“I think our tag line “Championing Independent Culture” is an accurate description of what we are.” ~Julie Zielinski, Assistant Producer of Noise Pop

Written by Mike Frash & Molly Kish //

Noise Pop, an indie music festival that features emerging artists and living legends, is poised to take over 25 San Francisco venues from February 26th-March 3rd. It began as a one-night affair at The Independent 21 years ago, and has expanded to incorporate independent film and a wider range of art into the sphere of the week-long event.

The artist curation has also evolved over the years. “We’ve definitely extended Noise Pop as a concept. It started out so much as indie rock like Built to Spill and White Stripes,” said Julie Zielinski from Noise Pop headquarters. “But since we began Treasure Island Music Festival, we have expanded to electronic music and even hip hop a little bit.”

Subscribe to our Noise Pop 2013 Spotify playlist.

As you’ll see below, some of the best looking Noise Pop shows have already sold out. But fear not! You can purchase a Festival Badge, which is a super value for show hoppers & concert addicts. The badge grants access to all general admission (non-seated) shows, films, happy hours, Culture Club and other events during the festival.

“We try to curate really unique shows and while we often have big headliners, it’s super important to us to have local bands and West Coast representation in all of the supporting acts.” ~Kelleyann Schilke, Noise Pop Production Coordinator

Noise Pop Headliners

Toro Y Moi • Friday & Saturday March 1 & 2 @ The Independent • SOLD OUT Buy a badge

Coming off the recent release of his third studio album Anything in Return, Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bundwick) brings the sexy to this year’s Noise Pop lineup. Bundwick is a “chill wave” innovator rooted deeply within the genres of R&B, Soul and Funk and now dance with the new LP. Toro Y Moi, Bundwick’s full band, will be heating up The Independent for two sold out nights. With support from Sinkane and Dogbite, prepare to leave a sweaty mess with no tread left on the soles on your shoes.

Best show to boogie your way into some baby making.

!!! (chk chk chk) • Thursday February 28 @ Great American Music Hall • BUY TICKETS

Kicking off the weekend early with some movement, bi-coastal dance-punk party starters Chk Chk Chk will be bringing down the house at Great American Music Hall. With their fifth studio album Thr!!!er dropping April 30, which the band describes as “auricular magic,” one can anticipate !!!’s first show of their tour to include a healthy dose of new material along with crowd favorites. Festival veterans, Chk Chk Chk know how to motivate crowds to get asses shaking. Nic Offer’s ecstatic outfit has the ability to continuously satisfy long term fans and blow the minds of first time witnesses. Combine that with the added support of three up and coming acts led by White Arrows, and this show is one not to miss.

Best show to gain a new appreciation for booty shorts and leave with some stellar dance moves.

Amon Tobin (DJ set) • Friday March 1 @ Public Works • BUY TICKETS

After a widely successful and rigorous schedule promoting his 2011 album ISAM, Amon Tobin brings his special blend of performance art & gritty beats to Public Works. His latest work, coming in the form of a Two Fingers album Vengeance Rythym and remixes of “Chaos Theroy,” is bound to be front and center at his Noise Pop performance, bringing to life his unique vision of “dub step built on an interplanetary level.” Accompanied by hard hitting openers Maus Haus, Naytronix and Group Rhonda, this show displays the diversity of Noise Pop 2013 by slapping you across the face with dirty electronic talent.

Best show to attend ready to rage and leave with enough optical stimulation to inspire the completion of your visual arts thesis.

Starfucker (STRFKR) • Friday March 1 @ The Regency • SOLD OUT Buy a badge

Polyvinyl darlings and favorites amongst the electro-indie scene, Starfucker (aka STRFKR) make their way back to the Regency Ballroom for one of the most anticipated shows of the Noise Pop 2013 Festival weekend! Celebrating the release of their forth LP Miracle Mile February 19, the boys took some risks with their songwriting and produced what is being hailed as their most ambitious effort to date. In addition to their infallible dance-floor-ready discography, expect to hear some of their recent successful experiments with funk, psychedelic pop and disco. Taking the stage after one of the strongest opening acts of the festival, Blackbird Blackbird, this show will leave you ready to take the city by storm (on your way to 1015 Folsom).

Best show to find yourself singing, jumping, dancing and/or making out with someone, whether you know ’em or not.

Rogue Wave • Friday March 1 @ Bottom Of The Hill • SOLD OUT Buy a badge

East Bay indie rockers Rogue Wave are headlining an intimate show with Wymond Mills, Mwahaha, and Brainstorm at Bottom of the Hill. On the heels of a cryptically announced LP that is in the works, this one of two shows Rogue Wave has on their touring calendar. Eager to debut new material and backed by a killer local line up, Rogue Wave play chaperone to a bar mitzvah of local Bay Area talent. Welcome back to Zach!

