Another weekend in July. Another excuse to hang out in some of the Bay Area’s under-appreciated parks. Last weekend’s Burger Boogaloo was amazing. This weekend brings us Phono del Sol. A one day event that brings the absolute best in indie rock to it’s natural habitat- The Mission. I’ve gone every year, and at $25, it’s a steal! For one price, you get Wye Oak, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Nick Waterhouse, Tony Molina, Blackbird Blackbird, White Fence, Yalls, A Million Billion Dying Suns, The Tambo Rays, and Bill Baird. It’s going to be an epic time for all. Oh, and we’ve got other shows this week, too:
Thursday, July 10th
Playing For Change at Yoshi’s – San Francisco
Playing For Change are a super group made up of excellent musicians from all around the world. When you put them together, it’s a deliriously fun blend of Afrobeat, Carribean, and Latin music.
Waters, Cathedrals at The Chapel
Friday, July 11th
Jurassic 5, Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, Lateef The Truth Speaker, Dilated Peoples at The Greek Theater – UC Berkeley
Jurassic 5’s reunion has been extended for a second year. They were amazing last year at Outside Lands, but tonight we are getting a full length set, as well as their first new song in over a decade! Opening the show is LA’s Dilated Peoples as well as the Bay Area Hip Hop Dream Team: Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, and Lateef The Truth Speaker. This is the best hip hop tour of the Summer, guaranteed.
New Order, La Roux at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
The Antlers, Yellow Ostrich at Great American Music Hall
httpvs://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynkp1VHwbHg
Saturday, July 12th
Phono del Sol at Potrero del Sol Park
For the 4th year in a row, the good people at The Bay Bridged and Tiny Telephone have put together an amazing line up of bands both local and national. Headlining the show are Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Wye Oak, and Nick Waterhouse. All amazing acts that put in killer live shows. Additionally, we’ve got delicious food trucks in one of San Francisco’s best kept secrets- the beautiful open air amphitheater at Potrero del Sol Park.
Pete Holmes, Amy Miller at Cobb’s Comedy Club
Sunday, July 13th
DMC (of Run DMC), The Oakland Mind, Jay Stone at Neck Of The Woods
Child Birth, Tino Drima, Courtney & The Crushers, Lisa Prank, Bam! Bam! at Marx Meadow in Golden Gate Park
Monday, July 14th
Martha Wainwright at Yoshi’s – San Francisco
She may be less famous than her brother, Rufus, or her parents, Loudon and Kate, however her songwriting abilities may actually be the most impressive of the clan. Tonight she doing her delicious blend of jazz, folks, and rock in San Francisco’s premier jazz club.
Tuesday, July 15th
Filter, Helmet, Local H at The Independent
When metal lost it’s crown to the alternative rock movement of the 90’s, it made for some incredibly interesting developments in metal. Instead of bands like Motley Crue and Guns n Roses getting signed to major label deals, we had some truly innovative bands coming out of the woodwork, pushing the boundaries of what “heavy” can be. Bands like Faith No More and Helmet helped change the way we bang our heads. Happily, Helmet are still around, still pushing those same boundaries of hard rock.
Dwarves, The Queers, Masked Intruder, The Atom Age at Bottom Of The Hill
Wednesday, July 16th
OK Go, Myles Hendrick at The Independent
The masters of the 1 take video are back with both an incredibly clever video and an incredibly catchy new song. For those of you that only know them from the videos, it’s important to note that they are an amazing live act, too! They put on a high energy power pop party that is well worth the price of admission. Below you will see both their new video, and the video that I am in. If you blink, you may miss me.
The Polyphonic Spree, Sarah Jaffe at Slim’s
