Noise Pop: The Total Bettys at Bottom of the Hill
As Noise Pop 2018 kicked off on stages across San Francisco, the city's very own pop punk quartet, the Total Bettys, took to Bottom of the Hill. In this dimly-lit, small music venue that frames their stage with red fairy lights, The Total Bettys helped usher in the 26th edition of Noise Pop. They opened with their single “I’ll Fix It” off their 2017 album Peach. With a lone window the only backdrop to the stage at Bottom of the Hill, frontwoman Maggie Grabmeier’s dulcet voice filled the small venue with biting millennial angst, singing, “I’ve been trying to run [...]
Behind the Scenes: The Coathangers
The Coathangers (photo: Estefany Gonzalez) Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once wrote "Well-behaved women seldom make history" — a quote which now appears on cups, T-shirts, and bumper stickers. If the iconic quote considers quiet women well-behaved, the roar of the Coathangers live shows are bound to write the band a place in history. The 2018 Noise Pop Music and Arts Festival kicked off at the tail end of a three-day weekend, and there was no better way to spend what the Coathangers dubbed “Not My Presidents Day” than by being surround in a room full of a diverse concert-goers at gig that [...]
Noise Pop: Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee leads stellar night at the Swedish American Hall
The 2018 Noise Pop Music Festival concluded with a sold-out solo musician showcase led by Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, at the Swedish American Hall on Sunday, February 25. This was my first time attending a show at the Swedish American Hall. Putting the stellar musicianship aside, I was blown away by a multitude of factors. There really isn't a bad seat in the house, and there are plenty of seats to be had. The venue sounds great, and the stage is low and close to the crowd for an especially intimate feel. My favorite thing, however, was on display from the [...]
Noise Pop: Racquet Club at Brick + Mortar
Racquet Club (photo: Aaron Rubin) Former members of the Jealous Sound make up Racquet Club, who performed at Brick & Mortar Music Hall Saturday, February 24, 2018, as part of the 2018 Noise Pop festival. Check out the gallery below of the band by our own Aaron Rubin.
Noise Pop: Slim Cessna’s Auto Club at Bottom of the Hill
Slim Cessna's Auto Club (photo: Ria Burman) Slim Cessna's Auto Club hit Bottom of the Hill Friday night with high-octane energy, whipping up the crowd into a wild frenzy. Offering their sweet mix of rock, country, Americana, and blues to the night, Slim Cessna's Auto Club exploded onto the stage. Crowd surfing and bringing the audience to their knees are a couple of the splendid acts delivered with Slim Cessna and Jay Munly, who shook hands and connected with their followers. This band is one to see live. They put on an unforgettable show with music contagious and rocking good. [...]
Noise Pop: Geographer cements its place as a treasured SF gem
A few weeks ago at a the Balanced Breakfast music conference, I heard Mike Deni, lead singer and visionary behind the band Geographer, recount a story from years past in which Deni ran up one of the city's highest peaks and stood looking at the epic views of San Francisco. Some day I'm gonna own this town, he recalled thinking. Well, that has day long since come. As he showed Thursday night at the Independent, headlining a sold-out Noise Pop show, Deni has secured Geographer's place as one of San Francisco's treasured musical gems. If you’re not familiar with the [...]
Noise Pop: Dick Stusso dripped with charisma at Cafe Du Nord
Dick Stusso (photo: Ria Burman) Noise Pop Fest presented Dick Stusso at Cafe Du Nord with sweet support from Mall Walk and Grace (from the Sandwitches)'s extracurricular endeavor, Grace Sings Sludge. Dripping with charisma, Stusso brought his rich-toned vocals and raw, real lyrics to the night. Bringing a '50s country-rock and blues vibe, Dick Stusso changed tempos and mixed genres, cranking the distortion high and disappearing into the heavy carnage of rock and roll, only to surface with a gentle tenderness The heavy rock and the soft roll of Dick Stusso's style each complemented the other greatly, with a ferocious [...]
Noise Pop: Madlib Medicine Show features surprises from Yasiin Bey, Dave Chappelle
Madlib Medicine Show (photo: Joshua Huver) Thursday night Noise Pop 2018 was capped by a late-night Madlib Medicine Show at 1015 Folsom, the first Bay Area show for the legendary namesake producer in over two years. Madlib, one of the most ubiquitous stage names in hip-hop and Otis Jackson Jr's most recognizable handle, was full of surprises. Special guests included the second recent sighting of Yasiin Bey (FKA Mos Def) and a special surprise showing from Dave Chappelle. Last week, Bey made his first on-stage guest appearance at another of Madlib's DJ sets in Denver. There, the duo formally announced [...]
Noise Pop: Amy Shark & MILCK at the Independent
Amy Shark (photo: Robert Alleyne) Singer Amy Shark played a headlining show as part of Noise Pop 2018 at the Independent on Wednesday night, February 21, 2018. She was joined by BOWER and MILCK. Take a look at the gallery below from the intimate show.
Noise Pop: Why? & Mister Heavenly at the Fillmore
Why? (photo: Robert Alleyne) A stellar lineup of music was showcased at the Fillmore Thursday night, February 22, 2018, as part of the 2018 Noise Pop festival. The headliners were the beloved Why?, who have been making music going on 13 years now. The great music didn't stop there as Mister Heavenly showed support, along with newer band Florist. Check out the gallery below from the night's festivities.