Another in a string of great Club Sandwich shows. This one was Tuesday, June 23 at 21 Grand in Oakland. It was a well-rounded evening with two out-of-town (actually international) bands, ahem, sandwiched between two local bands. All the bands had one thing in common though, their various musical offerings are challenging to pinpoint and describe. Here is my best attempt to recreate a night of sound/shape-shifters:

K.I.T.: The first band was local punk-garage rock group K.I.T. This was my first time seeing K.I.T and I'm glad I got a chance to catch their set. They were fun, raucous, and loud. On an online press packet, each member is credited with their instrument first and then another kind of contribution (yelps, thrashes, etc). Those extra credits are all deserved, they really do play those dual roles, each one adding a bit more than notes or beats or words. Their lead singer Kristy Geschwandtner takes hold of the audience, belying her small frame with a whollup of a scream. She paces and bounces in front of the band. George Chen's guitar work is intricate and noisy, punctuated with planned feedback. The band is tight, with badass bass & drums holding up the intricately structured songs throughout. During the last song the drummer, Vice Cooler, lost one if his sticks in a fit of a drum break. After a moment of trying to play with only of them, Cooler tossed the remaining stick aside and just started banging on the drumheads with his hands. K.I.T.'s next endeavor is a new recording. Can't wait to hear what they do next.

BAADDD: Wild ladies doing their art noise scream dance duo thing. They writhe and squeal to dancey Goldfrapp/Peaches-esque beats. These two Aussie girls start out in furry costumes, strip down to leotards and get dirty on the dance floor. My favorite "song" of theirs is called "Owly." They also have a song about how they hate their douche of a grandpa and don't like it when boys cum in their faces. Good stuff. If this is what Riotttt Grrl+lady punks+Peaches/Goldfrappe electroshit hath wrought, that equation = a super happy me.

Father Murphy: This band from Italy put on a deep, dark show. I felt like I was lost in a hollowed-out old church with a blindfold on, and had only echoes and sparse sounds to guide me through. Despite some minor technical difficulites with their pedals and other gadgets, Father Murphy pulled off an impressive set. The best way I can describe them is monastic drone noiserock. Throw a bit of folk in there, too ... somewhere. They started out from a single rough strum on the guitar and some scream-singing from the singer/guitarist. The trio-Reverend Freddie Murphy, Chiara Lee, and Vicar Vittorio Demarin-continuously added layers of gloomy harmonies, chiming bells, feedback, weird electronics and pedals throughout. Their vocals, especially when all three were singing ocassionaly got lost in the wash of sound, but for the brief moments that I could separate them out, they were brilliant. Their set did not have many stops in it and at times it was hard to tell where one song ended and the next began, but not in a bad way. It was like listening to a well-crafted album where every song draws you along from the last one.

Strip Mall Seizures: You will be hearing about Strip Mall Seizures in the coming months. This was my second time seeing them. The first time was at Thee Parkside, but 21 Grand suited them much better. It was dark, sweaty, and some of the band performed on the floor instead of the stage, which allowed judy bawlz (aka cyndi leper) close interaction with the audience and seemed to fuel her performance. I find it tough to describe this band, REALLY tough. On their myspace profile, they self-identify as "thrash/trance" and "MAGICALLY DIASPORIC CYBER NOTHING PUNK", so I'll stick with them on those. The recordings I have heard don't do the singer justice, but give a reasonable sense of the rest of the band. They are skilled musicians and clearly draw on varied influences. Some of their songs have a piratey howl to them and make you feel like you're lost at sea on a creaky old ship, other songs are dancier and have a proggish weird time signatures that make the audience jerk and sway and stomp. Their style is part Gogol Bordello, part Dead Kennedys and part tons of other stuff. In a friend's blog post about the show, under a picture of Strip Mall Seizures, she wrote, "reminding me why I love music," a sentiment that pretty much sums up the feel in the room that night.

-Natalia Cooper

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Ok, first off I need everyone to stop reading this and go grab another cup of whatever beverage gets you out of bed in the morning - your brain might need it for this installment of Five Questions. Our current Artist of the Month, Chris Stroffolino, has provided us with what could easily be considered the most thoughtful and perceptive, yet mind-boggling answers to our re-occuring column. Ready?

What food item best describes your music?

When I'm at my freest playing wandering solo piano instruments, I may be like the kind of water it's safe to drink from a stream or even a waterfountain. If I record it, it probably turns all Evian. But I don't change water into wine. Like Tom T. Hall, it turns into beer. My most danceable band grooves may be like Jim or Jack or even Dewars; or some very low-cal leafy green salad with some kinda protein dressing. So, yeah, I'm working my butt off to make Diet Music. I'll do ads for Mr. Pickle! or The Philly Cheesestake shop, especially if they offer discounts if you bring your proof-of-purchase seal that you went out dancing at, say, The Knockout, while Neil Martinson's presiding. Sounds delicious! Appetite songs!

What instrument have you wanted to include but have yet to find a way to fit into your sound?

Jazz Bagpipe, a la the late great Rufus Harley!

Embarrassing childhood memory?

Trying to sing along with Mickey Dolenz on re-runs of The Monkees, and thinking those (Goffin-King) words were "Peasant Valley Sundae" and then getting put in my place by my first teen crush.

Is that a trick question? That's why George W. Bush came close enough to winning that he could steal the election. I'd love to record with Steve Malkmus & Jolie Holland again (beer or no beer). Is Tom T. Hall still alive? Does Jonathan Richman still drink?

All space travel is also time travel! So, time travel's wider--but I want to tour England for at least one week in 2010.

Hear more from Chris On Pirate Cat Radio tonight, Wednesday June 24th from 4-6pm.

-Nicole

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There are so many things to love about the city of Portland - and here's one more: The Deli Portland! Tons of great music is coming out of this wonderful northwestern city and now you have the perfect resource for finding out about it all.

Welcome to the family Portland, The Deli SF hearts you.

-Nicole

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Tomorrow is the 3rd annual Bicycle Music Festival from 9:30am to 11pm. More than 15 bands on a 200 watt petal powered stage in Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park and Pier 7. And it's all FREE! Sean Hayes, La Colectiva, Oona Garthwaite, Manicato, Tornado Rider, Antioquia, Spaceheater, Stitch Craft, Tin Cup Serenade - and this is just a partial list! Visit the Bicycle Music Festival website for the full line up and schedule.

13 1/2 hours of bikes and music. Sleep it off on Sunday.

-Nicole

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The Three Potato 4 is the solo effort of Ryan Kittleman. Crafting and building songs in his San Francisco apartment for the last nine months, Ryan has compiled an engaging and personal record, “Album Savant.” The instrumentation is adventurous, the lush cello arrangements of George Chavez provide a bed for the Casio keyboards, dollar store toys, and found instruments to accompany the more conventional instruments: guitar, vocals, and drum machines. At the core of the songs you’ll find Ryan’s voice, sweet and endearing it acts as a gentle guide from beginning to end. “Album Savant” is, at its most basic level, a solid avant-pop record. The melodies are catchy, the songs are quirky, and the arrangements are creative. But at times there is much more to this album. Songs such as “Sometimes She Said” and “Victory” transcend their humble bedroom roots, making the details of the “found” instrumentation and Casio keyboards less important and letting the songs exist on their own as really great pop music. “Album Savant” by The Three Potato 4 is out now on Series Two Records.

-Glenn Jackson

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The Deli SF was thoroughly confused to find this email from Tricycle Records in the overstuffed inbox this week:

"Please join us for The Blacks final performance, "Death By Tambourine", this Thursday, June 18th at The Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. The Blacks will share the stage with The Red Verse and The Ferocious Few, with very special DJ sets by DJ Choice and Dan Francisco.

While we are deeply saddened by The Blacks decision to disband, we are equally excited we were able to squeeze one more record out of them before they pack it in.Tiger Songs will be released on Tricycle Records Digitally on July 21st, but as a special treat for all you Blacks fans, we will have limited edition pre-release copies of Tiger Songs available at the show."

A celebration and a breakup? Thats more entertainment than you can get on a reality show broadcast through your digital converter.

-Nicole

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“String Metal” is the term used to describe the unique sound of the Oakland-based band Judgement Day. The band is a trio made up of two brothers—one on violin and the other on cello—and a friend on drums. As they clarify on their first CD, their band has no guitars, yet sounds like the most hardcore heavy metal you have heard in a long time.

Their new 7” of live recordings titled Out of the Abyss: Live on Tape serves as a teaser for their upcoming sophomore release titled Peacocks/Pink Monsters. The first song of the 7” is a live version from their first full length album Dark Opus. A head-thrashing but also beautifully composed piece, it entices listeners with Judgement Day’s unique sound.

The band is made up of Lewis and Anton Patzner, Lewis being the younger of the two. Lewis graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore last year. Many may recognize Anton as the violinist for Bright Eyes, as well as fellow Saddle Creek electronica band The Faint. The Patzners were apparently spotted playing music on the street in front of the Great American Music Hall in SF by members of Saddle Creek punk rock band Cursive before their show in ‘04, which lead to these opportunities. When back with the band, the Patzners and their drummer, Jon Bush, toured with such indie favorites as Mates of State as well.

The second song on their new release features just Lewis on cello, in a song titled “Etude”, which is the French word meaning study, and refers to an instrumental musical composition, one that is very difficult and meant to be as practice material for improving a certain skill. Considering the band’s past with intellectual intensity, or what you could also call witty playfulness (such as the last track on Opus in which a Choir to sings some of the Book of Revelations in Latin—which Anton translated himself—with an incredibly melodramatic affect) this title seems only fitting, The song does seem as if it could be grueling to play, but sounds gorgeous.

And the last “Bonus” track gives a more clear hint as to what we should expect of their release later this year—the beginning sounds more dance-ready and wild then their typical dark material. But never fear—the dark depths to which Judgement Day always reaches is still there in this almost ten minute head-banger.

Considering that the band started off on the streets of Telegraph and San Francisco, and are talented enough to now be touring the world, you definitely want to take a minute to check these guys out. Or, if you are into zombies, at least watch their new video for their song “Out of the Abyss” where Anton is adorned in eye-liner and zombies get down to the sounds of this string metal trio.

-Shauna C. Keddy

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Coming up this Wednesday June 17th, the 5th installment of Vive le Rock, a reoccuring show at El Rio that has featured Oakland's Gosta Berling along with other fine local indie bands and filmmakers. Vive le Rock V - The Fine Art of (Re)Surfacing features Gosta Berling with Skeletal System and Kid Mud. Between sets you can watch two short films by local filmmaker Nick Gamino. Treat your eyes and ears for ony 5 bucks!

Vive le Rock at El Rio Wednesday June 17th 8:30 $5

-Nicole

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Steve Taylor knows how to write a tune. His recent release Has the Size of The Road Got The Better Of You is filled with upbeat, infectious pop songs and heartfelt ballads that are heavily influenced by 60’s and 70’s pop and R&B. Taylor’s songwriting is catchy with lyrics that paint a familiar landscape. Nothing Left for example, is straight out of the Stevie Wonder songbook. Like many of the other songs on the album, it’s both nostalgic and soulful. Often it’s the big, warm production on the album that remains on the forefront but there are moments, for instance in the title track, where the sound is stripped down a bit and the artist shines though. Overall, Has the Size of the Road Got the Better of You is a well balanced, strong release from this Oakland singer-songwriter.

You can catch Steve Taylor tonight at Hotel Utah playing with other locals The Greening and Cohen. You can also catch Steve playing keyboards for another band you may have heard a time or two - Rogue Wave – they play the Wanderlust Festival in July.

-Nicole

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Don't forget to come out to El Rio tonight for The Deli SF Presents: Gand Lake, Beatbeat Whisper and The Heated. It's going to be a great show and it's only 5 bucks!!!

-Nicole

The Devotionals set a spell, the choir filled the show, and the brave were rewarded with a late night treat at the show’s closing.

Wednesday night’s Rickshaw Stop show suffered from one of those awkward “the main band is not who everyone came to see” situations. The worst part about it was—Garrett Pierce, a native San Franciscan singer-songwriter, is actually quite talented. With two albums out, (both solid, filled with catchy and thoughtful songs) Pierce was a great performer and deserved a better audience. This does not count my hero of the night, a girl standing near the front but on the side, who mouthed all the words passionately while playing air guitar in time to Pierce’s songs all to her friends delight and mine as well. There was a good amount of people who obviously came for him, but the crowd hung back, so much so that Pierce even said, “We would feel a lot more loved if you all came closer to the stage”. Thank goodness for one girl from the superb opening act, a 40-50 piece women’s choir called Conspiracy of Venus, who was dancing the night away right in front.

In fact, the reason the tiny venue was so jam-packed for the opening acts was because it seemed each woman in the choir had at least one family member, friend, or partner in the audience to see them perform. Thus there was a much older crowd than one would usually expect to find at such an obscure venue, so late at night, midweek in the city, as parents of some of the younger women came to cheer their daughters on. The choir was formed in 2007 and is directed by Joyce Todd McBride. It is diverse in age and ethnicity, but the women are evidently a tight knit group, and were all dressed to the nines for their choir’s season finale show.

Audience members were treated to a few Tom Waits and Bjork songs, Joni Mitchell’s “Blue”, as well as “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” by Rufus Wainwright, and, as a shout-out to their male counterpart Conspiracy of Beards, Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man”. It was a great feat that so many women could fit on Rickshaw’s small stage, and they sounded beautiful. The crowd loved them and even though most came to see someone specific in the choir, I noticed many audience members talking about how awesome they think the choir is, and saying they just came because they like what the choir does.

The first opening act was a new project between Two Gallants’ Tyson Vogel and violinist Anton Patzner of Judgment Day, who also worked with indie-favorite Bright Eyes on the Four Winds EP and the Cassadaga CD. The two young musicians are both Bay Area natives and Two Gallants records on Saddle Creek, the record label Bright Eyes is on, thus the get-together of Vogel and Patzner makes sense. The new band, called the Devotionals, also includes Jeff Blair on the drums. Vogel took to the stage as the venue was still relatively empty, playing a long solo guitar piece without saying a word. But afterwards Patzner and Blair joined him onstage, and the band introduced themselves.

By this time the few people sitting in the front had set a trend, and the venue was filled to the back with a quite respectful audience sitting as if for story time. And in fact, that is practically what it became as Vogel launched in to what he called the “nerd part” where he recited a poem. Although Two Gallants has performed to huge audiences such as the Treasure Island Music Festival last year, Vogel usually finds himself hidden behind the drums, and this new role of band leader and poem reader found him quite nervous. He read well though, and the sound of their band was very alluring. I overheard one woman say “I like to close my eyes to listen to it”. And so their name rang true, as a sort of spell was drawn over the crowd with Patzner’s mystical violin playing and Vogel’s amazing guitar work. Blair’s drum work rounded off the sound nicely, and some songs did include lyrics but most were purely instrumental. They ended off the set with Vogel reading another poem and then playing another hypnotizing solo guitar piece. He thanked the audience for the respect showed to them, which was unusual, for everyone to be quietly sitting and giving their full attention to such an experimental opening act.

Although Pierce got the short end of the stick starting at 11 o’clock on a Wednesday night, I still found his set to be very strong, playing mostly songs off of his latest album All Masks and also a cover of the Nina Simone song “Keeper of the Flame”. Audience members yelled “Encore, one more, one more” when they finished the set and Pierce eventually, albeit begrudgingly, agreed to play one more, not willing to even tell the name of song since he was so determined it would go badly. He then launched into what I consider the strongest track from Masks, called “Your Feet in Wet Cement”, and without having practiced it for the show, it sure sounded great.

-Shauna C. Keddy

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Have you ever imagined yourself with headphones on, behind a microphone, playing music that you know people need to hear over the airwaves and into thousands of cars, homes and computers? Or maybe you've just wondered how an independent, non-profit radio station operates? This week is your chance to find out! KALX 90.7FM is holding their spring recruitment this week from Thursday, June 11th to Wednesday, June 17th. The radio station is on the UC Berkeley campus but volunteer opportunities are available for anyone in the local community. In fact, the whole darn operation is run by volunteers so they could probably use your help and musical expertise right about now. The bonus for you is that they'll let you wander their massive music library and listen to what they've got for hours on end.

26 Barrows Hall on the UC Berkeley Campus. Call the KALX office for specific times of the recruitment: (510) 642-1111 or publicity@kalx.berkeley.edu

And folks, this isn't going to be happening again until Spring of 2010. Now is the time to live, or perhaps re-live, those glory days.

