The Fillmore – Showbams

Sturgill Simpson continues to show why he’s country music’s next great talent

April 24, 2015 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

Sturgill Simpson //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
April 18th, 2015 //

Country music can be quite polarizing. At least that is an honest opinion coming from someone who grew up surrounded by the genre. While the majority of my high school was throwing on their cowboy boots and getting inebriated on the lawns of New England’s largest venues, I was laying back and listening to the tasty licks of David Gilmour and Jimmy Page. I detested country music. Then again, I was just a kid.

Maturity brought a new perspective, a realization that only a fool would define themselves in such black and whites. And with that new perspective came a newfound appreciation for musicians like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and The Highwaymen.

Outlaw country was something I could get behind — musicians creating songs reflecting the fabric of our nation with honest lyrics painting the landscape of the American country or of one American’s life. Willie, Waylon, Johnny and Kris. Legends. Throw John Prine in there, and we can call it a day. And that’s how it felt once I discovered these musicians — it was over as soon as it started. Their catalogs were deep and forever giving. But where do I go from there? Who was carrying the torch that those men lit long ago?

For a long time, I thought the answer to that was simply no one. No one was, nor would they be putting out the kind of lyrically rich songs that defined the careers for so many of those aforementioned country heroes. But last year I was introduced to Sturgill Simpson’s second album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, with the title ironically spitting in the face of my beliefs that country would die with The Highwaymen.

This man’s music is outlaw country to the tee. Powerful vocals, rich lyrics and musically tight. The live performance, in fact, is even more powerful than the album. The excitement was palpable as Simpson and his band walked out onto The Fillmore’s stage last Saturday. The audience was adorned with smiles and tucked in flannels, cowboy boots and Stetsons. I have never seen The Fillmore in such a way. Yet, after a few minutes, it became apparent that this crowd traveled for miles to come see Simpson — and that, I must say, is something truly amazing.

Simpson has stage presence, that is without a doubt. The conviction of his voice bolsters his words as he describes a life of highs and lows, trials and tribulations. This was evident on renditions of songs like “Turtles All the Way Down”. If there is a song to capture your attention and convince you of Simpson’s talents as a songwriter, this is one of them. Just like that of his predecessors, he writes music that goes against the grain of popular country music. It may be defined as “outlaw country,” but I personally feel it is music that resonates with a wider audience than that of its counterparts.

The entire performance was engaging and loose — loose in the sense that the band was willing to let each song take its course, never reeling it in too early or letting it get out of control. There is an apparent respect Simpson holds for his band, and that is always great to see. Trust in your band, after all, is the key to taking your music to its greatest peak.

In terms of Simpson’s music and live performances, I am an amateur fan. Certainly more exposure to his concerts would allow me to take a more critical stance. However, for those who have not seen or heard his music, I would recommend listening to it. It is undoubtedly country music through and through, but like that of his predecessors, his lyrics transcend boundaries and have a whole lot to give if you give them a chance.

When I walked out of The Fillmore on Saturday, I saw a lone cowboy stepping into a cab. I could only imagine the length of road ahead of him as he made his way home. While I may not know where he came from, I know what he was walking away with. That man, as well as myself, caught a night of music with one of country’s most promising artists. And that’s a pretty cool feeling.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Sturgill Simpson, The Fillmore

We can’t stop loving this honeybear who goes by the name of Father John Misty

April 20, 2015 by Pedro Paredes Leave a Comment

By Pedro Paredes //

Father John Misty with King Tuff //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
April 17th, 2015 //

Bay Area music fans had a tough choice to make last Friday. As The Fillmore filled in to see Father John Misty, alt-J and Tycho were playing to a sold-out Greek Theatre across the bay in Berkeley.

At The Fillmore, you could overhear a few people in the audience saying that it was hard to choose which show to attend, while other FJM fans knew where their allegiances lied from the get-go, arriving at the venue early in hopes of standing in the front row.

King Tuff

Opening the night were garage rockers King Tuff, which proved to be an interest pairing with FJM. Though the audience wasn’t all that familiar with them, plenty of people dug their music, following lead singer/guitarist Kyle Thomas’ lead by their bobbing their heads to the beat. The band played a mix of tunes from its 2012 self-titled record and 2014’s Black Moon Spell, but the highlight of its set was “Anthem”, an appropriately-named tune given its sound. You could really tell that the three-piece was putting it all out there and enjoying every moment it was on stage.

The energy inside The Fillmore didn’t let up after King Tuff, as FJM and his bandmates opened with the first song off I Love You, Honeybear (read our community review here), which had the crowd quickly singing along. Between his power poses and stage antics, Joshua Tillman’s showmanship skills, of course, never disappoint — he could probably be a stand-up comedian if he wanted to, given the banter that ensues after each song. That, combined with Tillman’s music, make FJM one of the most entertaining shows you can see live nowadays. Yet, the question still remains: is Tillman simply playing a character?

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Father John Misty, Fauxchella, J. Tillman, Josh Tillman, King Tuff, The Fillmore

NYC rappers Talib Kweli & Immortal Technique team up to take on The Fillmore

March 24, 2015 by Marc Fong Leave a Comment

By Marc Fong //

Talib Kweli & Immortal Technique //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
March 22nd, 2015 //

East Coast hip-hop hit SF last Sunday as two of New York City’s finest, Brooklyn-bred emcee Talib Kweli and Harlem native Immortal Technique (born Felipe Andres Coronel), showcased “The Peoples Champions Tour” at The Fillmore to close out the weekend.

With their politically charged material and top-notch lyricism, both Kweli and Coronel have new music on the horizon. Kweli will be dropping his new album Radio Silence later in the year while Coronel also has plans to release a fourth LP entitled The Middle Passage. They were excited to be performing for their Bay Area fans, giving much love and respect to the crowd throughout the show.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Immortal Technique, Talib Kweli, The Fillmore

Tweedy have a full circle moment at The Fillmore

March 19, 2015 by Mike Frash 2 Comments

Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Mike Frash //

Tweedy //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
March 17th & 18th, 2015 //

Tweedy, the familial duo of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and his percussive son Spencer, only began touring last year in support of Sukierae, an under-appreciated 20-track LP. The two shows at The Fillmore in SF this week marked a charming, nostalgic occasion for the frontman and living legend.

Jeff Tweedy has long been known for his gifted ability for stage banter, and Tuesday evening was no exception.

He introduced many songs with the band by stating their time measure, perhaps to keep the band focused and on the same page — the patriarch introduced the band with a backhanded but likely truthful comment, saying he brings the handful of young musicians on the road to “keep Spencer company.” To me, the band sounded great most of the night — we can’t all be as good as Nels Cline.

When beginning to introduce his son Spencer on drums, Jeff brought up the documentary “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart,” a fascinating documentary that chronicles the chaotic process of creating and distributing Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco’s seminal album. He recalled his 11-year-old running around The Fillmore in the early aughts as Wilco played some of their best songs before the album had even released. Then, he looked back at his son, now on stage behind the drum kit.

What a full circle moment.

Take a look at this section of the documentary here. Skip ahead to 1:17:30 to see Spencer on the tour bus playing drums on his lap and quizzing his dad on which Wilco song he was playing while Jeff guesses.

The film then goes into Wilco performing “Heavy Metal Drummer” at The Fillmore before Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was released.

The music of Tweedy is essentially Wilco Jr., just as catchy and memorable but simplified. The 30-song setlist was split into two sections, the first half with the full band and the rest solo-acoustic as Jeff played Wilco tunes and covers.

As always, the man has a Mona Lisa stage presence, making it feel like he’s always looking at you. Mr. Tweedy is a man in tune to his surroundings.

He also referenced a handful of children near the front of the stage throughout the night, noting that they only used their earplugs in between songs as a sort of “earmuffs” measure and that their presence made him feel “uncomfortable.”

Perhaps it was the thought of how much time has passed since Spencer was their age that made Mr. Tweedy feel a tad anxious.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Jeff Tweedy, Spencer Tweedy, The Fillmore, Tweedy

Noise Pop 2015: Who made the ‘most’ of SF’s 12-day indie fest?

March 6, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Caribou at The Fillmore // Photo by Justin Yee

Photos by Justin Yee, Pedro Paredes, Mike Rosati, Alfonso Solis & Nicole Alfaro // Written by Molly Kish //

Noise Pop //
Bay Area venues – San Francisco & Oakland
February 20th-March 1st, 2015 //

2015 marked the Bay Area’s 23rd annual celebration of independent music, art, film and more, affectionately known as Noise Pop. Running 12 full days and taking place at more than 20 different venues throughout SF and the East Bay, this marathon party is best described as the West Coast version of South by Southwest.

Each year, Noise Pop highlights both the biggest stars within the independent music and art industries as well as emerging artists performing at the peak of their games and has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to booking their acts — and this year was no exception. Curating a demographic of music fans with limitless knowledge, expectations and preferential ranges, this festival never fails to create some of the most memorable experiences in live entertainment throughout the Bay Area.

