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2008-11-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

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Show Preview: Shuteye Unison at Bottom of the Hill 8/30

2008-08-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

By Julia Cooper

It’s a family affair Saturday at Bottom of the Hill when San Francisco’s Shuteye Unison, a baby to the local live scene, plays one of its first shows. But the trio, featuring Daniel McKenzie (vocals/guitar), Jon Fee (vocals/bass) and Jake Krohn (drums), will be in good company: also playing are local headliners the Action Design, featuring Krohn behind the kit; San Francisco’s Built for the Sea (McKenzie’s other band), and Portland’s Carcrashlander, fronted by friend Cory Gray. (more >>)

Don’t count McKenzie and Fee as total newbies to the live scene, however. As core members of San Francisco’s the Rum Diary, a band that's now on hiatus, the duo was a veritable touring machine. At the tail end of the group, Fee and McKenzie sought another musical outlet and began writing songs for a new project. Once they recruited Krohn, Shuteye Unison was born.

With touring such a constant for the Rum Diary and a string of European dates planned with Built for the Sea, McKenzie says he is reveling in writing and recording with Shuteye Unison. “You need a certain amount of music to see musical shape," he said.

Shuteye’s self-titled debut was released in spring on Parks and Records, an environmentally-conscious label Fee co-founded with his wife, Mimi Fee. Shuteye’s sound ripples with soaring guitars, ethereal shoegaze melodies and paced arrangements that undulate into peaks and valleys, culminating in a particularly ambient entry into the local rock music scene.

Recording with better equipment at Closer Recording studios, run by Tim Mooney of American Music Club, and experimenting with microphones and instrumentation, such as a vibraphone, keyboards and stringed instruments, resulted in a more polished sound, McKenzie said. “Not all of it we kept in the mix, not all of it was super audible. It’s just nice to add other dimensions.”

Shuteye Unison is a project that has bubbled since McKenzie and Fee grew up together in Humboldt County, where there wasn’t much to do but music. “We learned how to play instruments with each other back in high school,” McKenzie said. “He’s just always been my writing partner, the outlet for the kind of music that I really want to play.”

The Action Design, Shuteye Unison, Built for the Sea, and Carcrashlander play Saturday, Aug. 30, 9 p.m., at Bottom of the Hill. All ages. $8 advance, $10 door.

CD Review: Evacuee's 2 to 32 EP

2008-08-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

By Glenn Jackson

Evacuee is a San Francisco three-piece that makes music on the harder side of indie rock. Somewhere between These Arms Are Snakes, Fugazi, and maybe even Pavement lies Evacuee's catchy yet dissonant songs. The most distinctive aspect of Evacuee is their overall sound. Intensely whiny vocals spill over a thick mesh of guitars and bass while drums constantly drive the songs forward. (more >>)

On their EP 2 to 32, Evacuee presents four distinct songs -- the standout of which is "Webster Groves." Probably their most memorable melody on the EP, "Webster Groves" moves from a catchy guitar riff and vocal to a progressively harder pattern and back again, climaxing with one last melodic build and finally ending with the original riff.

One very apparent similarity runs through all four songs: the vocal style. Although different members of the band sing on different songs, they all sing in a similar style that can only be described as a throaty, whiney, at times almost goat-like sound. Whatever it is, it is a very unique and refreshing sound in the Bay Area scene.

Evacuee performs at El Rio on August 13th with Project Alpha and the Pentacles and is currently working on an upcoming full-length album.

CD Review: TOPR's Marathon of Shame

2008-07-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

By Glenn Jackson

TOPR (Top Ramen) has been on the Bay Area scene for a good length of time. He's got four releases to his name prior to The Marathon of Shame and a respected history in the Bay Area hip-hop scene. However, this is the first album of his I've heard and like most indie and underground hip-hop albums, I can't listen to the whole thing. Sorry. The beats and the lyrics are pretty solid throughout most of the album but there is nothing to it. Most of the same themes, beats, and rhymes, as a lot of decent hip-hop records, just nothing spectacular. (more >>)

TOPR's delivery lacks a certain uniqueness and I find it hard to think of a white underground rapper that his style doesn't remind of. The obvious comparisons to Slug (of Atmosphere), Sage Francis, etc. may seem too obvious but are unfortunately pretty accurate. TOPR's lyrics are definitely the standout aspect of this album. His experience as a battle emcee pays off in some great lines such as "I'm sick of groupie girls and their stupid pills / Bitch, don't go out until those bruises heal." But TOPR's lyrics are at their best when describing the "urban struggle" in the Bay Area. The album's final song, "Here's to You," is a powerful anthem for a modern, young working class. The chorus, "So everybody in the house put your hands up if your job sucks or you've ever been in handcuffs / Something ain't right / We deserve more out of life / I raise my brew, here's to you / And everybody in the place to be who thinks to themselves everyday, 'man, this ain't the way it should be' / It ain't right / We deserve more out of life / I raise my brew, here's to you" is an intelligent and resonating theme to end the album on.

"The Marathon Shame" is out now along with a full-length DVD.

Single Review: Geographer's "Can't You Wait"/"Rushing In, Rushing Out"

2008-07-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

Photo by Dominic Santos

By Glenn Jackson

The amount of indie rock groups in the Bay Area music scene can be overwhelming at times. For some reason there is an unbelievable amount of 20- and 30-somethings who somehow find their way to starting an indie rock band. With this in mind, I swallowed my prejudices towards the genre and gave Geographer an honest chance. Fortunately for me, Geographer is great. (more >>)

Geographer delivers two wonderfully indie songs with a level of musicianship that is scarcely found in the Bay Area indie rock scene. The first track, "Can't You Wait," begins with a four-on-the-floor kick pattern and an unbelievably catchy guitar melody. Shortly into the song come the lyrics. A sweet, full voice begins to tell a story with an engaging personal tone. The track builds, adding cello, keys, and layers of vocals which lead up to an incredibly catchy synth line/disco beat chorus. In indie fashion the song builds up and down on this same theme returning at the end for one last disco beat chorus. "Rushing In, Rushing Out", the second track on the single, slows down the tempo slightly but continues on the same general path laid out by the first song. A sweet synth melody leads you through another personal and powerful vocal, filled out nicely by a steady and lush cello performance.