-Nicole

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As a preview to their upcoming release, Eskimo Snow, Oakland's Why? have released a new video for A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under. The video is done in one 2 1/2 minute take that slowly unfolds in the middle of a mysterious and slightly absurd story line involving a building takeover by hooded figures with glowing lights for eyes. Watch it twice just to get the full effect.

-Nicole
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Free show alert! When was the last time you stumbled up the hills of historic Northbeach? San Francisco's powerpop punk band Radio Crimes will give you a good excuse this weekend. They've been described as picking up where The Clash left off. Mull over it while eating a slice of pizza from Golden Boy and decide for yourself.

Radio Crimes opens for Chicago's The Lustkillers at Grant and Green on Saturday, June 6th at 9. Free!

-Nicole

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Deli Magazine presents DorkFest featuring: The Heavenly States, French Miami, Railcars, 60-Watt Kid, Anderson Congress, and Vitiligo on August 1st 2009 at Cafe Du Nord.

Looking out across the cultural landscape of San Francisco there appears a disheartening absence. In cities such as Seattle, Portland, and New York there exist thriving and unified local independent music scenes and enclaves, while here in San Francisco there is a lack of anything similar. It is not that San Francisco is in need for local musicians; it’s that there is a lack of cohesion within the community. Whereas outside of San Francisco there are intricate musical communities whose musicians and fans provide a broader support system, in our city musicians are seemingly disconnected and the welcome fan base has no easy avenue to explore the would be concentrated depth of San Francisco’s soundscape. As a result our musicians are driven to play in other cities for lack proper venues and events to support them, and for that the city suffers.

The DorkFest series, presented by the Deli Magazine, will be the events that kick start the return of San Francisco’s independent music community. The DorkFest series will feature and promote local San Francisco groups, showcase and galvanize the independent music community, and serve as an announcement to place San Francisco’s independent music scene back in competition with New York, Portland, Austin, and Seattle.

The inaugural show in the DorkFest series will occur at The Cafe Du Nord on August 1st. Sampling bands from San Francisco’s indie, noise, and electronic rock music genres the premiere DorkFest’s lineup is as follows: The Heavenly States, French Miami, Railcars, 60-Watt Kid, Anderson Congress, and Vitiligo. In so much as we can create high profile events such that showcase a sample of the best of the best within San Francisco we will highlight what it is that this city has to offer. With DorkFest we invite all to come and bring together the disparate sections of San Francisco musical community. Tickets are now on sale through the Cafe Du Nord’s website.

Please direct all press inquires to Ada Lann and Johnny Glass at:dorkfestival@gmail.com

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For this edition of Five Questions we sat down with our current Artist of the Month, foreign cinema, and left with a hankering for both breakfast and dessert.

What food item best describes your music? Strawberry Belgian Waffles with Vanilla Ice Cream

What instrument have you wanted to include but have yet to find a way to fit into your sound? Sitar, and we are working on our way there!

Embarrassing childhood memory? Using new clothes with the price tag on and falling on my ass in front of A LOT people!

What musical artist would you like to grab a beer with? Dave: John Cage, (before he died of course); Natalia: Thom Yorke; Halleia: Flight of the Conchords

And finally, time travel or space travel? Space travel, so we can discover and explore other civilizations that will probably like our music!

foreign cinema will be in LA next weekend playing Club Violaine on June 6th.

If your band has answers to The Deli SF's Five Questions forward them to: sfeditor@thedelimagazine.com

-nicole

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Thursday June 11th, The Deli SF proudly presents:
Grand Lake
Beatbeat Whisper
The Heated
at
El Rio
Thursday June 11th 9pm
$5

Named after the legendary Grand Lake Theatre, in the Lake Merrit district of Oakland, California, Grand Lake is the music of Caleb Nichols (ex-Port O'Brien, vocals, bass), Jameson Swanagon (a graduate of the New England Conservatory of music in Boston,guitar), Erika Pipkin (a graduate of the composition program at Mills College in Oakland, vocals, keys) and Ryan Parks (singer-songwriter of local mainstay No'S, drums). Grand Lake blends the traditional indie canon of the 00's with such disparate influences as Mark Ribot, ESG, the Pixies, Blind Willie Johnson, Moe Tucker, Jon Brion, and Ella Fitzgerald. This convergence of personalities and influences comes together to create a sound that is distinctly Grand Lake - minimalist arrangements of catchy pop tunes, paired with a sensibility that smacks of both the conservatory and the garage.

Begun among the oak trees and upright pianos of Sonoma County, Beatbeat Whisper is the project of siblings Davyd and Ayla Nereo, now based in Oakland, California. They have released two full-length albums, Beatbeat Whisper (2007) and Wonder Continental (2008). Their songs have been in films, compilations, and across the nation's airwaves. Beatbeat Whisper has also been featured in Daytrotter, The Bay Bridged, East Bay Express, Pacific Noise, and among the pages (and February CD sampler) of Paste Magazine.

Cristina Espinosa, front-woman of The Heated is anxious. She has always been anxious. The best way she has found to ward off these synaptic misfires is through the repetitious nature of music. Singing it. Playing the same riff for hours on end. Agonizing over guitar pick methods. For her, music is not a hobby. It's a coping mechanism. Anchored by Gina Petrone's stripped down percussion flourishes, The Heated's endearing lo-fi yet accomplished indie folk manages to surprise. One bar breaks thrown into the center of songs, off kilter rhythms and unexpected melodies dot the musical landscape. These little surprises pull you in.

See you there!

-Nicole

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If you’ve ever been to the Retox Lounge then you know it’s a ridiculous hassle to get out there. They do get some good acts though, so I find myself trekking out there more and more. On Thursday May 14^th I went down to see Vitiligo, an up and coming SF based dance punk band. Dance punk? Eeh, I don’t know if that’s true, they kind of sound like the noisy grooves of the Jesus and Mary Chain, mixed with the loud bass locked in and hard hitting drums of the Gang of Four, maybe… They also sound like themselves, I hate comparing things, but we’ve got to start somewhere.

Anyway, they played a short set with a lot of energy, singer Alex Musto puts a lot of effort into being the front man, swaying back and forth and dancing around on stage. I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s Mark Bolan. It’s a good thing though; the energy that he provides allows the audience to feel comfortable getting up and dancing. The rest of the band know how to compliment Musto’s arrogant struts with a tight hard hitting sound. Drummer, Ryan Kochevar’s playing is almost unbelievable; he plays fast enough to stump a drum machine, and has a great sense of timing and melody. Lead guitarist Zach Reitman manipulates chaotic noise into beautiful landscapes, and newbie bassist Joe Benchimol locks into the drums with brilliant accuracy, which is something their last bassist lacked.

The set consisted of 7 songs that blended into each other almost seamlessly. The band ended the show with a cover of Little Richard's “Lucille” which got a few laughs, a nice contrast to the rest of the set; which leads to my only criticism, the songs all sound a bit alike, but I think that will change with time and maturity.

Vitiligo are a band worth checking out, it’s refreshing to see some punk kids having fun playing catchy noisy music, something SF has lacked for years now. You can see them June 5th at Kimos with Worker Bee and Ugly Winner.

-Jonny MF Glass

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Tuesday May 26th, swing by The Knockout at happy hour to see live performances from Ghosts On Tape and Tempo No Tempo. The San Francisco and Oakland based bands are helping Pittsburg's Black Moth Super Rainbow celebrate their latest record release. The event is from 6 to 9 - your wallet will thank you [assuming of course that you have a talking wallet].

-Nicole

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At a venue that caters predominantly to a host of forgotten C list groups from the 90s and a seemingly endless supply of cover bands, it came as a bit of surprise to find out that some of San Francisco's premiere indie noise-rock bands had landed themselves a night at the Red Devil Lounge. For those searching and in dire need of Sublime covers it was to be another night before you'd find your fulfillment. But so it was that with the stiff competition of Bay to Breakers and a Mogwai show somewhere in the city that the Railcars, Anderson Congress, White Cloud, and Ralf Youtz (of the Halo Benders and The Feelings) took the stage last Sunday night to a somewhat intimate but certainly dedicated crowd.

Ralf Youtz, somewhat the odd man out for the lineup, opened the evening with a solo Ukulele set switching between his own songs, old Feelings' standards, and lovely euk covers of anything and everything he felt up to and including the Clash. In theory, replacing the high energy furry of "Police on My Back" with the quiet soft-spoken beauty of a high-pitched guitar and sweet vocals sounds sacrilegious; but, having been delivered with the extreme sincerity that it was, Ralf's rendition of the song earned it's pass. There was something inexplicably appropriate to find such quaint beauty in the anger of that song. Of course, deprived of live Feelings with no venue for a fix in the foreseeable future, it was an extreme pleasure to hear Ralf's renditions of few of that tender Portland indie-pop band's tunes. Hearing such charmingly earnest songs can't help but in someway put a smile on your face.

Taking a page directly out of the garage bible, White Cloud came on second, delivered a high-energy performance, and kicked off the real beginning of this night of noise-rock. Switching instruments, dancing about, and pounding out a wash of sound White Clouds music embodies that 60s garage pursuit of an aesthetic of sloppiness, probably best illustrated in early Kinks recordings. This is not to say in anyway White Cloud were bad, or for that matter not a tight band, their precision lies certainly in their ability to generate this aesthetic dissonance. Things such as the singers slightly off key voice and the muddled fuzzed out sound, which normally might detract, are made to work exactly in White Cloud's favor. Certainly their incredibly high energy on stage doesn't hurt either.

Anderson Congress followed promptly and as per usual delivered a fantastic punky and noisy show. Though I think mostly I've said my piece with this band in previous reviews I will quickly lay out something I've begun to notice that bodes well for their future. Jake Sinetos is beginning to branch out from his jagged rhythm guitar playing and adding slight moments of atonal noise lead for texture during the songs. This, I'd say, is an interesting welcome change from the occasional somewhat monotony of his previous playing style. Next to Nick Sinetos' more technical noise leads it offers a wonderful juxtaposition of guitar sound. It is a minor stylistic addition but an interesting one nonetheless.

Last to push the boundaries of hearing that evening were the Railcars, and though you can't remotely say anybody played poorly, surely the Railcars stole this show. Perhaps it was my familiarity with the other bands - only having heard the Railcars as recordings, first exposed to their live performance that Sunday - but I can certainly say this is one of the most exciting bands the Bay Area presently has to offer. They have the audacity to stand before the patriarchy of conventional beauty, decry it's limits, and say "beauty is not only found in your order, there is grace in my chaos too." Layers of synthesizer sounds, feedback, and guitar oscillating between the melodious and shrill noise perhaps can best characterize their sound. It may seem that all this would come together as an inaccessible and atonal mess, but this is not the case. They are no Lightening Bolt, whose quest for atonal chaos is often dogmatic, but Railcars linger more in the chaos' beauty adding layers of delightful melody whose elements of noise, seemingly in contradiction, accentuate the exquisite elegance of their sound.

While at the show I picked up a copy of their last (non-live) 7-inch EP Cities vs. Submarines, released last August with apparently little mention. Evidently produced by Jamie Stuart (of Xiu Xiu) - whose influence upon this EP is clear, if on nothing else Aria's hauntingly distorted vocals filtered through a megaphone - Cities vs. Submarines is a delightful entry point into the broad landscape that is the Railcars music. Fastidiously mixed, Cities vs. Submarines really engages you as a listener begging attentiveness to the depth and delicacy of the sound. It is available through their Myspace page, which also announces an upcoming 12-inch release. What exciting possibilities await?

A fantastic line-up, last Sunday's show was sadly a wonderful show that too many people missed. I suppose set on a Sunday night and being that it is on the upper cusp of that awkward Tender-Nob area this was not the Red Devil Lounge clientele's sort of evening. Let us hope then at least the Sting cover band coming soon draws them a crowd.

-Ada Lann

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San Francisco based band The New Up is celebrating the release of their EP Better Off at The Independent on Saturday, May 23. The New Up plays with another of SF's pop/rock bands, Blue Rabbit as well as Blue Turtle Seduction (Tahoe) and Jack Frost (NYC).

The Deli SF is giving away a pair of tickets to the show to the 25th person to email sfeditor@thedelimagazine.com the name of the street where you'll find The Independent.

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Thursday May 14th, 2009 - Starry Plough

Boy in The Bubble sounds inviting. When they started playing it was like I already knew the music, but not really. They have a lot of friendly influences that add up to a sound that's hard to dislike. The set had a good variety of soul tinged pop songs and a lot of abrupt changes that kept it really interesting. Josh Seidenfeld's voice carried the music, and Satish Pillai's keyboard playing was totally uplifting. They brought on Amanda White from The Clarences to sing a cover of the Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody." She can really wail, and Josh was no slouch either. It was fun, this band just feels good.

Farewell Typewriter had free earplugs "because it's loud in here. At least it's about to be." "Woo!" the crowd responded, as you may have guessed. The first few songs were upbeat, danceable indie rock. They nailed an intense cover of "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles, which I really enjoy hearing different bands interpret. Guitarist Grant Shellen handled the vocals with a lot of support from bassist Jason Countryman. Audie Roldan played guitar and keyboard, but his stage moves were so epic he didn't need an instrument. They ended with "The Spoils of the Spoiled" by The New Amsterdams. Drummer Steve Slater really let loose on this one, making me wish the noise ordinances could be lifted for a night.

Kid With Katana have their own match boxes. That raised a lot of questions for me. Regardless, they came on last, and it was intense. They can really play, and their songs are long and complex. Guitarists Yonathon Walsh and Patrick Kenna really explored their instruments as they touched on rock, pop, indie, and punk. Bassist Sam Welles and drummer Peter Granquist were tremendously solid, I wish they had more opportunities to shine. The set ended with a spot on cover of Rx Bandits' "Epoxi-Lips," which is a song I love by a band I love. So, I loved it.

-Michael Bang

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The Deli has expanded! Straight from the capitol of Texas and the center of one of the most exciting spots in the country for independent music, please welcome The Deli Austin.

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Just a few of the weekend shows out there - for West Bay kids at the Red Devil Lounge Anderson Congress plays with Railcars, White Cloud and Ralf Youtz on Sunday.

Also on Sunday for the East Bay kids Foma, Next of Kin, Alright Class at Rooz Cafe in Oakland.

-Nicole

When Luke Franks came onstage, there were maybe seven people in the audience. I would've felt bad for the guy, but the set he played was so intimate that it's hard to imagine a better scenario. And that voice, where on Earth did he find that? The songs he played were good, but the voice he hides under a nonchalant attitude is what made the show. Everything about him is comfortable: "If ya'll want me to do something just shout it out." "Do jumping jacks!" yelled disgruntled audience member number two. "Jumping jacks? I don't know that one." Great way to start a show.

After a laid back set from Luke, A B and The Sea were exactly what was needed to kick it into high gear. Their influences are as clear as day: 60's pop and modern indie rock. And let me tell you, these styles mesh. Every time I've seen them it's been pure unadulterated awesome, and this show was no different. There are plenty of "Aah's," "Whoa's," and "Sha la la's" to sing along to for those unfamiliar with the band, and it's impossible not to move to this music. Literally the moment I wrote down the word "danceable," people started dancing. This band is just straight up fun, and the best part is they give it their all whether there's four people in the audience or forty.

A B and The Sea wore suits. I guess the uniform of choice for The Soft White Sixties is flannel? Anyhow, they came out with guns blazing, starting the set with their most aggressive song. "That was fuckin' badass!" yelled a crazed fanboy. The rest of their songs were filled with guitar riffs, catchy melodies and well placed backup vocals. Yeah, there were a lot of bad jokes, but the audience liked the band enough to laugh. The highlights were definitely the first and last songs, which felt like the band's strongest decisions.

Mister Loveless began with the only instrumental of the night, which felt like a giant buildup to nothing, and I mean that in the best possible way. They enjoy yelling nonsense words, so when the vocalist started singing I was surprised at how soft and delicate it was. Musically their show is less atmospheric than their recordings, which they make up for with aggression. They lay into these songs pretty hard, making them much livelier than their recorded counterparts. All in all? This show was fun.

-Michael Bang

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This Friday, May 15th ATA will be screening Flowers, a collection of short films and music videos by Joe Golling and Bob Thayer.

The films include "Big Feet", a new short film produced and directed and scored by Jameson Swanagon (the guitarist of Grand Lake) as well as music videos from Rad Cloud and Grand Lake. The screening also includes two music videos by Grand Lake, a music video by Rad Cloud, and short films by Bob and Joe. Rad Cloud will also be playing a short set.