Noise Pop remains one of our favorite times of the year, not only for its amazing lineups and exceptional performances, but also for its genuine ability to bring music and lifestyle connoisseurs from across the globe to extrapolate, communicate and participate in the independent culture of the Bay Area.

Here are some of our favorite moments from Noise Pop 2015.

Most Likely to Have a Hospital Bill: Ben Gibbard

Gibbard enlisted Sun Kill Moon’s Mark Kozelek to play guitar for him after breaking his wrist before his big opening night performance at the Swedish American Music Hall. We’re still surprised the notorious shit talker (Kozelek) didn’t give Gibbard a harder time about it, considering the last song off Kozelek’s Benji is titled “Ben’s My Friend” and is about how Kozelek went to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to watch Gibbard play with The Postal Service before proceeding to have a mental breakdown.

Runner-up: PPL MVR

This second-place honor goes to SNWBLL after the band had to cancel its performance at Bottom of the Hill due to some unfortunate bladder issues.

Tonights PPL MVR show has been cancelled. SNWBLL of @pplmvr is ill passing a giant kidney stone and cannot perform. Get well SNWBLL!

— Noise Pop (@noisepop) February 25, 2015

Most Likely to Inspire 2015 Festival Fashion: The Black Ryder

Dark, brooding and beautifully tragic. Beyond the torrid love affair story and musical diatribe to accompany the duo of Aimee Nash and Scott Van Ryper, the band embodies its self-proclaimed “Rhinestone Drone” sound into a wicked wardrobe, guaranteed to materialize on the proverbial polo fields across the nation this summer.

Runner-up: Bestie

The Vancouver outfit brought some creativity to the merch table with fun and functional band gear, such as koozies and friendship bracelets, as you can see here via Instagram.

https://instagram.com/p/zjwd2OJ5-G/

Most Bar-Raising Performance of the Festival: Kindness

“(Adam) Bainbridge grabbed one audience member’s cell phone out of its hands and filmed himself as well as the crowd with it at one point, elevating the crowd-interaction a notch. He sang from on top of the bar at stage left, walked into the crowd with his mic and made a huge lap while singing to individuals in the audience to end the night.”

Read the full review here.

Act Most Likely to Prompt a Mind-Altering Freak Out: Dan Deacon

“Layer upon insane layer of sound interprets into harmonious infectiousness, a feat that hints at an intersection of mathematical and creative genius. The guy takes all sorts of frequencies and cross sections of genre elements and composes it all together into a crescendo of weird, atypical pop. And by weird, I mean the very good kind of weird.”

Read the full review here.

Runner-up: Holly Herndon

“People laughed nervously as a slow burn of glitch sounds began to emerge, and before you knew it, her browsing gave way to an interactive, virtual world featuring two-dimensional cutouts of people floating about while strategically-placed cameras around the room recorded and projected images of the crowd, usually catching them unexpectedly on their phones, on two adjacent screens.”

Read the full review here.

Most Entertaining Attempt at a Cover Song: Surfer Blood

These guys covered “Hey Sandy” by Polaris, aka the theme song for “The Adventures of Pete & Pete.”

Runner-up: Girrafage‘s rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”

Most Likely to Be Headlining Future Festivals: Caribou

Absolutely destroying two back-to-back, sold-out nights at The Fillmore, Caribou’s live show is currently on a world tour, hitting all of the largest festival stages in its wake. We unanimously believe that this act will be one of the biggest of 2015 and are keeping our fingers crossed that they will be filling the empty spot in their August tour schedule with a stop at this year’s Outside Lands Music Festival.

Runner-up: Flight Facilities

“… to consider booking this lineup on a ‘school night’ at a venue with a max capacity of 1,424 people was a pretty bold call. Subsequently though, it was also one that paid off in easily the largest dance party of the festival.”

Read the full review here.

Most Likely to Break the “Local Music” Barrier: Les Sins

“Intermingling his own material with disco classics, 90’s pop jams and dirty trap beats, Bundick had the crowd on fire and easily could have prolonged the party well into the after hours had there been the option to do so.”

Read the full review here.

Runner-up: Geographer

With a doctored lineup and powerful new songwriting approach, Mike Deni has taken full reign of the band’s beloved history of material and is moving forward into bold, uncharted territory — a leap of faith that just might cover the extra ground needed to penetrate a mainstream audience.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: Ben Gibbard, Bestie, Blackout Make Out, Caribou, Cathedrals, Dan Deacon, Flight Facilities, Geographer, Girrafage, Holly Herndon, Jessica Pratt, Kevin Morby, Kindness, Les Sins, Mark Kozelek, Mezzanine, Noise Pop, Noise Pop 2015, Outside Lands Music Festival, Pell, Peoplemover, Rickshaw Stop, Running in the Fog, Sun Kill Moon, Surfer Blood, Swedish American Hall, The Black Ryder, The Chapel, The Church, The Fillmore, The LAB, The New Parish, The New Pornographers

St. Paul & The Broken Bones energize The Fillmore for V-Day

February 25, 2015 by Justin Yee Leave a Comment

By Justin Yee //

St. Paul & The Broken Bones with Sean Rowe //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
February 14th, 2015 //

During the first of two shows at The Fillmore for St. Paul & The Broken Bones, lead singer Paul Janeway climbed atop of the stacked floor speakers, causing the crowd to quickly hold its collective breath that he wouldn’t topple over. Drenched in sweat, Janeway’s stage presence and charisma shined as he gave it everything he had throughout the night. Shimmying around and dropping to his knees, he backs up his amazing voice with showmanship that you wouldn’t think looks the part. Perhaps that’s a big part of the group’s ascending success.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, SF was treated to an extended performance that lasted almost two hours. When this was announced early in the band’s set, the crowd approved by offering a roaring round of applause and utterances of excitement as it transitioned into “Simple Song”, which starts off slow and explodes thanks to Janeway’s preacher-like vocals.

Covering David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” exemplified that SP&TBB can take on an unlikely piece of material and re-work it to something all their own. Along with Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness”, it’s clear that the group have a deep knowledge and respect for the artists that influenced them and can honor their classics with distinction.

Folks arrived early to catch Sean Rowe, who impressed with the full sound he was able to produce using just his guitar and voice as he tackled his songs solo acoustic.

Setlist:
Chicken Pox/Simple Song
Don’t Mean a Thing
Sugar Dyed
Dixie Rothko
I’m Torn Up
Shake (Sam Cooke cover)
Half the City
BB&PC
99 1/2
Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead cover)
Let It Be So
Down in the Valley
It’s Midnight
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
Mighty River
Grass Is Greener
Make It Rain

Encore:
That Glow
Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover)
Call Me
Try a Little Tenderness (Otis Redding Cover)

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: David Bowie, Otis Redding, Radiohead, Sean Rowe, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, The Fillmore

Ten years a Toddie: Reflecting on a decade of music and mischief with The Hot Toddies

February 16, 2015 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Photos by Pedro Paredes & courtesy of The Hot Toddies // Written by Molly Kish //

Celebrating their 10-year “bandiversary” last month as part of the first all-female bill at the historic Fillmore, Showbams caught up with the ladies of Oakland’s The Hot Toddies for a whimsical retrospective on their past decade as a band.

Seamlessly navigating the challenges presented with changes to the band’s lineup as well as a worldwide touring schedule and record label relocation (among other day-to-day difficulties, such as managing work schedules in and outside the studio), Erin, Heidi and Sylvia have always found ways to keep their attitudes positive, hustle strong and friendship at the forefront of everything they do. Their adventures as a trio of Toddies have directly influenced their style, songwriting and relationships with each other, their friends and their fans over the past decade.

We got to hear about some of their favorite memories as a band and get a glimpse into what they have in store for us in the near future.

A flyer for the band’s Liverpool show in 2009.

Favorite Show: Picking a favorite show over 10 years is very hard. One of our absolute favorites, though, was a time we played a fabulous show/costume/birthday party in Liverpool. Everyone was dressed up like politicians and celebrating. We got to sing “Happy Birthday” and lead a giant singalong of “Please Please Me” by The Beatles, which felt like the coolest thing possible to do in Liverpool.

Most Debated Song/Lyric: “That Ain’t Right” was the most controversial for the band because of the lyrics. It was written by a male friend for the band so we kind of loved the idea of a man’s perspective on lady issues. We hoped it would be a lighthearted song with our usual humor without being insensitive to the subject of teenage pregnancy.

Strangest Venue Ever Played: Probably the most unique venue we’ve ever played at was Ashbury Lanes in Ashbury Park, N.J. It’s a bowling alley with a stage in the middle of the lanes and people crowd around to watch the bands while some people keep bowling! The night we played there was Erin’s birthday, and the booker brought balloons, cupcakes and princess hats. A close runner-up would be the awesome haunted Gallery 5 in Richmond, Va. — a firehouse and police station way back during the Civil War and that is now an art and performance space with a haunted back room where criminals were hanged.

At the Tropicana in Las Vegas, circa 2006.

