Yoshi's Presenting Local Birth Of The Cool Tribute

Here at HAD, we're more than willing to accept that we aren't exactly jazz aficionados. To be expert in the catalogs of most major jazz artists is a monstrous undertaking. To be frank, part of our fear is getting too immersed in jazz, and summarily bankrupting ourselves with record purchases. The cost of rare vinyl alone is enough to scare small children!

That being said, we certainly do enjoy the art form, and we're more than happy to dip our toe in the lake on a regular basis. When we do, we tend to have "go to" records and artists - one such combo is Miles Davis' Birth Of The Cool. Specifically, the reissue The Complete Birth Of The Cool. Besides being one of our first loved jazz records, the reissue also features a live take on the record that really gets our blood flowing. Moreover, the recordings are considered seminal in the development of "cool", or west coast, jazz. In short, if you harbor even a mild appreciation of jazz and don't own this disc, you should.

So, that being said, this news has us pretty excited: In honor of Miles' birthday on May 25th Yoshi's San Francisco is hosting a Birth Of The Cool tribute featuring nine (same as the original record) local musicians: Marcus Shelby, Mike Olmos, Erik Jekabson, Joe Cohen, Adam Theis, Adam Shulman, Jeff Marrs, Sheldon Brown and Mike Rinta will pay tribute to the original record, and we couldn't be more excited. We have no idea exactly what the tribute will consist of, but if it even somewhat catches the flavor of the original masterpiece, that will be enough for us. Tickets are on-sale now.

Religious Girls, Maus Haus, French Miami Played The Rickshaw - Review, Pictures

Last night at the Rickshaw Stop we saw one of the best complete bills of local music that we think will come around for quite some time. Three bands were on the bill: Religious Girls, Maus Haus, and French Miami. What was truly unusual about the night was that three bands with seemingly similar instrumentation (synth and percussion heavy, as it were) could sound so remarkably different. What's more, all three were incredibly solid in delivery and performance. The house was full straight through the night, and any of the bands could have been a headliner in the their own right. Combined into one show, it was not to be missed.

Religious Girls started off the night in an unusual circular configuration in the middle of the Rickshaw's floor. Lit only by a string of Christmas lights and some red house lights, the band proceeded to play a set of abstract, percussive tunes. If we had to pick a musical watermark to compare it to, we'd immediately pick Liars' Drums Not Dead. Many of the same syncronized percussive techniques were used, and many of the droney, unison, distorted vocals were in effect as well. That being said, the band definitely defined their own sound enough to not come off as overly derivative. Their delivery was also fantastic, and by the end of the set they had easily roped in the crowd with their energy and beats.

Following the cleanup of the instruments on the floor, Maus Haus made their way to the stage and dove into a set of highly orchestrated synth-driven music. The band's method was precise and technical, and while it was certainly compelling and well delivered, we have to admit it left us feeling a bit cold. The set was so perfect that it seldom felt as though it had a "moment" or a "feel" that evoked any sort of passion.

That being said, the band did deliver a number of sonic goodies that we really enjoyed. They have a wildly diverse instrumental foundation, ranging from synths, to trumpet, to drum pads, to flute, to baritone sax, to bass and electric guitar. The instruments themselves are also put through the paces, in particular hearing the wind instruments through a variety of pedals and effects was pretty fantastic. The band were unquestionably a hit with the audience, and while we enjoyed their set, we would have also dug seeing them get a little bit more dangerous with the tunage.

French Miami closed out the night with a comparitively sparse stage arrangement for their rock and roll three piece. The band was unquestionably the most rock and roll of the three, and hit the ground running. With two synths, two guitars, and a drum kit, the band delivered material from their fantastic record, as well as a few new tunes to boot.

One of the great things about seeing a band live is getting to see just how they get the noises you hear on the record. In French Miami's case, this was particularly enlightening for us. Many of the riffs and blips we had assumed to be originating from keyboards were in fact the guitar work of Roland Curtis. Curtis used a fair amount of tapping, along with some not-visible effects to create some really fantastic sounds.

