CD Review: Warren Teagarden's Across the San Joaquin

By Camden Andrews

Following up his debut self-titled EP, Warren Teagarden released his first full-length album, Across the San Joaquin , in mid April. Combining elements of country, punk, folk, and indie rock, his relaxed style is both simple and eccentric at the same time. (more >>)

The album opens strong with “The Deal,” a fun, upbeat tune with a simple two-chord melody. It's not only a pretty good song, but a solid representative sample of the album's tone: bare-bones rock and roll with hints of folk and punk influences, and words about ... well, it's hard to say sometimes. Warren Teagarden has been known for his playful and somewhat abstract lyrics, and his new album is no exception. Many of the songs on Across the San Joaquin offer a vague sense of a subject, but the lyrics are often too random to figure out the details. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your preference. The story or theme is not always clear, but his unusual imagery leaves plenty of room for a good imagination to put the seemingly random pieces together.

Most of the songs on Across the San Joaquin have a pretty basic instrumentation of drums, bass, and two guitars; one strumming fuzzy or acoustic power chords, the other playing basic clean leads. The music is nothing groundbreaking, but there is a relaxed, quirky sort of vibe that sounds a lot like a mellow Pixies record, with Teagarden's voice even resembling a deeper, gruff Frank Black. Even his lyrics possess a level of weirdness that almost parallel the Pixies. A verse in “Light as a Mouse,” for example, goes I've got my treasure maps and we will go down to Mexico, but I won't take my pants off to skin-dive / Hey Barry, pass me a match.

There are, however, different levels of strangeness throughout the album. At his weirdest, Teagarden goes on some silly maniacal rampage on “Haircut,” screaming, Hey, come here get a haircut / Look I got a razor, I'll cut you, I'll cut your hair! / Hey, come here. It can also be sweet and playful, as in “Chapter 21,” a song about love and A Clockwork Orange, teasing, You're one to bitch about a tacked-on happy ending / Who doesn't love a heartwarming tale of murder? The title track itself is much more solemn, with the chorus stating Out on the freeway there are days nothing changes but the waving fields / Big change from corn to grain / Out on the freeway there are things no one wants to see or believe / A wooden boy rolls up his sleeve.

Yeah, Teagarden can be a bit odd, but the weirdness is presented in a way that encourages a sense of curiosity rather than confusion. Across the San Joaquin is a refreshing combination of simple rock music singing about the basics (love, loss, drugs, loneliness) without the lyrical cliches of we're all used to.

CD Review: Boy in the Bubble's Songs from the City on the Sun

By Matt Jordan

Frank Zappa once derided the American consumer by quipping that Americans experience music as an accoutrement to their lifestyles. That may be true, but –- to sidestep the obvious question of how the denizens of other nations experience their music -– thinking of music in terms of its utility and function can be a useful exercise. Some records are perfect to study to. Others provide the perfect soundtrack for a long drive, or a vigorous and sweat drenched work out, or the faux-cosmopolitanism of a dinner party with your now-balding college drinking buddies as guests, etc. (more >>)

Songs from the City on the Sun by Oakland's Boy in the Bubble seems to defy function. It is hard to imagine a situation that the record would suit perfectly. Musically interesting without fumbling too far toward the follies of overeager experimentalism, this is a solid pop record seemingly content with its lack of a place in the world. Find the perfect time and place to listen to this record, one that can be repeated by anybody, and I’ll buy you a milkshake.

While not precisely a genre-hopper, the record ricochets between the caterwauling 1950s-influenced guitar swells of “Danger,” the bratty sneering, foot stomping, and accordion whine of “When You Walk Around This City,” and the pedal-steel drenched dirge of “I Can’t Remember.” Boy in the Bubble takes a risk in appropriating such a wide range of sounds and influences, but Songs from the City on the Sun remains surprisingly consistent. The record has something pleasantly reminiscent of 1990s Brit-pop acts like Kula Shakur (though I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to the finer acts of the era such as Pulp, Stone Roses, and Blur).

Songs from the City on the Sun is at its worse when its empty-headed songwriting is privileged over its hooky musicality, and lead singer Josh Seidenfeld’s voice seems stretched beyond its limits at times. But, on the whole, it’s a pretty good pop record and worth a listen.

Live Review: The Velvet Teen @ the Rickshaw Stop 3/19

By Camden Andrews

I knew the Velvet Teen rocked, but I didn’t know the Velvet Teen ROCKED!!!! In fact, they rocked so hard during their show at the Rickshaw Stop that I stayed and missed the last BART home, and I wasn’t even angry. I was humming the tune to "Radiapathy" all the way home on the transbay bus. (more >>)

There’s something special about the Velvet Teen that’s hard to put your finger on. There’s drummer Casey Deitz's whirlwind of carefully complex beats, singer Judah Nagler's baroque-style vocals hitting even the highest of notes, and guitarist Matthew Izen convulsing along with strangely melodic chord progressions from outer space. All three come together to form a triad of awesomeness with far too much energy to contain itself.

The minute Deitz’s glasses came off from wailing too hard on the drums in the second song of the set, I knew I was in for a ride. The band held nothing back, and all the intensity bottled up in Cum Laude, the band’s previous release, was brought with full force live. The entire place was moving in some way, and not even the hippest of the hipsters were able to deny the force. Without even blinking, I would much rather miss the last BART again then miss these guys the next time they come to town.