Funniest Fan Moment: On our first tour in 2006, we played two nights at Mr. T’s Bowl in LA. The second night we recognized a guy sitting at the bar — it was Sean Gunn (a.k.a. Kurt from “Gilmore Girls” and recently “Guardians of the Galaxy”). We hung out with him and his awesome lady friend Rachel, and several days later, they surprised us by flying out to Las Vegas to see us play again and took us to a super fancy dinner. We were totally blown away by their kindness. We shared a bottle of whiskey and played guitar while getting kicked out of several hot tubs at the Tropicana. We still stay in touch with both of them to this day, and they are awesome people.

Most Memorable Critique/Review: This doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes the critics just get it all wrong. This review in particular from exclaim.ca was so far off it was almost funny: “the four-part harmonies, as sweet as they sound, fail to catch up with the gritty attitude so clearly laid out for them by their lyrics … ‘Only With You’ claims it wants Jameson, but actually means Smirnoff Ice — two bottles, at most.” Gross. Barf. Smirnoff Ice! We wished we could spend an evening at a bar with the writer to correct her mistaken impressions of our drink preferences. After all, suggesting that we don’t really drink whiskey is a major insult for The Hot Toddies! And really, if writing a pretty song with harmonies means you can’t like whiskey then a lot of musicians would be in trouble.

The band stayed at this castle in Exeter, England.

Best & Worst Roadtrip Memory: Our best road trip memory was staying overnight in a castle in Exeter, England. The bathrooms were literally the size of bedrooms, and it had it’s own chapel with a functional organ that we got to play and sing on. It was definitely the most surprising and amazing place to stay on the road.

Worst memory would probably be the time some bleach/mold remover leaked onto Erin’s water bottle on the van floor and she accidentally drank a little. Obviously she survived, but it made her super sick and it was really scary.

Biggest Consensual Influence: NoFX.

Favorite Tourmate/Band to Play With: Our favorite tour buddies are Oakland babes Bam!Bam! Since we can fit all five of us into a single van, it means shared gear, loading, gas and driving duties makes tour easy breezy. Plus, they are badass ladies who like to drink champagne while riding duck boats and stay up late hanging out after a show. Our favorite bands that we’ve ever shared a stage with would be a tie between the time we got to rock with Alkaline Trio at Bottom of the Hill or opening for Smoking Popes at Great American music hall. We have a thing for Chicago bands apparently.

Craziest Afterparty: One of the most fun things about being on the road is seeing old friends and making new ones, and sometimes you even cross paths with your friends’ bands in a new city. While playing in Phoenix, Ariz., we happened to be touring through town the same night as our friends in RXBandits and DESA, so we arranged to meetup at a fan’s house for an afterparty. There were swimming pool games and singalongs until the sun came up. We made a LOT of noise and had a blast. Anyway, the girl’s parents were home and not super pleased, and we were definitely not invited back over next time we were in Phoenix.

The band during its Northwest tour in 2007.

Most Awkward Live Moment: One time we played a nice, laid-back basement show in Bremerton, Wash., and we made the mistake of smoking weed at the backyard BBQ before our set. Our songs were a complete disaster, but at least it all seemed pretty funny at the time.

Band’s Biggest Guilty Pleasures: Salty nuts, $5 foot longs, chocolate malt balls and the Oakland A’s.

Band’s Favorite Karaoke Songs: Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic”, Natalie Embruglia’s “Torn” and No Doubt’s “Spiderwebs”.

Member Most Likely to Perform Hungover: Honestly, all of us.

Heidi

Member Most Likely to Attract the Strangest Groupie: Heidi is the most likely to talk to creeps for free drinks.

Member Most Likely to Find Their Way Into Legal Trouble: Sylvia is most likely to bring weed along on a trip, so depending on what state we’re in, we may have to bail her out of jail one day.

Member Most Likely to Make Someone Cry: Sylvia is most likely to make someone cry, but hopefully it’s because we’re laughing so hard that were crying.

Member Most Likely to Take the Longest Time Prepping for the Show: Heidi takes a daily shower while Erin and Sylvia are more likely to go onstage with fresh deodorant, dry shampoo and a change of undies, of course.

Member Most Likely to Surprise/Catch Others Off Guard: “Say Anything Skidmore”, Erin tends to make comments that surprise.

Member Most Likely to Get Lost/Saunter Off: For those who’ve been following us for a while, you might remember our keyboard player Jessica who was famous for wandering off after a show. She left in 2012 to go on a world adventure and still hasn’t made it back which is why we’ve been playing as a three-piece for the past few years.

Team Toddies

Member Most Likely to Take Over the World: Team Toddies — we’re planning world domination together! Right now we’re working on writing our next album, and when that is released, we’re hoping to continue touring the world, starting with returning to Europe and visiting Japan.

Here is a love note from the band to all of its fans and supporters throughout the years:

Hey guys,

You are truly the best fans in the whole world. Thank you for buying our songs, letting us crash on your floors, dancing at shows and sharing your whiskey. In the immortal words of Bill and Ted: “Be excellent to each other. And … party on, dudes!”

Love,

Heidi, Erin & Sylvia

The Hot Toddies play Brick and Mortar Music Hall with GODS, Annie Bacon and Her Oshen on Thursday, March 5th. 18+. Doors: 8 p.m. Show: 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: The Fillmore, The Hot Toddies

Rainbow Girls headline first all-female show at The Fillmore

February 5, 2015 by Pedro Paredes 1 Comment

Rainbow Girls

By Pedro Paredes //

Rainbow Girls with The Hot Toddies, The She’s, Kendra McKinley //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
January 31st, 2015 //

For the first time in its rich history, The Fillmore hosted an all-female show last Saturday with the five gals from Rainbow Girls leading the way. Accompanying the Santa Barbara/Sebastopol band was a large contingency of female musicians who currently call the Bay Area home, including Oakland’s The Hot Toddies, SF’s The She’s and Kendra McKinley.

And when The Fillmore said that this would be an all-female night, the venue certainly meant it. Even the people working the venue’s soundboard were women. Better yet, the keyboardist from The Hot Toddies, who was the only male to perform on stage all night, wore a dress and a wig. But despite all the bands being mostly female, their musical styles were quite different from one another.

Kendra McKinley

SF singer-songwriter Kendra McKinley got the night off to a mellow start, plucking her guitar gently as violins, cello and a couple of backup singers played alongside her. Yet, McKinley’s set was in stark contrast to what would come next from The She’s and The Hot Toddies.

The She’s

The She’s would be the most “punk rock” band of the night, as they won over the crowd with their high energy and exciting stage presence. Knowing nothing about them before the show, they were the surprise of the night for me.

The Hot Toddies

The Hot Toddies, on the other hand, offered a sound reminiscent of the first-generation “riot grrrl” band Bratmobile. These four girls from Oakland were in a particularly good mood during their set, as they were celebrating their 10th anniversary as a band. To rightfully celebrate the moment, they asked the audience to get them whiskies from the bar so they could make a toast — and the small, but passionate crowd quickly obliged in getting them those libations.

Rainbow Girls

Far from any of the bands that preceded them at The Fillmore, Rainbow Girls brought an entirely different sound to the table, offering their unique brand of gypsy folk. Making up for a lack of people in attendance, the band did their best to engage with the crowd, asking it at one point to make the room feel like it was at maximum capacity. And even though I didn’t feel quite as connected to their music as some of the other bands, their energy was contagious. On a number of occasions, I found myself moving my feet and dancing to their songs. But just watching the group’s accordion player, who appeared to be in a trance while she played, was enjoyable enough for this spectator, even if I was only one of the few non-females in the building on this historic night for The Fillmore.

Rainbow Girls

Heidi.

The Hot Toddies

The She’s

Kendra McKinley

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Kendra McKinley, Rainbow Girls, The Fillmore, The Hot Toddies, The SHE'S

SF Shows of the Week // GO4FREE to Sage Francis or Rainbow Girls

January 29, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Written by Josh Herwitt //

Win a pair of free tickets to one of our SF Shows of the Week by entering your name and email below.

• Sage Francis: January 30th (FRI) @ Mezzanine
• Rainbow Girls: January 31st (SAT) @ The Fillmore

Sage Francis: January 30th (FRI) @ Mezzanine // BUY TICKETS
Rhode Island rapper and spoken word poet Sage Francis returns to the City this Friday night after delivering positive vibes among politically-charged rhymes at The Independent back in June. Francis, who is a member of the contemporary spoken word movement, has been touring the world in support of his fifth and newest studio album Copper Gone, which he released last year on his very own label Strange Famous Records. Backing up Francis at Mezzanine will be Brooklyn underground hip-hop duo Metermaids, also on Strange Famous Records, and Oakland alternative hip-hop MC/producer and Anticon record label co-founder Jeffrey James Logan, better known by his stage name Jel.

Contest ends Friday, January 30th at Noon.