French Miami delivered a set that was unquestionably rocking, and technically was in top form. They got some of the audience going to the point of semi-moshing and crowd surfing (a stretch, we have to admit), and the show validated many of the album arrangements that we thought might have questionable viability in a live setting. That being said, some of the arrangements were a little too close to the record, and in hind sight we think the band could have benefitted from straying from the source material a bit more.

Nonetheless, it was a fantastic set that ended a fantastic night. We'd love to pick one of these bands to be the "band to watch" or some such thing, but the fact of the matter is that we're pretty sure they all deserve that moniker. This show was unquestionably a night of some of the best experimental rock emerging from San Francisco today.

More pictures at the HAD Archive.

Local Music: French Miami and Maus Haus Are At Rickshaw Stop On Wednesday

Maybe you caught Maus Haus at their Noise Pop happy hour appearance, maybe you didn't. That doesn't change anything about the band's awesome sound, or the fact that they will joined by another awesome local band, French Miami, at the Rickshaw Stop tomorrow night.

Despite the fact that we have yet to see either band live, we can assure you that we've enjoying both of their records for quite a while. The chance to see both bands on one bill is pretty fantastic, and we would definitely recommend that you pass it up. What's more, third on the band is Religious Girls. We've never heard any of their stuff before, but a quick myspace listen has got us curious to say the least.

Come on kids, you've had two nights to rest. It is once again time to rock.

mp3: French Miami - All On Fire (YouSendIt, click through)
mp3: Maus Haus - We Used Technology

The HAD Guide To Noise Pop 2009

A week from tonight, Noise Pop will get rolling, and provide the faithful of San Francisco with a week of cutting edge, fantastic rock music. As such, we here at HAD thought we might give you a run down on the festival's full lineup, and even tip our hats to our picks for each night. Of course, we can't guarantee you'll agree, but at least you'll be in the know, right?

Tuesday, Feb. 24

Opening Night Party w/ Deerhunter, Lilofee
Mezzanine, 10 p.m., free w/ RSVP and badge-holders
For us, this is the no-brainer of opening night: A free show, featuring Deerhunter fresh off their amazing new album, with all the Noise Pop glitterati in attendance. Sure, it'll be a mad house, but it'll be an amazing show. Too amazing to miss, if you ask us.

John Darnielle In conversation and song hosted by Tobias Wolff
Herbst Theatre, 8 p.m., $20
Given that The Mountain Goats play later in the week, this is definitely one for the fans. Then again, you could probably get out of here in time to still catch Deerhunter, and Darnielle is notoriously witty. Not to mention we heart Tobias Wolff - eh, may as well check it out, no?

Antony and the Johnsons
Nob Hill Masonic Center, 8 p.m., $32.50-$40
At the risk of inspiring hatred in our friends and enemies, we'll go on record saying we still don't "get" Antony. We saw him solo, we saw him with Lou Reed, we've heard the records. Not. Our. Style. Sorry folks...

Wednesday, Feb. 25

FILM: Ashes of American Flags
The Roxie, 9:15 p.m., $10
There are many other films in the Noise Pop lineup, but this is the only one that really, really grabbed us. That being said, we're going to miss it, so the DVD will have to do. :( In the meantime, check out the trailer here.

The Mountain Goats w/ Papercuts
Swedish American Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $20
Unquestionably an awesome venue to see this killer band. A tiny intimate room, and the perfect space for their sound. We'd be there, if we weren't, well, read on...

Stephen Malkmus w/ Kelley Stoltz, Peggy Honeywell, Goh Nakamura
Great American Music Hall, 8 p.m., $20
Our pick for night two, and probably the show we're most excited about overall. We love Malkmus to the max, and seeing a rare solo show is even more enticing. Never mind that the last time he did a solo show Bob Nastanovich showed up for a few songs...

Sleepy Sun w/ Lumerians, True Widow, Kings & Queens
Bottom of the Hill, 8 p.m., $10

French Kicks w/ Broken West, Here Here
The Independent, 8 p.m., $15
We've been seeing the Kicks since 2002, and to be frank, they never fail to satisfy. They're a great live act, and their new material is their best yet. You can't miss with this show.