Geographer reminds me why I, and a whole lot of other people, fell in love with bands like Broken Social Scene. Geographer celebrates the release of their full length album at Cafe Du Nord on August 17 with Cotillion and Judgement Day.

CD Review: The Bad Hand's This Is No Time for Modesty

2008-06-16T10:32:00.001-07:00

By Julia Cooper

San Francisco experimental trio the Bad Hand seems like the kind of group that'll try anything once. On This Is No Time for Modesty, the band's staple rock instrumental base of guitar, Rhodes piano, and drums gets invaded by a gaggle of other genres and sounds, resulting in an ambitious mix of kitchen-sink sonic collages with varying degrees of success. (more >>)

The band certainly offers enough surprises to satisfy anyone bored with the verse-chorus-verse same-old same-old, as the musicians follow a slew of paths within the album and on the songs themselves. Just when you begin to brace yourself for an all-instrumental record, “Hell Bent” drops in soft, girly vocals; or dirgy grunge falls into good ol' Southern blues on “Then He Tried to Kiss Me”; or an interlude of fart-like kazoo sounds (“Short Door”) creeps into the batch.

Some of the tracks that fail to catch on weave together so many melodic and genre-hopping fragments that they leave listeners with little to grasp onto. The occasionally rough mixes, as on the hard-rock mishmash “How to Know When” and on the tail end of the disjointed “South Door,” which awkwardly melds a church organ with Southern blues guitar, can make one wonder: Are these guys all playing the same song?

But the band is legitimately enjoyable when it tones it down a few notches and sticks to one groove, like on “En Attenant De Baiser,” a proggy swirl of fuzzy guitars and shifting time signatures that drifts into funky jazz percussion and discordant piano tinkers; “The Twist,” which melds a paced electro pulsing with rainforest flutes and romantic whispers; and the best track, “Lo Ha,” a somber acoustic tremolo piece blended with funereal violin for a chilled out and downright lovely ambiance.

Perhaps most admirably, This Is No Time for Modesty showcases a band with oodles of energy that, when focused, can traverse a range of music and still pull it off -- most of the time.

CD Review: Stegosaurus Rex's The Dino Soars

2008-06-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

By Glenn Jackson

On The Dino Soars, Stegosaurus Rex presents an interesting collection of homemade electronica. Unlike most bedroom computer-made albums, The Dino Soars jumps across styles, touching on hip-hop and house beats, downbeat trip-hop, electro-pop, and even a bit of experimental, droney electronica. (more >>)

Where the album really shines is with the more beat-oriented tracks. Opening song "East Bay Kickback" starts the album off strong with a great sample and a solid drum beat, making it the kind of song you would hear in your head while drinking a beer outside on a warm Oakland evening. Another standout track is "Six Sixteen." A great sample and solid hip-hop beat drive this track as it steadily moves through the opening string loop to a chopped-up vocal chorus and back again to the string loop as it is filtered out.

The album also features some great uptempo tracks. On tracks like "Polar" and "Fleeting Disco Do," Stegosaurus creates great disco-style house. Catchy samples that he cuts and rearranges as the song progresses, solid bass lines, and some good 'ol techno beats make these tracks dancefloor-worthy.

Where this album doesn't work as well is in the less beat-oriented and vocal tracks. These tracks especially lack in production value. The sounds are thin and dull compared to the earlier mentioned songs and have a hard time fitting in with the rest of the album sonically. A little more cohesiveness throughout the album and a step up in production level could put Stegosaurus Rex on the same level as a lot of the stuff on Ninja Tune Records.

CD Review: The Drift’s Memory Drawings

2008-06-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

By Julia Cooper

As the summer solstice fast approaches and seasonal wanderlust fuels the itch to hit the highway, so does the need for a chilled-out soundtrack to accompany exploratory road trip wandering. To that end, and apropos of their moniker, San Francisco’s the Drift have crafted the perfect vehicle for both relaxation and rumination while meandering along long and winding roads on their second full-length, Memory Drawings. (more >>)

The four-piece leans toward jazz improvisation with a rock bent, akin to Tortoise, fused with post-rock deconstruction and build -- not unlike Temporary Residence labelmates MONO. Such an amalgamation of free-form music is particularly conducive to travels because of the way instruments can roam as freely as they do on the album’s seven tracks, which come across more like epic movements than offerings subject to a platform as short-sighted as radio.

The musicians fluidly weave through songs that may kick off in one groove, only before descending into cyclical troughs and build back up again to peaks. With no words to muddle up the mix, song titles such as “Lands End” and “Smoke Falls” meld with the music’s meditative ambiance to convey points of their own.

Guitarist/keyboardist Danny Grody, who’s also in Tarantel, provides striking ambient soundscapes, whether he’s calling up a thick layer of feedback as he does on “Uncanny Valley” -- which could be the theme for a James Bond film turned horror flick -- or a sea of underwater tremolo as on the spare “Golden Sands.” Drummer Rich Douthit works both delicate jazz splashes of cymbals and driving hip-hop style beats to keep the album and the listener rolling.

But what really shines is bass and brass. Trumpeter Jeff Jacobs demonstrates both regality and a carefree spirit with his ear-catching touches of horn, while Safa Shokrai’s chocolate jazz thumps and upright bass grooves hearken back to classic dub tracks that round out the sound with some down-to-earth soul.

More than anything, the tight musicianship and instrumental nuance ruling this intricate work spotlight new musical pathways to discover upon each listen, which makes Memory Drawings a worthy investment for fans who like to explore complex art as much as they do foreign lands.

CD Review: Mochipet's Microphonepet

2008-06-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

By Camden Andrews

Mochipet: Local favorite electro/glitch artist? Break-tastic beat master? Hip-hop producer? Some geek behind a laptop? Big purple dinosaur? This time he's a general, leading an army of vocalists including Dubphonics, Jahcoozi, Hustle Heads, and members of the Hieroglyphics and Living Legends crews on a victorious, genre-defying march in his new album Microphonepet. If you're familiar with the San Francisco club/party scene, you've probably already heard all about this album and the buzz surrounding it. If not, I would recommend getting your hands on it immediately. (more >>)

It's always been difficult to pigeonhole Mochipet (David Wang) into one particular style or genre, but he really covered all his bases on this one. Songs range from supersonic glitchy whirlwinds, groovy house tracks, funky hip-hop numbers, fat bass-heavy club beats, seductive duets, and even lyric-centered raps about life on the streets, each heavily influenced by the guest MCs. What's most surprising about the versatility of this album is that none of Wang's explorations are artificial or emulative. While each track is certainly unique, his remarkable creativity and refusal to adhere to any sort of conventional rhythm scream out a sound that is undeniably his own.

