Schlotman talks music scene; new EP
One of the first things I ask bassist Jordan Darula and guitarist/vocalist Lucas Nevrla of Schlotman is if the title of their latest EP, “Dog Save the Scene,” is a not-so-subtle reply to the minor “the SF music scene is dead" controversy of 2016. With a wry smile on his face and in his characteristically slacker-chill tone of voice, Jordan simply replies, “Yeah, we were definitely going for a joke there. It’s nice to laugh about that whole thing.” In fact, there was a lot of positive energy pervading our conversation about the intersection between life and music in the [...]
Bear Lincoln change name to Van Goat, release new single
The first time keyboardist Ben Einstein from Bear Lincoln told me the band was planning to change their name, all I could think was: Why? Your music is so spectacularly catchy and exciting and addictive I wouldn’t care if you called yourselves, without a whiff of irony, The Gun-Loving Donald Trump Fan Club (a horrible idea, but possibly a fabulous T-shirt). Unless the band decided a new musical moniker was necessary to fit a new musical identity. Maybe Bear Lincoln is too whimsical or frivolous to match their future sound, one that requires solemnity for solemn times and solitary contemplation [...]
Kendra McKinley releases new album ‘Treat’
I find myself at 27 — the death throes of a decade — as a pop music fan who still loves pop music, but no longer gets all that excited about it. Perhaps it’s a 'kids these days' symptom, an unbearable realization that nothing today will ever match the nostalgia for lost youth. Part of me genuinely doesn't believe that anything will live up to the thrill of being 15 and ignorant and hungry for new sounds, digging through vinyl crates at Amoeba and stumbling upon Electric Ladyland or Quadrophenia or Songs in the Key of Life, works nearly impossible [...]
OIM presents Zakiya Harris at the Starline Social Club (enter to win tickets!)
I think it's pretty clear at this point that Oaktown Indie Mayhem is one of the best things to happen to the Bay Area music scene. Their taste in local artists is impeccable, and the roster of musicians on their record label is about as killer as the Murderers' Row lineup of the '27 Yankees (Whiskerman and Foxtails Brigade are, respectively, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in this analogy). OIM also presents some truly special shows as well, and Thursday's bill at the Starline in Oakland is no exception. It's an evening featuring the sultry grooves and cosmic poetry of [...]
Foxtails Brigade release video for “We Are Not Ourselves”
Any band that features a "What's in the box?" moment in their music video isn't trying to charm you. They're looking to twist your dreams into nightmares and warp your faith in mankind. Foxtails Brigade definitely accomplishes that feat in their new video for "We Are Not Ourselves," the opening track from their superb new album. Combining cheeky Americana imagery (like a fanatically distorted depiction of "Leave It to Beaver") with a touch of Dostoevsky's eerie novella "The Double," it is a frightening and fascinating descent into the murderous thoughts and deadly fantasies normally suppressed by the stiflingly artificial veneer [...]
WAM’s Local Sirens to feature rockers at upcoming Rickshaw showcase
Another Local Sirens showcase is upon us with another powerful lineup provided by Women's Audio Mission. Next Tuesday night at the Rickshaw will feature some heavy-hitting all-female outfits. Here's the rundown: Silver Shadows plays haunted and gorgeous shoegaze with a focus on echoing, chiming guitars, punchy drums and captivating group vocals; MANE bashes a menacing brand of post-punk with swampy grooves and SuperFuzz tones, music that breeds in the shadows and figures as a soundtrack to the best nightmares you've ever had; and Sirena Victima pumps out lo-fi, cymbal-cracking, tom-busting garage punk, the stuff that's sure to fire up the [...]
Get To Know: Nakazo
Daniel Clark of the recently disbanded San Francisco rock outfit I Am Animal has started a new solo project called Nakazo. Nakazo is both Daniel's middle name and the name of his Japanese grandfather, a tender acknowledgement of the country he called home for the first 20 years of his life. It is also a more personal effort that sees the songwriter in complete control of his creative vision. Though the project is still in its infancy, Daniel has already released one booming single produced by FASIV's Miles Delaco. Entitled "It's Pointed At Me Like A Loaded Gun," the song [...]
Interview: Karl Meischen of the Greening discusses the band’s strongest LP yet
Some people become overwhelmed by existential angst. the Greening use it to fuel their creative drive. “A lot of our friends and their friends are getting married, settling down,” Karl Meischen, lead singer and keyboardist of the band, tells me over the phone despite harboring a rough hangover. “Lots of people see life as having a certain trajectory. But we don’t fit that pattern.” Music fans should feel lucky that the group is so restless, because their fourth, eponymous LP is a truly fantastic explosion of fundamentally catchy and skillfully constructed rock and roll, featuring influences that span the genre’s [...]
Diamond Heights release new EP, play Great American tonight
Diamond Heights (photo: Quincy Cardinale) Diamond Heights have a new three-song EP to be officially released tonight at their Great American Music Hall show. Entitled False Victories, the short collection features tremendous lead and backing vocals, some phenomenally tasty bass lines (especially on the soaring conclusion of "Swingset") and rhythmic arrangements that echo '70s disco and funk as well as '80s pop. However, despite the anthemic melodies and dance-inducing drumbeats, the tracks are thematically linked by a sense of loss and longing. "Five" is the preeminent heartbreaker of Faulknerian proportions: here the band details the decline of a family, the [...]
FASIV release new single “Bad Reputation”
Sick of hearing about how tech bros and ridiculous rents are destroying San Francisco? Well get over yourself — you're gonna hear about it until something is done about it, and art will continue to dutifully reflect the dilapidated dreams and atomic frustrations and simmering tensions of a city on the brink of either real change or deflated exodus. FASIV is the latest band to throw their hat into the ring on their new single "Bad Reputation," adding another always-needed voice to the vociferous, outraged multitude. And there are few voices more powerful than singer Frank Abreau who, even through [...]