Best show to avoid your ex that you see across the room. The one that stole your copy of Out of the Shadow and is still sporting your Rogue Wave T-shirt. Awkward …

YACHT • Saturday March 2 @ Slims • BUY TICKETS

YACHT began as Jona Bechtolt’s solo project, but at a live show you are more likely to have your eyes on singer Claire Evans. Evans officially made YACHT a twosome in 2008, and they haven’t looked back since. YACHT is much more than a creative duo that tours with a full band and recreates their digital sound with live instruments. YACHT is a movement, even a borderline religion. I’m not kidding.

Best show to Overcome Humanity and Become Your Own God

The Thermals • Friday March 1 @ Rickshaw Stop • SOLD OUT Buy a badge

The Thermals bring their infectious post-punk energy to Rickshaw Stop for Noise Pop 2013. Aiming to tear shit up with Bay Area bad asses Dirty Ghost’s, The She’s and EV Kain, this lineup is bursting with with raw talent and youth. The central core of Noise Pop is to feature bands on the rise in venues known for breaking new artists – to call attention to burgeoning talent, ya dig? Get on it!

Best show to watch a female spill her drink on you while pogo dancing, make fun of you for how ridiculous you look and buy you a shot in place of an apology.

Body/Head • Tuesday February 26 @ Rickshaw Stop • BUY TICKETS

One of the most anticipated and exciting acts of the Noise Pop 2013 line up, Body/Head has even the most seasoned of music professionals’ tongues wagging with predicative prose. Noise Pop Assistant Producer Julie Zielinski says, “We have some fun shows like Body/Head, Kim Gordon’s side project. The thing about this one is that really none of us have heard it, so it’s going to be this huge surprise.” An experimental project formed by indie rock legend and founding member of Sonic Youth Kim Gordon and free noise guitar superstar Bill Nace, this outfit is one that falls nicely into the Noise Pop realm.

Best show to arrive with absolutely no expectations, except that you are seeing a new act before everyone else.

Damien Jurado • Saturday March 2 @ The Chapel • BUY TICKETS

Those with a proclivity toward singer-songwriters might want to check out Damien Jurado at San Francisco’s newest venue The Chapel in the Mission. Lately Jurado has been been releasing new records at a yearly clip, and he’s currently touring on his 2012 effort Maraqopa. Jurado is certainly an under-the-radar talent; his songs and discography greatly outweigh his overall success.

Best show to discover a hidden musical gem.

Catch Em Before They Blow Up

“I’ve been with Noise Pop for about five to six years now, and I remember the first year I said ‘Wow, I don’t even really know a lot of these bands,’ and I consider myself pretty well versed. Then from the progression of Noise Pop, to SXSW to the next set of festivals you would see bands like the Fleet Foxes play second of four at the Bottom of the Hill, then all of the sudden they are on the front cover of all of these magazines. It’s interesting to see how people are able to trampoline onto the next thing.” ~Julie Zielinski, Assistant Producer of Noise Pop

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down • Saturday March 2 @ Great American Music Hall •
SOLD OUT Buy a badge

Thao Nguyen, the spark-plug front-woman for The Get Down Stay Down, is ready for the spotlight and even mainstream radio-play with the release of We the Common on February 5. Title track “We the Common (For Valerie Bolden)” will be a hit – and for a good reason. The track plays on multiple genres successfully, contrasting a bluegrass/jazz based-sound with synth hits, alt-rock beat transitions and poppy, Regina Spektor-like accessible lyrics. By the time the refrain kicks in (“Whooo-a-hooo, haha), it becomes easy to speculate that Thao and The Get Down Stay Down could have a big year.

FUZZ • Friday March 1 @ The Knockout • SOLD OUT Buy a badge

When Trouble in Mind Records received an anonymous submission by a heavy psych rock band last year, the mystery of FUZZ was born in a wall of sound. When the veil was raised, it turned out to be Ty Segall and his long-time collaborator Charlie Moothart were the creators of this new ruckus. The plot thickened when it was learned that Ty was manning the drumkit while Moothart banged out riffs heavy enough to make Sabbath blush. Bongs across America rattled as this is no average stoner rock band. The vocals are unmistakably Segall, which couldn’t fit the limited tracks any better.

Having the pleasure of seeing this band at tiny Hemlock Tavern got me excited that this was not a waste of Segall’s increasingly valuable time and effort. Having known that Ty is competent on all instruments lends perfect sense to him truly wanting to try it all, and sooner than later.
-Kevin Quandt

DIIV • Friday & Saturday March 1 & 2 @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall • SOLD OUT Buy a badge

Beach Fossil’s Zachary Cole Smith released a whopper of a solo effort in 2012 under the aquatic-name, DIIV (Dive). Heavy on the reverb and not lacking any quality of pop shoe-gaze mentality, DIIV’s sound has a way of grabbing you and holding on as the infectious guitar hooks play over and over in your skull. Apparently the secret is out, as two Noise Pop shows sold out rather quickly. The attention is deserved.