Rainbow Girls: January 31st (SAT) @ The Fillmore // BUY TICKETS
Bay Area ladies, this one is just for you. This Saturday night, The Fillmore welcomes Rainbow Girls, The Hot Toddies, The She’s and Kendra McKinley for its first-ever all-female show. Hailing from Santa Barbara and Sebastopol, the five gals who make up Rainbow Girls offer a gypsy-inspired mix of stomp folk, rock ‘n’ roll and Americana all rolled up into one sound. Just a few weeks ago, the band released its new song “Step Down From the Mountain,” and fans should get to hear plenty from its debut album The Sound of Light. The Bay Area will also be well-represented at the show, as Oakland indie/surf-pop outfit The Hot Toddies, which is celebrating their 10-year anniversary as a band, SF dream/surf-pop act The She’s and SF singer-songwriter Kendra McKinley will open things up.

Contest ends Friday, January 30th at Noon.

Follow Showbams on Twitter for more contest giveaways throughout the week. Be the first to respond to our contest tweets to GO4FREE to these shows:

• Jukebox the Ghost: January 30th (FRI) @ Slim’s
• Chuck Prophet: January 31st (SAT) @ Great American Music Hall
• Afrolicious: January 31st (SAT) @ The Chapel

Pick the show you would like to attend from the dropdown, then enter your name (First and Last) along with your email. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on the day the contest ends (details above).

Like Showbams on Facebook, follow Showbams on Twitter and follow Showbams on Instagram. Subscribe to our social channels for a better chance to win!

CONTEST CLOSED.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Afrolicious, Chuck Prophet, Great American Music Hall, Jukebox the Ghost, Mezzanine, Rainbow Girls, Sage Francis, Slims, The Chapel, The Fillmore

The Wood Brothers leave Fillmore crowd craving for more

January 23, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Kory Thibeault //

The Wood Brothers with Mandolin Orange //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
January 16th, 2015 //

Boy, do I love The Fillmore.

“Best venue in the Bay” debates aside, I feel The Fillmore has a special presence, a certain energy that is the product of its rich musical history. Moreover, I truly feel that every musician who takes the stage under those beautiful lights and chandeliers channels their energy into every note they strike. At least that was the case when The Wood Brothers graced the stage last Friday night.

Since 2006, brothers Chris and Oliver Wood have been releasing carefully-crafted Americana albums under the moniker “The Wood Brothers”. They have continued their success more recently, executing their recorded work beautifully with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix. This band’s talents certainly extend beyond the studio. Most impressive, though, is the four-piece’s ability to translate its often-mellow sounds into an enthusiastic, crowd-pleasing performance that certainly left the audience at The Fillmore craving for more.

A particular highlight of the evening was seeing Chris and Oliver bring Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz from opening act Mandolin Orange on stage to help cover Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels”, which was an instant hit with the crowd.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Jano Rix, Mandolin Orange, The Fillmore, The Wood Brothers

The Jayhawks honor list of legends at The Fillmore

January 22, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Mike Rosati //

The Jayhawks with Trapper Schoepp & The Shades //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
January 8th, 2015 //

American alt-country outfit The Jayhawks haven’t put out a studio album since 2011’s Mockingbird Time, but that hasn’t slowed them down roughly 30 years since they formed in the Twin Cities. While the Minneapolis-based band has gone through a number of lineup changes with and without founding member Mark Olson, the five on stage these days — featuring singer/guitarist Gary Louris, bassist Marc Perlman, keyboardist Karen Grotberg, drummer Tim O’Reagan and guitarist Kraig Johnson — have played together for quite a while.

Olson is once again doing his own thing as a solo artist, releasing Good-bye Lizelle just last year, but having Johnson and Grotberg back in the fold has helped maintain the sound that was so important to The Jayhawks when they were building momentum in the mid to early 90’s.

Mixing in a few Golden Smog covers, including “Until You Came Along” with opener Trapper Schoepp & The Shades to close out their four-song encore, The Jayhawks paid tribute to a variety of legends, from Elvis Presley to Billy Walker to Neil Young, over the course of their 27-song set at The Fillmore.

Setlist:
I’m Going To Make You Love Me
The Man Who Loved Life
All the Right Reasons
Real Light
Big Star
Trouble
Stumbling Through the Dark
Angelyne
Take Me With You (When You Go)
Looking Forward to Seeing You (Golden Smog cover)
Somewhere in Ohio
Smile
Tampa to Tulsa
Waiting for the Sun
Jennifer Save Me (Golden Smog cover)
Little Sister (Elvis Presley cover)
Space Oddity (David Bowie cover) (tease, incomplete, for David Bowie’s birthday)
Blue
I’m Down to My Last Cigarette (Billy Walker cover)
Bottomless Cup
Tailspin
Save It for a Rainy Day
I’d Run Away

Encore:
Sound of Lies
Settled Down Like Rain
Sedan Delivery (Neil Young cover)
Until You Came Along (Golden Smog cover with Trapper Schoepp & The Shades)

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Billy Walker, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Golden Smog, Mark Olson, Neil Young, The Fillmore, The Jayhawks, Trapper Schoepp & The Shades

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2014

December 31, 2014 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

St. Vincent at Fox Theatre Oakland // Showbams' Photo of the Year, by Pedro

St. Vincent at Fox Theater Oakland // Showbams’ Photo of the Year, by Pedro Paredes

Ah, year-end lists — they’re an exercise in subjectivity and personal experience if there has ever been one. But what better way is there to learn from each other and discover some great new music while capping off the year and beginning anew?

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2014.

The 25 Best Live Music Acts of 2014
Showbams’ Top 50 Albums of 2014

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2014:

Darkside at The Fillmore // Photo by James Nagel

Mike Frash // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Darkside at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – January 24th
Looking at my top five shows list for 2014, it appears I favor the weird, ya know, the good weird. This Darkside performance, the only SF show ever (for now) since Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington have put the project on indefinite hold, had patrons at The Fillmore in SF breathing and moving in unison. There was a magical feeling in the air as the hybrid of electronic and organic played out wonderfully with the duo tipping their hat to the past and setting a new standard for the brave new future of live music.

2. Panda Bear at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
3. tUnE-yArDs at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – June 6th
4. Phish at MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV – October 31st
5. Volcano Choir at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – January 21st

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
Ever since Jamie and Mikey blew my mind performing Run the Jewels almost in its entirety at The Independent in August of 2013, I’ve been a loyal RTJ soldier. And without taking a break, El Producto and Killer Mike stepped it up to an even higher plateau with their production precision, an uncanny balance of fun and intense, while lyrically honing more on the important issues of our time. Sensing the unstoppable momentum, Run the Jewels are already heading back into the studio for Run the Jewels 3. When Mike was recently asked if they’d continue to name their albums numerically, he said “Why not?!? Zeppelin did it!” Exactly. Say it with me now: Festival headliners circa 2016?

2. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3. D’Angelo – Black Messiah
4. Aphex Twin – Syro
5. The Antlers – Familiars

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Sturgill Simpson – “Turtles All the Way Down”
This is country music turned on its head, while staying mostly true to the hallmarks of the genre. Lyrically subversive while instrumentally emotive to the core, this song kept me coming back throughout 2014. It’s positive message of love winning over all else is certainly timeless, but when was the last time you heard a country tune tell a story of mind over matter transcendence? “There’s a gateway in our minds that leads somewhere out there, far beyond this place / Where reptile aliens made of light, cut you up and pull out all your pain.” Stirgill Simpson is as progressive as you can get within the realm of Americana, urging the listener to both think and feel.

2. St. Vincent – “Digital Witness”
3. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
4. FKA twigs – “Two Weeks”
5. Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” feat. Kendrick Lamar

Nine Inch Nails // Photo by Rob Sheridan for NIN.com

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – July 21st
What a dream come true. Having the opportunity to see two of my favorite childhood bands at one of the best venues in the country would be hard to beat any year, let alone in 2014. Sharing the bill with Soundgarden on this tour, Trent Reznor made the most of a minimalist stage setup and trimmed-down lineup of sidekicks. Of the four shows (Red Rocks, Chula Vista, Irvine and Hollywood) I saw on this tour, this one felt particularly special. If this was one of the last times I ever got to see Nine Inch Nails perform live, it was a night I will never forget.

2. Jack White at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – June 10th
3. Cinquanta featuring Puscifer, A Perfect Circle and Failure at The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – May 10th
4. Queens of the Stone Age at The Forum – Los Angeles, CA – October 31st
5. Tool at Valley View Casino Center – San Diego, CA – March 16th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. The Black Keys – Turn Blue
Akron’s favorite rockers answered the call this year, following up their Grammy-winning album El Camino with arguably their most ambitious effort to date — especially when you consider the turmoil that surrounded Dan Auerbach’s life at the time of its recording. Over the last five years, the Keys have become one of rock’s biggest bands, but they haven’t stopped taking risks as a result. Turn Blue dabbles in a myriad of styles, from the psychedelic sound of Pink Floyd on its opening track “Weight of Love” to the hip-hop groove on “10 Lovers.” For as many critics as they have, Auerbach and Patrick Carney have come a long way since their early years as strictly a blues duo.

2. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3. Jack White – Lazaretto
4. Aphex Twin – Syro
5. Death from Above 1979 – The Physical World

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Jack White – “High Ball Stepper”
Jack White seems to be on another level these days. The former White Stripe has grown into one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most exciting talents, and this blues-heavy, instrumental track showcases that better than any other offering on Lazaretto. White’s ferocious guitar riffs dominate the tune, taking listeners on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. And when he plays “High Ball Stepper” live, the song takes on a new whole life of its own.

