Morning Benders @ 330 Ritch — Oh very young. . .

More photos from this show can be seen at the bottom of the post.

Shall we agree that the simple act of pairing the adjective “independent” to the noun “music” did signify, once upon a time, our righteous disavowal of wicked Big Music and all her sinister A&R retinue? Shall we say that it used to be so much more real and so much more independent, this indie rock music, back when it was truly about doing it yourself? No, we shan’t. We shan’t say that at all. “Independent music.” Ha! Such fancies as these betray only the epithetical gravity of noblesse oblige. “Shall we say pistols at dawn?”

Sonority, persistence, irony, cool shoes, handkerchiefs, Woody Allen look-alikes and other such schmegeges, aesthetes, mustaches and starving yourself are all well and good for the indie scene, it’s true. But what I’m trying to say, besides “pistols at dawn” as many times as possible, is that our beloved Mission Independencia wouldn’t exist if not for Padre’s love; Dad busies himself about the commodification of something wholly, this way his boys can play vintage Gibson guitars and record their very own canciones with the help of a very expensive program like Pro Tools, which, according to some very specious studies, has been shown to encourage mustache growth among wealthy males who play music to benefit a beloved, soon to be remembered, middle class. Who is independent of what?

But what if, charities notwithstanding, you cannot grow a mustache? What if you’re just too young for the politics of sexy disguise?

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Weekend Picks: May 15th-18th

Our weekly picks for some great live local music. Take a listen to some of these bands in our streaming audio player…

Thursday:

- Social Studies, BOAT (Seattle) and The Attachments at Bottom of the Hill. 9pm, $8.

- The Invisible Cities, Hey Willpower and School for the Dead (MA) at Hemlock Tavern. 9:30pm, $6.

Friday:

- The Botticellis, The Mumlers and Lady Genius at Starry Plough. 9pm, $10.

Saturday:

- Performer Presents The Rose Hill Collective V2 Compilation Launch Party, featuring: Built For The Sea, Overview, Silian Rail, The Hundred Days and DJ Miles the Intern at Great American Music Hall. 9pm, $12.

- The Chop!, Man/Miracle and PlasterKATZ at The Stork Club. 9pm, $tba.

- La Plebe, Trainwreck Riders and The F-cking Buckaroos at El Rio. 9pm, $7.

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Episode 114: The Blank Tapes

 

 Episode 114: The Blank Tapes [25:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This week, our podcast spotlights The Blank Tapes, an Oakland rock band led by prolific singer-songwriter Matt Adams. The Tapes’ latest album, their third, is 2007’s Daydreams, an album that continues to gain positive reviews–including one recently from Rolling Stone–as listeners discover new favorites among the its 26 tracks. The record’s length allows Adams to try a number of different styles, including 90s-reminiscent indie rock, folk-pop, and British rock sounds all guided by strong melodic instincts and relationship-driven lyrical imagery.

Adams played most of the instruments on Daydreams and self-recorded it on a favorite 8-track, but he doesn’t isolate himself on a musical island. As Matt told us during our interview, he’s influenced by the strong community of musicians he’s surrounded by, several of whom have accompanied him on a number of lengthy tours. That guidance should emerge on a nearly-finished album of cover songs by his friends’ bands, although you shouldn’t just expect new covers soon. As he told us, Adams has a wealth of songs he’s looking to unleash in new Blank Tapes records in the near future.

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