Wang also maintains a much stronger sense of cohesion in each of the songs on Microphonepet than some of his other more intense mashup and breakcore material. There's still all sorts of twists and turns throughout the beats, but the solid sound structures make the music much more listenable.

There's an energy to this album that makes it immediately infectious. This energy combined with Wang's creativity make it a perfect party mix for diverse tastes, but also throws plenty of surprises to make it interesting if you're just listening by yourself. Keep this in your CD player and see how long it takes you to get sick of this album, I dare you.

CD Review: Jonathan Meek & the Mutes' Irony & Pity

2008-05-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

By Phil Lehman

Liking this album came out of nowhere for me. The first minute of the EP’s opening track, “The City I Love,” is fine -- but nothing to take note of: grungy and guitar-driven with some extremely fuzzed-out leads. Then the chorus kicks in and the song transforms with rich harmonies and a clear organ backdrop. Guitar and drums take a backseat. The change was entirely unexpected and I actually had to backtrack to make sure I heard it right. The second track, “Spark,” starts similarly; again, it’s not until the minute mark that a chorus in harmony seems to lift the song out of a dark, introspective lilt. (more >>)

Meek’s voice is not necessarily one that would aspire to fantastical vocal heights. However, the Livermore resident seems to be the rare case of a lead singer far more comfortable singing in harmony with other voices than solo. And he uses this to his advantage in each song. While the album was very much a DIY project and the fuzzboxes belie the music's rock roots, the harmonies create lush textures across grunge landscapes that give the songs a transcendent quality. Given the album was recorded in the church where Jonathan’s father preaches, this should come as no surprise.

Quite simply, I haven’t heard harmonies layered with guitar work this effectively in a long while. “From the West” embodies this perfectly. Again, super-saturated guitar leads (think Brian Eno) intertwine with simple melodies over acoustic guitar. And amidst it all, Meek croons, “I’m an island.” The effect gives the listener a sense of the ebbs and flows, and ultimately, the violent crash of the tides against a lone soul.

Or something like that.

The songs themselves are deeply introspective, and the different voices found in each song –- whether they be instrumental or human -– express the myriad points of view at battle within us all: at times discordant, at times in unison.

The last track, “Take a Look,” may be my favorite -– weaving in and out of a dreamy verse in which at one point Meek asks, “Where did my love go?” and transitions into a peppy, upbeat chorus where he answers himself: “Now that I’m older, I can see things as they are.”

Overall, the EP is more ambitious than the band’s name or the album title, Irony and Pity, give it credit for. Meek cuts to the quick of things we have all grappled with at one time or another without being pretentious, patronizing, or obvious. His debut is, most importantly, a genuine reflection of the songwriter.

Calling Unsigned Bands

2008-05-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

UC Berkeley has launched a Live Album Contest in conjunction with its upcoming Caltopia festival. It's actually a pretty sweet deal. Yours truly is one of the judges, but that doesn't mean I can't help put the word out too. Instead of paraphrasing the press release, I'll serve it straight up:

UC Berkeley’s Caltopia Live Album Contest

We’re creating a compilation album of the best unsigned Bay Area musicians for UC Berkeley’s Caltopia VI, recognized as the largest experiential College Lifestyle Festival in the nation for 18-24 year olds and the two greatest days on Planet Earth!

Unsigned Bay Area artists from all genres of music are encouraged to enter and submit an original composition online to win a place on the album and chance to play live at the event. Music must be appropriate for all ages. Submission deadline is June 30!

A panel of independent judges will select 20 artists to be a part of the Caltopia Live Album experience. Winning artists will be contacted by July 15, 2008. (more >>)

WINNERS RECEIVE…

* The Caltopia Live Album will be promoted to domestic and international audiences via print, online and in person to over 36,000 attendees at the event

* All winning artists will be featured on Kadoink.com, the hippest mobile social music network and on Caltopialive.com

* The Kadoink online widget will enable Cal supporters and music lovers to share individual tracks with the rest of the world through their mobile phone at no cost

* All original music tracks from the album will be available to download for FREE via the UC Berkeley iTunes site, Caltopia Live Album MySpace page, and Caltopialive.com and East Bay Express websites

* All winning artists will be featured on the Caltopia Live and East Bay Express websites and the fall edition of the East Bay Express Insiders Guide

* All winning artists will have the opportunity to post their music video on the Caltopia Live Album YouTube channel

* Four artists will be selected to perform live at Caltopia VI on August 24th

* Selected artists will be invited to perform live at Bay Area venues in the fall

* Selected artists will be featured via the Cal Rec Sports and East Bay Express YouTube channels and podcasts

* Featured artists on the album are encouraged to attend the event and distribute promotional materials to over 36,000 attendees

Contact Information:
Recsportsmarketing@berkeley.edu | 510-643-8036

Montage

2008-05-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

MySpace (listen to "Daydream," "Get at Me")
Official site
Hometown: San Jose
Next local show: None planned
Recent release: The M Album, 2008

By Stamati Horiates

Born and raised in the South Bay, Montage is a rising young artist you’d better get to know soon. Currently in the midst of recording his second album, The O Album, Montage has performed in clubs throughout the Bay Area as well as at the ESPN Summer X-Games, and has made an appearance on The World Famous Wake up Show with Sway and Tech. He’s also in the process of shooting a music video for the song "Get at Me." There’s no question this rapper’s journey has taken flight. But how has he come this far? If you ask him, he will tell you straight up: “Persistence.” (more >>)

Montage, aka Phil Corbin, first developed as an artist by drawing and painting. The walls of his house are decorated with intricate portraits of revolutionary hip-hop stars like Biggie Smalls and Tupac. Although he has enjoyed producing visual art, Corbin soon turned his interests towards other avenues of expression.

Enrolling in a graphic arts college and spending many late nights spinning as a DJ was just the beginning. Before long, Montage found himself flying back and forth to LA at the drop of a hat, recording in studios and working with top professionals in the business. In one year’s time, Montage went from relative obscurity to dropping his first CD, The M Album. “We recorded something like 50 or 60 songs and narrowed it down to just ten,” said Montage. The album was released in January and has since been gaining momentum in the industry.