2. Foo Fighters – “Something for Nothing”
3. Interpol – “All the Rage Back Home”
4. TV on the Radio – “Happy Idiot”
5. Tycho – “Awake”

Jack White at Bill Graham Civic // Photo by David James Swanson

Steven Wandrey // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Jack White at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 22nd
From the dramatic curtain drop that slammed into high-octane rock, this show never let off the gas. Even with a bum ankle, Jack White stalked the stage and held power over the crowd. When the slowest moments of a show are White Stripes ballads that you’re giddy to hear and the other half of the show is headbanging, guitar-slinging rock, it’s easy to see how this show cemented itself as the best of 2014.

2. Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – May 6th
3. The War on Drugs at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 1st
4. Run the Jewels at Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA – November 14th
5. Duck Sauce at Outside Lands Music Festival – August 9th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
This album makes me feel like I’m actually traveling through the underworld to the land of the dead. From front to back, the first thing that caught me about this album was its consistent message. Steven Ellison has an inviting sense of storytelling that’s infused with hip-hop but touches on an array of different music styles, involving a star-studded cast of guests, including Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat and Snoop Dog. I have a feeling Flying Lotus is on the forefront of creative hip-hop and that this album will prove to be influential down the line. More importantly, I just love listening to it. Taking wild turns from frenetic to serene, listening to this album from start to finish is a journey.

2. Aphex Twin – Syro
3. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
4. Future Islands – Singles
5. Tweedy – Sukierae

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Run the Jewels – “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”
The minimalist production and deep, rumbling bass frequencies have helped this track become my No. 1 listened to on the album and also No. 1 for the year. The complimentary flow that El-P and Killer Mike have together is on display in this track. This cut has infected my brain like a virus (the good kind?), and I just can’t get enough.

2. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
3. Sam Smith – “I’m Not the Only One”
4. Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” feat. Kendrick Lamar
5. Perfume Genius – “Queen”

Future Islands at The Chapel // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Kevin Quandt // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Future Islands at Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Weekend 1 – Indio, CA – April 12th
It’s been a banner year for the Baltimore darlings we have grown to love as Future Islands. Breaking through the underground touring circuit to being a highly sought-after festival act was quick and clean as the passionate stage performance of Samuel Harrington could not be ignored by growing audiences. A packed Gobi Tent was eating from the frontman’s palm as Herrington poured himself out on stage, belting out a set heavy on new tracks and old favorites. It was a pivotal point where both the band and audience knew that Future Islands had arrived at the next stage of their career.

2. The Cure at BottleRock Napa Valley – Napa, CA – May 30th
3. Phish at MGM Grand Arena – Las Vegas, NV – October 31st
4. Connan Mockasin at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 15th
5. Deerhoof at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – November 18th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
Adam Granduciel had one helluva 2014 to brag about. His third studio album Lost in the Dream was an overwhelming success, and all for good reason as the lush waves of rock swell over the listener like a warm Christmas sweater, just less ugly than the one you wore to that one party. “Under the Pressure” opens this release in epic fashion and does not let up from there. Guitar rock is not dead!

2. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
3. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
4. D’Angelo – Black Messiah
5. White Fence – For the Recently Found Innocent

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Steven Ellison’s left-field meditation on death, as demonstrated on 2014’s release You’re Dead!, is not for everyone and is more about the full album than the sum of its parts (tracks). However, there is one shining beacon of a collaboration that could not be cast aside in the form of “Never Catch Me”. The partnership of one of the hottest MCs with one of the most sought-after producers was meant to be a brutally infectious slice of off-kilter street music.

2. Caribou – “Can’t Do Without You”
3. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
4. Beck – “Blue Moon”
5. Ariel Pink – “Put Your Number in My Phone”

Ryan Adams at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014 // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Pete Mauch // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Phish at MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV – October 31st
Phish has made the tradition of covering other artists albums on Halloween, and this year they completely outdid themselves by covering essentially an album of only narrative and spooky sounds. The Disney-produced album The Thrilling and Chilling Sounds of the Taunted House was turned into a rock opera of sorts as Trey and company worked through completely new songs based off just minimal sounds, but the night didn’t just end there. The band played this rock opera sandwiched between two very strong sets of original Phish songs that could have held its own alone.

2. Lettuce’s Late Night in Red Barn at Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL – May 22nd
3. Future Islands at Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Weekend 1 – Indio, CA – April 12th
4. Ryan Adams at The Fox Theater Pomona – Pomona, CA – October 11th
5. Todd Terje at FYF Fest – Los Angeles – August 24th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
When someone as prolific as Ryan Adams puts out a new record, you buy that record and you listen intently. The songs in his first self-titled album may seem simple at first listen, but they stay with you in the back of your mind until you just can’t take it and you re-listen again and again. This is exactly how what I’ve been doing the past few months since the release. Songs like “Gimme Something Good” and “Am I Safe” prove once again that Adams is still on top of his game.

2. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3. moe. – No Guts, No Glory
4. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
5. Greensky Bluegrass – If Sorrows Swim

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
“People change / You know but some people never do / You know when people change, they gain a piece but they lose one too.” These lyrics are so uplifting and real, and the music to accompany these amazing lyrics ties the emotion perfectly together.

2. The War on Drugs – “Under the Pressure”
3. The Barr Brothers – “Come in the Water”
4. Temples – “Shelter Song”
5. Caribou – “Can’t Do Without You”

Old Crow Medicine Show at The Regency // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Pedro Paredes // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Darkside at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – January 24th
The album Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington put together in 2013 was a delight for the ears, but with the show they played at The Fillmore, they were going after every sense in your body. Jaar once said that Darkside’s music was more experiential rather than musical, and they surely succeeded in delivering one of the best musical experiences to all the lucky attendants on that cold January night.

2. Future Islands at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – April 10th
3. St. Vincent at The Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – March 22nd
4. James Blake at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – December 7th
5. Old Crow Medicine Show at The Masonic – San Francisco, CA – September 20th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Beck – Morning Phase
Beck’s Morning Phase follows the same breezy style as Sea Change, but the latter’s serenity seems to come from darker places. Morning Phase is, as the title suggests, a bit brighter and sets the tone for all the good things yet to come.

2. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
3. Real Estate – Atlas
4. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
5. Perfume Genius – Too Bright

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. alt-J – “Nara”
It is hard to isolate “Nara” as the best song of Alt-J’s latest album This is All Yours since the story told in it is not exclusive to that song and it comes back in different sections of the album (as well as in some of the musical arrangements). But “Nara”, a song about love, deserves to be listened again and again. The 2:58 mark is bliss to my ears.

2. tUnE-yArDs – “Water Fountain”
3. Run the Jewels – “Love Again”
4. Perfume Genius – “Fool”
5. Angel Olsen – “Hi-Five”

St. Vincent at Fox Theater Oakland // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – August 24th
I had never seen either band live before and based on my experience, it was like they had never broken up or aged since the ’90s. Amazing stage/light shows to go along with what was hands down my most eagerly anticipated show of the year.

2. Cibo Matto at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – February 26th
3. American Football at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – December 12th
4. Failure at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – May 14th
5. Crosses at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 30th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
This album comes off like a chameleon, with many shifts but always staying very characteristically St. Vincent. I feel that she is one of the more important artists to come around over the last few years, and I am excited to see what she does next.

2. Nothing – Guilty of Everything
3. Beck – Morning Phase
4. Fugazi – First Demo
5. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Spoon – “Do You”
Spoon have a knack for throwing a good toe tapper in their albums. This song is short and sweet, and you cannot help but get caught up in its infectiousness.

2. Ryan Adams – “Give Me Something Good”
3. St. Vincent – “Prince Johnny”
4. TV on the Radio – “Could You”
5. Nothing – “Bent Nail”

Arcade Fire at Shoreline Amphitheater // Photo by Justin Yee

Justin Yee // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1) Future Islands at South by Southwest (Cheer Up Charlie’s) – Austin, TX – March 13th
2) Arcade Fire at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – July 30th
3) Chromeo at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 12th
4) James Blake at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – December 7th
5) Outkast at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 18th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1) Future Islands – Singles
2) The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3) ODESZA – In Return
4) Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
5) Caribou – Our Love

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1) Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
2) Chromeo – “Come Alive” feat. Toro y Moi
3) Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” feat. Kendrick Lamar
4) Chet Faker – “1998”
5) Mac Demarco – “Let Her Go”

James Blake at The Chapel // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Eric Shaden // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. James Blake at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – December 7th
I feel bad telling friends about how great this show was since so few people were able to get tickets. An intimate venue hosting such a phenomenal artist was a no-brainer for my top pick. James covered hits from his albums as well as debuted new tracks and an incredible interlude of house jams. I just wish more friends could have seen this!

