Podcast #200: A Brief Recap of the Past 199 Shows
[podcast]http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/200th_Show.mp3[/podcast] Obviously the title's more than a bit facetious, but we did want to do something a little special to celebrate the 200th episode of our weekly Bay Bridged podcast. For this week's show, we each picked four artists featured on past podcasts (one for each year of the show) and discussed some memorable behind-the-scenes highlights, including tales of excessive drinking, awkward conversation, and equipment failures. On a serious note, we'd like to thank all of the listeners who've made doing the show so rewarding. Thank you also for indulging us in this silly look back at the last four [...]
Video: Sholi – “All That We Can See”
Sholi - All That We Can See from Zeek Earl on Vimeo. Sholi remains one of 2009's best albums, even if Sholi has been quiet for some time. The band just sent over a video for "All That We Can See," a song that remains as potent as when I first heard it several years ago. It feels a little cyclical to once again discover the song in a new form, and there's something in the mix of new and familiar that makes me optimistic about the band's next chapter. Director Zeek Earl is also an aquarium videographer, who approached [...]
Thirty-Two Great San Francisco Bay Area Albums from 2009 (Part 1)
The Bay Area may not have a single unified scene, but its diverse musical communities produced a ton of acclaimed records in 2009. The following list collects thirty-two of the highlights that made this another banner year for Bay Area indie music. It's a collection that showcases the depth of Bay Area indie in 2009, and one suspects that few other regions have offered this volume of quality releases this year. A couple of qualifiers: This isn't a comprehensive list of excellent local records from 2009 or intended as any sort of official Bay Bridged "Best of" set. Plenty of [...]
Ten from 2009 (Podcast #194)
[podcast]http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/2009_Show.mp3[/podcast] In preparing some end-of-the-year features that will run over the next week, we were once again struck by how many Bay Area bands made a significant impact on indie music this year. We were pleased to sit down with some of the Bay Area's best this year for interviews on our podcast, and have collected music from 10 of our favorite interviewed bands for this recap episode. If you like what you hear, check out our podcast episodes spotlighting each of these bands. This will be our last podcast of the year, but we'll be continuing regular blogging right [...]
Quality uncompromised: Sholi at BotH
Words by: Nicole L. Browner Photos by: Adrian Bischoff Whereas many of the Noise Pop shows offered headlining spots to the big out-of-town bands, this Bottom of the Hill show allowed San Francisco to boast its local talent on the rise: Sholi's Noise Pop performance doubled as their at-home record release party for the album they've released on Quarterstick last month. Opening for the night was their longtime associate, Jake Mann (Crossbill Records) and friends. Jake bashfully draws upon classic sounds from the decade before: the eager tempo of Pavement, Jeff Tweedy's rural charm and even a little Neutral Milk [...]
Episode 152: Sholi
[podcast]http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Sholi_Show_2009.mp3[/podcast] Listen to the podcast here. This week, we are proud to feature Sholi, an art-rock trio who have been one of our favorite bands since we first heard them around the inception of The Bay Bridged. We first got hooked to the band's promising demos and their tight live show became equally well-loved, but, for all of their talent, the trio had a limited recorded output while they spent time prepping their debut album. And did they spend time. It became something of a running joke to confront members of the band with the demand to "put the [expletive [...]
Sholi Releases Debut Full-Length, Plays Noise Pop and SXSW
For the past year or so, Sholi has brought us endless news and exciting occurrences, mostly in the form of tidbits - signing to a new record label, releasing a 3-song EP and other singles, touring with Iron and Wine, helping out with the Obama campaign, etc. The latest is so far the pinnacle - their debut, self-titled full length breaks today, Feb. 17, on Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records. The band will celebrate their record release during Noise Pop, next Sat., Feb. 28 at Bottom of the Hill. The album was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier at New, Improved Studios [...]
Announcing the 2009 Bay Area Takeover!
After many months of preparation, Tricycle Records and The Bay Bridged are proud to announce that the Bay Area Takeover is back! After last year's big success, we're throwing another six hour unofficial day party during the 2009 South by Southwest Music Festival, with performances by over a dozen of the San Francisco Bay Area's hottest artists representing a broad cross-section of the Bay's fertile and diverse music scene. The 2009 Takeover takes place on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 from 12pm to 6pm at Austin's Beauty Bar. Once again, the party's FREE, but you need to RSVP at TheBayAreaTakeover.com to [...]
Best of 2008: Eric Ruud of Sholi on Why?’s Alopecia
 "alone.... something something..." (repeat indefinitely) It's 2pm on Good Friday and I'm in Oakland, walking home from the BART train to my apartment at 29th and Fairmount, trying to place the melody and words. What is this song that is stuck in my head? After a few seconds of scanning my memory, I'm fairly certain it's the new Why? record, Alopecia, and I make a mental note to listen to it when I get home. There is a punch line coming. Why? - "The Hollows" Payam (from Sholi) had given me the record a few weeks earlier, [...]