The screening starts at 9pm at the ATA : 992 Valencia Street in San Francisco - $6

-Nicole

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The springtime weather isn't the only reason you may be feeling an amorous buzz surrounding you. Tonight marks the first S.F. Loves L.A Party. The concept that aims to bring local music from two cities together on one stage. San Francisco bands The Downer Party (pictured) and BLAMMOS play with LA's TASSO and OVIDEO at the Elbo Room. We're not sure but this may also be the first time this many capitalized bands will share one stage.

The Deli SF looks forward to future displays of dual city love in the form of local music.

-Nicole

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Bottom of the Hill. Wednesday, May 6th 2009

The tiny stage had so many instruments it looked like every band was going to play at the same time. But Hanni el Khatib stepped up first, armed with only a guitar and a drummer, and proceeded to tear it up for half an hour. This guy's music drives. The set moved relentlessly onward, pushing the audience through indie rock, noise, punk, early 60's pop, and almost folk. Plus, Hanni really likes the word fuck, which is a word I am fond of as well.

Boy in Static went up next. Kenji Ross (the man behind the beats) lives in Boston and could not make it out for the show, so Alexander Chen took to the stage with his fiance Brindalyn Webster on flute and glockenspiel. Yeah, glockenspiel. The set was a tour through their new album "Candy Cigarette," and Alex said at least one thing about each song. The music is somehow both playful and melancholy, as if they know something depressing but manage to be optimistic anyway. Alex handled most of the music making, which consisted of programmed beats, vocals, and viola. Despite having played viola since elementary school, Alex uses it primarily to make subtle additions to the texture of the music. The vocals were similarly tasteful, always kindly catching our attention, never demanding it. Except when he does that crazy awesome vibrato. How does he do that?

The second song they played has a super fat beat over which Alex sings "L.A. runaways, call your homes tonight." The album has songs called "Young San Francisco," "L.A Runaways," "Tijuana," "Osaka," and "Starlet" which Alex said is sort of about New Jersey. I guess he likes to sing about locations? It must be working, because I found it really easy to get lost in the music (in a good way).

The highlight of the show came at the end of their set, when on came Levi Parker, Brindalyn's 6-year old nephew and star of Boy in Static's awesome music video for "Young San Francisco." For a moment he looked intimidated. Then all of a sudden he started dancing like there was no tomorrow, much to the crowd's delight.

Matthew Shaw (guitar, bass, vocals) and Nick Andre (keyboards, beats, backing vocals) represented City Light, a band that combines alternative rock with synths and programmed beats. It was an interesting sequel to Boy in Static, with similar dashes of electronica in a totally different context. Most of the songs were about the same tempo and feel, so near the end of their set I was anxious for something new, which I got when Marc Bianchi of Her Space Holiday came on to sing with them.

Headliner Marc was joined by a bassist plus Matt and Nick from City Light to play the Her Space Holiday set. Wearing Buddy Holly glasses and covered in tattoos, Marc came onstage, chugged from a handle of Jameson and announced "I'm a little drunk." I thought, "This is going to be awesome." And it is was. His brand of indie pop translates into a fun, rocking show. Someone could have told me my car had been towed and I wouldn't have minded because those songs just felt good. "Let's hear it for self destruction," said Marc as he took another swig of Jameson.

-Michael Bang

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This weeks interrogation features the San Francisco based post-punk band The Buttercream Gang. Five questions with the band and perhaps more intimacy than you bargained for.

What food item best describes your music? Burrito from Villa Corona in Napa California

What instrument have you wanted to include but have yet to find a way to fit into your sound? Baritone Saxophone and Marimba

Embarrassing childhood memory? We can't say whom, but at an early age one of us pooped out pants and blamed it on the dog.

What musical artist would you like to grab a beer with? Pete: Joe Strummer, Rob: Steve Reich, Bobby: Frank Zappa (Frank would drink coffee)

And finally, time travel or space travel? We're all in for time travel.

The Buttercream Gang play Rockzilla in Napa on May 17th and The Hemlock Tavern on June 10th.

If your band has answers to The Deli SF's Five Questions forward them to: sfeditor@thedelimagazine.com

-nicole

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HUGE lineup from Cochon Records at Thee Parkside this Sunday. 10 bucks gets you an entire afternoon of music that goes from 2pm-2am:

Veronica Lip Gloss and the Evil Eyes
Mirror Mirror
Jenny Hoyston
Judy Experience
Sixteens
Roller Ball
Larry Yes

DJ sets by
Gravy Train
Abunda Bida
Sex Wax
Kiddy Drown
Gary Fembot
Chelsea Starr

-nicole

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Community event y'all! Youth Movement Records, proud sponsor of Noise Pop '09, are showcasing an event featuring artists from their youth mentoring project. The Musical Mentoring Project "bridges an inter-generational connection between emerging youth artists and successful music industry professionals. Through hands-on collaboration, young artists learn the craft of songwriting, as well as fundamentals about the business of music."

Come Check it out: Friday May 8th at 8pm The 19th Street Theater @ The Fox.

-nicole

If you happen to be in the Mission tonight around 8 swing by Pirate Cat Radio [2781 21st Street @ Florida] to hear Arthur Adams [BLAMMOS, The Phenomenauts] and Jordan Adams perform songs made famous by They Might Be Giants.

Not in the Mission? Under house arrest? Pirate Cat Radio has you covered. Tune into 87.9 FM or listen live on their site.

Arthur Adams & BLAMMOS play The Elbo Room on Wednesday May 15th.

-nicole

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An upcoming evening of power pop this Thursday should coast you right into the weekend. The Pleasure Kills and The Attachments play the Rickshaw Stop on May 7th with with NYC's Nous Non Plus.

Feels good like successfully balancing on your scooter in style while holding an over-sized sugary delicious lollipop.

-nicole

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A dance party was held at the Rickshaw Stop on Thursday, April 30^th. Not just any party mind you, but a full-fledged, dance-pop retro powerhouse that would make the Energizer Bunny proud. While headliner Music For Animals came in with the hype and left with a beast’s share of fanfare, it was a collection of our northern neighbors that quietly stole the show.

The Montreal-based, electro-pop opener Winter Gloves didn’t draw nearly as large a crowd as San Francisco’s own MFA, but what they lacked in buzz they more than replaced with the humming and shrieks of their synthesizers and keyboards. The band set an energetic tone that came to characterize the night, and did so without a bassist. All their bass lines were instead provided through deep, moog synths, an old-school move that worked surprisingly well. In fact, the band often had two synthesizers going at once, usually a drowning of low-fi Nintendo-sounding chords matched against higher-pitched, dreamy melodies. At certain parts of the show, the heavy electronic influence combined with Charles F’s high vocal range brought The Postal Service to mind, but at its best the band was more reminiscent of Phoenix. One of their greatest moments came when the singer tripped over an ill-placed stool near the center of the stage and popped up immediately, grabbing the microphone and signing his way past the potential disaster.

Sandwiched in the middle of the show was Please Do Not Fight, another lively pop band to watch that didn’t quite have the polish of Winter Gloves. Their two singers, Zen Zenith and Erin Keely (who doubled on keyboard and violin), complemented each other well, but their eclectic style resulted in a wave of ambiguous music, rather than something more compelling. They did offer some fun theatrics, including an excellent cover of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” that saw the crowd cocking their gun-signaled fists in the air at the sound of each gunshot sample. With balloons and some well-designed paper airplanes floating through the air as well, the song was the highlight of the entire night – despite a so-so performance.

MFA turned back the clock about 25 years for their set, highlighted by the shoulder shakes of lead singer Jayson Martinovich and the collection of gold chains adorning his neck. The band even pulled out Heart’s “If Looks Could Kill,” which the band’s aggressive playing and Martinovich’s vocals lent themselves to perfectly. Like the other acts, MFA interspersed keys with power-pop riffs, all to the delight of a packed house. It might have been the non-stop drums, or the fact that half the crowd seemed to have gotten lost on their way to a club or their high school, but by the end of the night the place was moving like it was 1985.

-Chris Middleton

Photos by: Alexandria Washburn Photography

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Happy May Day everyone! Congratulations to our recent poll winner Two Headed Spy! You can celebrate with them at their May 5th show at The Hemlock.

The new poll us up! We have 5 fantastic bands for you to deliberate over: foreign cinema, Carne Cruda, Wooden Shjips, Cloakwheel and HOTTUB!

Vote Now!

This weeks featured music video is from the indie pop band Foma. Sometimes experimental, sometimes harmonically serene and beautiful but ultimately, very satisfying.

Foma celebrates their recent release Inverness at The Makeout Room this Saturday May 2nd. Catch them before they head out on a short tour through some of the too often ignored cities this side of the Mississippi [no offense, Boise].

-nicole

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The Frail is pretty popular with The Deli's electronica fans and now thanks to our friends at SonicLiving you can see them for free!

The Frail play Harlot on May 6th.

-nicole

The music of Oakland based band Winfred E. Eye will send you floating down an imaginary sonic river. Rivers and change are just some of the themes in their latest release Till I Prune, out today on Antenna Farm Records. The bands first release since 2003 is filled with somber and isolated compositions that manage to comfort in a way that only certain kinds of earnest melancholy can.

Molten Core seems to question the things that have come to be accepted while later in the album, the title track resigns itself to knowing the things that must change and the actions that need to be taken. Mighty Dirty River is a haunting and beautiful final track that is reminiscent of earlier releases from My Morning Jacket - I'm also a self admitted sucker for a steel guitar.

Winfred E. Eye plays the House of Shields on Friday May 1st - its the official record release show.

-nicole

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Nothing beats listening a free indie pop show on a friday evening. Nothing.

Come see the The Hot Toddies play a free show at The Uptown before heading off to tour the country. With other local bands Battlehooch and Tempo No Tempo you're guaranteed to have more dancing material than your feet can handle without spending a dime.

Here's a preview for your online media enjoyment:

See you there!

-nicole

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Just a gentle reminder: this Saturday, April 25th, it's on like Donkey Kong.

The Definite Articles, Stripmall Architecture, and Foxtail Somersault at the Rickshaw Stop. 9:00 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 at the door, all ages! Be there or be the one who missed out on the action.

Until then!

- Anna

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The Mother Hips are kind of a big deal, as it seems. Therefore, nabbing the chance to open for them makes you kind of a big deal as well. The Stone Foxes, therefore, are kind of a big deal. Allrighty, that's enough milking of one obvious 'Anchorman' reference for one evening.

The Stone Foxes are set to open for the Mother Hips on two occasions. On Friday, 4/24, both bands will be in Folsom at the Powerhouse Pub. And on Saturday, 4/25, both bands will be at the Independent (doors at 8:30, show at 9:00, $20), along with the Blank Tapes, presented by KPIG. It's going to be a night full of big riffage and bluesy, Southern-infused rock and roll - Stone Foxes' "Sweep a Road" and "Black Rolling Thunder" tunes, for example, are tasty throwbacks to CCR and the Black Crowes - and if you haven't had a chance to experience the Stone Foxes yet, this should be a great time to do so.

And in addition to contributing to our SxSW band recaps, the Stone Foxes have put together a three-part video series chronicling their Austin 2009 adventures:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

- Anna

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If there's one thing we love, it's local bands covering each others' work and allowing the rest of us to listen and enjoy. A nice little surprise showed up in the Deli's inbox this morning: the news of a split single between Her Space Holiday and City Light, wherein one band created a new rendition of one of the other band's songs.

For this single, Her Space Holiday made a spunkier, garage-tinged version of City Light's experimental indie pop on "All You Demons," whereas City Light injected jovial melody into Her Space Holiday's "New Kid Revival."

"New Kid Revival," in particular, finds its heart in the lyric "if they tell us we're doing it wrong, we'll just turn up the sound of our songs" - and really, that says it all.

Her Space Holiday - "All You Demons"

City Light - "New Kid Revival"

This split single is made possible via Banter Records. You can purchase the single by clicking here. Her Space Holiday and City Light are headed out on a joint U.S. tour in May - check out all the dates here and now:

May-06 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
May-07 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
May-08 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jone
May-09 San Diego, CA The Loft at UCSD (students only)
May-10 Phoenix, AZ Modified Arts
May 12 San Antonio, TX Rock Bottom
May-13 Austin, TX Mohawk
May-14 Houston, TX Walter's on Washington
May-15 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
May-16 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
May-17 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn
May-18 Carrboro, NC Local 506
May-19 Washington, DC Rock n Roll Hotel
May-20 Philadelphia, PA The Barbary
May-21 Brooklyn, NY Bell House
May-22 Boston, MA Middle East Upstairs
May-23 Buffalo, NY Mohawk
May-24 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
May-25 Pontiac, MI Pike Room at Crofoot
May-26 Chicago, IL Subterranean
May-27 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
May-29 Missoula, MT The Other Side
May-30 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
May-31 Portland, OR Backspace

- Anna

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Tuesday, April 21st:

* Celine Dion 2013, Raccoons, the Thralls, Street Pyramids at the Hotel Utah

Thursday, April 23rd:

* Forget About Boston at the Red Devil Lounge

Friday, April 24th:

* Ash Reiter at Blake's on Telegraph

Sunday, April 26th:

* Caruso Caruso at Kimo's

- Anna

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Tomorrow marks the 2nd anniversary of Record Store Day, and although it is not a Bay Area-centric event, the national movement of 700+ independent record stores has nabbed the likes of Wilco, Tom Waits, Radiohead and a slew of other artists to release limited edition material at your favorite local record shops. For anyone into the survival of, you know, the local distribution of indie artistry without that horrible, faceless middle-man, Record Store Day is a celebration and cultural cause worth caring about.

Before we go all KQED-pledge-drive on you, click here to find participating record stores near you and other info on what limited release goodies are up for grabs. MBV has put together a comprehensive list of what will be available for purchase on this magical day, updated as more information is collected.

Amoeba Records, in particular, will feature some special DJ sets from local musicians in honor of Record Store Day:

San Francisco:

* 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. DJ set by Kylee of Loquat
* 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. DJ set by Kelley Stoltz
* 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. DJ set by John Vanderslice
* 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. DJ set by Aesop Rock

Berkeley:

* 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. DJ set by Yoni Wolf of Why?
* and more surprise guests

Also, Rasputin in Berkeley will feature a special (and free!) Silversun Pickups in-store performance at 4:00 p.m. (better get there early . . .)

Other participating Bay Area stores:

* 1-2-3-4 Go! Records (Oakland)
* Amoeba Records (San Francisco and Berkeley)
* Aquarius Records (San Francisco)
* Back Door Disc (Cotati)
* Bedrock Music & Video (San Rafael)
* Creative Music Emporium (San Francisco)
* Down Home Music (El Cerrito and Berkeley)
* Last Record Store (Santa Rosa)
* Medium Rare Music (San Francisco)
* Mod Lang (El Cerrito)
* Rasputin (only the Berkeley store?)
* Red Devil Records (San Rafael)
* Space Cat (San Jose)
* Streetlight (San Jose)
* The Music Hut (Half Moon Bay)
* Vinyl Planet (Petaluma)
* Vinyl Solution Records (San Mateo)

(Did we miss any?)

We're so excited! Long live indie record stores!

- Anna (and the Deli Staff)

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Upon seeing the name Teeeth spelled out for the first time, I was particularly tickled and convinced that someone could benefit from the ever great spell check, or at least an Oxford English dictionary. Listening to their recently released 7-inch, however, all this became particularly irrelevant, as in spite of their extra "e" it is quite evident that this is a band to watch out for.

Channeling all the spirits of indie rock past, the 7-inch kicks off with the driving song "Pliers." I suppose it behooves a band called Teeeth to write a song entitled "Pliers," but that is a story for another day. The song opens with the phrase "I drove a thousand miles in a day," which quite sums up the song's overall feeling. Once it kicks off it hammers like the steady hum of an engine driving itself endlessly. There is always something that has attracted me to consistency in a song like this. Once you stop listening for epic changes you can ride with the song, dwelling in the subtleties of the crunchy distortion, or the muted rapid-pace solo that pulls you with it as the song steams along.

Short and sweet, flipping the disk over brings up the second and last song "Redacted." I have to say, this song is where the Dinosaur Jr. influences rear up and demonstrate themselves. Taking a page right out of J Mascis' book, the lead guitar twangs along through the song almost to the level of a psychedelic riff. It lives above the droning wash of the melody, wandering ethereally with the vocals reminiscing about lost love.

