Mixtape: San Francisco's Newest Psychedelic Sounds (Podcast #306)
Mixtape: San Francisco's Newest Psychedelic Sounds (Podcast #306) It's almost 18 months since we last did a psych-focused mixtape, which means there's quite a bit to catch up on. The Bay continues to be a vital source for top-notch mind-expanding bands, whether it's the heady drones of Carlton Melton and Date Palms, or the swaggering rock of Glitter Wizard and Coo Coo Birds. Several of the groups included here have new records either out now or coming out soon. Prolific instrumental duo Barn Owl just released its fifth album, V, on Thrill Jockey; meanwhile, cosmic rock group Lumerians is serving [...]
Video: Date Palms – "Dusted Down"
Is post-psych a thing? If not, Date Palms could definitely qualify it as a term to comprehensibly describe their interdisciplinary sound of drone, Indian classical and ambient. The band's core is duo Greg Kowalsky, who plays keyboards and electronics, and violinist/flutist Marielle Jakobsons, but currently perform as a five-piece to return with their third LP, The Dusted Sessions, out June 11 on Thrill Jockey. The video for the album's second-to-last track, "Dusted Down" was premiered this week on Tiny Mix Tapes. According to the label site (which dives much deeper into this release's strong art direction and compositional symbolism), "Dusted [...]
No Voices: A Collection of Bay Area Instrumental Rock (Podcast #283)
No Voices: A Collection of Bay Area Instrumental Rock (Podcast #283) Instrumental songs sometimes get unfairly pegged as background music, but the best ones are exactly the opposite -- captivating and hypnotic without a voice or voices dominating the work. The Bay Area is home to a number of artists who create alluring instrumentals, from the drones of Barn Owl and Date Palms to the post-rock compositions of The Drift and Silian Rail and the electronic works of Yalls, Tycho and Devonwho. Artists like Judgement Day and Al Lover & The Haters show that you don't need vocals to establish [...]
Videos: Barn Owl and Date Palms at the San Francisco Zen Center
The Bold Italic linked recently to these videos of Barn Owl and Date Palms performing at the TBI/San Francisco Zen Center event, "Meditations on San Francisco." The clips, shot by Christopher Musgrave, are both really great. The Date Palms one adds a hallucinatory visual layer to the mix, but both videos offer some ear-pleasing drones. Barn Owl is currently touring Europe -- see all of their upcoming shows here. Date Palms - Honey Devash (Edit) by Mexican Summer
Meditations on San Francisco: Barn Owl, Date Palms to perform at SF Zen Center
The San Francisco Zen Center isn't a place I'd normally expect to see a rock show, but the Center's upcoming "Meditations on San Francisco" event on October 8th (6pm, $12), co-presented with The Bold Italic, is set to feature performances by local drone-rockers Barn Owl, Date Palms, and Danny Paul Grody. Visual artist David Wilson will also be in attendance, showcasing "an interactive installation, which will allow guests to engage in a creative group activity, forming a geometric stained glass piece in the courtyard." If this sounds good to you, I'd act quickly. TBI says tickets are running out. Date [...]