Show Review: Muse with Silversun Pickups at Oracle Arena, 4/14/10

Matt Bellamy of Muse shined lasers at the audience. Is this safe?

Do you miss seeing a rock band put on a real show? Do you miss vast arrays of colored lights, moving platforms, spinning drum sets … do you miss lasers? If you do, Muse is the right band to see right now. Yet hidden behind all of the flashiness of their show is also a strong musical core. The two sides of this fight against each other, though, making the whole thing less than the sum of its parts. The question, though, is how big are those parts?
Continue reading “Show Review: Muse with Silversun Pickups at Oracle Arena, 4/14/10”

Show Review: Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke) at the Fox Oakland, 4/14/10

Energetic Atoms

I think we’ve reached the point where if Thom Yorke’s name was attached to a juggling festival, the show would be sold out in three seconds flat.  Nobody in music today holds the same trust in the eyes, ears, and hearts of fans more than he does.  All Radiohead fans seem to blindly follow, and with good reason, whether it’s his own project, or if he’s simply recommending some new music.  As one of those followers, although I do like to think I have my eyes open (I haven’t purchased every piece of music he’s recommended, or own every b-side put out!), I was there at the beautiful Fox Theater with everyone else ready to lose ourselves in the live version of the mostly electronic The Eraser. Continue reading “Show Review: Atoms For Peace (Thom Yorke) at the Fox Oakland, 4/14/10”

Show Review: La Roux at The Fillmore, 4/14/10

Elly Jackson doing the British ginger strut at The Fillmore last night.

La Roux performed their third San Francisco concert in less than a year last night at The Fillmore, and it was a roof-shaking culmination of everything that’s been hinted at by their smaller-scale previous appearances.

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Show Review: Faith No More with White Trash Debutantes and the El Camino High School Cheerleaders at The Warfield, 4/14/2010

Mike and Mike of Faith No More
Mike and Mike of Faith No More

Well now, that’s one mouthful of a title. Out on the marquee it just says “special guests!” On the other hand, it also lists “special guests” being present at all three nights — Monday, Tuesday, and tonight’s final show of Faith No More’s 3-night residency at the Warfield Theater. With the warped minds of Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton, and anti-comedian Neil Hamburger, each show has promised to be one hell of a treat. Along with an infamous punk-rock act from the San Francisco area, each night also has a second opening slot reserved for some form of bizarre entertainment — with a great emphasis on the bizarre. Continue reading “Show Review: Faith No More with White Trash Debutantes and the El Camino High School Cheerleaders at The Warfield, 4/14/2010”

A Music Nerd’s Guide To The San Francisco International Film Festival

As a world class city, we get some pretty impressive events. Often times, these events tend to pile on top of each other, such as Fauxchella overlapping with the San Francisco International Film Festival. Of course, piling into clubs night after night can seriously wear on even the most enthused music fan, and sometimes it’s pleasant to sit in a seat in an air conditioned theater. That’s where we can serve you. There are plenty of ways to enjoy your time as a music nerd at the SF International Film Festival, and this is your guide. Ticket information can be found here.

Continue reading “A Music Nerd’s Guide To The San Francisco International Film Festival”

Show Review: Faith No More with Jello Biafra and the Barbary Coast Cloggers at The Warfield, 4/13/10

Perhaps he's disgusted by a restaurant suggestion? Suggest a better one below!

If you went to the Warfield on Tuesday night to see Faith No More, you got to see a legend who hasn’t lost a step and a San Francisco institution blow the crowd away.

You also got to see Faith No More. Continue reading “Show Review: Faith No More with Jello Biafra and the Barbary Coast Cloggers at The Warfield, 4/13/10”

Show Review: Faith No More at The Warfield, 4/12/10

Mike Patton, in charge.

Every so often, something positive will happen.

A puppy may cross your path. Sometimes, a meal will far exceed expectations. Occasionally, a friend will find someone who is a really wonderful match for themselves. These are all simple good things.

This year, my favorite band from when I was much younger decided to get back together. Continue reading “Show Review: Faith No More at The Warfield, 4/12/10”

Show Review: Spoon with Deerhunter and Micachu & The Shapes at The Fox Oakland, 4/13/2010

The poster for tonight's Spoon show
The poster for tonight's Spoon show

The bands of the Fox Theater have, as of late, been jumping back and forth across a gamut of incredibly popular to somewhat-smaller-but-still-with-a-chance-of-selling-the-place-out. This has caused the audience to span from regular concertgoers to I-came-tonight-because-I-loved-that-band-on-the-radio; as a result, most of the shows have brought a large, but someone random, selection of their fanbase. The crowd for tonight’s Spoon show, however, was solid in their intention and dedication. Gone was the stunned disbelief of seeing a band onstage for the first time; absent were the jaded showgoers who had “seen this band a thousand times.” The fans for tonight’s show were much like the band’s performance: steadfast, tightly-knit, and full of rock-and-roll energy.

Continue reading “Show Review: Spoon with Deerhunter and Micachu & The Shapes at The Fox Oakland, 4/13/2010”

Show Review: Murder By Death with Ha Ha Tonka and Linfinity at Slim’s, 4/08/2010

Murder By Death, killing it.

I was excited for the opportunity to see Murder By Death again.  The last time I had seen them was at 12 Galaxies on July 12, 2004.  An eternity ago, as that venue doesn’t even exist anymore.   Murder by Death was at the beginning of their career and their 2002 debut album Like The Exorcist, But More Breakdancing has forever been a favorite of mine since I first heard it back then.  Actually, that’s all I’ve really known of them, and I was fine with it because I loved it so much.  So in gearing up to see this show, I gave their new album Good Morning, Magpie a listen.  Boy was I surprised that they barely sounded like the same band!   I had to get my hands on everything in between to catch up to how they’ve been developing over the years, as they’ve been working hard putting out albums every two years. Continue reading “Show Review: Murder By Death with Ha Ha Tonka and Linfinity at Slim’s, 4/08/2010”

Defending Zooey: A Review of She & Him Volume Two

Truth time.  This review is two weeks late and way beyond the relevant date for any She & Him fan.  So I’m not going to write it for a fan, I’m going to write it for all you people who say Zooey Deschanel can’t sing or that She & Him is boring dreck.  Because I think you’re wrong and if you are actually willing to have an open mind about it, you might change your mind.

When I first started listening to Volume Two and pondering the angle for my review I did my usual pre-writing ritual:  hours of procrastinating on the internet.  I ended up in one of my favourite places:  ONTD (Oh No They Didn’t on livejournal.com for those not in the know).  I was surprised by the amount of hate being spewed in She & Him’s direction, and started to wonder why.  So I’ll take the negative comments posted to this entry, and do my best to prove them wrong. Continue reading “Defending Zooey: A Review of She & Him Volume Two”