A great little taste of what Teeeth have to offer, this 7-inch comes highly recommended. Further, in this age that is watching the death of the CD and the rise of the MP3, it is nice to have something tangible when experiencing the music. There is little like the tactile experience of wiping off the disc and delicately placing the needle to begin your listen. This medium compliments this particular type of music as well, as Teeeth's compressed and packaged sound is warmed and fully realized within the framework of analogue sound. All that aside, however, with more songs available on their MySpace we can only hope to see something larger from Teeeth in the near future.

- Ada Lann

You can purchase the "Pliers" 7-inch by visiting Teeeth's website. Purchase of the record includes a coupon to download MP3 versions of both tracks.

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Just a friendly reminder about what's going down tonight, April 15th, at the Hemlock:

- Blue Rabbit
- Chelsea Wolfe
- Tippy Canoe

9:00 p.m., $6, 21+.

See you then!

xoxo
Anna

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Three local bands have come together to pay homage to some of the most beloved classics. As a starting point, this Friday, April 17th will involve The Chop, Touch Committee, and Goodbye Nautilus playing a Talking Heads-themed evening at Kimo's (1351 Polk St.), entitled "Here on this Mountaintop." All three bands will play at least one Talking Heads cover (and thankfully, they're planning ahead to avoid repeats), and the last song of the evening will be a rousing, multi-band rendition of "Life During Wartime." How awesome does that sound? The show starts at 9:00 p.m. and costs $6.

The goal has been set to make this a regular series, and future installments may tackle classics like Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and David Bowie. If you're in a band and/or know a band that might be interested in participating in shows like these, send an email to Robert of The Chop (robert [at] thechoprocks [dot] com, or visit the Chop's website).

- Anna

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"Rock n Roll is not a crime," via Burrito Justice.

Via the OCMD and the Bay Bridged - this is too important to ignore. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle outlines some extremely annoying (disturbing!) attempts by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to cut down on underage drinking by aggressively targeting our all-ages music venues, including Bottom of the Hill, Great American Music Hall, Slim's, and Cafe du Nord.

These venues are currently allowed to have all-ages shows because they serve food (a reasonable ABC regulation). Food offsets alcohol. It's a good thing, no matter how old you are. And really, the system works, whether it's tied to food or not. These all-ages shows at some of the City's most respected and well-established venues have no reputation for being out of control, or even for providing opportunity for San Francisco's underage population to get illegally drunk and crazy. If anything, it's old fogies like us with expendable incomes and appetites for tasty booze that the ABC should be worried about.

Point being, the ABC is going after these venues by attempting to enforce the following rule: that food sales at these particular venues must match alcohol sales. We all know that these City venues serve food, but that's not where they make the majority of their money at the end of each night (which is not a statement against the quality of the food - people just don't really go to these shows to eat).

Silver lining: it's not over quite yet, as this new ABC jurisdiction is being challenged by our elected officials. To help out in the meantime, Great American Music Hall and Slim's are selling the stylin' "Rock n Roll is Not a Crime" T-shirts that you can see pictured above. $20 will make you look super cool and "will go to support our ongoing legal bills and help to keep Slim's and GAMH alive."

Stay tuned for more info. Ugh.

- Anna

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I'm not sure how Anderson Congress got booked for an indie pop night at House of Shields. They make a refreshing antidote to all that is twee; it's as if a suicidal goth band got together to write punk songs, and thought it would be ironic to dress like hipsters for gigs. For their sound, think the noise of early Flaming Lips and the darkness of Roky Erickson.

What I like about them is that all the band members play an equally important role - the drumming and bass are just as unique as the vocals or lead guitar. Having said this, Jake Sinetos is clearly growing as a front man. His rock and roll posturing was a far cry from the early days of the band, when he would play sitting down. It's a good thing, because they're no longer playing to three people in the tiny back room of a bar.

They've added a new song to their set - "All of You" is a welcome change of pace from their usual darkly throbbing rhythms. It still has depressing lyrics, but is musically lighter with a danceable beat. If they can produce a few more songs like that one, they'll have a complex full-length album, and be well positioned to take off.

Headliners, The Manhattan Love Suicides, brought their brand of pared-down noise pop to San Francisco, stopping off on their way home to the UK after SxSW.

This band is all about simplicity. They only use chords A, G and D. They refuse to talk between songs. They barely look at the audience, hiding behind curtains of hair. They have no cymbals, not even a high hat, and definitely no cowbell.

Yet each song is a perfect blend of noisy, fuzzy guitar, catchy melody and straightforward, anchoring rhythm. MLS may not be creative geniuses, but it doesn't matter. Why mess with a good thing?

Singer Caroline drones away, bored as could be, like a female Lou Reed. Her sweet-toned voice is easily overwhelmed by Darren's static, driving guitar. The contrast is reminiscent of a humming bird fighting with an elephant seal.

The band played a traditionally punk rock short set. True to form, they effectively refused calls for an encore by collecting their equipment and walking off stage. I got the impression that there was something more interesting they could have been doing. I wonder what that was . . .

- Liz Barnes (words and photos)

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Another tie! A big Deli SF congrats to Lumerians and the Dry Spells for taking over as current Artist(s) of the Month. Check 'em out and show 'em some love.

The new poll . . . drumroll please . . .

- Lovelikefire
- Jesse Brewster
- Solcraft
- Religious Girls
- The Matinees

Vote! Pretty please? Polls will be open until April 15th.

- Anna

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Oakland band Make Me will be opening for Frank Black's new project Grand Duchy with his wife Violet Clark. The show takes place May 6th at the Uptown (1928 Telegraph Ave.) The paring of the seminal songwriter, with a soft voiced bass player draws inevitable comparison to the legendary Pixies. Shortly after Make Me will embark on a month long summer tour through the U.S playing shows with the Helio Sequence and Uni and Her Ukelele. http://pitchfork.com/news/34440-frank-black-his-wife-grand-duchy/

(as posted in The Deli's Open Blog - post your band's entries and Mp3s here)

Reminder: post an open blog entry during the month of April and be eligible to win some cool stuff! Read all the details here.

- Anna

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Wednesday, April 8th:

* Wild Hunt, the Thralls, Black Haze at Kimo's

Friday, April 10th:

* The Downfalls, Superfinos VTO, the Struts at the Red Devil Lounge

Saturday, April 11th:

* Allofasudden at the Independent

- Anna

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To continue with our special "San Francisco at SxSW" series for 2009, here's the final wrap-up.

Part 1: The Bay Area Takeover

Part 2: Antenna Farm Records and Uncle Booking 2009 SxSW Showcase

Part 3: Talking House Records SF x SxSW 2009

Part 4: Odds & Ends

Part 5, the aftermath: Bay Area blogs/labels/radio/etc. at SxSW 2009

Part 6, the aftermath: Bay Area bands at SxSW 2009

Photo of Two Sheds at the Bay Area Takeover, by Julie from Tricycle Records

As the dust settled from the SxSW 2009 whirlwind (and the inevitable exhaustion that ensued), it was time to hear about some more firsthand experiences. There were a number of Bay Area bands and artists who had a presence at this year's festival, so we put the call out to as many as possible to pick their brains. Here are the responses - click on the names to read about their experiences:

- Sholi (website, MySpace)
- Dizzy Balloon (website, MySpace) [video]
- Or, the Whale (website, MySpace)
- Loquat (website, MySpace)
- Tempo no Tempo (website, MySpace)
- Two Sheds (website, MySpace)
- Evacuee (website, MySpace)
- The Stone Foxes (website, MySpace)
- The Hooks (website, MySpace)
- The Frail (MySpace) [videos]
- Black Paintings (MySpace) [mp3]
- Wallpaper. (MySpace) [video]
- Trainwreck Riders (MySpace)
- Bart Davenport (website, MySpace)
- The Botticellis (website, MySpace) [videos]

Bay Area Bands at SxSW 2009

Thanks so much to everyone for their contributions! Here's to another fantastic SxSW in 2010.

- Anna

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To continue with our special "San Francisco at SxSW" series for 2009, here's the (almost) final wrap-up.

Part 1: The Bay Area Takeover

Part 2: Antenna Farm Records and Uncle Booking 2009 SxSW Showcase

Part 3: Talking House Records SF x SxSW 2009

Part 4: Odds & Ends

Part 5, the aftermath: Bay Area blogs/labels/radio/etc. at SxSW 2009

Photo of the 2009 Bay Area Takeover, by Julie from Tricycle Records

As the dust settled from the SxSW 2009 whirlwind (and the inevitable exhaustion that ensued), it was time to hear about some more firsthand experiences. There were a number of Bay Area blogs, websites, labels, radio stations, and even record stores that had a presence at this year's festival, so we put the call out to as many as possible to pick their brains. Here are the responses - click on the names to read about their experiences:

- Ted, Bagel Radio
- Julie, the OCMD
- Paul, et. al., Antenna Farm Records
- Adrian, ipickmynose
- Olivia and Mike, Wiretap Music
- Julie, Tricycle Records
- Amy, SonicLiving
- Scott, a.k.a. "Oz", HearYa
- Andee, Aquarius Records

Bay Area Blogs/Labels/Radio/etc. at SxSW 2009

Tomorrow: get ready for Part 6, the final piece!

- Anna

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San Francisco Bay Area Musicians,

Most of you should be familiar with both the Line 6 family of products (in particular the ubiquitous Guitar Pod) and The Deli's Open Blog, a blog parallel to this one where anybody can post their own entries about sf based bands and shows.

The Deli and Line 6 are partnering to offer you the chance to win a Pod Studio GX during the month of April.

The best Blog Entry (according to Deli and Line 6) posted in the next 30 days in our SF Open Blog here will be rewarded with this DI/USB interface that allows you to recreate and record an infinite amount of guitar tones, by emulating all the most popular amplifiers, cabinets, pedal effects and even microphones! The bundled plug in (in VST, RTAS and AU format) is the icing on the cake, allowing you to apply the same treatment to as many tracks as you want (direct guitars or anything else for that matter) at the mixing stage.

How it works: The Deli will select 3 blog entries submitted in April and send them to the Line 6 Staff, who will pick the final winner.

Good Luck and Happy Blogging!

The Deli's Staff

P.S. Here's the link to submit your blogs - you can always find it under the artist of the month banner.

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The talented and entertaining Michael Zapruder just released Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope on SideCho Records. We received an email today about the chance to win this new album, as well as the new album from Montana band 1090 Club (Natural Selection), as well as some other goodies. All you have to do is sign up for SideCho's newsletter by April 17th:

"To celebrate the new releases of Michael Zapruder Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope and 1090 Club Natural Selection, we are giving away an exclusive package to one lucky person! You will receive a copy of Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope, Natural Selection, Michael Zapruder T-shirt, posters from Michael and 1090 Club, and more. All you have to do is sign up for the SideCho Records Newsletter by emailing contests@sidecho.com.

Michael Zapruder Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope and 1090 Club Natural Selection is now available through iTunes, your local record store, and through the SideCho Store. Every order through the SideCho Store comes with a special SideCho Records Sampler download.

DEADLINE FOR CONTEST REGISTRATION: 4-17-2009"

Have at it!

- Anna

P.S. This is not an April Fools' thing. That sh*t is played.

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It's easy to hate on Los Angeles when you're in the Bay Area . . . or maybe it just is for me. But at the end of the day, even I'll admit that LA is a great city, bursting at the seams with diverse arts and culture - including, of course, some great music. Given the sheer size of the city and its surrounding areas, it must be a challenge to try and wrap one's head around and sort through the ridiculous number of bands that make up the LA musical landscape (I don't envy our colleagues down at the Deli LA, that's for sure).

New and Used Records, a local record label, makes it a goal to bridge the gap between the Bay Area and Los Angeles indie scenes on a daily basis. New and Used's current roster specifically includes both SF and LA-based artists (Shiloe and Tigers Can Bite You from LA, Kid Mud and the Passionistas from SF), and the label's next venture is a joint city concert series, co-presented with Radio Free Silverlake.

The goal of the LA[Heart]SF concert series is as follows, according to the New and Used Records blog: "With so many talented bands in both cities, LA[Heart]SF strives to not only showcase the artists and venues who define the scene, but also create a network that makes it easier for bands to play in each city. The concert series is founded on the idea of collaboration . . . What N&UR and RFSL hope to show is that what defines both scenes is not bands that sound similar, but rather artists who share a common camaraderie and a desire to push the boundaries of independent music."

LA[Heart]SF will alternate shows between LA and SF on a monthly basis, featuring bands from both cities. The first show in this new series will take place April 11th at El Rio, featuring the following:

- Birds & Batteries (SF)
- French Miami (SF)
- The Flying Tourbillion Orchestra (LA)

This inaugural bill truly does support LA[Heart]SF's goals of bringing together the best of the two music scenes. All three bands have earned heaps of positive praise on both local and national levels - from our own love for Birds & Batteries and French Miami, to the Deli LA's recognition of Flying Tourbillion, B&B's participation on the Bay Bridged Volume 2, French Miami's feature on Wiretap . . . the list goes on.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 11th, so you'll be able to witness the start of what will surely be a very unique indie concert series. The show starts at 9:00 p.m., $7, 21+.

- Anna

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Our post last week on the Wiretap Music Covers compilation failed to include a very pertinent piece of information: the official release party. D'oh!

To celebrate the compilation going live (April 14th, if you've forgotten already), Wiretap is presenting a show on Thursday, April 9th at Cafe du Nord. The lineup of locals, who all also happen to be featured on the Covers project:

- The Lovely Public
- Battlehooch
- Schande

Seeing as we've already gone into detail on the the covers collection, let's leave it at that. Doors open at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., $10, 21+.

Want some extra incentive to attend? The Wiretap folks are offering a one-time deal for getting a Covers copy of your very own: CDs will be available for purchase at the show for $5 each, but for that night only. Not too shabby . . .

- Anna

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Succeeding in today’s music business depends on many things. But discovering what is truly important can be challenging. ASCAP’s annual three-day “I Create Music” EXPO in LA is a place where songwriters, composers and producers can connect face to face at panels, workshops, performances, exhibitor demos, One-on-One sessions and networking events with the real people who can make a difference in your career – from the world’s most successful music creators to industry experts and technology innovators. If you are interested in developing your craft and advancing your career, you can join the growing community of participants at the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO by registering here.

The Bay Area indie music scene (comprised of bands, blogs, labels, radio stations, etc.) is a community. If you purposefully stand alone, refuse to collaborate, refuse to share - if you're only here to criticize and refute, if you're only out for yourself - well, that just doesn't seem right. The commitment to warm, nurturing, DIY-mentality is most certainly tied to the immense talent bubbling at the surface, the myriad of bands and artists making fresh and unique footprints in the indie landscape, all in our backyard.

Wiretap Music is here to personify and support this reality, and as a result, we are presented with Wiretap Music Presents: Covers, a two-disc compilation of local originals and remakes. Twelve Bay Area bands [1] come together on Covers to do exactly that: perform and record versions of each others' music, as a way of pioneering both themselves and their peers. Listening to this collection allows you to experience both the bands' original works and their new versions of others', creating a perfectly reciprocal circle of local talent.

The tracklist:

DISC 1: ORIGINALS
01. Tartufi - "It's Not the Windchime That's Broken, it's the Wind"
02. Schande - "Out On You"
03. Little Teeth - "Japanese Candy" (demo version)
04. The Lovely Public - "Delicious Surprise Kisses"
05. Excuses For Skipping - "See The Day"
06. Ray's Vast Basement - "Black Cotton"
07. Chairman WOW - "Only Baby Sharks"
08. Battlehooch - "Please Damo"
09. Pidgeon - "Strelnikov"
10. Pope of Yes - "Spring"
11. French Miami - "Mr. Moment"
12. 60 Watt Kid - "Jack Puree"

DISC 2: COVERS
01. Schande - "It's Not the Windchime That's Broken, it's the Wind"
02. Little Teeth - "Out on You"
03. The Lovely Public - "Japanese Candy" (demo version)
04. Excuses For Skipping - "Delicious Surprise Kisses"
05. Ray's Vast Basement - "See The Day"
06. Chairman WOW - "Black Cotton"
07. Battlehooch - "Only Baby Sharks"
08. Pidgeon - "Please Damo"
09. Pope of Yes - "Strelnikov"
10. French Miami - "Spring"
11. 60 Watt Kid - "Mr. Moment"
12. Tartufi - "Jack Puree"

Maybe you've heard the original versions before, and maybe you haven't. My personal favorites are Tartufi's "It's Not the Windchime That's Broken, it's the Wind," Little Teeth's "Japanese Candy," Ray's Vast Basement's "Black Cotton," Pope of Yes' "Spring," and French Miami's "Mr. Moment."

