Added Bonus: Q & A with Stephin Merritt, Claudia Gonson and the Directors
The film Strange Powers, Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields opens with Stephin Merritt being interviewed by one of the directors. She asks “What are you reading now?” and the question is greeted with a dark stare and stony silence. This is how genuine the film is in its portrayal of this iconic songwriter, which is demonstrated in the Q & A after the movie. Stephin Merritt doesn’t waste words. Much like his song lyrics, his responses are concise and thought out. The good news is, for the most part, so is the film. Continue reading “Noise Pop Film Review: Strange Powers Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields at The Mezzanine, 2/28/10”
I forgot my camera at home, so instead you get this reference to Bottom of the Hill Sundays of the past.
The annual Sunday day show at Bottom of the Hill is an odd little affair. The sunlight coming through the window feels jarring, for sure, but what was odd about this year’s version was the crowd. This was an all-ages show featuring a headliner made up of young boys playing sunny rock, and that brought a crowd of admiring teenage girls to the venue. Mix them with the usual Sunday afternoon crowd of hungover aging hipsters Noise Pop veterans, and what do you get? Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: Dizzy Balloon, The Hounds Below, Visqueen and Laarks at Bottom of the Hill, 2/28/10”
I feel like I’ve been on a music marathon this past week. And then, this Saturday was the show I’ve been looking most forward to. That night We Were Promised Jetpacks were back in town and I f’ing love them. Yes this review will be extremely positive because this was hands down the best show I’d seen as of yet during Noise Pop. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks at Slim’s, 2/27/10”
Some mildly shocking things happened at the Cafe Du Nord. Friday night was the first time I had ever been to Cafe Du Nord in my life. I know, shocking right? The last time I wanted to see at Cafe Du Nord was when I was 18, begging the Cafe to let me in so I could see Erin McKeown. I had a huge crush on her back in the day. So I walked into the Cafe and liked what I saw, a bar, pool tables, and a cool setup. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: The Mumlers with Sonny and the Sunsets at Cafe Du Nord, 2/26/10”
“We are aiming for sincere energy, not professionalism or fluid transitions.” Those were the words of Thao Nguyen, of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, halfway through her immensely crowd-pleasing collaborative performance with Mirah last night at Swedish American as part of Noise Pop 2010. And while Ms. Nguyen may have felt the need to defend herself with this disclaimer, there didn’t appear to be a single fan in attendance who wasn’t in complete ecstasy for the duration of the evening.
If there was any doubt in anyone’s mind that !!! is one of the best live shows touring, then allow the next few minutes of reading dispel that. Like a tsunami, you know it’s coming, but your not quite sure what to expect, talk of what is coming seems nearly speculative until it happens and it takes you with it. Caught up in !!!’s wave of sweat, dance and sex! As we make our way inland it’s clear we are all at the mercy of front man Nic Offer. Offer spends most of his time dancing and waving his arms at the very front of the sage, flailing and shaking yet graceful and rhythmic. Offer makes it known that he’s here to entertain and you have no option to join, as he makes his first tour around that crowd: you’re not dancing, now you are! Drinking a bottle of beer at the front of that stage: no you’re not, Offer is now dumping it over his head, now you’re all wet because he shook it all over you, it’s OK your drenched in sweat anyways. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: !!! at The Mezzanine, 2/27/10”
With all of the bombast and thundering rock acts that have barreled through the Fox Theater over its first year of new business, one would think that the venue is only sticking around for the big, loud shows. Despite having a few concerts last year for softer, calmer acts, such as the folk masters of Bon Iver or the raptly-followed Band Of Horses, the majority of the performances at the Fox have been for big bands that seem to be out to test the limits of the theater’s foundations. Tonight’s show, arguably one of the most anticipated nights of the Noise Pop Festival, was a stark contrast to all previous acts; it was also perhaps the only show in my life that I did not need to wear earplugs for, for any moment of the performances. The Magnetic Fields had returned to the Bay Area, bringing with them their quiet, peaceful brand of beautiful joy and gorgeous melancholy. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: The Magnetic Fields with Mark Eitzel at The Fox Oakland, 2/27/10”
It’s hard not to get lost into Four Tet. Even though Four Tet is only one guy standing behind a multitude of computers and mixers atop a table, making it nothing less than a challenge to see him. An argument could be made that Kieran Hebden, the sole member of Four Tet, is lifeless; in fact, I’ll make that argument. Hebden is boring: there is nothing to look at. He’s whatever the opposite of animated is: dull, boring, and lifeless. His music, however, is not. Hebden’s music is teaming with expression, life and any other synonyms you’d like to throw in there. Continue reading “Noise Pop Show Review: Four Tet at The Independent, 2/26/10”
Sacramento, by its nature and its history, is a place where expectations fall short of their intended aim.
During the late 1990s, the band Far created rock music that sounded like what it could be like to be young in Sacramento: more questions than answers, long roads of shimmer-hot blacktop, and frustration. Lead guy Jonah Matranga’s vocal range within the space of one track could range from gentle keening to the bare-throated howl of an animal one size larger than his small body.
The songs felt fearless, with the inertia of a determined plunge into the unknown. Unafraid to be delicate, unafraid to throw a violin over the mix, unafraid to attack thorny lyrical topics like faith and self and loss.
Far’s soaring melodic anthemic “Nineties alternative” rocknroll sounds like being young and strident and skeptical and putting a foot down hard on a gas pedal.
After releasing two major-label albums, the band disintegrated in 1999. Their second LP, Water & Solutions, grew in prominence after their passing. The aggressive, flexible, heartfelt thrust of Far’s sound inspired listeners and bands. Their music became influential, garnering posthumous accolades and meaningless portmanteaus long after they’d broken up: “post-hardcore;” “pre-emo;” “emo-metal.” Water & Solutions began being considered a classic album, a precursor and influence on the music that came afterwards.
Now, thanks to Ginuwine, Far is back. And onstage for Noise Pop 2010 in San Francisco.
Jonah Matranga of Far rocked so hard that he resembled a Francis Bacon painting (but in a good way).
Sacramento, by its nature and its history, is a place where expectations fall short of their intended aim.
During the late 1990s, the band Far created rock music that sounded like what it could be like to be young in Sacramento: more questions than answers, long roads of shimmer-hot blacktop, and frustration. Lead guy Jonah Matranga‘s vocal range within the space of one track could roam from gentle keening to the bare-throated howl of an animal one size larger than his small body.
