Blonde Redhead set the mood under dim lights at The Independent

September 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Blonde RedheadBy Diana Cordero //

Blonde Redhead //
The Independent – San Francisco
September 22nd, 2015 //

New York City dream-pop trio Blonde Redhead sold out The Independent last Tuesday night with their ever-moody presence enhanced by their equally moody tunes. Songs from their latest LP Barragán were a predominant of the night, but Blonde Redhead certainly did not omit previous classics from albums such as their iconic 2007 release 23.

Under a majorly dark venue, the lights barely revealed their faces. Lead singer Kazu Makino remained in darkness for most of the show, reinforcing the principle of music being more important than anything else. Twin brothers Amedeo Pace (vocals, lead guitar) and Simone Pace (drums) complemented Makino’s angelical voice with a more enclosed sound, a dynamic that have made them as appealing before as they are now.

Blonde Redhead

With Blonde Redhead’s set stretching to an hour and a half, the crowd was all in all content with this spectacle of light and sound that was certainly created and curated to be more along the lines of an art show than a rock ‘n’ roll concert. The emotional undertone of the band’s live show immediately puts it in a more cerebral light, where even the slightest thing has a purpose and a meaning. On the whole, Blonde Redhead are definitely a band involved in all aspects of their career.

With a great response from the capacity crowd, Blonde Redhead led a two-night stay at The Indy, making it one of the few dream-pop, art bands from the NYC scene that are still current even a decade after its major explosion.

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Genesis P-Orridge leads the ever-experimental Psychic TV back to SF

September 29, 2015 by 1 Comment

Psychic TVBy Diana Cordero //

Psychic TV //
The Independent – San Francisco
September 19th, 2015 //

Lately I’ve been into the idea of attending shows from bands I know absolutely nothing of because the experience has been, for the most part, very entertaining and just overall cool.

As was the case earlier this month in seeing Psychic TV, a British band formed back in the late 70’s by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, who might be the most interesting person alive. But before stepping into his persona, let’s briefly talk about the music since that’s what it’s all about.

Psychic TV is mainly an experimental electronic outfit, although after nearly 30 years, they’re still very much accentuated by their taste for rock music and use of analog instrumentation, including guitar, bass and drums. Their recordings are very prolific, mostly due to the fact that in 1986, they released a total of 17 live albums (they are actually in the Guinness book of world records as the band with the most records released in one year). As their name suggests, Psychic TV also integrate visuals and projections for their live shows.

Having been away from SF for a few years, Psychic TV came back with a generous set at The Independent that went as long as two hours with dancing and projections. Their performance drew a huge crowd, with only a few tickets left keeping the show from being sold out. Because the attendance was overwhelming and so was the crowd’s involvement, the dancing as well as the singing were impressive.

More than a band, Psychic TV is also an art project conceived by P-Orridge, the group’s only remaining original member. S/he is also the founder of a unique movement known as “The Pandrogyne Project,” which attempts to alter one’s physical appearance through surgical operations to look like his or her significant other. Ever since 1993, P-Orridge has undergone many plastic modification treatments in order to look like his/her now late wife. P-Orridge’s story is quite impressive, and if you’re into some weird autobiographies, it’s one you should definitely consider.

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Mad Decent Block Party takes over a sold-out Greek Theatre Berkeley

September 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Mad Decent Block Party - Greek Theatre BerkeleyBy Mike Rosati //

Mad Decent Block Party //
Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
September 11th, 2015 //

Los Angeles-via-Philadelphia record label Mad Decent has been throwing its increasingly popular block-party series for the last seven years, starting as a free event in 2008 before charging admission for the first time in 2014.

The label, which was spearheaded originally by producer, DJ, songwriter and why of course infamous shit talker Diplo, stepped up its block-party game in 2015, impressively selling out the Greek Theatre at U.C. Berkeley earlier this month with an electronic-heavy bill of artists.

Headlined by Diplo’s reggae/dancehall/moombahton side project Major Lazer, the Northern California version of this year’s Mad Decent Block Party also featured sets from CL, RL Grime, What So Not, Thomas Jack, Giraffage and Slaptop.

