— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
Don't get me wrong, I also don't have anything better to do this Sunday than stand in the rain for hours so I can watch a former child star desperately crawl her way back into the good graces of San Francisco's gay community. But to get excited enough to make a countdown window sign? That's just sad.
— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
As you might have heard, a few Bay Area cool kids decided they wanted to bring back Clueless and all its horrible slang for a four-act musicial. So As If! put their idea up on Kickstarter and enough people thought it was a solid idea and donated them three-and-a-half grand to make the magic happen. So, to celebrate, they're taking a page out of the dot-com handbook and throwing a launch party.
Yeah yeah, I know what you're saying. “Bro, launch parties are fucking lame.” No doubt, but this launch party features Ocean Spray (The Cranberries cover band), Boyz IV Men, a Jock Jams dance party, and fuzzy pens. The Jock Jams dance party alone makes me depressed I'm going to miss this one, but Big Sur is calling me.
Tonight at 9pm. $10. 251 Rhode Island. Ticket info.
— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
Hater Tuesday made it out to the Too $hort show last weekend at Yoshi's and documented the shit he said on stage, proving once and for all why a Too $hort show is better than any indie rock concert you'll ever go to:
Be sure to read the whole thing to find out his opinions on having sex with grandmothers.
— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
I've been biking past this sign on Folsom and 5th for the past few weeks and scratching my head at what it possibly could mean. Well, according to LiveSOMA, Potrero Hill's Elite Audio Systems is abandoning their appointment-only studio in favor of a formal retail space in SOMA. Think of the new space as you would every other coffee shop in SF, except instead of nerds working on their next failed startup and writers working on their next failed Uptown Almanac post, it'll be full of people with real sources of income buying elite strereo equipment and elite coffee. That said, don't think I'm hating on the business, considering I don't know where one can buy 'elite audio' equipment that isn't Best Buy or 16th or Mission, it doesn't seem like a bad thing this shop is moving to the area. I just don't understand why every business San Francisco feels they need to serve coffee in order to be successful.
[LiveSOMA]
— By Serg |
whole song is built around a loop of arcade fire's best track ever and shit works. Lots of shots along geary on the edge of the TL. This is easily the best track on The Jealous Guys' new mixtape (the love mixtape).
— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
The last boxwars sure was fun to watch and I can only imagine adding some live music will make it better:
Boxwars kicks off 2011 by returning to its punk rock roots with three bands, Bum City Saints, The 132 and Not Even a Mouse.
Doors at 8pm, corrugated chaos sometime later.
Don’t know what Boxwars is?
1. Build a set of armor out of cardboard and tape (bonus points for creativity).
2. Build a weapon out of cardboard and tape.
3. Beat the snot out of your new cardboard clad adversaries!
— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
This photo is a tame representation of what will go down on Friday.
For the past year, Kelly over at WorkshopSF has been throwing a regular metal dance party/group exercise session/excuse to drink more cheap beer dubbed “Heavy Metal Aerobics.” Basically, instead of going to a gym and listening to some upbeat techno music and following the moves of someone way more fit than you, some regular-ass aerobics instructor helps you get fit and blasts Slayer. Even Lydia of Hater Tuesday digs HMA, and that trick hates everything.
Anyway, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of HMA and its move from the Wester Addition to the Mission, Kelly's throwing one epic party at Engine Works this Friday:
The infernal gates of Hades (aka the doors at Engine Works [190 Capp St.]) open at 8pm with DJ's Sarah Doppler (Pop, Be Excellent to Each Other), Mike Gerardo, and Donnelle Malnik (THE Heavy Metal Aerobics Instructor) each spinning the heavy/hair metal tracks. At 9pm, the eardrum annihilation begins in the Engine Works basement with metal overlords Hightower, followed by the wicked guitar wizardry of Hot Lunch.
But if you are thinking of catching a breather between sets…. think again. Instructor Donnelle Malnik will lead a Heavy Metal Aerobics workout medley during the break, complete with HMA girls clad in leopard print body suits and legwarmers, teased out hair that could eclipse the sun, and of course our own Workshop beer can weights! Aqua Net hair teasing and groupie makeup stations will be offered for the ladies and the glam rock boys. Prizes (including custom heavy metal vests) will be awarded for most heavy metal aerobics inspired costume. And don’t forget to lineup a few of our Jack Daniels cupcakes.
