Jason Webley holds a pear over his head. If you're a fan, this makes sense.
At Slim’s Saturday night was the San Francisco stop of the 5th Annual Monsters of Accordion tour. For me, it was my first annual. For although I’ve never been to one of these shows before, I am absolutely sure to go again. This was a fun night with a lively crowd, and something I intend to repeat soon. Very soon, in fact, for there is a secret additional Monsters of Accordion show this Tuesday night in Oakland. Want to know where? Better read on … Continue reading “Show Review: Monsters of Accordion Featuring Jason Webley at Slim’s, 12/18/2010”
When thinking about the place of the Dandy Warhols at this point in their career, in their genre, it’s hard not to think about the Brian Jonestown Massacre (an unoriginal thought considering the bands were contrasted in the rockumentary “Dig!”). BJM was another talented psych-rock 90’s band with a tendency to go far out and meander into extended riffs. Actually, the Dandys brought this history up all on their own when they called out in the audience to see if “Joel from Brian Jonestown” was around. Continue reading “Show Review: Dandy Warhols at the Regency Ballroom 12/11/10”
As our photographer was moved to dancing up a storm, enjoy this official publicity photo!
I don’t know what’s happened to Popscene over the years. When I was in my early and mid-20s, it was pretty much just a dance club. Then every once in a while, a really awesome band would come play. It was a fabulous treat, but really, it was still a dance club with lots of dancing before and after the band played (if there was one that night). Moved away to LA, moved back, basically fast forward to a world where I’m now 31 and haven’t been going out dancing as much. But I have been coming for shows every once in awhile. But maybe that’s what happened, more and more relevant bands have been playing this venue, so its turned more into a place for great late night shows than it is a place for dancing. Because there was sure no dancing going on this past Thursday night, well besides me with my recovering foot dancing almost by myself, when all the young kiddies were being lame and hanging out by the walls. Continue reading “Show Review: MNDR at 330 Ritch — Popscene, 12/09/10”
As massive undertakings go, a tour focused around three-show residencies, full-album sets, and no-opener-just-what-you-paid-to-see performances is pretty high up on the list. The ante is upped even further when the third night of said shows is focused on an album entirely comprised of cover songs — most of which, according to the band tonight, had never been played live before. The thousand-plus fans that showed up to witness A Perfect Circle perform these songs at the final night of their Fillmore residency reacted to such a statement with awe and applause — while all good things must, eventually, come to an end, the precision and care that the band emphasized in tonight’s show helped their stay come to a brilliant conclusion, and the crowd was all the more excited to witness it.
The average passerby outside The Fillmore this evening might have been puzzled at the sight that met their eyes. Several hundred people — maybe around a thousand at the most — all lined up next to the post office? There’s no big tour bus, no semi full of stage gear, parked out in front of the famous club. The more keen-eyed observers — specifically, those who might have happened by this location yesterday — might also have spotted a great deal of people from the night before this one. What would possibly draw so many people back again? It’s still two hours before the doors open, but the devoted fans of A Perfect Circle don’t mind the wait; tonight marks the second of the band’s 3-night album-performance residency at the Fillmore, with their sophomore effort Thirteenth Step taking center stage for the evening that was to follow.
As singer Maynard James Keenan would say later on that night, the message of excitement that ran through the crowd was a simple one: “Welcome to Night Two.”
In live music, one of the most intriguing types of performances to see is a full-album show. It is gratifying for the fans who want to hear that ONE obscure song that their favorite band NEVER plays live, and it is a challenge for the band who may not be used to playing said compositions — in a long time, or possibly at all. To take this concept and span it out into multiple nights, in multiple cities, for multiple albums, is an even bigger feat. Leave it, of course, to the men in A Perfect Circle to step up to this challenge — for they have arrived in San Francisco, and are taking over the Fillmore Auditorium for the next three nights, for this very purpose.
On Monday night, the city celebrated (and rioted a bit). And on Tuesday night, some of those people celebrated (and rioted a bit) at The Mezzanine for another energetic show by The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, the in-your-face live version of the noted Italian DJs. And while the audience was pumped and ready for the show, the venue itself had no idea what they were in for. And it showed. For a mosh pit was about to happen at The Mezzanine, and not a soul seemed to be prepared. Continue reading “Show Review: Bloody Beetroots with Pance Party at Mezzanine, 11/2/2010”
Fresh off the release of their newest album, Where Did The Night Fall, trip rock pioneers UNKLE return to San Francisco almost three years to the date of their last SF performance. Competing with Game 2 of the World Series, James Lavelle’s live band would have to pitch a strong game in order to please the divided, yet loyal audience. Would they deliver?
LIGHTS is definitely not hard on the eyes! Think Alexandra Lawn from Ra Ra Riot but edgier. She’s not exactly hard on the ears either. Synth heavy female vocals, lightly backed by a drummer, and when I say lightly I mean he could play with one arm half the time. She breaks from her elrctro-pop way mid-way through her set to play a solo acoustic song off her purely acoustic EP, and to do what I guess would be a “cover” of the YouTube video “hide your kids hide your wife,” And then she finishes out the remainder of the set like the beginning. Continue reading “Show Review: LIGHTS at Slim’s, 10/25/2010”