“It takes me outta the underground and puts me in the forefront. I have a lot of respect for underground hip-hop ‘cause that’s where we all have to start, but I wanna take this to the next level. I wanna win them [Cali Heights Records] an award,” Montage says.

From drawing to graphic arts to spinning to rapping, it appears that the sky is the limit for Montage. The O Album is set to drop in November of 2008 and promises appearances from some familiar voices including those of Linkin Park and D-12.

When asked for the most important piece of advice he can give to others pursuing their dreams, Montage answered, “Make friends and take every opportunity. I don’t care if you’re sick or tired or you have to drive six hours to record in a studio. The first time someone offers to help you and you say no, that door could be closed forever.”

GET AT IT:
-The M Album is available in record stores, on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, MySpace, and at MontageWorld.com.
-Montage formed his own independent label, Cali Heights Records, also featuring artists Punky and Alterego.
-Montage is hosting a remix competition for his upcoming record. More information is available here.

Live Review: Subtle @ the Great American Music Hall

2008-05-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Corelitz

I reached the Great American Music Hall after riding my bike from the Marina, and was pleased that I did not get lost, as has been habit since moving to the city a month ago. I had not been planning on going to the show that night, but was excited, as the last time I was in the venue was to see Black Lips play a sold-out concert. Suffice it to say I wanted to re-live some of that night's majesty. (more >>)

It cost me five hard-earned dollars to check my bag, but I was glad I did, because all the seats were taken and I had to stand. My friend and I watched opener Facing New York from the balcony. They were very relaxed, almost to a fault, but they played well and others in the audience seemed to be liking it so I assume it just wasn't my thing. As their set carried on we moved from the balcony to the floor. The best thing about the Great American is that the sound is fantastic regardless of where you are standing. While the floor was more crowded I missed getting to watch the drummer play some interesting and funky polyrhythms and was soon waiting for the set to end so that Oakland-based headliner Subtle could play. Facing New York are not bad; they just sound a little too LA studio, despite many of their lyrics being rooted in East Bay noir. For the last couple of songs a sax joined the trio on stage and the earlier compositions suddenly made a little more sense, making me think that a permanent expansion to a quartet may be a good thing. I would see them again if the price was right, as they seem to be still exploring the depths of their music.

When Subtle took the stage around 11 or so, the crowd had swelled some, but was nowhere near capacity. My beer finished, I moved closer to the stage, trying to make out some of the props the band had brought with them. At first I was thrown off by Subtle's sound, which for the first two songs lacked a solid back beat. This combined with the half-rapped, half-sung vocal approach was hard to swallow, even though I had listened to some of the band's earlier work. This might have been due to the fact that all the vocals and instrumentation were cut with effects to the point that it was hard to hear some of the harmonies and melodies that come across so well on the recordings. The other thing that was at first unsettling is that Subtle plays rap-rock, just without all the bullshit the early mainstream pioneers (Limp Bizkit?!) of this "genre" brought to the table. There is of course the electric cello, and the truly talented frontman/lyricist Doseone, whose Blackalicious leanings are welcome and fit well with the bouncy electric drums. Maybe it was those drums, or just my post-work delirium, but for some strange reason I kept imagining a brawl between Subtle and Hot Chip.

From where I was standing there was only one acoustic instrument visible on stage and it was the drum kit. All other sounds were produced electronically, but with such grace and skill that they retained all the warmth of the room (once the levels were right). Subtle is so impressive to watch because sound is coming at you whose source it is often hard to determine, and it fits together so well that one is at a loss for ways to change it -- as if the parts were created specifically to work with each other and could not exist otherwise. It is an aggressive sound, with many dark lyrical undercurrents, but also a sound that draws one in, creating attraction to the power of the performers and the strength of their conviction. Subtle ended with an encore: two songs that I knew and were easier to remember because the hooks are less hidden. The crowd seemed satisfied for a Wednesday and turned to take their leave and buy merchandise, although the new CD, ExitingARM, was not available.

I left on my bike hoping my earlier navigational luck would persist, and spent the whole ride going over new musical ideas. Subtle throws so much at its audiences, visually and sonically, and all of it is so honest and personal. It is hard to watch them without getting some sort of inspiration. More skilled and more intelligent than their mainstream counterparts, and featuring one truly interesting and talented MC -- whose stage presence is topped by few -- Subtle is currently touring the Pacific Northwest behind its third full-length album, which saw release this week.

Live Review: Triclops! @ Sugar Mountain

2008-05-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Triclops!
crushes
Emeryville
earlier
this
year.

By Tyler Corelitz

As this democracy unravels to the sound of a thousand welcome groans, from the mouths of a thousand angry rogues, the bristle of a violent electricity can be felt amongst the standing hairs on our collective neck. Some change is about to happen, some change is necessary, and the passive about to become active wait and watch for a sign from the great machine. Will it destroy itself rather then adapt? Is the status quo, heavy with years of negative karma, incapable of apology, never ready for forgiveness? And we few peasants, toeing the line between huddled mass and bourgeois fan club, look to our artists for guidance, and far too often there is none. (more >>)

There seems to be complacency not only among my fellow plebeians, but also among the normally rebellious fringes. Talking with no listening, listening with no action, nodding heads agreeing to the way things are, acknowledging the possibility of something different with no desire or course to take. We should all be so lucky as to have been born longshoremen.

I have been thinking about these things, no more than mental abstractions, for some time, but then I wasn't really thinking about them until I saw San Francisco's Triclops! play to a decimated warehouse crowd in a friendly neighborhood of Oakland. There are many things worth mentioning about this show (opening act Crystal Antlers played a great set of loud, rolling acid rock) that won't be mentioned because they are easily trumped by the fact that in the span of one song, the unnamed and un-recorded closer, Triclops! managed to channel the chaos of my thoughts and misgivings into a clearer understanding of the time we are living in; of the things about to happen, and those that have already begun.

