The Seshen at SXSW (source: Facebook)
San Francisco’s only rock and roll beer festival, The Bay Brewed, is back for a fourth year of pairing outstanding local beer and local music! Taking place at The Chapel on March 29, 2015, this year’s festival offers performances by four great San Francisco Bay Area bands and unlimited tastings from eleven San Francisco breweries all day long thanks to the SF Brewers Guild.
Today, we catch up with The Seshen’s Lalin St. Juste and Aki Ehara following the band’s return from Austin, talking Bay Area brews and bands, their rookie SXSW performance, and their forthcoming split 7″ with Lost Midas on Tru Thoughts.
The Bay Bridged: The Bay Brewed merges two of the best things in this world: live music and beer. Which brewer’s beers are you most looking forward to sampling at The Bay Brewed?
Aki Ehara: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers is delicious but honestly, we’ll be drinking all of them!!
TBB: What’s your favorite Bay Area-brewed beer, and why?
AE: Lagunitas Brewery. We’re big fans of all of their beers. Lagunitas IPA is a modern classic! We also love Red Seal Ale. (ed: Red Seal is brewed by North Coast Brewing Company.)
TBB: Which other artist or band are you most looking forward to seeing at The Bay Brewed, and why?
Lalin St. Juste: I’m personally looking forward to hearing Tumbleweed Wanderers. I’ve heard so much about them but have yet to see them live. Should be a super cool show.
AE: We’re friends with all of the folks in Guy Fox and we love performing with them! They always bring a great crowd and consistently put on a great show.
TBB: What’s your favorite recent song or album from a Bay Area artist, and why?
AE: I’m a bit biased because I got to mix the tune, but I really love Bells Atlas’ cover of “Little Dreamer” by Future Islands. I was also floored when I watched/heard the “Calliope” video by Waterstrider. I’m also totally in love with the Astronauts etc. song “Fiction”. (ed: “Fiction” is a collaboration between Astronauts etc. and Harriet Brown.)
TBB: You just got back from a quick trip to Austin for SXSW, playing at your label Tru Thoughts’ showcase. Was that your first appearance at SXSW, and what was the experience like from an artist’s perspective?
LSJ: It was our first time and it was pretty insane. It can easily be overwhelming with the crowds but seeing show after show is so fun. We saw Deerhoof, Hiatus Kaiyote, Run the Jewels, and discovered some new bands too (particularly a band called All Cows Eat Grass that wowed us with electro funky grooves).
TBB: You’re releasing a split 7″ with Lost Midas via Tru Thoughts for Record Store Day. How did that come about, and why did you choose “Unravel” as your contribution?
AE: It just happened!! We did a remix swap with our labelmate Lost Midas and Tru Thoughts decided to release it for RSD. Lost Midas chose to remix “Unravel” and we chose to remix his song “Off the Course.” We’re so excited for people to hear both!
Watch The Seshen’s video for the original version of their track “Unravel” below and get your tickets now to see them, along with Tumbleweed Wanderers, Guy Fox, and John Brothers Piano Company this Sunday at The Bay Brewed.