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tUnE-yArDs put an end to summer, close out 2015 Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier

September 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment

tUnE-yArDsBy Josh Herwitt //

tUnE-yArDs with Avid Dancer //
Santa Monica Pier – Santa Monica, CA
September 10th, 2015 //

Summer is officially over. Well, except for the fact that the weather in Southern California has been hovering in the high 90’s over the past two weeks.

So, what better way to escape the heat than to watch tUnE-yArDs play the last free concert of the summer at the beach?

With kids back in school and the tourist season dying down in Los Angeles, there weren’t quite as many bodies on the Santa Monica Pier or down on the sand last Thursday night as there had been in previous weeks.

tUnE-yArDs

But tUnE-yArDs, the musical project of New England native Merrill Garbus (drums, vocals, keyboards, ukulele), did their best to keep the small, but excited crowd entertained as the sun went down and the temperature cooled off. Playing one of the final shows with their current band lineup that features Dani Markham (percussion, vocals), Moira Smiley (vocals) and Haley Dekle (vocals), Garbus and Nate Brenner (bass, synths, vocals) ran through songs from their entire catalog, including their third and most recent full-length album Nikki Nack.

Opening the show was Avid Dancer, the indie-rock project of Jacob Dillan Summers, who grew up listening strictly to Christian music in a highly religious family before joining the United States Marine Corps and later moving to LA to play drums in a number of local bands. Now, with a guitar in hand, he’s leading his own band with his own stories to tell.

While the KCRW-sponsored performance marked the end of the 2015 Twilight Concert Series, signaling an end to summer, it also served as a reminder of how fun the past 10 weeks at the Santa Monica Pier have been for LA music fans.

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Dâm-Funk is proving he’s out to change funk

September 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Dâm-FunkBy Marc Fong //

DāM-FunK (Live) with Nite Jewel, Sweater Funk //
The Independent – San Francisco
September 6th, 2015 //

Dâm-Funk is out to change funk. Born Damon Riddick, his performance at The Independent on a Sunday night with openers Nite Jewel and Sweater Funk was more than just a show. It was a statement.

Dâm-Funk’s sound was reminiscent of your favorite 70’s tune but minus the kitch-ness. There was a meaningfulness to his show that made it not only great, but poignant. The vibe was not that of a cheesy wedding.

Rather, Dâm-Funk gave the packed house a dose of real funk enjoyed as it once was. There was soul to it — a genuine homage to something that now is generally a parody of itself. Well, maybe homage isn’t exactly the right word.

Dâm-Funk

Anyway, Dâm-Funk’s version of funk is definitely more modern, as he combines synths and percussion with a unique sound while still retaining the spirit of funk. Consequently, his take on “modern funk” with real soul is fantastic to hear live.

At the same time, one can’t help but think about the traditional notion of funk as music that shakes the booty and bobs the head. All in all, it was another funky good time at The Indy.

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Rey Pila shine in return to Fox Theater Oakland as opener for Brandon Flowers

September 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Rey PilaBy Marc Fong //

Rey Pila //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
September 2nd, 2015 //

Mexico City natives Rey Pila returned to the Bay Area last Wednesday night to open for the enigmatic Brandon Flowers. The band, fronted by baby-faced lead singer Diego Solórzano, brought with them a familiar, yet distant vibe.

Rey Pila’s sound is dark and synth-filled. Solórzano’s voice is reminiscent of your favorite Tears for Fears track. And although the band might have gotten lost in the pop goth of the 80’s, it now flourishes with a great rock sound.

More polished than they were during their previous visit to Oakland when they opened for Interpol last year (read our review here), Rey Pila brought their distinct sound back to The Fox. The band’s onstage energy matched that of its latest album The Future Sugar, which was released in May. That is to say, the performance constantly kept your feet moving, while the music was sleek and hypnotic.

Rey Pila

Headlining the show, Brandon Flowers put on an amazing performance. Photos were not allowed during his set, so readers will need to imagine that The Killers lead singer was immaculately dressed as he sashayed with style and grace.