Triclops! opened the set like so many bands close theirs, not waiting till the last minute to actually perform, to take chances. Beginning with something to the effect of, "I, like many of you, fear what will happen if John McCain becomes president. This song is about the end of the white man, and as a white man I am glad to see that happen," the band proceeded into a song that was perfect in its ferocity. It was a post-punk ballad of sorts, and I could hardly make out the lyrics through the effects-laden screams. For the entire song, all the performances and antics, by band and audience alike, became a unified protest against all the worries that had been troubling me. Something was happening and someone was doing something about it, and even if that energy remained only in that room, the notion of possibility gave me pause, and I listened hoping the song, the mood, and the sentiment would never end.

With all these chances and drunken violence, body contortions, and self-inflicted pain, it never faltered. Triclops! was almost flawless, stopping only once after the drummer was hit with the fragments of a smashed chair, the leg already lodged within the singer's darkest orifice, pants around his ankles and daring the crowd to one-up him.

In their refusal to succomb to whatever expectations the crowd seemed ready to place on them, or the fact that many had left after the opening acts to pay ten dollars for the show next door, Triclops! proved that "staying the course" can be a good thing. There was no way for me or the others in my party, who had never seen the band or their other projects (mainly the Fleshies) to know what we were about to be hit with. I had to question whether or not I was willing to go as far as the band wanted me to. Those who were willing to act seemed capable only of the predictable: a few intelligent people realizing they will never be what they hoped to be, childlike tantrums disguised as the side affects of alcohol.

And those who stood on the fringes, unable to participate as we clung to our hopes, could feel the tension between realizing our passions and our eminent deaths. I may not have been able to join in the often absurd displays of expression, but I can and will accept the mental challenge placed before me that night, and am waiting for those other silent observers to acknowledge and do the same.

CD Review: Imperfect i's Groopoloops

2008-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Corelitz

Imperfect i is a project by Oakland-based singer/songwriter Gery Tinkelenberg. His new CD, titled Groopoloops, is a collection of songs performed spontaneously and based around guitar looping, with some sparse atmospheric percussion mixed in. The guitar playing is good, if not a little "new age," and the recording quality is excellent. In fact, all of the production on the CD comes across very well. The album's ten songs are more or less Gery jamming with himself over loops, and as free, improvised songs they actually work quite well. With no set structure, however, their length lends them to being more of an ambient soundtrack to a nice long drive in a big expensive car then out and out songs. The opening lines are usually lost in a wash of layers lapping up against one another, stirring the musical pot. (more >>)

The album is best when it breaks from its acoustic guitar roots and introduces darker, distorted, almost noisy sounds over the top in a manner that is very Frisselian. Considering that Oakland is home to much of the Bay Area's noise scene, these more aggressive elements make perfect sense, and would be a welcome point of expansion in Imperfect i's future.

Much like the East Bay, which manages to balance the SUV yuppie moms and college fraternities of Berkeley with urban sprawl and often shocking poverty in the Oakland flatlands, Groopoloops is half contained and peaceful, half struggling and on the point of outburst. Considering the first half of this equation, it is strange to note that Imperfect i's bio makes note of Tinkelenberg's inability to settle down, as much of this music seems to be the perfect tantric love song to woo unsuspecting yuppie moms out of their yoga outfits and into whatever.

CD Review: Warren Teagarden's Across the San Joaquin

2008-05-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

By Camden Andrews

Following up his debut self-titled EP, Warren Teagarden released his first full-length album, Across the San Joaquin , in mid April. Combining elements of country, punk, folk, and indie rock, his relaxed style is both simple and eccentric at the same time. (more >>)

The album opens strong with “The Deal,” a fun, upbeat tune with a simple two-chord melody. It's not only a pretty good song, but a solid representative sample of the album's tone: bare-bones rock and roll with hints of folk and punk influences, and words about ... well, it's hard to say sometimes. Warren Teagarden has been known for his playful and somewhat abstract lyrics, and his new album is no exception. Many of the songs on Across the San Joaquin offer a vague sense of a subject, but the lyrics are often too random to figure out the details. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your preference. The story or theme is not always clear, but his unusual imagery leaves plenty of room for a good imagination to put the seemingly random pieces together.

Most of the songs on Across the San Joaquin have a pretty basic instrumentation of drums, bass, and two guitars; one strumming fuzzy or acoustic power chords, the other playing basic clean leads. The music is nothing groundbreaking, but there is a relaxed, quirky sort of vibe that sounds a lot like a mellow Pixies record, with Teagarden's voice even resembling a deeper, gruff Frank Black. Even his lyrics possess a level of weirdness that almost parallel the Pixies. A verse in “Light as a Mouse,” for example, goes I've got my treasure maps and we will go down to Mexico, but I won't take my pants off to skin-dive / Hey Barry, pass me a match.

There are, however, different levels of strangeness throughout the album. At his weirdest, Teagarden goes on some silly maniacal rampage on “Haircut,” screaming, Hey, come here get a haircut / Look I got a razor, I'll cut you, I'll cut your hair! / Hey, come here. It can also be sweet and playful, as in “Chapter 21,” a song about love and A Clockwork Orange, teasing, You're one to bitch about a tacked-on happy ending / Who doesn't love a heartwarming tale of murder? The title track itself is much more solemn, with the chorus stating Out on the freeway there are days nothing changes but the waving fields / Big change from corn to grain / Out on the freeway there are things no one wants to see or believe / A wooden boy rolls up his sleeve.

Yeah, Teagarden can be a bit odd, but the weirdness is presented in a way that encourages a sense of curiosity rather than confusion. Across the San Joaquin is a refreshing combination of simple rock music singing about the basics (love, loss, drugs, loneliness) without the lyrical cliches of we're all used to.

CD Review: Battlehooch's Unabashed Nonsense

2008-04-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Corelitz

Battlehooch's debut EP OOF OWF has already garnered much-deserved respect within the Bay Area and beyond. It is a self-made wonder-work of psychedelic rock, funk, and unabashed nonsense. All four of the disc's creations are heavily orchestrated movements featuring all manner of percussion, guitars, and driving bass, with some classy Zappa-inspired horns popping up whenever necessary. Vocals are present but one gets the feeling that the listener is less expected to sing along than they are to dance. (more >>)

Opener "Boog Woogily" is one of the highlights, both live and recorded, and begins with a few stuttering yells and instrumental guffaws, on its way to becoming what on first listen could be mistaken for a more lucid reworking of The Simpsons' theme song. All of the "kitchen sink" percussion, plus the band's live theatrics (headbands, face-paint, sillystring?) bring to mind acts like Man Man and their own musical influences. Unlike Man Man, who seem locked to an indie-rock adaptation of Captain Beefheart et al, Battlehooch isn't willing to become pegged to a single sound or even a singular grouping of sounds, as OOF OWF closer "When We're Trying to Be Quiet" is rooted half in '60s psychedelia and half in early-'90s grunge. This last track had me coming back for repeated listens, most likely due to the strong vocals and because it sounded vaguely similar to San Francisco psych project Sleepy Sun, of who I am very fond.