Nosaj Thing • Thursday February 21 @ California Academy of Sciences

Nosaj Thing produces subtle yet contemporary beauty at it’s finest. It was well worth the wait for Jason Chung’s new album Home under his Nosaj Thing monicker, as this fresh batch of progressive down-beat tracks is full of his unique sound. Nosaj Thing is headlining the weekly California Academy of Sciences Nightlife February 21, the Thursday before Noise Pop week.

Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, Young Magic Scene Unseen II • Friday March 1 @ 1015 Folsom • Free with RSVP

Did you see all the sick shows happening Friday March 1st? The place to be afterwards will be at 1015 Folsom, where Washed Out (Ernest Greene) and Toro Y Moi (Chazwick Bundick) spin at this free after-party.

“The Culture Club, it is what all of these musicians and artists do outside of just making music…” ~Kelleyann Schilke

Culture Club Presented by Bay Bridged • Saturday @ Swedish American Music Hall • BUY TICKETS

Culture Club, now in its third year of celebrating this process and DIY spirit, gives you the rare opportunity to see and hear your favorite artists in the music, film, art, design, food and technology communities show in an interactive way how, why and what inspires them in creating their work(s). In addition to talks and unique performances, there are hands-on opportunities for participants to delve into their own creativity as well. Culture Club creates an all-around immersive experience to get in touch with your favorite creatives on a deeper and more insightful level.

“One thing we’re highlighting this year is Olek, who is a famous crochet artist that does “crochet bombing.” She’s going to come in a teach crochet workshops and talk about that aspect of public movement which is pretty cool.”

“Also highlighting music, we’ll be featuring Dust & Grooves: For the Love of Vinyl, whom are going to come in and take photographs of local musicians and their record collections, then talk about how people are influenced by music and how vinyl has continued to effect really popular music. The concept itself is really just to highlight how much music really effects artistic movement and movement in the world.” ~Kelleyann Schilke

Noise Pop Film Series • Buy a film series badge

See a Little Light: A Celebration of the Music and Legacy of Bob Mould
Q&A with director Justin Mitchell & Bob’s manager Jordan Kurland
February 27 / Roxie Theater / 9 p.m. / $10

Last November at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, some of today’s most influential artists gathered to celebrate the music of Bob Mould. Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Britt Daniel (Spoon), Ryan Adams, No Age, Craig Finn and Tad Kubler (The Hold Steady), Margaret Cho with Grant Lee Phillips, and Jessica Dobson (The Shins, Deep Sea Diver) all performed songs from Bob’s historic catalog. Fortunately, the entire evening was captured in stunning audio and high-quality video quality by filmmaker Justin Mitchell. Justin and his camera crew followed Bob and the other artists meticulously throughout their day catching the rehearsals, preparation, interactions—and of course the night’s unforgettable performances.

“We also have a lot of great films I’m excited about like See a Little Light, A Celebration of the Music and Legacy of Bob Mould. Shepard Fairey is going to be there as well as Jordan Kirland, our boss in honor. Also the Bad Brains film, I’m excited about that as well.” ~Julie Zielinski

Strom Thorgerson & Hipgnosis Taken by Storm: Iconic Album Art
Pre-screening Reception: Thursday, February 28, 2013 / 5–8 p.m.
San Francisco Art Exchange; February 28th-March 16th

For over 40 years using album covers as his canvas, Storm Thorgerson has created some of the most iconic images in the history of music from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, Peter Gabriel, Black Sabbath, Paul McCartney to Biffy Clyro, Muse, The Mars Volta—in fact possibly 80% of your classic vinyl collection! Eschewing digital manipulation in favor of building massive sets and tableaus, staging performances and actions and ‘doing it for real’, Storm has deliriously confounded expectations of the relation of images and music, hyperrealism and the everyday, and the role of the record sleeve at the intersection of art and commerce.

“Taken by Storm, with Storm Thorgerson is really being hyped and will be accompanied by a champagne toast down at the SF Art Exchange downtown, which has the world’s largest collection of Rock and Roll Art, which is really neat as well and such an honor to have that as part of the festival.” ~Kelleyann Schilke

San Francisco Rocks! Noise Pop & Treasure Island Photography (2007–2012)
Opening: Thursday, February 7, 2013 / 7 p.m.
Festival Reception: February 26th, 2013 / 5 p.m. / Hotel Biron

In the past five years Noise Pop has brought the Bay Area some incredible live music from local bands. And, while most of us were just getting off on the music itself, a select group of some of the world’s best music photographers were taking some spectacular shots of these shows. This exhibition is a rare treat as we get a unique look at what’s been happening onstage here in our own backyard over the past half a decade.