In the end though, Flowers sounded fantastic. While his solo stuff was fun to hear, the highlights, judging from the crowd, were The Killers songs that he played.

The show, as a whole, featured two jewels. Rey Pila remains uncut but wonderful, and Brandon Flowers is and always will be a precious gem.

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Resident weirdo Ariel Pink preps for his upcoming fall tour with a free hometown show by the beach

August 25, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Ariel PinkBy Josh Herwitt //

Ariel Pink with The Mynabirds //
Santa Monica Pier – Santa Monica, CA
August 20th, 2015 //

Los Angeles native Ariel Pink (born Ariel Marcus Rosenberg) is well known for his strange ways, whether it’s the lo-fi, psychedelic-pop music he creates or simply his bizarre onstage appearance. Ahead of his upcoming fall tour, the former Beverly Hills High School student performed at the Santa Monica Pier for free last Thursday and looked surprisingly “normal” for the hometown crowd, mirroring a youthful Kurt Cobain with his long and stringy blonde hair (it was dyed pink at one point, naturally).

The show, which was part of KCRW’s ongoing Twilight Concert Series this summer, saw Pink delve mostly into material from his 2014 critically acclaimed album pom pom, including the first nine songs of his set. And despite having his backing band — more formally known as Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti — with him, the 37-year-old singer-songwriter only played two songs from that branch of his expansive catalog before returning to more of his “solo” work. While it had been almost a month since Pink’s last gig, he’ll be back in LA fairly soon for two nights (Oct. 5th-6th) at The Teragram Ballroom before heading north to SF for back-to-back shows a week later at Bimbo’s 365 Club, where we caught him in February.

Kicking off the night were The Mynabirds, the Omaha band fronted by pianist Laura Burhenn (formerly of Washington D.C. indie outfit Georgie James) that released its third album Lovers Know just a couple weeks prior.

Setlist:
Four Shadows
White Freckles
Jell-o
Lipstick
One Summer Night
Put Your Number in My Phone
Goth Bomb
Dinosaur Carebears
Not Enough Violence
Fright Night (Nevermore) (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti song)
Dayzed Inn Daydreams
Bright Lit Blue Skies (Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti song)
Picture Me Gone
Netherlands

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Special guests rule the night at Karl Denson’s post-Outside Lands superjam

August 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Karl Denson's Tiny UniverseBy Steve Carlson //

Outside Lands night show: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe superjam with special guests //
The Independent – San Francisco
August 9th, 2015 //

Karl Denson brought his jazz/funk band Tiny Universe and a variety of special guests to The Independent to close out Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival 2015 with one last late-night jam, and a capacity crowd was on hand to party along with him into the night.

The show was scheduled to start around 10 p.m., just after Elton John officially closed the festival at Golden Gate Park, but to the frustration of more than a few, including some fans who had traveled from as far away as Monterey, Calif., the show didn’t kick off until nearly 11:30 p.m. Once Denson took the stage and launched into “New Ammo” though, all was quickly forgiven.

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe

Over the course of the next two hours, Denson brought out guest after guest to help keep the party going, whether it was his old friends in Slightly Stoopid, Ian Neville of Dumpstaphunk, Alex Bleeker of Real Estate (for a beautiful rendition of The Dead’s “New Speedway Boogie”) or perhaps the biggest surprise of the whole evening, Paul Janeway of St. Paul and the Broken Bones, who had ditched his trademark suit for a T-shirt and baseball cap and proceeded to improvise a passionate cover of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” for the rapturous audience.

The show also leaned heavily on hometown talent with local favorite Nicki Bluhm taking the stage for a few songs, including a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Tumblin’ Dice”, while the always-magnetic Ziek McCarter of Con Brio made an unannounced appearance after his Outside Lands “Sexual Chocolate” set with Denson earlier in the day. It was nice to see Denson give both Bluhm and McCarter generous stage time, reminding everybody in the house how lucky we are to have such incredible talent right here in SF.