Sweet! Tickets are $10 and you can get them over at WorkshotSF.
— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
It appears that Pirate Cat Radio got jealous of KUSF's shutdown drama and decided to get in on the mix. Pirate Cat's website and online radio stream been down for nearly two weeks. At one point, their Wikipedia page was 'vandalized' with this statement:
On Saturday, Febuary 12th 2011, Pirate Cat Radio ceased its live stream and podcasts. Their website also went dark. Founder, and former owner Monkey had sold a majority share in the station, took the broadcasting equipment, cashbox from the cafe, and left town. The remaining DJs are forming a collective to try to bring the station back on.
Of course, Monkey claims this was “slander,” but another source at PCR told Mission Loc@l “that’s about right.” Lucky for us, the former staff of the station recently formed the PCR Collective, which is intermittently broadcasting online today. And while it looks like we'll still be able to enjoy the pastries over at the cafe, 2011 is already shaping up to be one fucked up year for San Francisco radio.
— By Jon Skulski |
It’s a rainy day. Heavy and gray. There’s the Mixtape Society today. You had fun at the last one. You don’t feel like going today, though. You go anyway.
Then, you bundle up like a puddleduck. You walk, smoking wet cigarettes, towards the Makeout Room. It’s quiet but cars slosh through the streets. Doppler effect. Low to high to low pitched sloshing.
Then, you walk into the bar and take off your hood. It’s dark inside the bar. It's bright outside.
Then, you order a beer. You talk to the other people. They don't have beers. You finish yours and order another. You start to smile a lot.
Then, you play kind of a Secret Santa where everyone swaps tapes. You’re called to the stage. You stand in front of everyone. You feel awkward. You give your CD/tape to someone else. Then someone comes and gives you a tape. Everyone swaps emotions.
Then, you meet a cute girl. You ask her about the tape she got. You think it is going well. You say something strange. She goes home. You won’t see her again. You see a friend you don't see very often. You think it's nice to see her. The room clears out. The event's over.
Then, a music nerd from Berkeley shows up late. He is really disappointed that he missed it. You feel bad for him. You trade him your mixtape you received for his so he can still play. You make him promise to come earlier next time.
Then, weeks later you remember you have a tape and listen to it at a dinner party. It’s really good.
The San Francisco Mixtape Society is having their fifth event this Sunday the 20th at the Makeout Room. It starts at 4pm. Bring a mixtape or CD, get a day buzz and debate the various merits of Jeff Mangum with other music snobs.
— By Uptown Almanac (@uptownalmanac) |
This guest post comes to us from Cosmic Amanda, editor of Haverhill Fever, a blog dedicated to Boston's hipster suburb of Haverhill, MA (yes, Boston actually has hipster suburbs). While she's never lived in San Francisco (the horror!), she always salts her avacado, has been caught graffiting public property, never liked MGMT in the first place, and prefers an It's-It to any other ice cream sandwich. Occassionally she'll be chiming in about the Bay Area music scene and telling you what local bands would sound like if you saw them at T.T. the Bear's.
As a college radio deejay, occasional blog tourist, and lover of all things San Francisco I'm always on the lookout for new music from the Bay Area. Lately, I've been really digging chillwave musician (and apparently fellow aspirational San Franciscan) NanosauR.
This promotional video for his single Bravery sparked a total deja vu moment. It turns out he borrowed the same 1984 footage that Jane gushed over back in May. (Either that or Jane really did manage to make it back to 1984 and this is one of those major paradoxes Doc Brown warned us about.) Check it:
Oddly, the worn out haze of old videotape always reminds of the hottest days of 1980's summer. And this really works with NanosauR's blurry vocals, totally amping up the dreamy summer vibe of the track. Plus, I'm not gonna lie- the Pinback sample gives me a girl boner.
The rest of his debut EP, Shades, is equally awesome and includes another stand out track, Shades, which makes pretty tight use of a Computer Magic sample. With each track NanosauR is proving he's not just some kid who makes music in his bedroom with an off-brand laptop and a korg. I mean, don't get me wrong, he is. He just happens to be really good at it.
Download the whole thing for free, put it on full blast, and enjoy this little heatwave you guys are having. Trust me, as someone currently surrounded by six foot snowbanks, it's the right thing to do.