2. Chromeo at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 12th
3. Todd Terje at FYF Fest – Los Angeles, CA – August 24th
4. tUnE-yArDs at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – June 6th
5. Holy Ghost! at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – San Francisco, CA – April 30th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
What else can be said about this album that hasn’t been covered already? An outstanding sequel to Run the Jewels that expands on the original with top-notch production and punishing delivery from El-P and Killer Mike. Without a doubt my top choice of the year.

2. Syd Arthur – A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble
3. D’Angelo – Black Messiah
4. Sinkane – Mean Love
5. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. D’Angelo – “Sugah Daddy”
I imagine D’Angelo coming back with his long-awaited album in December showed which writers/blogs/etc. wrote their “Best of the Year” lists early. His style of soulful R&B is sorely needed, and “Sugah Daddy” is my favorite from the album. Looking forward to his tour in 2015!

2. Caribou – “Our Love”
3. Aphex Twin – “minipops 67 [120.2]”
4. Jungle – “Time”
5. Jamie xx – “Sleep Sound”

High Sierra Music Festival // Photo by Benjamin Wallen

Benjamin Wallen // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA – July 2nd-5th
2. Paul McCartney at Candlestick Farewell – Candlestick Park – San Francisco, CA – August 14th
3. Jamestown Revival at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – November 28th
4. The String Cheese Incident at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 24th
5. Greensky Bluegrass at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 14th

Scott Martin // San Jose

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. California Roots Music Festival at Monterey Fairgrounds – Monterey, CA – May 23rd-25th
2. Rival Sons, Soft White Sixties & Sir Madam at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – September 25th
3. The Pimps of Joytime at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – February 15th
4. Caravan Palace & Rosin Coven at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – April 16th
5. Jackie Greene at The Catalyst Club – Santa Cruz, CA – March 26th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Bears Den – Islands
2. Milky Chance – Sadnecessary
3. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
4. Mighty Oaks – Howl
5. Solstafir – Otta

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Bears Den – “Agape”
2. Bears Den – “Isaac”
3. Milky Chance – “Down by the River”
4. Mighty Oaks – “The Great Northwest”
5. Crosses – “Bitches Brew”

MIA at BFD // Photo by Marc Fong

Nikki DeMartini // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. MIA at Shoreline Amphitheatre for BFD 2014 – Mountain View, CA – June 1st
It had been four years since I saw MIA live and even though I’d prefer to see her play her own show rather than a set at a music festival, I was super excited to see her at BFD last summer. It was the first time in nearly 10 years that my cousin and I went to LIFE105’s annual summer show together. We lucked out and upgraded our tickets just in time to see MIA’s performance. Both of us were out of our seats, singing and dancing along to every song as soon as her set started. I was beside myself as MIA herself made her way off the stage, up into the seats of the venue and stopped near our row to spit lyrics as fans gathered and danced around her, myself included. I still can’t believe I danced with MIA!

2. OK Go at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – July 16th
3. Die Antwoord at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
4. Sylvan Esso at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – June 6th
5. MS MR at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – April 15th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
When I covered Sylvan Esso at The Fillmore earlier this year (when they opened for tUnE-yArDs), I had no idea who they were but ended up leaving the show a fan. Their self-titled debut album is an uplifting mix of danceable electropop tracks and indie rock that’s easy to lose yourself in. Their sparkly, layered and melodic sounds translate well whether you’re listening to the album or seeing them live. Sylvan Esso is one of three albums I bought in 2014, and it’s been on repeat ever since I picked it up.

2. Glass Animals – Zaba
3. Die Antwoord – Donker Mag
4. Iggy Azalea – The New Classic
5. First Aid Kit – Stay Gold

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Tove Lo – “Habits (Stay High)”
I really enjoy the simple percussion-driven melody and voluptuous vocals of Tove Lo’s hit single “Habits (Stay High)”. The subtle, yet engaging buildup to her belting, emotionally-charged lyrics has me singing along and turning it up every time I hear it on the radio. While it is very catchy, it’s not a super dancey song. However, it is a great go-to for karaoke.

2. Die Antwoord – “Rat Trap 666”
3. Sylvan Esso – “Hey Mami”
4. First Aid Kit – “My Silver Lining”
5. The Dead Weather – “Buzzkill(er)”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2014, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: A Perfect Circle, American Football, Aphex Twin, Ariel Pink, Atomic Bomb, Beck, Best of 2014, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Bottlerock Festival, Candlestick Park, Caribou, Chromeo, Cibo Matto, Cinquanta, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Cold War Kids, Connan Mockasin, crosses, D'Angelo, Darkside, David Byrne, Death from Above 1979, Deerhoof, Die Antwoord, Duck Sauce, Failure, First Aid Kit, FKA twigs, Flying Lotus, Foo Fighters, Fox Theater Oakland, Fugazi, Future Islands, FYF Fest, Glass Animals, Great American Music Hall, Greensky Bluegrass, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, High Sierra Music Festival, Holy Ghost, Iggy Azalea, Interpol, Jack White, James Blake, Jamestown Revival, Jamie xx, Jungle, Kendrick Lamar, Lettuce, Mezzanine, MGM Grand, MIA, moe., MS MR, Nine Inch Nails, Nothing, OK Go, Outside Lands Music Festival, Panda Bear, Paul McCartney, Perfume Genius, Phish, Puscifer, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Run The Jewels, Ryan Adams, Sam Smith, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Sinkane, Slims, Soundgarden, Spoon, St. Vincent, Sturgill Simpson, Summer Camp Music Festival, Syd Arthur, Sylvan Esso, Temples, The Antlers, The Bam Fam, The Barr Brothers, The Black Keys, The Chapel, The Cure, The Dead Weather, The Fillmore, The Fonda Theatre, The Forum, The Fox Theater Pomona, The Greek Theatre, The Independent, The String Cheese Incident, The War on Drugs, The Warfield, Todd Terje, Tool, Tove Lo, tUnE-yArDs, TV on the Radio, Tweedy, Tycho, Valley View Casino Center, Volcano Choir, White Fence, William Onyeabor

Down pay tribute to ‘Dimebag’ Darrell at The Fillmore

December 15, 2014 by Scotland Miller Leave a Comment

Photos by Greg RaMar // Written by Scotland Miller //

Down with Orange Goblin, Bl’ast and King Parrot //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
December 8th, 2014 //

Is there any better way to celebrate the life of one of the heaviest and most revered riff-masters in history than slamming around in a Monday night mosh pit at The Fillmore?

We didn’t think so.

The Southern lords of heavy agreed and delivered a near two-hour set on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the day that the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott was shot dead during a live performance.

Down was joined by UK stoner/doom metal giants Orange Goblin, Santa Cruz hardcore punk outfit Bl’ast and a recently discovered, sludgy, thrashcore band from Melbourne, Australia, known as King Parrot. As was the theme for the entire show, this Monday night served as one hell of a celebration of heavy. Down is currently wailing around North America on the “Punk Rock But Kinda Not” tour and is sure to deliver many great shows to close out 2014.

The set began with guitarists Pepper Keenan (Corrosion of Conformity) and Bobby Landgraf (Honky) taking the stage, followed by bassist Patrick Bruders (Goatwhore) and drummer Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Superjoint Ritual). Vocalist Philip Anselmo (Pantera) crept his way on stage only to find his earpiece not working. After some playful, yet intimidating banter with the sound guys and Anselmo crossing his arms in disbelief to the crowd, the show began. “Eyes of the South”, “We Knew Him Well” and “Witchtripper” started the blood pumping and the heads banging, as the vacant space in the middle of the floor began to fill. The pit was occupied, but only by a dozen or so anxious thrashers. Perhaps the presence of a few members of the Mayhem Motorcycle Club touting their colors had something to do with it?

After Down’s opening three songs, Anselmo began to speak of the greatness of “Dimebag”. The overwhelming feelings of love and admiration for a fallen comrade were stark in contrast to the ferocity and speed of the music being played; that is what made this such a special night and such a tragic blow to the metal community, which lost a beloved family member in 2004. He spoke of the early days of Pantera and how San Francisco was the first city to truly embrace them as new artists. Out of pure savagery and utter fandom, several fans threw bags of weed on stage much to the delight of the band. These weren’t just dimebags either. After showing their appreciation, the ceiling came down and the pit erupted as Down exploded into the burliest and most churning section of Pantera’s legendary song “Walk”.

The energy and adoration between fans and band members continued throughout the night as Down delivered skull-crushing, neck-breaking and concussive performances of their best material to a drooling and worshiping fanbase. With a setlist spanning the entirety of their almost 20-year career, “Lifer”, “Ghosts Along the Mississippi” and “Pillars of Eternity” were all clear standouts. Drinks were spilled, bodies were tossed overhead and faces took bites out of the floor. At one point during “Pillars”, a fan in the front row had their phone in Anselmo’s face filming their next soon-to-be-trending concert video on YouTube. Anselmo snatched the phone away and took a selfie with some of the other band members all while maintaining every growl and shriek of his signature voice. Instead of handing the phone back to the fan, Anselmo decided to feed it to the Raptor massacre that was the front row and continue the song. A second fan tried to recreate this glorious scene for himself, and once again Anselmo obliged. However, this time, a stagehand was the final recipient of the fan’s coveted cell phone video.