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Sam Amidon, Little Wings take part in Noise Pop’s newest series at Swedish American Hall

July 31, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Sam Amidon


Sam Amidon

By Diana Cordero //

Sam Amidon & Little Wings //
Swedish American Hall – San Francisco
July 28th, 2015 //

The people over at Noise Pop have created a series of events called Noise Pop Headquarters (NPHQ) that are held at the Swedish American Music Hall, a venue, despite it being quite intimate and special, often missed by the SF audience when it comes to enjoying live music.

On Tuesday night, the place was mesmerized by the influence of Vermont troubadour and multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon, who was fighting a cold (he seemed to be having a hard time with his throat) but was able to amuse the crowd with his soundscapes of deep-folk storytelling — even at the relatively young age of 34. And if you’ve never heard of him, The New York Observer introduced Amidon, now based in Los Angeles, best by writing, “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Sam Amidon: spokesman for the new, weird America.”

Co-headlining the show was Little Wings, a musical project led by Kyle Field, who is also a troubadour from California by way of Alabama (read our interview with him here) and best known for his past collaborations with M. Ward and Feist. Surprisingly enough, Little Wings’ set prompted fans to get out of their seats and dance for a while. With the now-shrinking SF hippie community making an appearance to sing and dance along with its peer, it made the intimate evening that much more special.

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Real Estate bring chilled-out vibes to Santa Monica

July 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Real EstateBy Josh Herwitt //

Real Estate with Hippo Campus //
Santa Monica Pier – Santa Monica, CA
July 16th, 2015 //

Brooklyn-by-way-of-New Jersey indie rockers Real Estate saw their third and latest studio album Atlas climb all the way to No. 34 on the Billboard Top 200 chart last year, serving as a strong follow-up to 2011’s Days. After touring along the West Coast this past May with their fellow Brooklynites in folk-rock trio Woods, the five-piece from Ridgewood, N.J. — Martin Courtney IV (vocals, guitar), Alex Bleeker (bass, vocals), Matt Mondanile (guitar), Jackson Pollis (drums) and Matt Kallman (keyboards) — returned to California last Thursday and won over a properly stoned crowd at the Santa Monica Pier. Already drawing parallels to Vampire Weekend with their 2014 single “Little Grace”, Minnesota indie-pop quartet Hippo Campus opened the free show sponsored by KCRW, setting the mood before Real Estate’s chilled-out vibes afforded the perfect soundtrack on a tepid, summer night at the beach.

Setlist:
Atlantic City
Beach Comber
Had to Hear
Past Lives
Talking Backwards
How Might I Live
Crime
Kinder Blumen
Out of Tune
The Bend
Horizon
Green Aisles
All the Same
It’s Real
April’s Song
Fake Blues

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High Sierra celebrates 25 years in grand fashion

July 15, 2015 by 1 Comment

2015 High Sierra Music FestivalBy Benjamin Wallen //

High Sierra Music Festival //
Quincy, CA
June 30th-July 3rd, 2015 //

High Sierra is an intimate music festival nestled in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains. Held every year around the Fourth of July in Quincy, Calif., people come from all over to get down in the sun and have some fun.

Celebrating the festival’s 25th year brought the return of jam-band giants The String Cheese Incident and Umphrey’s McGee, both of which are no strangers to High Sierra. Tearing the roof off of festivals and causing the earth to shake from fans dancing is what String Cheese and Umphrey’s do best, after all.

2015 High Sierra Music Festival – The String Cheese Incident


The String Cheese Incident

San Francisco locals The Sam Chase & The Untraditional were another highlight at the festival. The Wood Brothers, meanwhile, brought their special sound to Quincy and had lots of new fans talking about them afterward. The Word, a mash-up of amazing musical talents from John Medeski to Robert Randolph, impressed by surprisingly only playing instrumental gospel tunes.

Pennsylvania bluegrass band Cabinet also left a heavy mark at High Sierra, as did T Sisters, who seemed to be everywhere. Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO), Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers, The Brothers Comatose, Steve Poltz and Surprise Me Mr. Davis shared the stage for a memorable, mid-day set of California-inspired tunes in the indoor, air-conditioned music hall. On the final day of High Sierra, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead closed things out on the main stage with two full, vibrant sets.

