The Frail Ophelias’ ‘Xerces Blue’ mourns an extinct species of butterfly
This spring, SF's the Frail Ophelias are shaking things up a bit with Xerces Blue. With many of the songs originally commissioned by San Francisco dance troupe Project Agora back in 2015, Xerces Blue isn't Shakespeare-related, but it's still based on a scholarly source material, and one that's about as tragic: an extinct species of butterfly. Once native to the Richmond/Sunset region of the city, they were the first species in North America to be eradicated by human influence. Take a listen to the title track here. You can get your hands on the whole thing on April 22 (yes, [...]
Best Of 2018: Jody’s favorite (and likely only) “Shakespeare cover band” in San Francisco
Listen. I know I say what I am about to say at grave risk to my reputation as an established and, I hope, respected member of the local music press. Much of this job hinges on not just paying attention to what's happening in music, but being able to suss out what's cool in music. At age 32, my credibility in the field of cool is diminishing by the hour, so making this call is likely not going to do my rep any favors. Still, the most impressive thing I heard out of the Bay Area this year was by [...]
The Frail Ophelias revive ‘Macbeth’ for the 21st century
(photo: Bradley Cox) Isn’t it obvious why Karl Digerness chose to start the Frail Ophelias with Macbeth? “With like, murderous despots,” he says, a half-stifled scoff interrupting him, “it feels very different.” He’s sitting at a near-empty bar on Polk Street just after its 3pm opening, talking about reading Macbeth this most recent time, as he prepared to record an album of the same name with the Frail Ophelias. “It’s like, ‘Oh, what does untamed and unchecked ambition and power look like?’ We’ve seen this,” he says. The Frail Ophelias are mostly defined by what they are not. They call [...]