On the covers side, it's pretty clear that each band put precise thought and effort into their execution of others' works, as every song stands alone yet still true to its original form. Some examples of what I've personally been digging: Schande's take on Tartufi's original (a commitment to the band's slowcore art rock, with bigger hooks and experimental vocals), the Lovely Public's version of Little Teeth (thumping, broad, infused), and 60 Watt Kid's love for French Miami (glistening and ethereal replacing angular and energetic). That's only the beginning, however, as there's something to enjoy in every rendition, both original and new.

The collection, in its entirety, flows smoothly and with a crackling spirit, as the bands feed off each others' energy and strength. The production, done by Olivia Parriott (Wiretap founder and leading lady), is clean and rich.

For anyone who enjoys the Bay Area indie music scene for all that it's worth, or for anyone who's just discovering it, or for anyone simply looking for an interesting and unique collection of underground rock and roll - this Covers compilation is just what you need. Mark your calendars for April 14th, which is when this collection comes out for all to enjoy, via Howells Transmitter. In the meantime, enjoy the following mp3s and spread the word:

Little Teeth - "Japanese Candy" [original]


Chairman WOW - "Only Baby Sharks" [original]


The Lovely Public - "Japanese Candy" [Little Teeth cover]


Battlehooch - "Only Baby Sharks" [Chairman WOW cover]


- Anna

[1] It should be noted that while 60 Watt Kid recently re-located to Los Angeles, their San Francisco roots are still relevant for this project.

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Man, it seems like only yesterday that I was at the Austin airport at 5:00 a.m., trying to wrap my head around everything that went down at SxSW and exhausted on a level that I hadn't experienced in a long time. Actually, that was only this past Sunday, so I guess it's okay to still be having flashbacks.

Regardless, SxSW 2009 was a good time; just ask locals Dizzy Balloon. The Oakland boys managed to make it to this year's festival, and have put together a little video recap from their point of view, complete with the three P's - performing, puking, and peeing:

As it turns out, Dizzy Balloon survived SxSW 2009 and emerged with some fresh praise for their rock and roll capabilities, based on a couple of positive write-ups over at Buzz Bands LA and MiscPause. Their next gig will be at Slim's on April 24th with the Cataracs (9:00 p.m., $13).

- Anna

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Monday, March 23rd:

* Room for a Ghost, the Thralls, Jeepster at El Rio

Thursday, March 26th:

* Vitamin Party at Grant and Green Saloon

Friday, March 27th:

* Anderson Congress, Manhattan Love Suicide at House of Shields

Saturday, March 28th:

* The Music Lovers at Cafe Van Kleef

* Pinched Nerve at Thee Parkside

Sunday, March 29th:

* Foreign Cinema, Sugarspun, Street Pyramids at Kimo's

- Anna

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For the tie! The Dandelion War and Allofasudden! Check 'em out!

The new poll:

- The Dry Spells

- Dave Smallen

- Lumerians

- Sean Smith

- Odawas

Yay! Go vote!

- Anna

P.S. Apologies for slow content this week - SxSW, baby!

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Wallpaper. has got to be one of the most fun groups to see live. Right up there with The Aquabats and Chromeo for me, I'm just smiling the whole time I'm watching them play. It sure doesn't hurt that they are from Oakland so I can see them any time I want as well. Ricky Reed (frontman) was dressed up as usual, cracking jokes and drinking from a bottle of wine throughout the evening. They did a cover of Bel Biv DeVoe's "Poison" which pretty much got everyone in the venue to look at their friends and do the "OMG" face and start dancing around. Rick gave a shout out to Boyz II Men and most people would think he was just being funny, but actually, he played with them this past year at the Mezzanine. I missed it and could only wonder how amazing that show was. Other songs from his set list during the night were "T Rex," "Evrytm We Do It," "Txt Me Yr Love," "I Got Soul (I'm So Wasted)." Wallpaper. are headed out on a tour that takes them to SXSW and they've got 4 shows down there so who know what stories will emerge once they get through with that.

N.A.S.A. came on out in their bright orange spacesuits with an intro that dropped a ton of San Francisco references, complete with a video screen showing a bunch of San Francisco landmarks. This was probably one of the most anticipated groups at Noise Pop for me with an album that has so many cames on it that it could make any rapper jealous. However, with all of these cameos I had no idea what to expect as to how they would be able to recreate the album in a live setting. Turns out that they ended up playing a bunch of stuff that wasn't on their album! They did a remix of Yeah Yeah Yeah's new single "Zero" and then busted out a dance party with a full-on DJ set instead of playing their new album live. A couple of girls in swimsuits came out and they were painted entirely in green and then a couple of characters in alien suits joined in as well. I have a feeling that N.A.S.A. is going to be another MSTRKRFT, where you go to see them play their stuff live and it's a bunch of remixes that they did for other artists. This is a little frustrating, but I guess only time will tell if their live set develops in a different direction.

- Nick Codling

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Dearest Deli Readers,

One of the myth surrounding magazines, blogs and websites is that it is very difficult to be covered and noticed by them. Here at The Deli we do everything we can (in limited time - day jobs and stuff like that tend to get in the way) to allow local bands and artists to get at least some exposure without having to go through the sluggish channels of the reviewing process.

Of course you may already be familiar with our DIY Live Listings Section (right column), but not many people are making the most of our San Francisco open blog - a blog channel where anybody (bands, pr people, fans, aspiring music writers) can write about any band based or touring in our area (yes, the content of the open blog is open to artists from outside the Bay Area).

The Open Blog is also shortcut to what the Deli's staff hears - because we have to go through those entries to approve them on a regular basis - and we often use the ones we like the most for our main blog here. We even have a new system that will allow us to approve the posts in a more timely manner. Yep, the open blog is your new best friend!

You can post your open blog entries here - they will appear here within a few days.

Check it out!

-The Deli Staff

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Koley O'Brien, Joseph Spargur, and Zachary Pingel sparing enough change to get by, piled their lives away in an old Astro van and charted their map for destination, California. Now, we've all heard this story before. Band moves to California and makes it big or goes home. But these small town Wisconsin boys share a different dream. 2009 has already set the tone for the year of change, and these boys are stepping up to plate and swinging away. Combining the basics of old school rock, like that of The Beach Boys and The Beatles, with the intricacies of indie music such as the Shins and Death Cab for Cutie, comes A B & the Sea. Now, for all those who laugh and cackle at the dream of a life on the road I think you'd be surprised. These boys are messing with the bull by the horns and throwing their red flag high to the bay's windy skies. You can hear their voices some nights on the downtown streets of San Francisco singing for rent money. Their compassion for life drives them to work hard for their happiness.

(as posted in The Deli's Open Blog - post your band's entries and Mp3s here)

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Monday, March 16th:

* Slow Trucks, the Tralls at Kimo's

Wednesday, March 18th:

* Corey Hennessy, Jj Schultz, the Jonah Kit, Potholder and the Lid at the Hotel Utah

Thursday, March 19th:

* The Actors, Mass Fiction, Dubious Ranger at Kimo's

Saturday, March 21st:

* Blue Rabbit, Sex with No Hands at the Cafe du Nord

- Anna

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The 2009 SxSW Music Festival kicks off next week. It will feature more than 1,400 bands. That's a lot. Statistically speaking, some of those bands have to be from the San Francisco Bay Area, especially given the fact that our local music scene kicks major ass.

Part 1: The Bay Area Takeover

Part 2: Antenna Farm Records and Uncle Booking 2009 SxSW Showcase

Part 3: Talking House Records SF x SxSW 2009

Part 4: Odds & Ends

To wrap up our little SxSW preview, here are a few miscellaneous, San Francisco-specific events taking place on Friday, March 20th.

Our beloved Noise Pop is working with Take Root Records and Rock River Music for a Friday night showcase at the Mohawk, 7:00p, $15. Lineup:

The 2009 SxSW Music Festival kicks off next week. It will feature more than 1,400 bands. That's a lot. Statistically speaking, some of those bands have to be from the San Francisco Bay Area, especially given the fact that our local music scene kicks major ass.

Part 1: The Bay Area Takeover

Part 2: Antenna Farm Records and Uncle Booking 2009 SxSW Showcase

Part 3: Talking House Records SF x SxSW 2009!

Talking House Records is another local label that takes pride in a roster of stellar Bay Area artists, both past and present. They'll be bringing their hometown pride to Austin this year in the form of both a day party and an evening showcase on Friday, March 20th at The Wave (with sponsorship from Live 105).

The lineup and set times, as follows:

Day party, 12:00p - 6:00p:

To attend the day party, be sure to RSVP here (though as always, entry is subject to capacity, so get there early!). Free drinks will be available while supplies last.

Rooftop Stage
12:00p Trainwreck Riders
1:00p Bart Davenport
2:00p Dizzy Balloon
3:00p Sleepy Sun
4:00p Vetiver
5:00p The Federalists

Downstairs Stage
12:30p Forrest Day
1:30p The Stone Foxes
2:30p The Botticellis
3:30p Maus Haus
4:30p Lovelikefire
5:30p Or, the Whale

Evening Showcase, 8:00p - 2:00a:

Priority entry to the evening showcase will go to badgeholders.

8:00p When Girls Collide
9:00p Loquat
10:00p Scissors for Lefty
11:00p The Matches
12:00a The Lovemakers
1:00a The Morning Benders

- Anna

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Tippy Canoe's signature retro-pop is aptly matched in this debut video for "Mass Transmissions." Director Skizz Cyzyk spliced vintage footage of everyday life with shots of Tippy Canoe (a.k.a. Michele Kappel) singing and rocking her ukulele. Prepare yourself, as both video and song are quite addictive:

You can download "Mass Transmissions" (from 2008's Parasols and Pekingese) from Tippy Canoe and the Paddlemen's MySpace until the end of March.

- Anna

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The 2009 SxSW Music Festival kicks off next week. It will feature more than 1,400 bands. That's a lot. Statistically speaking, some of those bands have to be from the San Francisco Bay Area, especially given the fact that our local music scene kicks major ass.

Part 1: The Bay Area Takeover

Part 2: Antenna Farm Records and Uncle Booking 2009 SxSW Showcase!

Oakland label Antenna Farm Records and booking agency Uncle Booking have paired up to present a SxSW showcase of their very own - in their words, "a straight up Cluster Buster." This night party will take place on Saturday, March 21st at the Radio Room from 8:00p - 2:00a. This showcase is FREE, and open to all ages.

And of course, the info you've been waiting for: the lineup, and set times!

8:00p The Dry Spells
9:00p The Botticellis
10:00p Bart Davenport
11:00p Sugar & Gold
12:00a Gravy Train!!!
1:00a Pterodactyl (from Brooklyn)

Keep yourself up-to-date with info on this Antenna Farm/Uncle Booking event by visiting their Facebook page. Onward!

- Anna

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Walking around last Friday's Amoeba-sponsored Andy Warhol Factory themed party was a remarkably surreal experience, but not in any sort of expected way. I suppose I understand in this modern day it is foolish to expect to be handed upon entry a clean needle, a bag of heroin, and a tranny to escort you around the art assembly line; but, I think a certain part of me desired at least an attempt to grasp at the unhinged wildness of the 60s New York haven of decadence. But no, surreal was parents with children in tow, and hipsters (at least most of the men) all dressed as Warhol despite the invitation's encouragement to dress in 60s Best, not just as the patron.

But I arrived in true celebrity form, somewhat fashionably late (somewhere around 8ish for a party starting around 6), and made my way to the nearest bar to grab myself a drink with a hope to somewhat drown out the sound of children. I walked around the maze-like structure of the place, trying to find the band room for my fill of Velvet Underground covers, and gazed at some of the art.

Finally finding the band room I stood patiently, waiting for the all-stars in all black's doppelgangers, but after a few drinks decided it was time for a cigarette. Lacking any place to do inside, I headed outside to get my fill of future medical expenses. Then, upon trying to reenter, was informed that I would have to join the line – a line that snaked for a decent 50 yards and seemed to be motionless – that had since formed for entry. Flummoxed by my wristband's lack of power of reentry, I stood in line for a bit before getting further frustrated by the whole event's lack of organization. Surely there must have been some place for me to go? When the "Factory" lacks decadence, is loaded with children, and has no place to smoke, isn't it just any other ordinary gallery but with a fancy dress theme? But like I said, how much can you expect in our time of conservative social practice?

Frustrated that I had been there barely 30 minutes and surely soon to be missing the cover band I decided the bars in San Francisco were calling my name and split. Patience and lines have never been my forte. Perhaps one day another event such as this will come around and I'll get to see more of it, with the hope that the next time they'll have a place to smoke; or maybe I'll just quit . . . the latter certainly being better for my health.

- Ada Lann

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The 2009 SXSW Music Festival kicks off next week. It will feature more than 1,400 bands. That's a lot. Statistically speaking, some of those bands have to be from the San Francisco Bay Area, especially given the fact that our local music scene kicks major ass.

Back in January, we compiled an initial list of Bay Area bands confirmed for this year's end-all-be-all of music festivals, and since then, a gazillion more have been added (approximately). At this point, given the limited number of hours in the day, there's not quite enough time to put together a mass list of ALL the Bay Area bands and artists at SXSW 2009, when they'll be playing, and where they'll be playing (even though the little nerd in me really, really wants to . . .)

What we CAN do, however, is report on the various showcases taking place in Austin this year that specifically represent the Bay Area music and arts scene. Starting with: the Bay Area Takeover!

The Bay Area Takeover has returned for 2009, brought to us by the good folks over at the Bay Bridged and Tricycle Records. Both organizations play a heavy hand in pioneering Bay Area indie music on a daily basis, and their Takeover strives to represent the best and brightest of our beloved scene at SXSW. Last year, the Takeover featured the likes of 60 Watt Kid, the Blacks, Film School, Von Iva, Two Gallants, etc., and from what we hear, it was a great time.

The 2009 Bay Area Takeover (sponsored by Zannel and SomaFM) will take place on Thursday, March 19th from 12:00p. - 6:00p at the Beauty Bar in downtown Austin. Doors open at 11:30a, with pre-party DJ sets by Popscene DJs Omar and Miles. To sweeten the deal, the Takeover powers-that-be are also offering up free donuts, coffee and beer (while supplies last). The lineup and set times are as follows:

This day showcase is FREE, and those who wish to attend are encouraged to RSVP beforehand for priority admission. An RSVP does NOT guarantee admission, however - once the venue hits capacity, you'll have to wait for someone to leave before you can get in (one in, one out). So as it goes for all SXSW parties and events: plan ahead, and get there early! Until then, you can check out the official Bay Area Takeover Podcast, featuring tunes from eight of the thirteen bands slated to perform.

- Anna

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Starting today, March 9th, you can download new music from local band Kid Mud, and all for free. The Birds Have Moved In: Reworkings and Remixes EP is, as you can imagine, a sequel of sorts to Birds Have Moved In, an EP that came out last year via local label New and Used Records.

If the original Birds Have Moved In was lush, melodic electro-indie, then the remixed version appears to be an eclectic and intelligent development that expands the base but retains the warmth. The new EP contains one new song ("This Way is Safe"), plus remixes from Guilty Bystander ("Press It Out"), Sticky Situation ("You Don't Belong"), and the Kid Mud man himself, Sean Duncan ("Flatten as You Go Up" and "1401 South Grand St").

While Birds Have Moved In was released in the standard manner (you can purchase the EP and listen to "Press It Out" by clicking here), Reworkings and Remixes comes to us in a more nontraditional way via the New and Used Records blog. Every day this week, those interested can download a new song from the EP, starting with "This Way is Safe." The choice to release Reworkings and Remixes in a more DIY style seems to reflect Kid Mud's general method of making music: the original Birds Have Moved In was recorded entirely in his San Francisco apartment using Garage Band, with Duncan playing each instrument to create his bedroom-acoustic-meets-electronica sound.

Download the first track by visiting the New and Used Records blog, and keep checking back this week for more. Kid Mud is set to play the Hotel Utah this Saturday, March 14th (with Great Northern and O + S) - the show starts at 9:00 p.m., $10, 21+. You can check out the other releases on the New and Used roster by clicking here.

- Anna

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Wednesday, March 11th:

* Make Me, the Besties, the Orange Peels at the Red Devil Lounge

Thursday, March 12th:

* Best Friend, Frances Xavier, Callows at Kimo's

* Schande at the Uptown

Saturday, March 14th:

* Oona, Joe Bagale at the Red Devil Lounge

* Campo Bravo, the Blank Tapes at Sub Mission (formerly Balazo 18)

- Anna

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Now that all the dust has settled from our 2008 poll extravaganza, we're back in bi-monthly Artist of the Month poll mode. So, a big congrats to the Pundits for taking it home for the first half of March.