On the whole, this year’s festival was very well-handled and maintained. High Sierra is a special event, made special by all of those who make it what it is. The festival never feels too crowded or overpopulated — it’s just right between the music, the people and the area amid everything else. It’s exactly what many want in a festival and so much more.

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SF product Bhi Bhiman packs The Independent for album release party

July 7, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Bhi BhimanBy Mike Rosati //

Bhi Bhiman with Ol Silver Tongue, Vikesh Kapoor //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 27th, 2015 //

Sri Lankan-American folk rocker Bhi Bhiman packed The Independent on a Saturday night for his Rhythm & Reason album release party last month. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Bhiman eventually migrated to Northern California to attend UC Santa Cruz before moving to SF to pursue music.

With his sidekicks — keyboardist Max Cowan, bassist Oscar Westesson and drummer Cairo McCockran — playing alongside him, Bhiman (guitar, vocals) performed a mix of both old and new songs for his adopted hometown crowd. There was even a special guest toward the end of the show as Joshua Boronkay of Oakland two-piece Ol Silver Tongue, which served as one of the evening’s two openers, joined the band for set closer “Guttersnipe”.

Setlist:
Out in the Streets
Color Pink
Eye on You
Waterboarded
Death Song
Up in Arms (solo)
Brussels
Bread & Butter
The Fool
Closer to Thee
Guttersnipe

Encore:
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) (solo)

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Jaga Jazzist know how to offer fans the complete audiovisual experience

June 23, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Jaga JazzistBy Diana Cordero //

Jaga Jazzist with Taylor McFerrin //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 18th, 2015 //

Norway experimental jazz octet Jaga Jazzist packed The Independent last Thursday in front of a surprisingly engaged audience.

The band occupied the entirety of the stage, which barely fit all eight members, and their multitude of instrumentation (each player rotated between 2-3 instruments throughout the night) during a set that pretty much included two hours of catchy, cinematic jazz music. With no singer, drummer and main composer Martin Horntveth acted as the group’s spokesman as he greeted the crowd and introduced each song.

To top it all off, Jaga Jazzist make visuals with yet another instrument. The lighting is specifically designed to accompany every track they perform, which turns their shows into a complete audiovisual experience worth catching — unless you suffer from epilepsy — because these guys can play fast and so are the strobe lights, of course.

Warming up the crowd was Brooklyn-based producer Taylor McFerrin, who played a very well-received 30-minute set.

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Oakland’s Trails and Ways use their worldly travels to captivate a sold-out Independent

June 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Trails and WaysPhotos by Tomáš Valda // Written by Nik Crossman //

Trails and Ways with Bells Atlas //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 5th, 2015 //

With sounds derived from their worldly travels, the four Oakland natives of Trails and Ways promoted their debut album Pathology at The Independent after the soulful melodies of Bells Atlas. The inspiration for Trails and Ways began abroad and amalgamated with a bedroom recording project, which produced their hit single “Nunca” and transformed the project into a dedicated passion. Thanks to their recent national tours and performance at Outside Lands last year, this up-and-coming foursome is one to watch.

Flowing over a sold-out audience in SF, Trails and Ways set out to debut the latest songs from Pathology, which was released just three days prior. The public infancy of the first few tracks made it difficult for the audience to rally behind the sing-along energy produced from their better-known hits like “Mtn Tune”, “Sure Thing” (a Miguel cover) and of course “Nunca”, but Trails and Ways seemed to pick up on the energy and quickly shifted gears to the crowd favorites, enlisting everyone to move and sing along.

While there were different expectations across the board, it’s always difficult to debut new music and maintain solid engagement with a crowd. Fortunately, Trails and Ways were able to leverage the delicate intimacy of The Independent and create the best of both worlds, leading fans on a journey through Pathology. Once Trails and Ways abandoned the stage, the crowd quickly summoned them back for an encore, and they happily obliged.