Matt Costa w/ An Horse, Robert Francis, Two Sheds
Slim's, 8 p.m., $20-$22
To be honest, we know little-to-nothing about Mr. Costa, but you know what they say about a man and the company he keeps: We can vouch unequivocally that Two Sheds and An Horse are two of the hottest duos out there right now. You won't be disappointed.

Thursday, Feb. 26

Scissors for Lefty w/ Picture Atlantic, Man/Miracle
Benders, 5 p.m., free
What can we say, we love SFL. If that means we can go to a free happy hour AND see the band, well, all the better.

Thao Nguyen w/ David Dondero, Sean Smith, Colossal Yes
Swedish American Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $14
While we've never seen Thao Nguyen live ourselves, we've heard on good authority that she has a lot of a good thing going on. So much so that she's our pick for night three.

Josh Ritter w/ Laura Gibson, Dave Smallen, Tiny Television
Great American Music Hall, 8 p.m., $20
Full disclosure: some of the HAD staff went to school with Ritter, so we've been digging on his tunes since, oh, 1998ish? That being said, you can't argue with success: the man presents a portrait of what a poised folk rocker should be. Recommended.

Martha Wainwright w/ AA Bondy, Ryan Auffenberg, Karina Denike
Slim's, 8 p.m., $12
Wainwright got the ball rolling singing backup for her slightly more famous brother Rufus, but broke out on her own a few years back, and from the sound of things she's doing okay. Her records are solid, folky pop, and well, we'll just say it: no one's kicking her out of bed for eating cookies.

Goblin Cock w/ Warship, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Kowloon Walled City
The Rickshaw Stop, 9 p.m., $12
There can be no way that this band can live up to their name, but if they do, please let us know. Seriously though, drone metal by way of Pinback? You have to at least be curious...

From Monument to Masses w/ Crime in Choir, Built for the Sea
Bottom of the Hill, 9 p.m., $12

Thee Oh Sees w/ Tyvek, Unnatural Helpers, the Fresh and the Onlys
Cafe du Nord, 9 p.m., $12
Local, new music is really the basis for Noise Pop, so you really wouldn't be hurting if you went to check out Bay Area faves Thee Oh Sees, now would you?

Kool Keith: Dr Octagon vs. Dr. Doom and Mike Relm w/ Crown City Rockers, kutMasta kurt
Mezzanine, 9 p.m., $18
Hip Hop DJ time showdown. It'll run late, and be good. So, we'll see you at say, 1 AM?

Friday, Feb. 27

Maus Haus w/ Sugar & Gold, Tempo No Tempo
Benders, 5 p.m., free
Much like the previous day, free happy hour, awesome music. No complaints.

St. Vincent w/ Cryptacize, Rafter, That Ghost
Great American Music Hall, 8 p.m., $16
We like to keep things positive around here, and we really have no criticisms for St. Vincent. That being said, she wasn't quite our cup of tea when we saw her open for The National, so we'll probably rain check.

The Morning Benders and the Submarines w/ the Mumlers, Rademacher
Slim's, 8 p.m., $12-$14
Again, solid local music, you can't go wrong.

Ra Ra Riot w/ Cut Off Your Hands, Telekinesis, the Hooks
The Independent, 8 p.m., $15
Our pick for night four: we missed their show in September because of Spoon's Fillmore run, and have been bummed ever since. We're glad to have Ra Ra Riot back in town, and we're psyched to see this show.

Telekinesis, Dear and the Headlights w/ Kinch, Big Light, A B and the Sea
Bottom of the Hill, 8:30 p.m., $10-$12

Port O'Brien w/ Odawas, Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, Dame Satan
Cafe du Nord, 9 p.m., $13
We love us some Port O'Brien, that's for sure. If it wasn't for their higher frequency of Bay Area visits, we 'd be hard pressed to turn down this show.

Saturday, Feb. 28

The Matches w/ Dizzy Balloon, Ex-Boyfriends
Bottom of the Hill, 1 p.m., $14
Can you really argue with rock and roll in the afternoon? We didn't think so. This is a bay-area-strong show, and will probably have a lot of local love. Plus, you have an excuse to start drinking at 1, which is something.