Taken as a whole, the most impressive thing about OOF OWF is that as such an ambitious first release, it still manages to leave room for further exploration and growth. Furthering this is the fact that in order to really understand and appreciate the album and the band you can't merely listen to one song on MySpace. OOF OWF demands to be heard from front to back, back to front, and then only with an accompanying trip to a live performance will the listener truly be able to understand and appreciate one of the most unique and talented bands the Bay Area has to offer at the moment. Battlehooch is definitely going to continue to ask for, and get attention.

CD Review: Mia and Jonah’s Rooms for Adelaide

2008-04-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

By Julia Cooper

Americana tag team Mia and Jonah may be the musical equivalent of mac and cheese: Just as hearty helpings of the comfort food offer a simple but soothing cure for empty stomachs, the spare, commiserative melodies composing the Oakland duo’s second full-length, Rooms for Adelaide, transpire as the recipe to fill empty souls. (more >>)

In finest folk tradition, the twosome’s lush harmonies and minimalist guitar, bass and drums instrumentation (with the occasional dobro and harmonica squeal) take a backseat to quaking vocal delivery and consoling lyrics that show empathy for tales of woe. Mia’s ruddy growl naturally resonates with hard luck cases on rollicking opener “3 Stories High,” while Jonah’s countrified drawl constructs an unconditional beacon of hope on “Dance” (And even when the bottom feels like it’s dropping out in the middle of the ocean / Won’t you pull close to me?).

The plucks and jangles of Jonah’s acoustic guitar capably drive most songs, but the duo also throws in non-folksy stylistic surprises. The demented “Junkyard Dog,” which saunters on drummer John Hanes’ slack, trash-can beat and Mia’s roughneck attitude, channels visionary, experimental booze-blues curmudgeon Tom Waits -- apropos considering guest musicians Seth Ford-Young (bass) and Myles Boisen(electric guitars) have also collaborated with Waits.

Rooms for Adelaide peaks when Mia and Jonah hit lyrical hell on the album’s strongest melodies: the bluesy lament “Morning Hymnal,” which enmeshes Mia’s burdened lyrics (I don’t got no head / Got a 50 pound lead weight instead) with Jonah’s mournful hum; and “Rooms,” a hushed duet reminiscent of Irish troubadour Damien Rices collaborations with Lisa Hannigan, where Mia dwells in vulnerability while coping with life’s lingering troubles (Pardon me for smoking this old abandoned cigarette / But I got miles o' trail to squander and not enough time to forget).

With their heartfelt revelations, Mia and Jonah’s complementary musical coupling would make a most welcome guest to any whiskey-soaked pity party. And in troubled times like these, who isn’t in need of a cathartic soiree?

Live Review: Railcars and Handsome Furs @ Bottom of the Hill 4/15

2008-04-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

By Matthew Jordan

Oh, deceitful memory! Every show seen at protean Bottom of the Hill leaves an entirely different impression. Bottom of the Hill is not the seedy den of patched woolens and greasy-headed rockulidge of Sebadoh shows past! It is not the brightly colored, enthusiastic pop brilliance of AC Newman and the yuppies, blazered and bangled, cheerfully listening, smiling, ecstatic! Bottom of the Hill could be anything to anybody. (more >>)

It would be no surprise to hear somebody say through grinding, spotted teeth that they saw the best Gwar show of their life there, and to hear their strange bedfellow companion respond that they, too, saw the show of their life there, but this one was the Blue Man Group. The club could be set down in Anytown, USA, and not lose a step. It has the dusky, boxcar feel of a small rock club in the Midwest -– picture Chicago, Cleveland, Duluth -– without the hulking corn-fed fans and exposed brick walls. Globular art deco lights running the along the spectrum of red from bubblegum to burgundy hang from the ceiling, and kitsch Christian iconography sits atop the ledges lining the walls above black and white prints of buxom burlesque stars. The graffiti on the inside of a stall door in the women’s room reads:

FUCK
if your [sic] true to yourself, the rest will follow
PENIS PENIS PENIS
only death is real ...

The crowd for the April 15th, 2008, DJ Bagel Ted, Railcars, and Handsome Furs show was notably assorted. What a delightful change of scene after years of shows populated exclusively by coke-addled waitresses and bartenders in dangerously tapered jeans, or lanky white kids in garish multi-colored sneakers and oversized ballcaps, or fist-pumping fratguys and their vapid toadying girlfriends. The crowd was somewhat spare, but vibrant and lively, and somewhat homely (the beautiful people, of course, were at Cat Power). Lesbians held hands and leaned against the bar. Self-hugging nerds, just out of view of slender and knock-kneed lovelies sulkily drinking Pabst, watched the ground in front of their feet. Some middle-aged couples chatted animatedly while other middle-aged couples chatted calmly. The odd bearded outdoorsman wandered around in conspicuously labeled fleeces and Danskos. For an indie show in San Francisco, there were shockingly few Asian girlfriends (probably at Cat Power).

Aside from a vinyl poster hanging from the wall announcing something called “Bagel Radio,” DJ Bagel Ted was nowhere to be found. It could be that he had calmly pressed “Play” and walked around rubbing elbows, as the music between sets was the all-too-accessible indie riffraff that Ted apparently loves. But it could be that he was at Cat Power.

Railcars (formerly Aria C Jalali) opened. The band is front man and guitarist Aria C. Jalali (now Railcars), multi-instrumentalist Dasha Bulatova, bassist and laptopist Shaw Waters, and guitarist Biljana Mirkovski. All four are undergraduates -- Jalali and Bulatov at Cal, the other two elsewhere -- but it seems that they might not make it to graduation: opening several shows on the California leg of the Handsome Furs’ tour is a great way to get noticed. Clearly, people like these guys enough to give them a shot. Their set Tuesday night is in the eye of the beholder. That dumbshit axiom, of course, goes for anything, but it is particularly applicable to Railcars.