After some set-ending shenanigans with Keenan taking the mic and hesitantly singing a few tunes, which he thanked his fellow bandmates for by flipping them off multiple times, the encore began with Bruders laying down a rather funky bass line. “Hey kid, rock and roll/Oooh my soul” snarled its way from Anselmo’s ravaged vocal chords, as Down played the opening measures of David Essex’s classic “Rock On”. “Stone the Crow” and a dirty, drawn-out rendition of the stoner headbanger favorite “Bury Me in Smoke” rounded out the set, as members of the three opening acts all joined on stage to send the night off into a screaming mess of grinding, metal carnage.

All in all, it wasn’t bad for a Monday night.

In Memory of “Dimebag” Darrell Lance Abbott, 8/20/66-12/8/14: A deity to all metal heads.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Bl’ast, Dimebag Darrell, Down, King Parrot, Orange Goblin, The Fillmore

It’s good to hear Conor Oberst happy

October 7, 2014 by Brooks Rocco 1 Comment

Photos by Mike Rosati // Written by Brooks Rocco //

Conor Oberst with Jonathan Wilson, The Good Life //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
October 4th, 2014 //

“Crank Gillian in my monitor. Guitar and vocals, all the way”, the frontman requested with an impish grin.

With hundreds of songs written and nearly two dozen records tucked under his belt, it would be easy to forgive Conor Oberst were he to appear burnt out from an already bountiful and robust career, a seemingly never-ending touring schedule and a notably difficult year. But during moments like the final All-Star ‘family’ jam at the end of Saturday’s inspiriting show at The Fillmore, punctuated by jubilant appearances by country legend Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings and the fantastic Felice Brothers, the singer never seemed more alive.

Buoyed by a band comprised of long-term collaborators along with members of opening act Jonathan Wilson’s own touring ensemble, Oberst deftly led the audience on a scenic journey through some of his best work, both vintage and virginal. Opening with “Hundreds of Ways”, the lead single from his excellent and underrated new record Upside Down Mountain, he enraptured the audience from the beginning with his earnest crooning, smart melodies and a refreshing lack of artifice.

Perhaps on a high from Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (read our review here), which has immersed the city in an overflowing bubble bath of good vibes (Conor’s Family Band played on Friday), the crowd swayed along to Oberst’s occasionally guarded, but authentic and revealing verses. And indeed, as a well-seasoned artist, the show never seemed to drag or let up, from the sweetness of Bright Eyes’ “Bowl of Oranges” to the glorious highlights of “Desert Island Questionnaire”. This is a thoroughly enlivening rock ‘n’ roll band that knows exactly what it’s doing.

Jonathan Wilson for his part, also knows what he’s doing (having co-produced the aforementioned Upside Down Mountain), though at times seemed much more confident playing as a member of Conor’s band rather than fronting his own. Sporting a backwards ball cap and a scraggly, street-kid trench coat, Wilson with his band seemed less sure of his place in the folk-rock canon. As he experiments with his own style, he shines as a collaborator and producer of the excellent musicians he surrounds himself with, especially on this tour.

All of which culminated in an exultory trio of encores filled with Hardly Strictly heroes. As Dave Rawlings slithered out masterful, melodious country twang over the John Prine tune “Pretty Good”, Conor could be seen soaking in deeply the sublime voice of Gillian Welch (which, indeed, the sound guy eventually cranked up loud enough) and his good fortune to be sharing the stage not only with legends, but with an audience that has grown along with him to the heights he now visibly enjoys. It’s good to hear Conor Oberst happy.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Conor Oberst, Jonathan Wilson, The Fillmore, The Good Life

Temples’ take on modern psych-rock is both exciting & sloppy

September 29, 2014 by Scotland Miller Leave a Comment

Photos by Justin Yee // Written by Scotland Miller //

Temples with Wampire and Fever The Ghost //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
September 24th, 2014 //

There is no denying the fact that the early 1960’s had a remarkable effect on the sound of modern rock ‘n’ roll. The music from back then has a quality to it that just feels right. Imagine if you took a band like The Animals or The Moody Blues and smashed them together with the likes of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Well guess what? It has actually happened, and they are called Temples.

The four English lads that make up Temples played The Fillmore last Wednesday night and brought with them an echo of what the City used to be like, when LSD was popped like Jelly Beans and the colorful oil-and-water stage projections were cutting edge. The house was by no means packed, but that’s no surprise as these guys are not only foreigners, but they are also just cutting their teeth after releasing their first album, Sun Structures, earlier in the year.

Moments of the show were bursting and oozing with incredible feelings of flying through the air on the back of the mighty Pegasus, brushing the mountain tops of some distant, snow-covered range, while other moments were slow and sloppy, with wobbly and muddled vocals that sounded like the singer had marshmallows in his mouth. They did, however, succeed in truly embracing their genre and stretching out a few of their songs with some brilliant psychedelic jamming.

Temples offered up an acid-flashback evening of flower-power rock ‘n’ roll with a splash of straight up heavy. Their old-skool take on modern psych-rock is exciting and shows promise for more good music to come.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Temples, The Fillmore, Wampire

Jimmy Cliff delivers positive vibes to sold-out Fillmore

July 25, 2014 by Molly Kish 2 Comments

Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Molly Kish

Jimmy Cliff //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
July 19th, 2014 //

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff took the stage at The Fillmore this past weekend as vibrant as ever. Filling the sold-out auditorium with an ocean of positivity, he treated the eclectic crowd to a first-person account of roots-rock history and a career-spanning setlist from his 50-plus years as a musical icon.

Joyfully skipping out onto the stage to start his set, Cliff exuded the youthful enthusiasm of a performer more than half his age. The 66-year-old performer’s energy was infectiously transmitted as the crowd welcomed him with uproarious cheers and applause. Positioning himself in the center of the stage and straddling a larger-than-life bongo while being surrounded by his entourage of band members and backup vocalists, Cliff broke out directly into an acoustic medley of “Bongo Man/Rivers of Babylon”. Instigating almost an immediate venue-wide singalong, he quickly set the tone for the crowd’s participatory expectations the rest of the evening.

High off the euphoric stage presence of Cliff with a thickening haze floating through the legendary theater, the crowd wholeheartedly jumped right into the spirit of the evening’s comprehensive setlist. Taking things up a notch, Cliff decided after his acoustic opener to delve straight into back-to-back hits “King of Kings” and “Miss Jamaica” from his early days as a ska pioneer. Abandoning diffidence and collective lack thereof rhythm, the packed auditorium put forth its best effort to “skank” along with the reggae legend as he and his animated backup singers demonstrated various moves from the Jamaican dancehall era step by step. Sloppy attempts gave way to slippery floors, which were used to slide around in unison as attendees recoiled back into simply belting out lyrics at the top of their lungs during an ecstatic rendition of “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and Cliff’s well-known cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World”.

The most notable moments of the performance happened when Cliff lent some personal history to the material he chose to play that evening. About halfway through the set, he started taking extra time before each song to fill the audience in on the composition’s relevance — not only his career as a musician, producer and political figure, but also to give background on the time and place it was written, the social commentary it provided and its relevance to pop culture. Performing an updated version of his 1968 protest song “Vietnam”, Cliff delivered a powerful rendition aptly titled “Afghanistan”, replacing the original lyrics with commentary relevant to the modern-day state of affairs in the Middle East.

Cliff also took some time to offer a little insight on his experience outside of his personal recording efforts, stating that he had quite the legacy “breaking in new artists”. It was during this time that Cliff segued into a portion of the evening’s performance where he literally shifted the concert into a mini “storytellers” set, playing snippets of hits from Desmond Decker, Bob Marley, Johnny Nash and Sam Cooke that he either had a part in producing, writing or promoting. Aware of his latest artistic courtship with Bay Area native and Rancid singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong, I couldn’t help but hold my breath for a possible dream collaboration live on stage to cap off this section of the show. Instead though, Cliff brought it on home with staples like “The Harder They Come” and “I Can See Clearly Now”, followed by a crowd singalong to “One More” off of Rebirth, his 2011 full-length collaboration with Armstrong.

In true superstar fashion, Cliff remained side stage, post set reveling in the crowd’s unrelenting chanting. After merely a few minutes of down time, he returned to perform not one, but two separate encores on this night. With exit music softly cooing through the speakers and the house lights at a dim, the crowd only partially dispersed with over half of the venue still hoping that Cliff would have more after nearly playing for 2 1/2 hours — and he didn’t let them down. Taking the stage for the final time, Cliff ended the evening with a rousing rendition of “Wonderful World, Beautiful People”, introducing his band one by one before saying his final goodbye to us.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Jimmy Cliff, The Fillmore

tUnE-yArDs eye nonconformity through a glorious lens in SF

June 9, 2014 by Mike Frash 1 Comment

Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Mike Frash //

tUnE-yArDs with Sylvan Esso //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
June 6th, 2014 //

“It’s 2014 and we’re playing at the fucking Fillmore!” declared Merrill Garbus early in the set Friday as her eyes flickered with excitement. Known for her commanding gaze, the captivating centerpiece of tUnE-yArDs has fully embraced an eyeball motif in support of the incredibly addictive Nikki Nack. Garbus is surrounded by large eyes on stage, the show poster from the Fillmore features a piercing globular organ growing off a plant where a flower would normally be, and in the joyfully-insane video for “Water Fountain”, almost every shot contains artificial eyes or Garbus’ remarkable optical dexterity.

