May is looking almost as crazy as April on the show front. And this time there isn’t a Coachella to blame it on. You just need to blame it on how awesome the bay area is! Now, got do some rocking. Or Else…
The Bottom of the Hill is one of those venues where amazing things can happen. Its intimate space creates a setting where bands, their friends, and patrons can all rub elbows without the pretense of Rock Stardom bogging down a conversation. Many a band right on the verge of blowing up have graced the stage fully aware of their sparkling future and have played to it, creating an “I was there” situation where one constantly reminds his or her friends (or just about anyone who happens to be around) of the night they saw so-and-so play Bottom of the Hill. I’ve been known to drop an “I was there” once or twice myself (cough Arcade Fire cough).
For some silly reason, we’ve all decided that we need to spend the change over of the year in “party” mode. We count down til midnight, then pick somebody to make out with when the clock strikes 12. Well, I’m a firm believer in any excuse to go to a show, as well as any excuse to make out with somebody, so here’s a list of the best six shows to spend your New Year’s Eve with.
Another week of gigs to keep your ears sated. This is typically a quiet period around these parts, but there are a lot of interesting things going on this week if you are willing to give your ears a challenge.
If I could sum up this week’s biggest live Bay Area events in one nonsensical fake-Spanish declaration, it would be this: ¡YO LA COCO! Over the next few days we’ll have multiple live performances from both Conan O’Brien and Yo La Tengo, as well as an exhaustingly awesome array of other rad shows. Check out some of our favorites after the jump.
This week was a little worrisome; the merging of hipsters and “rappers” is picking up steam as indicated by Skinny Jeanz. Get those bomb shelters stocked up it’s only a matter of time until the hipster apocalypse. Soon the coolest rappers will pretend there is no one like them and that they hate all those other rappers…oh wait. Continue reading “New Release Round-Up, 9/15/09 — 27 Instant Album Reviews”