The scathing, sputtering critic might condemn Railcars for being painfully derivative, for pinning their indie du jour influences to their threadbare t-shirts, for a lack of charisma and gravitas, for Jalali’s underwhelming and grating and imitative voice, for sounding like they learned their instruments by diligently mimicking Arcade Fire and Sunset Rubdown records, for being long on earnestness and hipster adorability and short on songwriting and musicianship. Sneering, this critic would mock (“fumbling idealist crusaderism”) Jalali’s wan announcement that they were passing out free condoms and that he wants the crowd “to fuck each other” but he also wants them “to be safe.” “If you knew the foggiest fact about semi-anonymous rock club venery, son,” this critic would say, “your music would be a hell of a lot better.”

The sympathetic critic -– that rare contemplator who weighs her beer in one hand and her turns of phrase in the other, who with capped pen is able to smile and revel, who can grant the benefit of a doubt -– will call that first critic a dick and say he listens to rock music for the wrong reasons. She might point to Railcars' massive upside: with a few more gigs under their belt and a bit more confidence, their brilliant pop sentimentality will shine through. Railcars, providing they can establish a voice for themselves that doesn’t echo whatever flash in the pan your journalist friend was cluing you into three years ago, has the potential to be a great band. Though their only real percussion was Bulatova’s glockenspiel, occasionally dark and crunching synth lines would power through -– subduing Jalali’s voice and letting it become a part of the song rather than its focal point -– and really get the crowd moving. It was certainly not the case all the time, but every few songs the band demonstrated a real talent for compelling, sonically interesting, challenging musicality.

Give these kids (Jalali’s 21, and Bulatova’s only 19) a chance to mature as musicians and songwriters, and let them develop a sound that isn’t so perceptibly pick-pocketed from the staff picks at insound.com, and you’ll have yourself a great little band. Hopefully their forthcoming full-length debut will find them heading in the right direction, but either way, Railcars has demonstrable talent that should emerge more and more as they mature.

A brief note on the Handsome Furs: they totally ruled. See them live. If you’re, say, a young synth-pop band looking to make it, take notes on how energetically they perform and interact with the crowd. Note how much they enjoy themselves, how much they move around, the sexiness of Alexei Perry's concussive dancing, how that infects everybody else in the room. Note how each sound in their songs is distinct from the next, and how there’s a reason that guitar is up there.

CD Review: Grip Grand's Brokelore

2008-04-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

By Tyler Corelitz

Great hip-hop albums leave the listener with a desire to go out and buy the samples that they use, and Brokelore is no exception. It is filled with beats, hooks, and harmonies from a variety of genres, reflecting the multitude of styles and influences Grip Grand brings to the table. His press materials paint him as a recluse keeping music as his only company, so it comes as no surprise that Grip also produced many of the tracks himself. (more >>)

The music is subtle and rolls along nicely beneath Grip Grand's flows. More scrutinizing listens reveal the obsessive placement of big dark piano chords, horns, blips, and beeps, which present themselves fully before fading out, never to be heard from again. The tight tracks, combined with Grip's strong delivery, feel more mature than the second-effort status the album carries, and left me double-checking the press release to make sure it was true.

If, however, you believe the story Grip is trying to tell, then this maturity will come as no surprise, as the rapper uses Brokelore's 14 songs to spin a tale of urban struggle in the face of the declining dollar. "Out of Service" just might be the best thing so far to help get through the difficulties of a sub-prime mortgage; while "But Anyway" provides comfort to the masses as Grip flatly states "Life sucks just as much as it's beautiful." Despite their darkness, the lyrics are never whiny -- but heavy reliance on the "balling on a budget" motif can be tiring after four or five tracks. As one friend I showed the album to said, "We get it: you're poor!"

Unlike many rap albums penetrating the airwaves these days, Brokelore is complete in its movement, diverse in its sound, and seems to come from a need to create music for reasons other than mere product, as evidenced on standout track "Hip Hop Classic." Here, Grip Grand uses an old-school West Coast sound to ask a question that defies genres, and is worth thinking about for any member of the music industry: "I'm trying to create a hip hop classic ... is it something you can sell in a package?" Even with the smart and memorable lyrics, Brokelore is unable to deliver one stuck-in-your-head, singing-it-at-work, catchy-to-the-point-of-annoying single, preferring to earn its keep by withstanding multiple, often sequential listens, each providing new lyrical and musical areas to explore.

Grip Grand may be destitute, but you can help the cause by buying Brokelore. And if he suddenly goes triple-platinum, lands a HUMMER sponsorship, and starts making his own energy drink, it won't matter; Grip Grand will keep turning out solid material, broke or not.

CD Review: Maldroid's Oakland Lad's Club

2008-04-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

By Julia Cooper

Maldroid’s history would make any new band jealous: the quick courting by music industry honchos; the backing of local radio; the appearance on Good Morning America -- all surfaced without a single recording or live show to speak of. Winning a YouTube music video contest in 2006 propelled the Oakland seven-piece into the national spotlight, leaving behind a trail of listeners eager to see just what these guys are made of. (more >>)

With the April 15 unveiling of their debut full-length just around the corner, the Oakland Lad’s Club EP, released in September, offers a brief two-song, two-remix appetizer of pop anthems fit for rock airwaves. On “You Wanna Touch It,” Maldroid transforms into sexed-up robots, fusing a soaring Bon Jovi chorus (“Turn off the lights and take off your clothes/ I’ll show you mine if you show me yours”) with spaceship synth sounds and a thick ‘80s hair metal thump of guitars and drums. “Heck No! (I’ll Never Listen to Techno)” continues the band’s let’s-party spirit with a page taken from Devo’s deviant new-wave songbook in, oddly, a Radio Disney-friendly burst of bouncy keyboard blips.

The robot and tech overtones of lyrics and instrumentation transition well into remix treatment. Both reimaginings by fellow Oaktown artists -- “You Wanna Touch It” by Scott Blonde (the Lovemakers) and “Heck No!” by Amp Live (Zion-I) -- tender groovy beats that would shine brightly amid any dark nightclub dinge.