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Palma Violets ignite a crowd-surfing frenzy in SF

June 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Palma VioletsBy Diana Cordero //

Palma Violets with Public Access T.V. //
Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco
June 4th, 2015 //

Brit quartet Palma Violets ignited the always-forbidden crowd surfing at Bottom of the Hill last Thursday. The band is now promoting their sophomore LP Danger in the Club, a collection of straight-forward, English rock ‘n’ roll.

The riot began early for this show when Palma Violets bassist Alexander “Chilli” Jesson and lead singer Samuel Fryer joined opening act and New York-based band Public Access T.V. This quickly set the mood for the evening and also reflects the band’s personality: loud, accessible and yet unpredictable.

Popular amongst critics and fans, Palma Violets formed back in 2011 and ever since then have played career-defining shows, such as at Glastonbury and Treasure Island Music Festival. The show at Bottom of the Hill marked the third time these lads have hit the bay since their inception.

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Preservation Hall Jazz Band bring a taste of New Orleans to Sweetwater Music Hall

June 11, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Preservation Hall Jazz BandBy Kory Thibeault //

Preservation Hall Jazz Band //
Sweetwater Music Hall – Mill Valley, CA
June 1st, 2015 //

Preservation Hall Jazz Band dropped by Sweetwater Music Hall last Monday, convincing everyone in attendance that Frenchman Street was only a step out the door. If you are not familiar with this band or Preservation Hall for that matter, I suggest you do your research and treat your ears.

In the tradition of keeping jazz alive and relevant, Preservation Hall and its house band of the same name are iconic. While the lineup is ever-evolving, Preservation Hall Jazz Band has been touring for decades, bringing their New Orleans flavor to the national stage.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Preservation Hall’s lineup on this night consisted of bandleader Marc Braud, creative director Ben Jaffe, Rickie Monie, Joseph Lastie Jr., Clint Maedgen and Ronell Johnson. As Monie states, “Up until now, we’ve been a band that’s based on a repertoire that’s existed for a century, but that’s the balancing act: how do you honor your history and forge ahead in a way that celebrates your past? We’re not a museum. We’re a living, breathing part of New Orleans.” That last part is especially true. This band lives and breathes jazz music, which is essential to their mission of keeping it relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Personally, I believe jazz music to be one of those American art forms that will always have a place embedded in our hearts. All one has to do is open themselves up and truly listen. Jazz transcends. Jazz fills the soul. I am elated there are still musicians like Preservation Hall Jazz Band who have continued to do so.

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Patrick Watson is the incarnation of a musical genius

June 11, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Patrick WatsonBy Diana Cordero //

Patrick Watson with Villagers //
The Chapel – San Francisco
June 2nd, 2015 //

California-born and Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson is the incarnation of a musical genius, eccentric and a bit of a mad man. His melodic arrangements as well as his instrumentation are remarkable. Music has always been a part of his life, and it becomes very obvious when one attends his show, as his SF fans did last Tuesday at The Chapel.

Watson doesn’t treat his performance as just another gig, but rather another opportunity to play music he loves making. He just exudes it, and it is awesome to witness that legitimacy. This musical journey is enhanced not only by the dynamic amongst the band members, but also by the minimalistic lighting setup that accompanies this tour, which is based off the artwork for his fifth and newest studio album Love Songs for Robots.

Patrick Watson

Often times, the stage setup seemed like it was designed to give primary focus to the music since the band appears only as a silhouette but is revealed when the music rises and explodes into melodic fireworks. Before the encore started and what already felt like the beginning of the end, Watson jumped off stage and joined the crowd to play two acoustic songs with two of his bandmates. The attendees clapped along to this intimate delivery, which took the concert to yet another level of greatness.

Opening the show was Irish indie-folk band Villagers, which supported Watson during his California dates and were a nice surprise to hear.

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Sufjan Stevens continues the grieving process at a sold-out Fox Theater Oakland

June 10, 2015 by 2 Comments

Sufjan StevensBy Steve Carlson //

Sufjan Stevens with Helado Negro //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
June 5th, 2015 //

Indie-folk artist Sufjan Stevens played two sold-out shows at the Fox Theater in Oakland last Friday and Saturday, touring in support of his latest acclaimed work Carrie & Lowell.