Bob Mould w/ Mark Eitzel, Donovan Quinn, Jason Finazzo
Swedish American Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $20
Mould is a legend, and seeing him in a room this intimate will be a treat. Our pick for day five.

AC Newman w/ Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele, Devon Williams, City Light
The Independent, 8 p.m., $15
We're sure this show will be fantastic, but between feeling luke warm about his new record, and generally just feeling like Mould is the rarer "catch", we need to relegate Newman to tier two.

Portugal. The Man w/ Japanese Motors, Girls, Love Is Chemicals
Cafe du Nord, 9 p.m., $13

Clues w/ Loch Lomond, Harbours, the Red Verse
The Rickshaw Stop, 9 p.m., $12-$14

Sholi w/ the Dead Trees, Everest, Jake Mann
Bottom of the Hill, 9 p.m., $12
Sholi's had a huge year, from opening for Iron and Wine, to being featured in The Believer music issue, to being signed to Touch And Go. We can pretty much guarantee this show (also their CD release) should be a home run for the band.

Flosstradamus and N.A.S.A. w/ Wallpaper
Mezzanine, 9 p.m., $18-$20
When we mentioned this NASA show, we had no idea it was a Noise Pop event. That being said, given that it's at Mezzanine we're hoping that we can catch Mould and still make it over in time for NASA's takeoff.

Sunday, March 1

No Age w/ White Circle Crime Club, Infinite Body, Veil Veil Vanish
Bottom of the Hill, 1 p.m., $12
No Age, in the afternoon, on a Sunday. Noise Pop, we love you forever.

Les Savy Fav w/ the Mae Shi, the Drums
Mezzanine, 8 p.m., $20
Les Savy Fav closes the fest, and their live show is notoriously epic. Having never seen it, we can't give guarantees, but you can bet we'll be there.

New Music: Grand Lake, Show At The Uptown February 6th

Picture from the HAD Archive

We just got a nudge from a little birdy and discovered that Caleb Nichols (seen above in an HAD Archive photo) left Port O'Brien in June of last year to pursue his own musical endeavor. The product of that pursuit is the band Grand Lake, currently based out of Oakland.

On first listen, we're liking what we're hearing - the band offers up some solid minimalist pop, with catchy melodies and solid hooks. It appears that they've fingered "Nevermint" as the lead track on a forthcoming EP, which is set for release in March on 500 Records.

In the meantime, if you like what you hear (and we're guessing you shall), the band will be playing a free show at the Uptown in Oakland (along with Whispertown, Man/Miracle, and The No's) on February 6th. Four bands for no bucks? Can't argue with value, folks!

Stream: Grand Lake @ Myspace

French Miami: New Record, Bottom Of The Hill, Local To The Max

Our continual, enraptured use of eMusic often leads us to discover many bands through the music site's recommendations engine. It does a pretty solid job at looking at what you're downloading, and finding some other bits you might enjoy. Both Frightened Rabbit and Army Navy fell into our laps this way, and we couldn't be more pleased.

So this morning, as we logged on to eMusic to download our monthly fix, we browsed our way over to the "New And Noteworthy" section, and stumbled upon the new record from French Miami. We listened for a bit, and the more we listened, the more we liked it. The band's sound combines sweet analog synth tones with crinkly guitars and driving beats to create a vibe that is at the same time messy and highly precise. Put differently, controlled chaos. It's good, and it makes us happy.

Even more exciting than discovering a new record, is dicovering that these guys are locals! That's right: San Franciscans, hometown heroes. Their record is even on local artists' collective Dinner Party Records. What this means for you is that they'll be wrapping up their current tour on December 19th at The Bottom Of The Hill. We're not saying you have to be there, but we are saying it'll be our last show in town before we head to see our fams for the holidaze. We don't take that sort of thing lightly.

mp3: French Miami - The Goddamn Best
mp3: French Miami - Science Fiction

Kings Of Leon Played The Warfield - Setlist, Photos

Kings Of Leon just keep getting bigger. Bigger sound, bigger venues, bigger crowds - everything about the band is pushing in the direction of the realization that they are coming into their own as a force in the world of rock and roll. There are some that seem to begrudge them this, but last night's show at The Warfield said otherwise. A sold out crowd (tonight's sold out too) was right with the band for every moment of the show. They knew every word, and some of the loudest cheers came for the very newest material.

