Our good friends at SF Sketchfest dropped a BUNCH of new shows in our laps for their 20th iteration! Some that I’m really, really excited about. Tickets are on sale now RIGHT HERE! Continue reading “MORE NEW 2023 SKETCHFEST EVENTS!!!!”
Single of the Week: “Bite The Hand” by Thank You Come Again
Thank You Come Again do not have my favorite band name. I spent time actively avoiding them due to this. However, they are literally friends with everyone in the Bay Area, they are worth the benefit of the doubt. Then this positively face melting track, “Bite The Hand,” landed in my eardrums. So loud. So heavy. An air guitar masterpiecce.
Today is Bandcamp Friday, so feel free to hope over to their Bandcamp page and buy this track and some others! They will be getting us a full length in the near future, so keep an eye out there and here.
Show Preview: Modest Mouse at The Fox Theater, 11.30.22
1997 was the year I graduated high school. It was also the year I started college. I was awfully intimidated by college… I went from being a relatively well-liked and popular kid (Yeah. I know. I’ll stop gloating.) to an awkward kid that didn’t know how to make friends. In fact, I moved between classes, work, my dorm room, the computer lab, and the Taco Bell inside Mary Park Hall at San Francisco State University.
At the Taco Bell was a lovely human that the good folks of SFSU dubbed “Taco Bell Rob.” He was pretty much the only employee- at least, he was the only one there whenever I was. He lovingly prepared fast faux-Mexican fare for tired and hungry students who missed getting to the dorm cafeteria. I was a little, angry punker that thought music had to be fast. The faster, the better. I’ve never met someone more excited about music than Rob. And whenever I walked in, he made sure to challenge this notion in the most loving and wonderful way. He introduced me to Built To Spill. I think he introduced me to Elliot Smith and The Aislers Set. And he was the first person to play The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse for me.
I’ve since lost contact with Rob. The last time I saw him, he gave me a ride home from The Aislers Set reunion show at The Chapel in 2014. I don’t know if he’s going to be at The Fox tomorrow night to see Modest Mouse play The Lonesome Crowded West in its entirety, but for those of you that are, be sure to send a thank you to the person in your life that showed you something new, something that opened your mind and eyes to new sounds. That person is more important than you think.
BTW- here’s his band from the 00’s. They were fantastic.
Film Review: “The Fabelmans”
Portrait of the filmmaker as a young man: Spielberg’s autobiographical drama fails to charm
“Movies are dreams that you never forget,” Mitzi Fabelman (Michelle Williams) tells her young son Sammy (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) en route to taking him to see his first film, 1952’s The Greatest Show on Earth. Had they seen The Fabelmans instead, however, perhaps Mitzi might have thought twice about her proclamation. With The Fabelmans, writer/director Steven Spielberg wants to create a nostalgic love letter to cinema, but the picture is too bogged down with the weight of Spielberg’s autobiographical angst to become something unforgettable.
Single of the Week: “Groovy Xmas” by The Linda Lindas
Tis the season for seasonal songs? The time of year where serious musicians put out novelty Christmas singles to make your Christmas Playlists a little less stale and painful. 2022 breakout tween sensations The Linda Lindas have graced is with a fantastic and fun Christmas song called “Groovy Xmas.” It’s accompanying video is a joyful treat, chock full of cameos that are basically a whose who of the history of punk, as well as an appearance by the legendary cat, Monica.
You can enjoy “Groovy Xmas” in all the usual places. The Linda Lindas are also hitting the road next Summer with Paramore. And, yes, I am annoyed that they aren’t playing the Chase Center show.
Show Review: Bleached with Thank You Come Again and DJ Omar at The Chapel, 11/15/22
I love seeing a band “off cycle” or when they don’t have anything specific to promote. They are loose. They don’t have to focus on promoting anything. It’s when a band gets to simply be themselves on stage. I’ve probably seen Bleached more than almost any other band at this point (not to dismiss their recent Single Of The Week, of course), but this may be the first time I’ve seen them like this. Continue reading “Show Review: Bleached with Thank You Come Again and DJ Omar at The Chapel, 11/15/22”
SF Sketchfest 2023: Line Up Additions!
Oh, man! Remember how excited we were about Sketchfest 2021? And then Sketchfest 2022? And remember how upset we all were when BOTH of them were sidelined due to that plague that still ravages our world? And then Jean Grae and I tried to develop a machine that would suck all the virus out of the air? Well, the good news is (provided BQ 1.1 doesn’t screw everything up), everything is a go for Sketchfest 2023, and they decided to add a few more shows to the lineup that go on sale Wednesday, 11/15 at 10 am PST: Continue reading “SF Sketchfest 2023: Line Up Additions!”
Single of the Week: “Leech” by Dream Wife
Fun Fact- I had a different Single of the Week picked out for this week. I wrote it up and decided I was done. It was the debut solo single from The Raincoat’s Gina Birch. Then I landed upon “Leech” by London’s Dream Wife. This track- a throbbing post-punk anthem with heavy poetry from vocalist Rakel Mjöll that breaks out into a near scream without giving you the catharsis of a full scream- is addictive magic. If the full length is half as potent as this single, we’ve got a serious contender already in the queue for the 2023 Album Of The Year.
You can enjoy “Leech” in all of the usual places. Obviously, I’m going to keep going down this rabbit hole, and if my fellow American does the same, maybe they will pay us a visit next year?
Film Review: “Armageddon Time”
Hopkins anchors melancholic but hopeful coming of age picture
With Armageddon Time, writer/director James Gray (Ad Astra; The Immigrant) has made his Belfast. Gray’s loosely autobiographical film substitutes the dawn of the Reagan era in early 1980’s Queens for the Troubles of 1960’s North Ireland. Like Kenneth Branagh’s protagonist Buddy (Jude Hill), though, Gray’s stand-in Paul (Banks Repeta) similarly faces the confusion and challenges of growing up in a volatile and uncertain time. The result is a film that, while occasionally heavy handed, nevertheless boasts some strong performances and leaves us with a message of hope.
Single of the Week: “God Is A Circle” by Yves Tumor
I feel funny using the phrase “heir apparent” when describing a newer artist in relationship with a past act. But, for Yves Tumor, calling them the heir-apparent to David Bowie is totally appropriate. Does Tumor sound exactly like Bowie? Nope. Not much at all. But the darkness, the theatricality, the hooks- all very Bowie-esque. “God Is A Circle,” lyrically, is a dark meditation on the what and why of what our parents teach us. It’s a stunning track, through and through.
“God Is A Circle” is available in all the usual spots. Expect more genius from Yves Tumor in 2023!