Interview: The Entrance Band’s Guy Blakeslee on playing his home away from home
The Entrance Band hail from LA but consider SF their "home away from home." They took the stage at The Chapel on Tuesday for a co-headlining gig with Jacco Gardner, so to welcome them to their second home, I had a chat with singer-guitarist Guy Blakeslee to get the scoop on a few things you might have been wondering about. Specifically, what can Entrance Band fans expect shows, given that their last album is now almost a year old and their bassist, Paz Lenchantin, is also currently a member of the Pixies? And how do you decide who goes first [...]
(((FolkYEAH!))) hosts August residency at Cafe Stritch
(((FolkYEAH!))), one of NorCal's most prominent indie concert production companies, is taking the show on the road and heading south. Starting in August, (((FolkYEAH!))) will hold a three-week residency at San Jose's Cafe Stritch, featuring weeknight performances from California favorites like Sonny and the Sunsets, The Fresh & Onlys, and The Entrance Band, with supporting acts to be announced. Though (((FolkYEAH!))) is broadly based in Northern California, it has made main hangs of places like San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and other various off-the-beaten-path holes-in-the-redwoods. San Jose, which is squarely on a beaten path, is unusual terrain for the famed production [...]
Review & Photos: The Entrance Band & Sam Flax at The Chapel
Photos by: Ryan McDonald Before the headlining act took the stage, Sam Flax and his band stirred the crowd with a burning blend of synth-pop and guitar rock. With all members looking comfortable in ruby red lipstick, the band made their way through a setlist powered by both familiar and forgotten 1980s melodies. From the punchy riffs of "Everybody Wants," to the slow-danceable "Almost Young," the hazy songs from the group's 2012 album Age Waves, translated perfectly in a live setting, maintaining a consistent level of shimmery pop laced with moments of psychedelia. In the most complimentary sense possible, Sam Flax could [...]
Review: Mazzy Star, The Entrance Band, Mariee Sioux @ The Warfield
Mazzy Star (Photo: Jason Persse) The Warfield enforced a strict "no photography" rule last Wednesday night, as per the request of highly anticipated headliner Mazzy Star. It was an understandable request, given the band's choice of remarkably dim lighting. A flash would have been necessary, and in turn would kill the mood. Soft-spoken singer-songwriter Mariee Sioux started the evening with a set of four or five long-form folk songs. She timidly remarked on how The Warfield was the largest venue she had ever played, performing lovely, poetic songs from last year's Gift For the End, including "Twin Song" [...]
Giveaway: Mazzy Star and The Entrance Band at The Warfield
Mazzy Star (Photo: Jason Persse) Mazzy Star and The Entrance Band are touring the West Coast together in support of their new albums. Mazzy Star will headline a gig at The Warfield on November 6 with The Entrance Band and opener Mariee Sioux. For a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show and a pair of Mazzy Star t-shirts, read on. Mazzy Star's fourth studio album, Seasons of Your Day, was released in September on their own independent record label Rhymes of An Hour. The album comes seventeen years after the band's previous album, Among [...]