Spiritual Cramp drops new video, “Earth to Mike”
It's Tuesday morning, what're you doing? Probably curating some pictures of Labor Day brunch or a scenic beach sunset for your IG feed? Knock it off right now, that shit ain't punk. Do yourself a favor: take a break from your work emails, your late-morning doomscrolling, or whatever awful true-crime podcast you're binging — and check out Spiritual Cramp's new single "Earth to Mike." Directed by Timmy Lodhi, the video is a bump of high-energy Bay Area punk rock that will make you want to punch air and two-step straight down to the nearest moped dealership. If you need something [...]
All the fundraisers I know of for local venues
I'm sorry to start this off with such a sobering idea, but I think we've all thought it: San Francisco is going to be a very different place when this is all over. With restaurants, bars, and performance spaces having to shutter while we shelter in place, we are at grave risk of losing much of the nightlife we love so much here (seriously — I was talking to a bartender a few weeks ago and she said bar staff come specifically to the Bay to find work because we go so hard). To reduce the risk of having to [...]
Giveaway: Squirrel Flower at Bottom of the Hill
On March 26, Ella O’Connor Williams, who writes and sings under the moniker Squirrel Flower, will play at Bottom of the Hill in support of her recently released album I Was Born Swimming. I first came to know Squirrel Flower when she came to play a live set on one of my shows at WMBR 88.1 FM Cambridge/Boston in 2015. By sheer serendipity, I recognized her powerful voice whilst listening to a playlist on Spotify earlier this year. Her style has remained steady throughout the years, providing us heady, poetic verses strung together with melancholic chords. Stream I was Born [...]
Pom Pom Squad brings Brooklyn grunge to Bottom of the Hill
The grungy Pom Pom Squad are making their West Coast debut, co-headlining with Rosie Tucker at Bottom of the Hill as a part of the 2020 Noise Pop Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco. Bringing stereotypical New Yorker surliness to their sound, lead singer Mia Berrin alternates scoffs and wry grins through her lyrics. Their sound is in stark opposition to their cheerleader-inspired visual aesthetic, which serves to highlight the power in femininity while simultaneously critiquing the restrictiveness which comes part and parcel. Dubbed “quiet grrrl” punks, the band’s lyrics focus on both inter- and intrapersonal relationships, brashly attacking [...]
Night Moves bust moves at Bottom of the Hill Sept 19
Photo credit Elise Tyler This Thursday, September 19 Night Moves is gracing the Bottom of the Hill stage. Their latest album, Can You Really Find Me(produced by Spoon's Jim Eno) came out last June and it’s a diverse collection that showcases the range of these fellows. Tracks go from alternative indie rock to Tom Petty-ian moments and some country twangs and harmonies that we can get behind. “Keep Me In Mind” has some of the sweetest harmonies on the album, reminiscent of Crosby Stills & Nash. If you need a little taste of their humor, check out their video for “Strands [...]
Last call with Nothington at Bottom of the Hill
Left to right: Chris Matulich, Ryan Donovan, Jay Northington Walking his new puppy through Alamo Square on a clear SF morning, Chris Matulich seems content with the prospect of taking his foot off the gas for awhile. "When we started, there was nothing I wanted to do more than escape my life at home and go on tour," reflects the singer/guitarist of Nothington. Matulich and co-vocalist/guitarist Jay Northington have been the core of the San Francisco punk band since their inception in 2006. The band made a name for themselves writing melodic punk anthems with gritty, blue-collar craftsmanship. With [...]
Joyous Defiance: Diet Cig to perform at Bottom of the Hill
Diet Cig (photo: Dojozine) One of the fastest growing sectors of indie-rock in recent years is music by young adults capturing the tension of what it feels like to be a young adult. Early 20-somethings are writing, producing, and performing some of the most exciting music to come out of growing incubators in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. These musicians are giving voice to struggles with insurmountable expectations (both internal and external), intimate commitment, mental illness, and intersectionality — concerns that prove increasingly daunting as you enter the age in which your eyes are most heavily focused on yourself. Alex [...]
Eskimeaux will make everything O.K.
Have you been searching for a new band to blanket you in your thriving loss of emotional control and make everything O.K. for 35 minutes? Well, Eskimeaux's album O.K. is here for you. The album is exactly 35 minutes long, but you'll probably end up listening to it on a repeat after the first listen. I have been trying to write this article about Gabrielle Smith's project, Eskimeaux, for almost a week now, but every time I sat down at my desk, prepared to write, and played the album, I ended up freezing. As in my body froze and lifted itself to [...]
Recommended, 10/24-10/30: Bottom of the Hill Celebrates 20 Years, King Tuff/Extra Classic, Mikal Cronin, Garrett Pierce
Every Monday, we'll be offering you early picks for some of the week's best concerts. Do you think we omitted something worthwhile? Let us know in the comments! Be sure to visit our Local Concert Calendar for an expanded set of daily listings. There are a ton of great shows this week and over the Halloween weekend. We'll be offering up some weekend picks a little bit later, but here are four shows to catch before Friday. Bottom of the Hill celebrates 20 years with a free show Congrats to Bottom of the Hill, which is celebrating 20 years as [...]
Thursday: “Kim-O-Benefit” — help a local sound engineer fight breast cancer
Over the past decade-plus, SF sound engineer Kim Greiss has worked behind the boards at venues like Bottom of the Hill, Slim's, and Great American Music Hall. Greiss was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, and her friends in the local music community are rallying together to help support her as she embarks on treatment to defeat it. That support comes in three forms, beginning with a benefit show on Thursday, November 11th, at Bottom of the Hill (9pm, $10 and up sliding scale, All Ages). The show features locals Taxes, Fake Your Own Death, Kill Moi and DJ [...]