Accented makeup and glitter frame her sight, an innovative vision and expressive perspective that makes it difficult to take your eyes off her. tUnE-yArDs’ focus on eyes as a motif suitably reflects Garbus’ immaculate confidence and control amid pervasive themes of subverting conformity and growing paranoia, curating a transformative live music experience in the process — just don’t call her the “Real Thing”.

This night felt like a genuine two-for-one deal with fast-rising Sylvan Esso opening. Empowering female vocals and effective repetition was the connecting force between both duos this night, & the first act to perform inspired palpable crowd reactions with their minimalist-glitch approach. Singer Amelia Meath’s voice sparkles with the tone of Feist and the intonation of Regina Spektor, while Nick Sanborn’s live production hits the sweat spot of trending sound in 2014 — the wobbles and looping vocals are somehow familiar and fresh all at once. “H.S.K.T.” provided the most fun, upbeat action in the set, and “Coffee” was a strong example why this is a group to watch going forward.

Sylvan Esso’s engaging stage presence willed the audience to listen, and their expressive body language convinced most folks to move to the music instead of chat, a fate that befalls opening acts more than not. Often exhibiting mid-song patience, taking in each moment of downtempo ambiance, Sylvan Esso was an ideal pairing with tUnE-yArDs, further proven when Meath joined Merrill Garbus during tUnE-yArDs’ encore performance of the vocal-heavy “Rocking Chair”. Poised to break out much bigger in this viral music climate, Sylvan Esso should catapult upward as demand will likely dictate.

The song selection for the tUnE-yArDs set unsurprisingly focused on cuts from Nikki Nack, as almost every track from the record got attention. Flanked by female backup singers, Garbus relies less on looping than in the past, yet this cathartic repetition is still the backbone of most songs. Bringing in additional vocal support allows for a more organic approach to live production than past tours, letting Garbus focus on her powerful stage presence.

Technical precision is one of tUnE-yArDs’ biggest strengths, yet there’s still room for exploratory, drawn out moments. “Powa” extended into incredibly chaotic territory for the song’s outro. “Stop That Man” went on a risky journey that easily paid off with its industrial beats and overwhelming reverb vocals. Many new songs, including “Water Fountain” and “Sink-O”, jump into the refrain right away, contorting traditional strong structure in a way that makes the songs feel like pop music from the future. So many of these new songs give an intended feeling of anxiety, as if you’re being watched.

Driven by percussion, vocals and ecstatic hyperactivity, tUnE-yArDs win with a lighthearted, quirky mentality that skewers conformity. “Real Thing” blissfully critiques the notion of what a woman is supposed to look like while embracing true self. “Why are you afraid about pants size ten? Humadum, rumadum/ They’re chosen girls/ While you worry about chest size 6/ They’re winning the tricks…Ugly one be you, who you are.” Garbus goes out on the proverbial limb, bearing herself for all to see. It’s leadership like this that sets tUnE-yArDs apart.

This show had all the indications of an essential live performance; the music was thoroughly impacting, and the crowd was completely immersed and wide-eyed throughout, taking in tUnE-yArDs’ breathtaking sonic concoctions.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Sylvan Esso, The Fillmore, tUnE-yArDs

O.A.R. treat fans with an ‘Extended Stay’ in San Francisco

May 14, 2014 by Sterling Munksgard Leave a Comment

By Sterling Munksgard //

O.A.R. //
The Independent – San Francisco
May 11th, 2014 //

Of a Revolution (O.A.R.) wrapped up their sold-out residency Sunday at The Independent. The band out of Maryland hand-picked the venue as part of their Extended Stay tour, and the shows were a rare treat for Bay Area fans to see the group up close and personal.

O.A.R. usually play much larger SF venues like The Fillmore or The Warfield, but Sunday’s performance encapsulated the awesomeness of the tour with a well-rounded setlist spanning their entire catalog.

Fan favorites mixed with a few new songs kept the high energy show going throughout the night. The band treated us to sing-alongs like “Hey Girl”, “Black Rock”, and of course their anthem “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker”, complete with playing-card confetti from the crowd.

As the venue emptied out after the show, one thing was clear: O.A.R. proved that they still have what it takes to please a packed house whenever they come to the City.

Setlist:
Wonderful Day
Heaven
Black Rock
This Town
Untitled
Shattered
Here’s to You
Watching the Detectives
Hey Girl
James
About Mr. Brown
Delicate Few
About an Hour Ago
Love and Memories
Night Shift

Encore:
Peace
The Architect
That Was A Crazy Game of Poker
Missing Pieces

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: O.A.R., Of a Revolution, The Fillmore, The Independent, The Warfield

PHOTOS: Manchester Orchestra at The Fillmore 5/2

May 5, 2014 by Marc Fong 1 Comment

Manchester Orchestra //
The Fillmore — San Francisco
May 2nd, 2014 //

Manchester Orchestra appeared at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco Friday to deliver a fantastic performance as the Atlanta-based outfit continues to tour on their new full-length Cope. Frontman & singer-songwriter Andy Hull led the way with a strong “Shake It Out”, and a brief guitar duel sparked things off later on in the show at the top of “Everything to Nothing.” Only a handful of new songs got the live treatment, including “The Ocean” and “Top Notch”, and the performance ended with Willie Nelson’s “The Party’s Over”. Hull was continuously grateful in his admiration for the quintessential SF venue while conveying a genuine attitude while connecting with the crowd.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Manchester Orchestra, The Fillmore

RAC bring live remixing to The Fillmore

April 11, 2014 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Molly Kish //

RAC with Ghost Beach, Joywave //
The Fillmore — San Francisco
Tuesday April 8th, 2014 //

Earlier in the week at the Fillmore, SF electro-pop enthusiasts were treated to a synth-stacked lineup featuring Joywave, Ghost Beach and headliner RAC. The sold out crowd got down to this refreshing bill of talent, bringing new wave vibes to the City. The night was filled with great energy, crowd participation, surprise guest vocalists and most importantly the SF debut of RAC live! Not too shabby for a Tuesday evening.

Kicking off the night, local favorites Joywave warmed up the early evening revelers with a lively but limited opening set. Staples in the City’s local venue and indie club scene, they played to a half filled auditorium of early arrivals and established fans. Drawing in the crowd’s attention with their passionate performance and spirited stage presence, the six piece band set the tone perfectly for the rest of the evening’s bill. Celebrating the release of their EP What is This, they played a bulk of new material along with favorites off Koda Vista from last year. Joywave got the crowd bustling, offering a mere sample of what undoubtedly will be a promising year ahead.

Next up, Ghost Beach came out guns a blazing. Ready to jumpstart the evening, they instantly broke into high energy tracks off of their latest release on Crazy Heart Records, Blonde. Prompting the crowd into a coordinated routine of synchronized dance moves, Josh and Eric elevated the excitement level tenfold. Their material, drawing heavily from obvious new wave influences, echoed that of contemporary counterparts Passion Pit and Classixx and motivated crowd residencies on the main floor for the duration of the evening. Switching the second half of their set over into their recent foray into “tropical grit-pop”, the boys segued seamlessly into the main headliners of the night. Conjuring up verbal associations to a modern day Romancing the Stone soundtrack, Ghost Beach finished out their set focusing heavily on their new foray into “jungle-wave” dance floor rousers.

RAC took the stage third for a surprisingly different type of performance, not only for the Bay Area, but as an artist in general. A favorite amongst remix enthusiasts and fixture at local venues Mezzanine and the Independent, RAC’s founder and solo member Andre Allen Anjos brought along a complete backing band to properly debut material off his brand new release, Strangers. Shifting from DJ to full throttle front man didn’t seem like it was too much of a stretch for Anjos, whom casually shared the stage with numerous vocalists. Providing a set list spanning his entire career both as a remixer and collaborative artist, the crowd got treated to a innovative reimagining of old favorites and fresh takes on new material.

Highlight tracks including Lana del Rey’s “Blue Jeans” starting off the set flowing effortlessly into a punctuating performance of Phoenix’s “Armistice”, a fellow track off of 2013’s Chapter One. The audience responded to RAC’s progressive stage performance without hesitation, raging the Fillmore as though they were watching a headlining rock band as opposed to a simple DJ transition. Finishing off the evening with a venue stirring rendition of “Tongue’s” fronted by Joywave’s lead singer Daniel Armbruster, RAC culminated their set strong, leaving the crowd raring for more. Although missing on the list at this year’s Coachella and Outside Lands, Anjos is getting ready to bring the crew on the road for summer festivals nationwide. A show definitely worth catching, RAC’s new direction is as impressive as it is logical, lending way to a brand new era of live remixing and new face artistically for Anjos.