And now, the new poll:

- Winter's Fall
- Collider
- Allofasudden
- Lilofee
- The Dandelion War

You know what to do. Polls will be open until March 15th. Happy Friday!

- Anna

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Way back in September 2005, I moved to Berkeley. I'd just graduated from UC Santa Cruz and had accepted a job at Cal. I knew nothing about what I wanted from life besides, perhaps, a steady paycheck. I knew practically no one in the area, save for my ex-boyfriend's best friend (awkward). Needless to say, it was a strange and isolating time, though I've since moved on to greener, happier pastures. Certain albums were in regular rotation during that period of my life, and they brought me comfort, consistency, and inspiration. One of them was A.C. Newman's The Slow Wonder, a wonderful little album full of pop gems from the New Pornographers frontman. I made everybody I knew listen to "Drink to Me Babe, Then"; I put "The Town Halo" on any and every mixtape. It was such a joy, therefore, to catch A.C. at the Independent on Saturday night of Noise Pop, along with several solid openers.

City Light were an interesting choice for the first opener, a band that cites Seattle, San Francisco, Nashville/L.A., and Washington as hometowns on MySpace. That's a lot of cities for just two dudes. But hey, good for them. Their set was short but sweet, infusing scratchy rock with experimental electronics and reminding the listener of a sunnier Notwist or a grimier Postal Service, whichever seems more appropriate.

Devon Williams' band may not have a name yet (since, as he said during the set, the Noise Pop show was only their second overall), but the Devon Williams Band seemed to suit them just fine. These boys from L.A. were a playful bunch, counteracting nervousness with lots of stage banter and requests for jokes from the audience. Between all that, however, was a really enjoyable set of magnetic, Spector-esque pop tunes.

And then, a band came on that completely lived up to its name. Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele were, in fact, quite magnificent. I expected some quirky retro lounge-like tunes performed via aforementioned ukulele and classic crooning voice; I did not expect such an energetic performance and completely charming stage persona. Dent May strummed with major rock and roll enthusiasm, to the point of standing on the bass drum and jumping off while furiously shredding on his uke at the end of the set. I can't wait to see this band again.

We knew we were in for a treat when a full band began setting up for A.C. Newman's set. Songs from both The Slow Wonder and the new Get Guilty were played expertly and energetically, and overall, A.C.'s sweet chamber pop and stellar songwriting skills were brought magically to life. I felt like a blushing young girl of 23, all over again.

- Anna Gazdowicz (words and photos)

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We've tried posting on Craigslist for interns as well, but the posts keep getting flagged for some odd reason. But by all means, spread the word!

The Deli SF is currently recruiting some super awesome interns to help out with the site. Please see our about us page for more info on the site, if you haven't already.

* The primary task for our interns will be writing blog posts for the site (100-300 words, on average):
- general blog posts about emerging bands
- show previews and reviews
- album/EP reviews
- etc.

We may ask you to do random other tasks (adding to our band/artist listings, for example), but nothing too tedious and/or silly. Additionally, if interested, interns can work together to put on a Deli SF-sponsored rock show at a local venue. The possibilities are endless, really.

You will learn a lot about how our blogs and music websites work in general. You will get more cool stuff to put on your resume. You will get to discover and write about emerging local bands that you may not have heard about otherwise. You will get some free music and access to shows. If interested, you could even learn a bit about Dreamweaver and publishing on the Internets. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

These (unpaid) internships can run from three to six months, 6-10 hours a week. College credit is a possibility if your school allows for it. Ideally, you have some experience in music writing, have access to a computer and an internet connection (duh, right?), and of course, you must be passionate about indie music and the local scene. This will mostly be a work from home position, though we can arrange regular coffee shop meetings if necessary.

* If interested, please send an email to Anna Gazdowicz with the following:
1) writing sample
2) resume
3) A little bit about yourself and why you're interested in this position, and how this internship can help contribute to your career goals
4) Your favorite band based in the San Francisco Bay Area (just for kicks)

Thank you!

- Anna

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Thanks to Friday night's Noise Pop show, I now know what it feels like for an entire packed audience to simultaneously fall in love with one woman. Resistance was futile as we all watched St. Vincent perform as a one-woman rock band at the Great American Music Hall. Her endearing, genuine, humble charm paired with her beautifully quirky pop music left us all as putty in her hands.

But, first things first. That Ghost opened the show, a young hip trio based around Ryan Schmale from Santa Rosa (we don't seem to hear about many bands from the North Bay). They played a solid set, mixing jangly chops with breezy heart-on-sleeve emotion to create an enjoyable mix of dreamy, experimental pop. From the looks of this MySpace blog, the band has received quite a bit of positive attention thus far, so keep any eye out for them as they make their rounds. Young Fridays is out now, and current tour dates appear to revolve around SXSW.

San Diego's Rafter came on next, an energetic duo that gave the evening a nice shot in the arm. Interestingly, Rafter Roberts of Rafter gave a shout out to That Ghost that tied in his own connection to our local scene: "Those guys are from Santa Rosa, which is cool – I'm a Sebastopol boy myself" (Sebtown! Holla! [FYI, I'm also from Sebastopol]). The band's sound is controlled chaos, in the form of funky riffs exploding from classic indie rock. Each song crazily pulsed in its own way, seemingly ready to collapse at any instant, but remaining tight as the set expertly unfolded. Sweaty Magic is out now, and the band will be back in San Francisco at the Rickshaw Stop on March 12th.

Oakland's own Cryptacize was the next band on the bill. Curiosity was all I had on this band, having not actually heard them before Friday night, but having seen their name climb the Deli's artist charts over the past few months. I really wanted them to play with a bit more confidence; instead, the band's live rendition of their buoyant indie rock felt a bit lukewarm overall, though the music is nonetheless infectious. Here's hopin' that Friday was just a fluke. Mythomania comes out on April 21st, and they're set to play Bottom of the Hill on March 17th.

The crowd went from half full to bursting at the seams as St. Vincent's set loomed closer, a sight that Annie Clark herself seemed bewildered to witness. Several times during her set she would finish a song, take a couple of steps back, put her hands on her hips and stare astonishingly at the packed house, and at one point managed to muster how "you're completely bowling me over right now." Her ace renditions of tunes from both Marry Me and the forthcoming Actor (out on May 5th) managed to be both sweet and ominous – i.e., the sublime "Marry Me" brought us all to our knees while "Paris is Burning" and "Your Lips are Red" invoked goosebumps and startled eardrums. She was completely engaging, adorable, and humorous, all at the same time. Her shared story about experiences in juxtaposition while in San Francisco – feeling entranced with the City's beauty one minute, witnessing a homeless man pick his own scab and eat it in the next – was one that most people in the audience could relate to, I believe. I would highly recommend seeing her live, scab-eating stories and all.

- Anna Gazdowicz (words and photos)

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Noise Pop is a great thing and a horrible thing all at the same time - with all the free drinks and food, it can catch up with you quickly with so much action going on. Free ice cream from the Ice Cream Man never hurts either. Before this show I headed over to the Wolfgang's Vault party and caught Port O'Brien finishing up their set. I didn't have a chance to catch Bob Mould, but I headed over to the Diesel/Fader party where Aaron Axelson and Sean of Daytrotter played DJ sets and Birdmonster performed acoustic. Then I finally got to my destination of the evening: Mike Relm and Kool Keith versus himself as Dr. Octagon and Dr. Dooom and the Mezzanine.

This show wasn't very Noise Pop in the lineup itself but I think that's what attracted me to it most, plus seeing a guy perform as two different performers would either be incredibly entertaining or just plain confusing. I got over to the show just as Mike Relm was starting up and the last time I had seen him was the first time I had seen him as well over at Popscene. When I was at the show I was just in awe and stared at him the whole time he performed. This show was a little more different and it ended up feeling like a dance party instead of an entire crowd staring as he performed. He played some stuff from his new album called Spectacle, which has cameos from Mr. Lif and Del the Funky Homosapien.

Kool Keith then took the stage as Dr. Dooom and Dr. Octagon. I brought some friends who weren't familiar with him and told them they were in for a treat as they aren't into much hip hop stuff. Kool Keith's DJ was incredible as well and only added to the bizarre show that Keith had planned. I don't think I can think of a performer that is as weird as Kool Keith performing as these different personas, and one can wonder if he actually acts as a different person with each personality that he presents. I could only leave the show thinking how I saw such an amazing night, yet at the same time thinking it was incredibly weird . . . but in a good way. I think I'll have to catch him again soon - it's like seeing a good movie that's tough to follow and having to watch it again because there's so many things you didn't notice the first time.

- Nick Codling

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Instrumental was the name of the game last night at Bottom of the Hill. Not to say that every single act was strictly sans-vocals, but all three bands relied heavily (and successfully) on instrumental integrity to carry themselves to the end. Deep crescendos and lush, fuzzed-out hooks burst from the walls of everyone's favorite Potrero Hill venue (except for you Thee Parkside enthusiasts, I suppose), leaving me with severe regret over leaving my earplugs in my other bag.

Built for the Sea stood slightly apart from the subsequent acts, in that the band featured Lia Rose's lovely and serene vocals floating effortlessly above rich guitar, keyboard, drums, and cello. The band's songwriting and performance were both tight and flourishing, and the darkly ethereal pop tunes proved to be the perfect way to start the evening.

Having not heard anything yet from Crime in Choir before last night, I had no idea what to expect. It was a welcome surprise, therefore, to discover the band's elaborate, instrumental art-rock. The saxophone was the anchor amidst a sea of chaos, augmented by a constant, funky bass line and dueling synths.

The popularity of From Monument to Masses has grown considerably as of late, as demonstrated by last night's sold-out show and many a drunken fan singing (more like shouting, actually) the band's praises. FMTM's instrumental post-rock is sprawling, intense, and really freaking loud. Performed live, I felt the music all through my body, as if the band's sound became wedged deep in my bones.

All in all, a very enjoyable (if not exhausting, on both physical and sonic levels) evening full of local bands, chosen and matched very wisely by the Noise Pop powers-that-be.

From Monument to Masses' next album, On Little Known Frequencies, is due out on March 10th, but is available digitally (iTunes) as of last night. They'll be setting out on a fairly extensive tour starting April 3rd (dates on MySpace). Crime in Choir's Gift Givers is out now (no additional shows listed on MySpace, as of now); Built for the Sea's EP, Mise en Scene, is out now, and the band is set to play Bottom of the Hill again on March 12th.

- Anna Gazdowicz (words and photos)

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Arriving at the Swedish American Music Hall just in time to secure one of the comfy seats along the side, I was greeted warmly by Ben and Christian from the Bay Bridged, who were presenting the evening's lineup. I sauntered to the bar for my obligatory beer, only to find John Vanderslice standing right there, serving me my Fat Tire. It appeared, from where I was standing, that the show was off to a good start.

Papercuts took the stage - more specifically, Jason Quever took the stage for his opening number, to be followed shortly by the rest of his band. The sound, which started light and simple, proceeded to fill out quite nicely, interweaving new elements of beauty into the already substantive melodies. In recorded form, Papercuts' rich analog comes across as more delicate - in a live setting, however, the music does not shy away, and instead dominates and transcends. Quever's stage presence is slightly awkward yet still affable, and he plays his music warmly and affectionately.

John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats) then played to a packed audience of utterly devoted fans. The guy next to me summed it up nicely: "I've never seen a musician screw up so much in one set, and I don't care at all." Darnielle, in his attempt to to play a unique solo show, created a set list more or less to span the alphabet, drawing from the depths of his very extensive catalog. This brought us more rare and less-played tunes, resulting in a broken guitar string, some false starts and some stumbling of lyrics - and this made Darnielle all the more charming and awe-inspiring.

Why this is true, I can't really explain; but, like most Mountain Goats shows, it's difficult to articulate what made the set so excellent and enjoyable across the board. You just have to see to believe. From his conversational-style stage banter, to his shouted lyrics, to his hushed brilliance, to the woman in the second row who knew every single word to every single song . . . it all made for a truly lovely evening.

Random factoid: John Darnielle believes that one of the most beautiful things in the world is an unreleased song that no one else has heard before, and will never hear, and that forever remains untouched and unreceived. Chew on that.

- Anna Gazdowicz (words and photos)

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If you're thinking that little else is going on this week besides Noise Pop - well, you'd be wrong. In addition to the myriad of Noise Pop happy hours, concerts, and other such festivities this week, there will also be some worthy events happening at the Diesel store in downtown San Francisco (101 Post St., to be exact).

Brought to us by the good folks at +1 Records and FADER in conjunction with Diesel:U:Music, this set of three happy hour events will run from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. and will feature both DJ sets and acoustic performances by hip and noteworthy acts. As follows:

Tonight, Wednesday, February 25th:
- DJ sets: The Owl Mag, Or, the Whale, DJ Omar
- Acoustic set: Girls

Thursday, February 26th:
- DJ sets: Aaron Axelsen, Papercuts, Sean Moeller (Daytrotter), Trainwreck Riders
- Acoustic set: Birdmonster

Friday, February 27th:
- DJ sets: Cut Off Your Hands, Les Savy Fav, the Submarines
- Acoustic set: Loch Lomond, Ra Ra Riot

Notice some of the overlap between this lineup and that of Noise Pop? It's nice to know that those interested can still catch certain acts if NP attendance is not an option otherwise. The Diesel happy hours also include free food and drink (slices from Little Star, and from the look of the sponsorship listings, a couple different forms of Budweiser).

To attend, you must RSVP to happyhour [at] plusonemusic [dot] net. A 21+ age and valid ID required.

Keep checking back for our continued coverage of Noise Pop (and related events). And if you're not already, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

- Anna

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Just a quick wham-bam post for now, in lieu of crazy busy Noise Pop week. Deli SF fav the Morning Benders are featured on Daytrotter today: "They've Chosen Love, Many Times Over," as penned by Sean Moeller, illustrated by Johnnie Cluney and engineered by Mike Gentry.

"Doctor Doctor," from Talking Through Tin Cans, takes on a new sound in Daytrotter's studios - an excellent thumping, lo-fi, almost droney quality, and overall a very interesting variation on the band's normal indie pop style. Additionally, the band played an "oldie but goodie" entitled "Worth the Fight." Deemed too soft for their first album, the song has not yet been released ("UNTIL NOW! Merry Christmas Daytrotter, you filthy animal"). And lastly, they performed a highly enjoyable cover of the Kinks' "Nothin' in This World Can Stop Me Worryin' Bout That Girl," which came about as follows: "Sean and the gang invited us to stay the night at the Daytrotter studios the night before our session, and we ended up messing around on this song for fun into the wee hours of the night. Obviously, we had to record it the next day." Good stuff. This band just keeps getting better and better.

Listen and download to all the songs and read the entire article by clicking here. You can check out the Morning Benders' first session on Daytrotter by clicking here.

As a reminder, the band is scheduled to play Noise Pop this Friday, February 27th at Slim's (co-headline with the Submarines, with openers the Mumlers and Rademacher). And of course, their new EP, Grain of Salt, is out today.

- Anna

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Tuesday, February 24th:

* Moller, the Love Dimension at El Rio

Wednesday, February 25th:

* Wild Things, Sister Grizzly, the Dashing Suns at El Rio

Friday, February 27th:

* Super Adventure Club at the Hotel Utah

- Anna

The 2009 Noise Pop Festival kicks off next week (full schedule), and as a part of our ongoing coverage, we thought we'd provide an outline of local bands and musicians scheduled to play this year. Festival badges are still on sale.

Onward - local bands displayed first, non-locals in parenthesis ():

Tuesday, February 24th:

* Lilofee (opening for Deerhunter) at the Opening Night Party at the Mezzanine. Doors at 8:30, show at 10:00 p.m., 21+. This event is free, but the required RSVP is closed - buy a badge if you want to get in.

Wednesday, February 25th:

* The Aimless Never Miss, the Sleepover Disaster and Evacuee at Bender's. Free Noise Pop happy hour from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., 21+, hosted by the Lower Class Revolt.

* The Papercuts (opening for the Mountain Goats [solo]) at the Swedish American Music Hall. Doors at 6:30, show at 7:30, 21+, presented by the Bay Bridged. This show is sold out - buy a badge if you want to get in.