Led by frontman Ryan Divine who, in a thoroughly modern approach to the music biz, formed the group to focus more on creating artistically vibrant videos à la its YouTube hit rather than on the music itself, Maldroid still has some catching up to do, song-wise. The music-by-numbers, three-minute-length structures prove catchy enough, but lack the rawness and heart for the songs to stand on their own. They’re still developing, though, and the impending LP will likely provide a better clue about Maldroid’s sound.

But with energy that oozes fun and a compelling visual spectacle, Maldroid has certainly earned the cast of watchful eyes -- and ears ...

CD Review: Jimbo Trout and the Fishpeople's Hillbilly Bebop-Boogie

2008-04-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

By Jake Butler

Tom Waits gets all hopped up on some crack, somehow manufactures a lovechild with the likes of Leon Redbone and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and out pops Jimbo Trout and Fishpeople (JT&F). If you’re not familiar with those artists, I suggest you listen to them before continuing on. [Recommended Listening: Tom Waits – Hold On; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Battle of New Orleans; Leon Redbone – Lazybones.] (more >>)

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to JT&F. Their album of covers, Hillbilly Bebop-Boogie (aptly named no less), transports you onto a railcar somewhere in the Midwest complete with tramp traveling companions. Jimbo’s gravelly twang on lead vocals plays back and forth with Annie Staninec’s fast-fingered fiddle and Greg Laakso’s '20s-era jazz clarinet and sax, accented by flashes from a little xylophone here, a little cowbell there, and a little kazoo for good taste.

While the band’s lineup boasts seven members on this album, it's never overwhelming. Organized chaos is perhaps the best way to describe it. On the surface, things seem quite hectic, but just a minute later you see how skilled these musicians are at layering their sound while avoiding drowning each other out.

The album is a great listen, coming in at just under 40 minutes, it’s a nice package. The opening track, “Just Because,” is the listener’s “All Aboard” call for the Fishpeople train. “Sweet to Mama” eases you in with a comfortable groove driven by Jimmy Sweetwater’s harp, allowing him the opportunity to showcase his pipes a bit.

I couldn’t help but love “Sure Had a Wonderful Time Last Night” and its ability to make me remember those nights that I have to ask my friends what happened, and still come away feeling like a champ. Laakso’s sax gets a chance to breathe and lay down some sultry accompaniment. “Travellin’ Blues” shows Jimbo’s best impression of Jimmie Rodgers’ railroad yodeling, and it’s not half bad at all. Wrapping up with “Y’all Come,” JT&F let you know you’re always welcome, and thank you for listening. It’s the bow on the present the Fishpeople call Hillbilly Bebop Boogie.

Solid musicianship, an ability to convey the funloving bluegrass-jazz-country music on a recording, and a voice that you can’t miss make for a great listen any day of the week (although I recommend a Monday morning as it will get your week started right).

Sounds Like Teen Spirit

2008-04-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

In this week's East Bay Express, read about two local high school rock bands who have blazed their own paths into the music industry -- with almost no help from parents. Panda features five recent Piedmont High School grads, now in their first year of college, who plan on giving the band their all this summer. With a debut full-length coming in June and big plans on the horizon (including a name change ... Izzy Iguana was one option the guys considered), the band may just be too big for sophomore year come fall. Berkeley High's Please Quiet Ourselves already has an album out, is signed to a small indie label, and just returned from a trip to South by Southwest. Oh, and the lead songwriter and singer is only fifteen. Find the full story on the cover of this week's Express and online here.

CD Review: Boy in the Bubble's Songs from the City on the Sun

2008-04-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Matt Jordan

Frank Zappa once derided the American consumer by quipping that Americans experience music as an accoutrement to their lifestyles. That may be true, but –- to sidestep the obvious question of how the denizens of other nations experience their music -– thinking of music in terms of its utility and function can be a useful exercise. Some records are perfect to study to. Others provide the perfect soundtrack for a long drive, or a vigorous and sweat drenched work out, or the faux-cosmopolitanism of a dinner party with your now-balding college drinking buddies as guests, etc. (more >>)

Songs from the City on the Sun by Oakland's Boy in the Bubble seems to defy function. It is hard to imagine a situation that the record would suit perfectly. Musically interesting without fumbling too far toward the follies of overeager experimentalism, this is a solid pop record seemingly content with its lack of a place in the world. Find the perfect time and place to listen to this record, one that can be repeated by anybody, and I’ll buy you a milkshake.

While not precisely a genre-hopper, the record ricochets between the caterwauling 1950s-influenced guitar swells of “Danger,” the bratty sneering, foot stomping, and accordion whine of “When You Walk Around This City,” and the pedal-steel drenched dirge of “I Can’t Remember.” Boy in the Bubble takes a risk in appropriating such a wide range of sounds and influences, but Songs from the City on the Sun remains surprisingly consistent. The record has something pleasantly reminiscent of 1990s Brit-pop acts like Kula Shakur (though I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to the finer acts of the era such as Pulp, Stone Roses, and Blur).

Songs from the City on the Sun is at its worse when its empty-headed songwriting is privileged over its hooky musicality, and lead singer Josh Seidenfeld’s voice seems stretched beyond its limits at times. But, on the whole, it’s a pretty good pop record and worth a listen.

Live Review: The Velvet Teen @ the Rickshaw Stop 3/19

2008-03-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

By Camden Andrews

I knew the Velvet Teen rocked, but I didn’t know the Velvet Teen ROCKED!!!! In fact, they rocked so hard during their show at the Rickshaw Stop that I stayed and missed the last BART home, and I wasn’t even angry. I was humming the tune to "Radiapathy" all the way home on the transbay bus. (more >>)

There’s something special about the Velvet Teen that’s hard to put your finger on. There’s drummer Casey Deitz's whirlwind of carefully complex beats, singer Judah Nagler's baroque-style vocals hitting even the highest of notes, and guitarist Matthew Izen convulsing along with strangely melodic chord progressions from outer space. All three come together to form a triad of awesomeness with far too much energy to contain itself.

The minute Deitz’s glasses came off from wailing too hard on the drums in the second song of the set, I knew I was in for a ride. The band held nothing back, and all the intensity bottled up in Cum Laude, the band’s previous release, was brought with full force live. The entire place was moving in some way, and not even the hippest of the hipsters were able to deny the force. Without even blinking, I would much rather miss the last BART again then miss these guys the next time they come to town.