Just last year, the band released Because Of The Times, and gave fans a taste of the new Kings Of Leon. For a band that six years ago was referred to as the "Southern Strokes" the record was a clear statement of a departure from the clean garage rock that had originally gotten them recognition. This year's Only By The Night took the band's direction a step further, and firmly defined a new identity that is serving the band extremely well.

The band's new perspective was evident last night's show in both the setlist and their sound. The set drew heavily on the last three albums, with only one track from the band's first. What's more, many of the tracks off the band's second record have adopted the newer, harder edge of their recent efforts. That sound dominated the night, with driving crunchy bass lines driving many of the songs, and the emphasis clearly being on rock. We mentioned last year that the band truly delivers in a live setting, and this certainly continues to hold true. Their technical proficiency and ability to create intricate sounds in unflappable.

That being said, the band is not without its bits of kitschy showmanship. They've developed clear cut stylistic personas, and all of them strut with a confident rock and roll swagger. When he revealed to the crowd that he was feeling a tad under the weather, Caleb Followill did a shot of whiskey and concluded "At home they taught us when you feel bad, you get drunk!" Silly? Perhaps. Appropriate? Totally.

Kings Of Leon play again tonight at The Warfield. The show is sold out.

Setlist:
Crawl
My Party
Taper Jean Girl
King Of The Rodeo
Sex On Fire
Fans
Revelry
Milk
Razz
Molly's Chambers
The Bucket
Somebody Like You
On Call
Closer
Cold Desert
Charmer
Slow Night, So Long
-------------------------
Knocked Up
Manhattan
Four Kicks

More photos at the HAD Archive

My Bloody Valentine Played The Concourse

Let it first be said: there is no hype. The doting, and worship, and awe that has been placed upon My Bloody Valentine's live show are completely justified. There's the extreme volume, the live renditions of songs that have become near legendary, and the presence of a band that is notoriously cloistered. But more than that, there is the delivery of a completely new dimension to the music that so many listeners already know by heart. The band is masterful at reproducing its records live, but they also take on new characteristics. The bass is more throbbing, the distortion more alive, and the drums had more attack. In short, it was everything a live show should be.

Openers Spectrum put on a solid performance of dark, analogue-synth driven rock. The set started a tad slowly, but picked up speed as it moved along, and culminated with a nice barrage of drums and tweaked out synths from frontman Peter Kember. While the set was strong, it paled quite notably in comparison to what was coming next.

When MBV took the stage, the crowd became noticeably more enlivened. This was the main act: it was what everyone was there to see. The band blasted into the set, and a wave of noise swept over the concourse. The bass alone was enough to rattle your chest, but the treble was there too: just as loud and crystal clear. Cheers to the band's soundman, as they appear to have somehow defied the Concourse's notorious bad sound, and delivered on the MBV promise.

The band's set was very similar to those that have been played on this tour. We didn't manage to get it down on paper, because frankly, we were too engrossed in the show. Suffice it to say that it traversed the band's two records and EP's, but that the focus was definitely on Loveless. To hear the tracks that we've all listened to so many times on record, was truly a treat. Seeing Kevin Shields play guitar was almost surreal: It's an event that seemed for so long like it would never happen, and now here it was, happening.

Finally, there was the main event of the main event: the wave of noise in the middle of "You Made Me Realise". It's been described by many, to varying degrees of extremity: sickening, cleansing, peace-bringing, what have you. In the end, what it is is 25 minutes of 130 decibel feedback and distortion. Some people were covering their ears, some were smiling, some waved their hands in the air. Still, the sonics of this grand finale are not what really hit home with us. What's truly impressive about this stalwart of My Bloody Valentine performance is that they do it at all. There is simply no other band out there creating this kind of music, this kind of noise, for people to consider and take into their heart and soul. And at the end of the day, that's why we're so glad to have My Bloody Valentine back in the world of the living: They are offering something different, food for thought, a piece of the musical pie that you can simply get nowhere else.

