward to hearing the full band, with their full sound. They did not disappoint.

The horns were clean and loud, the playing tight and strong — more bands these days would benefit from a tight horn section. The energy this band has is mind-blowing. After three bands and going on until 12:30 a.m., they kept everyone fully engaged. I never like tables at concerts, and it was clear that no one was going to sit for this band. The sound reminds me of a New Orleans-style blending of string and horns, with a washboard and the fast mandolin of bluegrass with the strength of rock ‘n’ roll. There is a great reason this band was named LA’s best band in 2013 — they deserve it. I really hope music like this can take off in an endless world of DJ’s and pop performers.

The Dustbowl Revival stay true to the feeling of their name. The music is clean and crisp with that touch of the rough road all real musicians must travel. Dustbowl is a fantastic band nothing short of awesome. Hearing Beebe on vocals for the first time brought the band full circle for me. It was wonderful to have the full band grace us all and make thier mark on the Bay Area music scene.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Dustbowl Revival, Great American Music Hall, Papa Bear and The Easy Love, Quiles and Cloud

PHOTOS: Augustines at the Independent 2/10

February 12, 2014 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

By Benjamin Wallen

AUGUSTINES with My Goodness //
The Independent — San Francisco
February 10, 2014 //

Hearing a few people talk about The Augustines prior to showtime made me realize I was in for a treat. Often times bands take breaks, break up, find new members, change their name or even styles, hoping to hit their stride as a group. I could tell that what I was going to see and hear Monday was going to be that. But first, My Goodness came on to get the night going and boy did they.

This powerhouse came on and started getting the place moving. More and more people gathered and began to sink into the music. The sound has hard enough of an edge to cut the crowd open, but it flowed well enough that the overall sound was enjoyed. High energy and tight sounds rocked the crowd into a frenzy. The stage was set for the Augustines to finish the night off with a bang.

The Independent filled in faster and energy rose with anticipation. You could feel the following of fans and how exciting the night was going to be. When the band took the stage they were welcomed with loud cheers. I always say live music fuels the soul, and as soon as that band came on I could feel it.

The rocked, they swayed, they swooned. It’s rare that you discover a band that just brings it on the first time you hear them. The tightness of the music was there, you can tell they were sharp. The Indy vibe is always intimate yet big. The show was wonderful and I will go see them again — there were lots of catchy tunes that never felt too much the same, great singing and even better playing. The instruments swapped often, adding great depth. I imagine we’ll be hearing a lot from these guys in the future.