Stevens mesmerized the seated audience Friday with a setlist expertly crafted to convey the tone of the aforementioned album, which deals with the grief Stevens experienced in the wake of losing his estranged mother Carrie. More than a few tears were shed throughout the audience and on stage, with Stevens burying his head in his hands at times before eventually reaching a sort of catharsis through an intense electronic explosion at the culmination of the fantastic “Blue Bucket of Gold”.

Sufjan Stevens

Stevens spoke of the need for community in the throes of grief, and the audience ably did their part to help him through this very public grieving process. At the end of the main set, a young woman crashed the stage to offer a bemused Sufjan something (a hug? words of love and encouragement?), and it seemed wholly appropriate, as if the audience needed in some small way to collectively reach out to the man after he bared his soul so openly.

Kicking off the show was experimental electronic artist Helado Negro, who brought along two “tinsel dancers” (or “glitter monks”?) to accompany him through his set of mellow pop tunes sung in both Spanish and English — a weirdly appropriate opener for an artist like Stevens to bring along on tour.

Setlist:
Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)
Death With Dignity
Should Have Known Better
Drawn to the Blood
All of Me Wants All of You
Eugene
John My Beloved
The Only Thing
Fourth of July
No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross
Carrie & Lowell
The Owl and the Tanager
In the Devil’s Territory
For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti
Heirloom
The Dress Looks Nice on You
Futile Devices
To Be Alone With You
Blue Bucket of Gold

Encore:
Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
Casimir Pulaski Day
The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
Chicago

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The Knocks turn The Indy into a raging house party

June 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The KnocksPhotos by Justin Yee // Written by Molly Kish //

The Knocks with Phoebe Ryan //
The Independent – San Francisco
May 28th, 2015 //

New York-based producers and electronic music duo The Knocks turned The Independent into a raging house party last Thursday on the SF stop of their “Dancing With Myself Live Tour.” Pumping the venue full of remixed favorites, classic covers and original material, The Knocks treated a sold-out crowd to a bass-driven setlist by covering songs from all three of their EPs. DJ B-Roc and JPlatt provided live vocals and percussion, injecting new life into their electronically produced tracks and plenty of movement on the dance floor.

Even though The Knocks cut their set somewhat short, they kept the performance fluid while attempting to coerce fans into continuing the party at their after-hours DJ set in SOMA. Regardless of their success in doing so, The Knocks proved they could throw down as both producers and artists in their own right. Catching a rare “live show” opportunity with the group is few and far between, but one that anyone in attendance that evening will soon not forget. Los Angeles-based songwriter Phoebe Ryan opened the show.

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Diarrhea Planet get explosive, loud and a little stinky at The Independent

June 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Diarrhea PlanetBy Diana Cordero //

Diarrhea Planet with Left & Right //
The Independent – San Francisco
May 27th, 2015 //

Nashville’s own Diarrhea Planet brought a cup of fresh heavy metal to The Independent last Wednesday, and yes, use the band’s name as an indicator for the type of personality these guys have: explosive, loud and maybe even a little stinky. They do sweat a lot by jumping all throughout their set, but it ignites an amazing energy from the audience and there was a lot of moshing on this night at The Indy.

The band has the energy and attitude of a teenage punk band, but their skills go way beyond that label. These guys know how to shred and kill it on their instruments. Diarrhea Planet is composed of singer-guitarist Jordan Smith, guitarist-singer Emmett Miller, guitarist Evan Bird, guitarist-singer Brent Toler, bassist Mike Boyle and drummer Ian Bush.

Diarrhea Planet

Smith is a wild animal who only stops to get his guitar tuned every now and then. The pinnacle of the night came when he threw himself into the frantic audience to do a bit of crowd surfing — and it’s precisely the band’s interaction with its fans that makes Diarrhea Planet so unique and memorable with no dull moment in their set.

The six-piece ended the night with a great surprise by covering The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”, which Smith called “his favorite song ever.” Philadelphia psychedelic fuzz rockers Left & Right opened the show.

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