Many more pictures in the HAD Archive.

Ra Ra Riot At The Rickshaw Tonight

Photo Courtesy of .sarahcass.

Hey kids, just a reminder: if you're not feeling the Spoon vibe tonight (or you just couldn't get tickets), Ra Ra Riot are going to be at the Rickshaw Stop over in Hayes Valley. By all accounts, it should be an awesome gig. Checkit, and let us know how it is.

Spoon At The Fillmore: Night Two

If night one was a taste of Spoon as showmen, then night two was most certainly showing off Spoon as a band. The set was shorter, the songs were tighter, and the overall vibe was much more about four guys in a rock band looking to blow you out of the water.

Openers The Heavenly States played another tight opening set - it's a real treat to have an opener that has a ton of energy and is fun to watch. Consider it a bonus that these folks are a local band, and have an awesome new record to boot. We picked up their latest, Delayer, last night, and are psyched to see these guys again tonight. Recommendation: get there around eight to catch their set.

Spoon tore into things with the new tune "Who Backs Yr Money", which worked really well to start things off. They then proceeded to deliver a set that dropped back to their first album with a blazing take on "Nefarious", and came all the way through the present. We were psyched to hear a bunch of stuff off of Girls Can Tell, including "Everything Hits At Once" and "Fitted Shirt". (We're still really hoping to hear "Anything You Want"....fingers crossed.)

One really nice aspect of these shows is that some of the more minimalist tunes are really getting fleshed out with nice arrangements in the live setting. Both "The Ghost Of You Lingers" and "Small Stakes" sounded much more full and lush than we've ever heard them in a live setting, and the arrangements seem to have matured across the board. A lot of the synth and electronic sounds have become thicker, and closer to their album counterparts, with both Eric Harvey and Rob Pope now taking up keyboard duties at various points in the set.

In comparison to the first night, there were far fewer horns, and the covers were absent as well. The show was far more focused on the band's own four piece sound. As such, they managed to craft a set that was at once eclectic and accessible. Waves of sound often permeated the songs, but they never lost track of their melody and beat. It was truly everything that is good about Spoon: experimentalism well drenched in great songwriting.

As we go into the third night, we can't help but be thinking that it's going to be the best of the three. The band seems to be building momentum as they go along, and Britt Daniel announced last night that they had purposely circumvented the festival circuit in favor of playing a run at the Fillmore. Frankly, we couldn't be happier. These shows are shaping up to be some of the best Spoon we've seen and heard in years.

Setlist, courtesy of Boogie...

Who Backs Yr Money

Eddie's Ragga

My Mathematical Mind

Stay Don't Go

The Underdog

Small Stakes

The Ghost of You Lingers

Trouble (totally can't remember the exact name of this)

Don't You Evah

Fitted Shirt

Everything Hits at Once

Written in Reverse

Nefarious

Don't Make Me a Target

I Summon You

Rhythm + Soul

You Got Yr Cherry Bomb

I Turn My Camera On

--

My Japanese Cigarette Case

Black Like Me

The Two Sides of M. Valentine

Jonathan Fisk

Many more pics at the HAD Archive

Local New Release Deluge At Slim's Thursday Night

If you're looking for a taste of what's up and coming on the local music scene, Slim's is your spot this Thursday night: Tartufi, Built For The Sea, and Low Red Land will all be playing, and all releasing new discs - on the same night! All three bands definitely seem to fall pretty firmly into the "atmospheric indie rock" department, but we were pleasantly surprised by the fact that each seems to be pretty firmly defining their own flavor.

Low Red Land has some nice fuzzy distortion riding over some pretty angsty vocals, while still holding onto melody - think Modest Mouse or Two Gallants. Headliner Tartufi is driving home a pretty layered-vocal folky vibe - not typically our cup of tea, but certainly well executed (and voted best indie band by the Bay Guardian, so what do we know...). Our fave of the bunch at the moment is Built For The Sea - the band manages to hang onto some sweet female vocals while still driving home a nice edgy rock delivery. We'd be lying, too, if we didn't admit that front woman Lia Rose seems to be a dead ringer (vocally) for Zoey Deschanel.