* Kelley Stoltz and Goh Nakamura (opening for Stephen Malkmus, along with Peggy Honeywell) at the Great American Music Hall. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., all ages, $20.

* Sleepy Sun and Lumerians (with True Widow and Kings & Queens) at Bottom of the Hill. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., 21+, $10.

* Here Here and the Dont's (opening for the French Kicks, along with the Broken West) at the Independent. Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., 21+, $15.

* Two Sheds (opening for Matt Costa, along with An Horse and Robert Francis) at Slim's. Doors at 7:00 p.m., all ages, $20/adv, $22/door.

Thursday, February 26th:

* Scissors for Lefty, Picture Atlantic and Man/Miracle at Bender's. Free Noise Pop happy hour from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., 21+, hosted by Indie Pop Rocks! on SomaFM.

* Thao Nguyen, David Dondero, Sean Smith and Colossal Yes at the Swedish American Music Hall. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m., 21+, $14, presented by the Bay Bridged.

* Dave Smallen and Tiny Television (opening for Josh Ritter, along with Laura Gibson) at the Great American Music Hall. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m, all ages. This show is sold out - buy a badge if you want to get in.

* Ryan Auffenberg and Karina Denike (opening for Martha Wainwright, along with AA Bondy) at Slim's.

* Kowloon Walled City (opening for Goblin Cock, along with Warship and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band) at the Rickshaw Stop. Doors at 8:30 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., 18+, $12.

* From Monument to Masses, Crime in Choir and Built for the Sea at Bottom of the Hill. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., all ages, $12.

* Thee Oh Sees and the Fresh and Onlys (along with Tyvek and Unnatural Helpers) at the Cafe du Nord. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., all ages, $12.

* Mike Relm (co-headline with Kool Keith: Dr. Octagon vs. Dr. Dooom) and Crown City Rockers (opening with kutMasta kurt) at the Mezzanine. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., 21+, $18.

Friday, February 27th:

* Maus Haus, Sugar & Gold and Tempo no Tempo at Bender's. Free Noise Pop happy hour from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., 21+, hosted by the Bay Bridged.

* Cryptacize and That Ghost (opening for St. Vincent, along with Rafter) at the Great American Music Hall. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., all ages, $16.

* The Morning Benders (co-headlining with the Submarines), the Mumlers and Rademacher at Slim's. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., all ages, $12/adv, $14/door.

* The Hooks (opening for Ra Ra Riot, along with Cut Off Your Hands and Telekinesis) at the Independent. Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., 21+. This show is sold out - buy a badge if you want to get in.

* Big Light and A B and the Sea (opening for Dear and the Headlights, along with Kinch) at Bottom of the Hill. Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m., all ages, $10/adv, $12/door.

* Port O'Brien, Odawas and Dame Satan (along with Afternoons) at the Cafe du Nord. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., 18+, $13.

Saturday, February 28th:

* Music for Animals, Aim Low Kid and Audio Out Send at Bender's. Free Noise Pop happy hour from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m., 21+, presented and hosted by Three Ring Records and Social Imprints.

* The Matches, Dizzy Balloon and Ex-Boyfriends at Bottom of the Hill. Doors at 12:00 noon, show at 1:00 p.m., all ages, $14.

* Themselves, Yoni Wolf and Boy in Static (along with Rainbow Arabia) at the Apple Store Downtown. Doors/show at 2:00 p.m., all ages, free.

* Mark Eitzel, Donovan Quinn and Jason Finazzo (opening for Bob Mould) at the Swedish American Music Hall. Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m., 21+, $20, presented by the Bay Bridged.

* Girls and Love is Chemicals (opening for Portugal. the Man, along with Japanese Motors) at the Cafe du Nord. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., 21+, $13.

* Harbours and the Red Verse (opening for Clues, along with Loch Lomond) at the Rickshaw Stop. Doors at 8:30 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., all ages, $12/adv, $14/door.

* Sholi and Jake Mann (along with the Dead Trees and Everest) at Bottom of the Hill. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., all ages, $12.

* Wallpaper. and DJ Morale (opening for Flosstradamus and N.A.S.A., co-headliners) at the Mezzanine. Doors at 8:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m., 21+, $18/adv, $20/door.

Sunday, March 1st:

* Veil Veil Vanish (opening for No Age, along with White Circle Crime Club and Infinite Body) at Bottom of the Hill. Doors at 12:00 noon, show at 1:00 p.m., all ages, $12, presented by KUSF.

* The Drums (opening for Les Savy Fav, along with the Mae Shi) at the Mezzanine. Doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m., 21+, $20.

- Anna

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Well, geez. I was mostly planning on cleaning my room, doing laundry, and going out for a friend's birthday this weekend. But now there's a chance to check out a bunch of local bands AND benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, all at the same time? I guess laundry will have to wait.

The Scatterbrain Jamboree is brought to us by a dude named Will Cline, known for his radio show entitled Scatterbrain Radio (which broadcasts live every Friday/early Saturday from 12:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m. PST via KZSU Stanford), as well as his involvement with local band Schande. This Jamboree will be a festival of sorts, with a whole bunch of bands on the roster plus several DJ sets, all taking place at Thee Parkside (1600 17th St., San Francisco) this Friday and Saturday. And the lineup is . . .

Friday, February 20th:
- Silian Rail
- Squeeky Rice
- Who Cares
- Mister Loveless
- Ugly Winner
- DJ sets by DJ Gabe and DJ Sandra

Saturday, February 21st:
- Schande
- Chambers
- Broken Spindles
- Excuses for Skipping
- The Splinters
- Worker Bee
- Shiloe
- Black Paintings
- The Living Sickness
- Jonny Manak & the Depressives
- The Mighty Russian Winter
- DJ sets by DJ Nate LeBlanc and Entreat

Doors will open at 9:00 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. This event is all ages, $10 for each individual day or $16 for both.

- Anna

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UPDATE: Tix have been claimed! Thanks for playing!

This coordinates nicely: as a part of today's interview with Michael Zapruder, we've got a pair of tickets to give away for his show this Sunday at Bottom of the Hill!

First person to email Anna wins the tickets (must be 21+).

The show details:

Michael Zapruder
with Tim Williams, Mist and Mast, Jon Bernson (Ray's Vast Basement)
Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., San Francisco
8:30p (doors and show), $8, 21+

xoxo
Anna

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The afternoon is growing older, it just started pouring rain outside of my office window, and I'm looking less at my work and more ahead to the weekend. Before I morph back into good worker mode and do my end-of-the-week wrap up of various tasks, I thought I'd post the new video from Oakland's Grand Lake (whom I really enjoy, as you know). New and Used Records posted the video yesterday as well.

This video, for "Nevermint," involves Caleb Nichols being buried in a shallow grave dug by bandmates Jameson Swanagon and Ryan Parks (I assume this imagery isn't meant to be taken too metaphorically) - an idea that came from a dream Nichols had when Grand Lake was just coming together as a band. It was shot back in December by Bob Thayer and Joe Golling on Super 8 and 8mm up on Bernal Hill:

"Nevermint" is the addicting title track from Grand Lake's debut record, which is set for release on March 24th in digital form and April 21st in physical form (though it will be available in physical form in our beloved Bay Area stores starting March 24th as well).

- Anna

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Chen Santa Maria's self-titled album pulls the listener along through a complex soundscape. CSM is a collaboration between George Chen (one of the folks behind Club Sandwich Bay Area, and from the bands KIT and 7 Year Rabbit Cycle) and Steven Santa Maria (Fun Santa Maria). The record is a journey of noise, starting with the aggressive anti-rhythms of "Condominium," and building aggressively toward the more melodic "Chirpin'." I found myself trying to find the pieces that hold together the reverb-soaked, screeching violin-like loops with the humming loop pedals and static. Noise is all about experimentation, cobbling scraps of mismatched sounds together to create a whole piece.

There are common threads that run throughout Chen Santa Maria that make it feel like a composition, little bits in the background that keep coming up from song to song. Making it through a noise record like this one is like falling into the possibilities of sound, drowning in it even, and then pulling yourself back out again to make it to the other side.

Watch George Chen make noise at AT Terminal 10 tomorrow for Valentine's Day, and look for Chen Santa Maria at The Luggage Store Gallery on February 19. The duo head out for a West Coast tour in late April. The album can be purchased here via Zum.

- Natalia Cooper

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Seeing as lots of people are watching their finances a little more carefully these days, tough economic times and all, we thought we'd give a heads up regarding free events at this year's Noise Pop Festival.

For starters: Happy hours! One per night, four out of the six days: a variety of bands playing at a local dive, and all for FREE. This is a solid way to enjoy Noise Pop, especially if you won't be able to partake in the more costly events.

This year, the Noise Pop happy hours will all take place at Bender's at 806 S. Van Ness Ave. (a bar that serves fried pickles - "frickles," if you will), and will feature some of our favorite local bands. And it probably goes without saying, but these happy hours are all 21+ - sorry, kiddos. Here's the rundown:

* Wednesday, February 25th:

Presented by Fernet-Branca and hosted by the Lower Class Revolt, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

- The Aimless Never Miss
- the Sleepover Disaster
- Evacuee

* Thursday, February 26th:

Presented by Fernet-Branca and hosted by Indie Pop Rocks! on SomaFM, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

- Scissors for Lefty
- Picture Atlantic
- Man/Miracle

* Friday, February 27th:

Presented by Fernet-Branca and hosted by the Bay Bridged, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

- Maus Haus (winner of our 2008 Best of the Bay poll!)
- Sugar & Gold
- Tempo no Tempo

* Saturday, February 28th:

Presented and hosted by Three Ring Records and Social Imprints, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

- Music for Animals
- Aim Low Kid
- Audio Out Send

Other free events:

* Tuesday, February 24th:

- Opening night party with Deerhunter and Lilofee at the Mezzanine. RSVP or Noise Pop badge required. Doors at 8:30 p.m., show at 10:00 p.m., 21+.

* Wednesday, February 25th:

- "Sights of Sounds - Works of art from the music community," featuring works from Alissa Anderson, Joseph Arthur, Bianca Casady (CocoRosie), Harrison Haynes (Les Savy Fav), Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy), Nate Manny (Murder City Devils), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) , Sara Sanger (The New Trust), Hank Shocklee (Bomb Squad, Public Enemy), Paul Miller (DJ Spooky) and John Vanderslice. Park Life, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m., all ages.

* Friday, February 27th:

- "The Art Of Noise Pop," featuring works from Lil Tuffy, Jay Howell, Bill Swanson, Peter Ellenby, Jesse LeDoux, Charlie Homo, Julie Zielinski, Julie Schuchard, Matt Seuferer, Shoka Shafiee, Amy Thompson, Sheila Menezes, and Jeanne Ellenby. Mini Bar, 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., 21+.

* Saturday, February 28th:

- Pop n' Shop, the "independent design fair - featuring over 40 Bay Areal designers and artists selling the latest chic and unique clothing, jewelry, limited edition screen-printed posters, and other fun stuff all at affordable prices. There will be tasty snacks for sale as well as a full bar. And of course it wouldn't be Noise Pop without some excellent music." The Verdi Club, 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

- Day show with Themselves, Rainbow Arabia, Yoni Wolf and Boy in Static at the Apple Store Downtown. 2:00 p.m., all ages.

Previous Noise Pop 2009 posts can be found here and here.

- Anna

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There's a new song from Tempo no Tempo on the band's MySpace - did you know that? Well, you do now. Take that! "Medicines" is everything I would expect from one of my fav Oakland bands. The dancey grit from before is still live and kickin', but with a new onslaught of noisy punk that simply rips it up and starts again. I think it's pretty rad. Supposedly, more new music is coming soon, so keep an ear out.

Tempo no Tempo haven't played a show in awhile - apparently, they've had to focus on, you know, jobs and responsibilities and stuff. Their "comeback show," if you will, is set to take place this Thursday, February 12th, at the Hemlock Tavern with the Hawney Truth and Ghosts on Tape. The show starts at 9:00p, costs $7, and is 21+. Be there!

- Anna

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Listening to the Anderson Congress self-titled EP, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Looking out across the contemporary musical landscape, I find too many bands are making boring versions of past styles of music - insipid indie pop that subscribes to the Chris Martin ethos of vapid false emotions served as easy pills to swallow, encompassed within a musical structure that pursues blandness as an ideology and that asks for no actual engagement. When it seems so many strive with such veracity to push the milestone of mediocrity in music, it is refreshing to hear a band the embraces complexity.

Anderson Congress is in many ways a noise-rock band. This classification is a difficult one to reconcile, as for many the burdens of noise so often outweigh the interesting aspects. The balance between accessibility and musician masturbation is tenuous at best. However, between their pop melodies and raging feedback-laced solos, Anderson Congress have found a reasonable place to stand within this dichotomy on this EP. The effect of this is to create an album space that begs you to actually listen to the music. This is not the background to your aspirations towards the platitudes of the vacant and undemanding ideal of love promised to you by yellow stars; this is not your elevator music.

"It All Falls Apart" opens the EP with an ethereal intro that promptly kicks off into a driving rock song while still maintaining its otherworldly feel, balancing between jagged rhythm guitar strokes and echo-y feedback-infused solo work. This song embodies what seems to be the general musical feel of the album: teetering between heavy rock ("Reflections," "O'Where to Begin", "Her") and the pensive and eerie ("Quit this Mess," "Love Away"). This balancing helps to foster strong dynamics within the album structure.

Lyrically, "It All Falls Apart" showcases another strength of the album. As a love song, "Falls Apart" does not give you hearts and flowers love, it gives you a real life portrait of relationships – the constant battles to maintain no matter how much love there happens to be. Love is work, love is reconciling adversity, "love is the strangest thing" when faced with a crumbling life. Lyrical complexity is the theme of this EP. Another great example of this is the song "Her." A pounding song that exhibits strong influences from Nick Cave, "Her" angrily confronts from a third party perspective a crumbling self-destructive relationship. Simultaneously preaching doom, "Her" reassures us in a calming way that we should not worry, things will be all right.

While discussing lyrics it seems pertinent to mention lead singer Jake Sinetos' vocal style. Sinetos in no way has what is generally classified as a "good voice." This is not to say that his voice is bad, it is just unconventional. Rock and roll history has seen a number of these voices. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Joe Strummer have all had academically bad voices, but they are essential to what they do. Not to equate Sinetos to these iconoclasts, but if Anderson Congress stays around long enough to become a household name, Sinetos' singing will undoubtedly be compared as such; it is unique and necessary to Anderson Congress' sound.

Thematic and style analysis aside, I think my favorite song on the album would have to be "Reflections" (close second being "Her"). Listening to the song, "Reflections" speaks directly to my better punk-rock angles, and when it kicks off I can't help but want to shove and slam against a group of equally enthusiastic listeners. The lead guitar lines recall the country influenced-punk of bands like the Violent Femmes and Against Me! "Reflections" is high-energy, compact, and best illustrates the band's uncompromising ability to rock.

The weakest part of the album, I have to admit, is the last song "Love Away." This may be a particularly nit-picky bit of criticism, as it is not a bad song - just when considered with the rest, it measures up a bit short. Power-rock like this can't help but be epic in one way or another. This album is certainly epic; however, "Love Away" just goes a little bit too far. It has something of a feeling of being in a stadium and I wonder if that's where Anderson Congress wants to be. Part of me still likes it for its odd tenderness, and I think it's a good vamp out of the album, but next to the strengths of the others it's not quite there (pining for things to criticize, I'm sure).

Ultimately, this is a wonderful album because it wants me to actually listen to it. There are complexities to the songs that you don't just have access to in the first five seconds. On my third and fourth listen I'm still finding new things that intrigue me. This is a quality that makes an album strong. When I constantly am turning the volume up so that the music is my only sensory experience, and so I can explore the depths of the song and not just reside in its superficiality, a band has succeeded. Anderson Congress' self-titled EP is available through their MySpace. I encourage you to listen, and turn it up.

- Ada Lann

Ed. note: Anderson Congress are set to play the Hemlock Tavern this Friday, February 13th for their EP release, along with The Aerosols and the Rabbles. The show starts at 9:30p and costs $6.

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Monday, February 9th:

* Duit On Mon Dei, Caruso, Caruso (DJ set), Pierre Le Robot, the Amazements (L.A.), Cupids at Blondie's

Wednesday, February 11th:

* DJ Ted (Bagel Radio), Control-r, Mount Vicious, the Society of Rockets at the Elbo Room

Thursday, February 12th:

* White Music, the Passionistas, Jealousy at the Knockout

Friday, February 13th:

* The New Up, Eric McFadden Trio at the Cafe du Nord

* Overview, the Hundred Days, Judgement Day, the Federalists at Slim's

- Anna

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Ayla Nereo of Beatbeat Whisper continues her quest to deliver lovely, soothing folk tunes by releasing her second solo album, Floating Felt. You can listen to "Ballad in Fatigue" from the new album (plus other songs) by clicking here.