So, there you have it: if you're sitting there on Thursday night, wondering what to do, you've got a whole menu of locally-grown rock available to feast upon. Enjoy!

mp3: Tartufi - Until The Ocean Swallows The Stars
mp3: Built For The Sea - The (Re)adjust
stream: Low Red Land (myspace)

KUSF Rock n' Swap Is This Weekend

If you're anything like us, you hit up the record shops and dig through piles of stuff you already have, just to find a rare gem. Well, this Sunday, you can do all that and have it be for charity too! The KUSF Rock n' Swap is a charity fundraiser that includes vinyl, CD's, DVD's, "and more". It has a 20 year history, and admission's only $3! If you go for the early bird special (6 AM...d'oh!) it's $20 to get your hands on the goods sooner, plus you get free bagels and coffee while you browse the stacks. See you there....

Scissors For Lefty Played Rickshaw Stop

Last weekend we dropped in at The Rickshaw Stop where Scissors For Lefty were playing a show sponsored by Bagel Radio. The band was their usual selves, which is to say: good natured, highly danceable, and generally psyched to be playing to a crowd that was equally as psyched to be there.

We spoke with lead singer Bryan Garza briefly before the show, and word is that the band has been heavily immersed in studio sessions as of late. The new material was definitely prominent at the show, and made up about half of the band's set. To our ears, the songs were sticking with the direction of Underhanded Romance: upbeat, lyrically whimsical, and melodies that get permanently ingrained upon first listen. It worked in smoothly with the rest of the set, which was a solid mix of the band's back catalog.

We know we've said it before, but we'll say it again just in case there was any question: to see this band live is to love them. They clearly dig playing, appreciate their fan base, and have a blast any time they take the stage. It's easy to take for granted when they're a hometown band, but we can't say it enough: if you dig danceable rock music, and you're looking for a good time, get out and see this band.

Scissors For Lefty are now returning to the studio to continue work on their upcoming album (and possibly an EP, or so we hear). We were already totally psyched to hear the new material committed to tape, and the show doubled our interest. Release date is unconfirmed, but we'll keep you posted!

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

Broken Social Scene Played Outside Lands

Earlier in the week, we mentioned that we had managed to get up close and personal for one show at last weekends Outside Lands Festival. Well kids: here you are. Broken Social Scene played the Twin Peaks stage to a massive crowd for the second-to-last set on Sunday evening. The set was awesome, inspirational, and most of all fun.

Andrew Whiteman

The band was in full effect, and as close to a "full line-up" as we've seen since Feist opened for BSS at the Regency Grand. Andrew Whiteman was on guitar, Amy Milan came out for "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl", and the usual trio of Brendan Canning/Kevin Drew/Justin Peroff were present and accounted for. Never one to skimp on numbers, the band of course had numerous other members playing horns, guitars, and synths throughout the set. This included the first we had seen of Montreal-ite Liz Powell, who is also the lead singer for the band Land Of Talk.

Brendan Canning

Ostensibly this appearance, despite being part of a festival, was part of the tour for BSS' latest. There were a decent number of tracks from the most recent BSS Presents...Brendan Canning's Something For All Of Us..., although Canning seemed hesitant to really dominate the microphone. By contrast, it seemed to come rather naturally to Kevin Drew, as he fell into his usual bandleader role. Still, Canning's new material was a welcome addition, and played very well with the crowd.

Liz Powell

In addition to the newer material the band offered up a fair number of their older tracks, including a surprising "Pacific Theme" opener, and a leg-kicking rendition of "KC Accidental". Drew pulled "Pressure Kids" out from his Presents... disc, while Whiteman delivered a solid version of "Fire Eyed Boy", and Powell admirably covered the vocal duties on "7/4 Shoreline".

Kevin Drew

The band wrapped up the set with a cathartic rendition of "Ibi Dreams Of Pavement". They were joined on stage by former Pavement guitarist Spiral Stairs, and managed to induce the crowd to engage in wave after wave of enthusiastic screams. Really, this is one of those bands that you must see live in order to understand. We're consistently amazed every time we see them at how consistently they deliver a killer live show. Thankfully, this appearance at Outside Lands pulled in many, many, more people to the Broken Social Scene experience.