Additionally, Miss Nereo created a really cute and quirky animation for "The Times," which you can view here and now:

Tonight (Friday) will see a celebration for Floating Felt at Fort Gallery, 480 23rd St. in Oakland. The show starts at 9:00p, after the monthly Art Murmur. That Blasted Hound (Davyd Nereo, the other half of Beatbeat Whisper) and the Delicate Situation will open the show. While you're there, you can nab a special handmade version of Ayla's new album - which, if it's anything like the sweet handmade versions of Wonder Continental, will be worth picking up.

- Anna

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I've been listening to BAGeL Radio since . . . well, before I turned into this music blogger nerdly-type person, that's for sure. BAGeL Ted continuously manages to serve as a solid resource for excellent music, both new and old, and I always look forward to Fridays when I can turn into the live show.

Tomorrow night, Saturday the 7th, BAGeL Radio will celebrate six years of being awesome via a night of live rock and roll at Bottom of the Hill. This "Half-Dozenth" birthday party will feature the following:

- Birdmonster
- Railcars
- Rickie Lee Robinson
- plus DJ set by Cory of Absolutely Kosher

These acts are all local and all equally rad. And what does this event offer that your average rock show does not? Free cupcakes. Because what's a birthday party without cake of some kind?

Doors open at 8:30p, show at 9:30p, $10, 18+.

- Anna

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Oh me oh my. After a long journey full of torment and anguish (not really), the results are in from our Best of San Francisco Bay Area 2008 poll. Let's do a little recap first, shall we?

* Back in December, we asked you to nominate your favorite emerging artists of 2008 and explained the rules for the entire process.

* At the same time, we assembled a "jury" of local bloggers and industry peeps to each nominate/vote for their top 3 favorite emerging artists (list of jurors here).

* We closed the initial nominations period, and put forth the next stage of the poll: the 3 bands that received the most nominations from the readers' nominations post, and all of the bands nominated by our jurors.

* Then, we opened up the poll and asked you to vote. Polls stayed open until January 31st.

* Finally, we counted all the votes based on the following system (as we explained when we first announced the poll):

-- The jurors' votes (3 ranked artists/bands each) were counted as 3 points for first, 2 for second, and 1 for third.

-- The artist/band with the most votes from the readers' poll received 3 points, then 2 for second place, and 1 for third place. Single readers' votes were counted as 0.001 points (which means that 1,000 readers votes equals 1 point, and, for example, 87 readers' votes equals 0.087 points).

-- Then we smooshed all these points together to get the final results.

Phew!

* drumroll please *

The top 10 emerging bands of 2008, based on both the jurors' and readers' votes:

01. Maus Haus
02. The Dodos
03. Mist and Mast
04. The Ferocious Few
05. Vitamin Party
06. Silian Rail
07. Lovelikefire
08. Sholi
09. The Morning Benders
10. The Heavenly States

Full list here.

We are currently determining how we will be splitting up all the available prizes to the top 3 bands.

The top 10 emerging bands of 2008, based solely on readers' votes:

01. Mist and Mast
02. Vitamin Party
03. Anderson Congress
04. Birds & Batteries
05. Geographer
06. Two Sheds
07. Silian Rail
08. Ash Reiter
09. Lovelikefire
10. The Dodos

The winner of the readers' poll, Mist and Mast, is our current Artist of the Month, as you can see via banner at the top of the site.

You can see both these lists, complete with links and cool colors, up to the right of the top blog entry, under the sponsors' logos.

This was a fairly convoluted (but fun!) process, so we hope there's been no confusion, and we thank you all for your patience and participation, as always. Please feel free to email Anna with any questions or concerns.

Congrats to all!

- Anna and the Deli Staff

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It's the first Wednesday of the new month (You know, February. Groundhogs. Etc.). This inevitably means that it's time for the monthly Rumble at Harlot, brought to us by the Owl Mag, SonicLiving, Future Sounds, and Stranded in Stereo.

This month's Rumble will celebrate the Bay Area Derby Girls and the fact that they're about to start kicking ass in their 2009 season. Derby girls are rad. And hawt. To help celebrate, the Ringers (L.A.) and Music for Animals will rock the stage, and DJs Bagel Ted and Omar (Popscene) will keep the dance floor kickin'.

As usual, you should RSVP here to get in for free. Otherwise, it's $5 at the door, and the party starts at 8:00.

- Anna

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Hey everyone - apologies for the slow content this week, your humble editor has been called out of town. One more quick post for the road -

Our Best of 2008 poll is now over! We will announce the results on Wednesday, the 4th (seems a bit late, but traveling until Monday evening allows for little time to do the legwork - we be bizzy!).

Thanks for your support!

- Anna

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The Vitiligo gig at Kimo's was a sweaty affair. Lead singer, Alex Musto, amply sprayed the audience with his own sweat - he really puts his back into the job of front man. This inspired the audience to dance and jump around, creating even more sweat. Then one hard-core faction created a mosh pit - sweat, sweat, sweat. And some blood ... the lead guitarist and the drummer both injured themselves while playing. They are not the most coordinated band, or the driest, but they are definitely dedicated.

Screaming guitars and screamed vocals are Vitiligo's trademarks, and this gig was no exception. They describe themselves as playing "fuzzy, punky, noisy music with a pop sensibility that proudly makes your ears bleed." I would like to emphasize the noisy part of that statement. They were LOUD. Lead guitarist, Jake Sinetos, smashed and twanged his way through the songs, providing a screechingly psychedelic undercurrent. Bassist Selftext and drummer Ryan supplied the rhythmic background to anchor the noise of Jake and Alex.

Vitiligo was formed around six months ago, after Jake, Alex and Selftext met through mutual friends and started playing in the same practice space. Jake and Selftext are members of other San Francisco music projects, Anderson Congress and Luxury Tax respectively. They advertised for a drummer, and went through several before finding a keeper. This was Vitiligo's first gig in San Francisco, and a good start.

They compare themselves to Jesus and Mary Chain, The Libertines, Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth. I would probably liken them most to Jesus and Mary Chain, with a liberal drenching of sweat.

If you are looking for an energetic, uncoordinated, noisy, sweaty show, then go and see Vitiligo. They plan to keep playing in the city and promise to "get under your skin." Creepy. Who names their band after a disease anyway?

- Liz Barnes (words and photo)

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As lunchtime approached and my tummy grumbled for the last of my leftover homemade risotto in the fridge, an email popped up in my inbox that caught my attention. The subject line: "Future Perfect Radio relaunches with San Fran-only channel." Hmm - is this in conjunction with a local radio station? Or an internet radio channel with only SF bands? I clicked on the link and found it to be the latter. You can check out Future Perfect Radio (a Chicago-based outfit, I believe - more info here) to see the various channels that they offer ("New Music," "Best of Indie 2008," "Pitchfork's Top 100 Tracks of 2008," plus many genre-specific channels), including city & region channels that feature artists based on their particular locations.

Of course I clicked on San Francisco to see what sort of madness (or otherwise) would ensue. Here are the first 25 artists that came up, in exact order:

01. Fol Chen
02. Scissors for Lefty
03. Deerhoof
04. French Miami
05. From Monument to Masses
06. Safety Scissors
07. David Dondero
08. Erase Errata
09. Deerhoof
10. Or, the Whale
11. Her Space Holiday
12. From Monument to Masses
13. Matmos
14. Oxbow
15. Rogue Wave
16. Sleepy Sun
17. Safety Scissors
18. Thao
19. Deerhoof
20. David Dondero
21. Thee More Shallows
22. Bexar Bexar
23. Safety Scissors
24. Matmos
25. Sleepy Sun

The list, as you can see, is currently limited (hello, multiple artist repeats), and the selection is a bit dominated by bands already somewhat established. Also, Fol Chen, the first artist to go on, is not a San Francisco act (MySpace says Highland Park, which I believe is in L.A.). However, it appears that Future Perfect will accept "recommendations" (a note on the bottom right corner of the pop-out radio player lists an email address to do so: bands [at] futureperfectradio [dot] com), which suggests that the channels are at least somewhat hand-picked.

While this project appears a bit raw, I really like the concept. Currently, the other regional channels feature music from Austin, NYC, Chicago, L.A., Canada, Portland, Seattle, England/Scotland/Ireland, Australia/New Zealand/Oceania, and Denmark/Finland/Iceland/Norway/Sweden. Seeing as internet radio already tends to be an excellent resource for both new and old music, this looks like it could develop into a solid opportunity to hear about bands in specific areas that you may not otherwise know about. Go here to see and listen for yourself.

- Anna

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Dylan Travis of Man/Miracle was nice enough to answer a few questions via email to give us some background on the band's past and present.

Man/Miracle are set to play this Thursday, January 29th at the Hemlock, along with Railcars and Eagle & Talon (Los Angeles).

The Deli: You mentioned that the band has been recording - could you tell us more about that? You guys have released the "Pushing and Shoving" single and an EP - is there a full-length in the works?

"We have been putting together our debut record for a couple of weeks now. We have mainly been working with Eli Crews at New, Improved Recording, and I think that he is an incredible engineer, producer, and musician. We are also working with Adam Myatt at Sharkbite Studios and he's been great to work with as well. The new record is sounding very different from everything we have released so far - we have an EP that was recorded when we had been a band for only a few months, and it doesn't sound much like the band we are now. There is some other stuff floating around out there too - we recorded a tour CD that "Pushing and Shoving" was originally on, but we never really released it. I think that the ideas are much more focused on this record, and we have a lot more to say with our songs. We did most of the tracking live, and I think having that energy there is essential for our band."

The Deli: Speaking of "Pushing and Shoving" - you guys received a mention in Pitchfork back in August. Given P4k's semi-Holy Grail status, did that have any sort of significant impact? More fans, more stalkers on MySpace, etc.?

"It was very nice of them to write us up, especially since we aren't some huge established band. We did get an offer to play at a venue in Chicago but we still haven't toured outside of California too much yet. That's about it. I think that there are probably a few more people waiting to see what we do next because of it, and that is nice. I don't think many people are going to base their opinion of your band on one or two songs and a Pitchfork review, though. It's great when people come to a show having only heard "Pushing and Shoving" or the songs on the internet or something. It's a very different experience. Our new record will definitely be a more accurate representation of how our band actually sounds these days, I think."

The Deli: What sort of following did you have in Santa Cruz? Is there a significant music scene in Santa Cruz that doesn't necessarily bleed into the Bay Area? How have things changed since you relocated to Oakland/SF?

"In Santa Cruz we just played to our friends and other musicians at this place called Cafe Pergolesi and various house shows. Pergolesi is like Santa Cruz's tiny little answer to Gilman or the Smell or something - all ages shows where you can do whatever the hell you want - but only on Fridays and Saturdays, and it's actually not even really a venue. The shows started being sort of crazy there and setting up is sort of a chore. It's in this old Victorian house and you have to move all the furniture out of the room before you play, which isn't so bad, except I broke my back mountain biking a few months after starting our band. We would play with bands like Sleepy Sun, Giraffes? Giraffes!, the Vox Jaguars, etc. As soon as we moved, the Crepe Place started having shows, of course, and that has helped the music scene out down there immensely. The scene isn't all that different than the Bay Area's. It's just smaller, and maybe a little more stoned, which isn't really us - we don't have feathers in our hair or anything. Living in Oakland is good for being in a band. There aren't these draconian noise ordinances that SC has. There are shows almost every night all over the place. Life has sped up quite a bit, which I am grateful for."

The Deli: What's your favorite venue to play in the Bay Area?

"Most house shows or gallery spaces. The Hemlock and the Uptown are also cool."

The Deli: Do you have any favorite Oakland haunts, in particular?

"The Breakroom downtown is good, as is Arizmendi's, Cafe Van Kleef, Gaylord's, Lake Temescal, the Grocery Outlet, etc. I like seeing shows at Apgar and Lobot."

The Deli: What are your favorite Bay Area band(s)?

"There are too many. The Bay Area is about to burst open with talent, there are just so many young bands here that are outrageously good right now. I haven't seen them but I love everything I've heard by Little Teeth. Grand Lake is brand new but they're amazing. There's all these awesome bands on Pretty Blue Presents that I feel are spiritually close to whatever the hell it is we're doing: Maus Haus, Religious Girls, Casy & Brian. I also love KIT, Songs for Moms, Trouble, the Hospitals, Grass Widow (they are SO awesome), the Splinters, Sleepy Sun, etc. The list goes on and on, for all of eternity."

The Deli: Anything else exciting coming up in the world of Man/Miracle that we should know about?

"We're digitally releasing our single on Gold Robot Records pretty soon, probably next month. So our music will be on itunes and everything. We're working on a music video that will be good. Mostly we're excited about the new record, and touring in a few months."

Man/Miracle, Railcars, Eagle & Talon
The Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., San Francisco
Thursday, January 29th
$7, 21+

- Anna

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This is a weekly entry that highlights some of the artists who posted their upcoming shows in our show listing section (right hand side column of this page). Any band can promote their show in The Deli's DIY Live Show Listings section to their hearts' content, so post away! And if you do post, maybe you'll see your show poster here next week . . . !

Anything going on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday?

Thursday, January 29th:

* Three Ring Records presents Love is Chemicals, the Invisible Cities, the Matinees (CD Release) at the Rickshaw Stop

Friday, January 30th:

* The Music Lovers, Harbours, Raymonda at the Hemlock Tavern

* Two Headed Spy, Bottom, Dirty Orange Sun at Thee Parkside

Saturday, January 31st:

* Anavan, Social Studies, Vows at the Hemlock Tavern

Sunday, February 1st:

* Elisa Flynn at the Hemlock Tavern

- Anna

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No swinging guitars, floating drum sticks or crashing bodies at Cafe du Nord Thursday night, January 22nd. Just the way I like it, in fact. The three acts traded theatrics for honest, sometimes mesmerizing, melodies and driving, elephantine rifts - all resulting in an intimate, relaxing evening of music.

Silian Rail, the instrumental two-piece that kick-started the night, quickly forged a strong dichotomy between calm harmonies and forceful power pop. Drummer Eric Kuhn, who plays in all three of the bands on Thursday's bill, drummed with a sort of controlled madness, often deviating from the tempo for curiously placed fills and cross rhythmic explorations (doing so with bare feet). The intricacy was a joy to listen to, wound tightly into the lyric-less sagas created by just one guitar, which was played beautifully by Robin Landy. I was impressed by the places this band took me at times - especially with no vocals - and thought the visuals shifting behind the band enriched the experience even more. Whether it was topography charts displaying the layering of the earth's core, transcriptions from Hamlet or even Burt Reynolds' 10-foot-tall mug (complete with a bushy 'stache stretching across the stage), the images allowed listeners' minds to wander along with the music.

I wasn't as wowed by the next act, The Aimless Never Miss, but this isn't to say the performance was a huge disappointment either. Jonny Latimer's vocals walked a fine line between whiney and believable, similar to those of Anthony Green's of Circa Survive. Thankfully like Green, Latimer and his lyrics usually fell on believability's side and his guitar playing was, at times, something to marvel at. The highlight of the band's set, however, was the inclusion of Lia Rose (from Built for the Sea) for a song. The keyboard added a weight that the rest of the songs lacked, and Aimless should consider setting their crosshairs on a full-time piano player.

Built for the Sea humbly took the crown for performance of the night, highlighted by Rose's trademark angelic voice. Cliche as this may sound, everything feels at peace when the Sea plays, a testament to the cohesiveness of the band and the harmonious command they posses. The secret weapon is the cello, played masterfully by Michael Fecskes, bringing together the entire process and pushing it into something truly special. Like the rest of the acts, the Sea never put themselves above the fifty or so people in the mellow crowd, showing that they don't want to be rock stars; they just want to make music and share it with their fans. "This is really what we want to do with our lives," Rose told the audience during the show. Her final announcement, that the band has been confirmed for the Noise Pop Festival this year, might be the next step towards reaching that worthy goal.

- Chris Middleton

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Come on out tonight for the Deli SF-sponsored show at the Hemlock Tavern. Teeeth will go on at 9:30, followed by Ketman (Boston), and capping off with Low Red Land. $7, 21+. Full details here. See you then!

xo
Anna

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