More photos over at the H.A.D. Archive
Pro-shot videos of most tracks are up on YouTube

Feist Played The Greek

On Saturday night we made our way over to the Greek Theater in Berekely for some beautiful weather, and a show from Feist. The sometimes-Broken Social Scener delivered a set that was full of selections from both Let It Die and The Reminder. While the night was full of great moments, it didn't do a lot to depart from the source material, and left us wishing there was a bit more of the excitement that is present when the whole BSS crew is in attendance.

The set started out on an upbeat note, and we were really loving the overall vibe. It was a pretty devout crowd, and the performances were pretty by-the-numbers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: this was Feist being Feist. One extreme oddity was that the keyboard/guitar player on the right hand side of the stage was some sort of Kevin Drew impersonator. Maybe Feist is just sad to be touring solo, but it seems a little odd to have one of your band members play dressup as your beau.

As the set continued, it progressed to a "solo set" vibe, with the primary attraction being Leslie Feist's voice. While there's no doubt that she's got some great vocals, we started to feel like this section of the set dragged a bit. Despite the awesome overhead-projected visuals, we started feeling a real "okay, let's get going!" instinct as the solo portion came to a close.

Smartly, the set wrapped back to some more upbeat numbers, and the show's most rocking moments were in the last 30 minutes. After she had returned for the encore, Feist delivered a breathtaking rendition of "Let It Die" that was a nice resolution to the night. A good time was had by all, but we'd be lying if we said we wouldn't like to see her back on the BSS stage sometime soon.

More pics over at the H.A.D. Archive.
Gussifer also has some nice pics at flickr.

The Long Winters Played The Independent

On Thursday night we made our way out to the Independent to catch a fair dose of rock and roll, as delivered by Seattle band The Long Winters. The show was a relatively raucous affair, and the band delivered a set that a had a strong 70's power-pop vibe. The set was confident, well constructed, and well received by the fans.

By all accounts, lead singer John Roderick was sporting quite a different look both physically and stylistically. In his own words, he is going through a "space hippie" phase, which apparently involves him flipping over his amp backwards during the first song. And here we thought hippies were dead.

Despite Roderick's early over-enthusiasm (and repartee involving heroin addicted girlfriends - ick), the Winters pulled it together to deliver an encore-free show of fantastic rock music. The crowd was enthralled, requests were taken, and the band delivered a spot-on show. While we weren't blown away by any one particular moment, we will say that Roderick's got some pipes, and the band has a rock solid barroom appeal that is easily worth the price of admission.

Many more photos available over at the H.A.D. Archive.

Silver Jews Coming To The Fillmore In September

Hot on the heels of their new disc Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, Silver Jews are out and about on tour. The band will be at The Fillmore on September 25th, right after Spoon finishes up their three night run. This is good news - and a sure sign that frontman David Berman is continuing to enjoy his newfound propensity for live performance. We haven't gotten to hear much of the new record (Drag City pulled out of eMusic), but by many accounts it's got a feel of being boiler-plate Silver Jews. That is to say: better than most records, but not a hightlight of the catalogue. That being said, the promo track on Drag City's web site (see below) is damn fine, and we're pretty sure we'll be picking this one up in the next week or two. Tickets are on-sale this Sunday at 10 AM.

mp3: Silver Jews - Strange Victory, Strange Defeat

Rogue Wave Plays The Fillmore

Well, it's been a while since we here H.A.D. were pleasantly surprised by a band we hadn't heard, but last night was one of those nights. Rogue Wave played a fantastic set at the Fillmore, and managed to pretty much completely convince us that their albums are worth more than a little attention.

The band delivered a tight set of mid-tempo rock, that to our ears probably seemed most reminiscent of Wilco in their less experimental moments. It was heavily populated with solid melodies, great guitar work, and a general sense of musical well-being. Local favorite John Vanderslice, as well as Kristen from opener Grand Ole Party both joined the band on stage for a number of tunes, which added additional spice to the show.

The band closed with a nice version of "California", followed by a Neal Young cover that we (sadly) failed to recognize. All in all, frankly, a great night.