Mister Loveless

MySpace (listen to "Port of Oakland," "Scatterplot")
Label site
Hometown: Walnut Creek
Next local show: 3/17, The Red Hat, Concord
Upcoming release: Two Words EP, Spring 2008

By Dasha Bulatov

Despite hailing from a suburban outlier, Walnut Creek-based Mister Loveless possesses a sound that is casually and darkly urban. Initially established by morose and reluctantly melodic guitars, the vibe is heightened by guitarist/singer Rob Miller's Interpol-ish vocals and the sharp outfits that the band often wears onstage. Yes, the undeniable Interpol resemblance had to be mentioned immediately. Just listen, you'll hear it. More derivative in earlier recordings, their sound has since grown and expanded its range. The tracks on Mister Loveless' debut full-length album, My Share of Losing, are catchy and dynamic, exhibiting a maturity that previous releases seemed to lack. (more >>)

Either way, it is heartless to dismiss Mister Loveless on the principle of imitation. Like all bands, even those who vehemently deny it, Mister Loveless falls into a number of closely related genres: post-punk, new wave, indie, and plain old rock 'n' roll. If you're into those styles, or just willing to give them a chance, there is a high probability that Mister Loveless will become a regular on your playlists.

In September of 2006, after the first album had been recorded, principle songwriters Rob and Charlie Koliha (bass) announced a separation from their drummer, which resulted in a nine-month hiatus. During this time, two new members -- Sean Gaffney on guitar and Rachael Travers on drums -- were added. Work on a second full-length was planned to follow the band's last show of 2007 on October 27th. However, singer Rob suffered a serious head injury after leaping off the stage and hitting a pipe. Despite postponing the album, the incident seemed to revitalize the band and unify its fans. Now the band is back, playing gigs all over the Bay. And, if they continue to exhibit the same energy (in a safe way, we hope), then the shows are definitely worth attending.

MORE REASONS TO LOVE MISTER LOVELESS:
-Consistently cool and mellow indie rock. You really can't go wrong with that.
-Members don equally rad threads that seem to pay homage to the mod era (a refreshing break from American Apparel).
-They were so kind as to release the tracklist for their upcoming EP to us: 1) "Hardly Young;" 2) "Good Story;" 3) "Just Thoughts;" and 4) "It's Missing."
-Hear them on the radio! Mister Loveless performed live on 90.1 KZSU and has appeared as a guest DJ on Live 105.

Discovering the Dodos

Congrats to Tyler Corelitz for being the first non-Nate contributor to NASCENT...





By Tyler Corelitz

It seems like only months ago that I first heard about San Francisco duo the Dodos. I felt cool for listening to what I thought was an extremely awesome, but relatively obscure band, that just happened to be playing in my college's cafeteria. Now, after a year on the road, these Bay Area starlets are gaining national attention on the eve of their sophomore full length release, Visiter, which comes out March 18th on Frenchkiss Records. (more >>)

The Dodos' passion for their music is undeniable by the amount of energy they put off in their live shows, which the band has tapped as a major influence for Visiter. Live, it can be hard to tell who is driving who, as the airy vocals and finger-picked guitar of Meric Long mesh with the hyper-rhythmic drumming of Logan Kroeber. Maybe Animal Collective covering Mississippi John Hurt or The Velvet Underground with chops? This formula is showcased on their single "Fools," as the song alternates between pulsing rim clicks, catchy guitar riffs, and undeniable vocal hooks; all of which can and will be independently stuck in the listener's head.

As an album, Visiter is truly a nod to the talent of Kroeber, who bills himself as an experimental percussionist. While the experimental nomenclature -- for a drummer -- can lend itself to self indulgent beats and sounds, Kroeber shows maturity in his ability to play for the song. For the Dodos, this often means creating moments of immense space and tension, by simply alternating accents or textures to highlight Long's guitar and vocals. This attention to detail can be heard at the end of "Fools," as Long begins chanting "I've been, I've been silent," the listener realizes that the drums have suddenly stopped, only to return in a beautiful pop build that climaxes over Long's continued chanting.

Through a twist of fate I ran into the Dodos as they were about to film for super-hip French video blog La Blogoteque. As my friends and I followed them through the relatively deserted streets of San Francisco, clapping and singing into a BART station, I realized that I was standing very near to Long; not out of lust or for lack of hearing, but because the Dodos have managed to make music worth getting close to.

Golden Birds

MySpace (listen to "Sugarbear," "Thermometer")
Official site
Hometown: Berkeley
Next local show: Stay tuned; Spring shows promised!
Upcoming release: TBA, 2007?

Golden Birds are still the best Bay Area indie rock band no one's heard of. And the group's 2005 LP Carrier is one of the best local CDs we've heard in years. You can quote us on that. Although the band has kept a low profile through infrequent shows and limited recordings, especially over the past year or so, what it has produced is pure gold -- rhythmic, melodic, entrancing gold. The core of the group -- singer/guitarist Webster McBride and bassist Karl Tupper -- actually formed as Carrier in 2003, changing to Golden Birds upon discovering another indie rock group of the same name in Colorado. (more >>)

McBride did something last summer that earned the band its biggest bit of press. He completed a road trip across the country where he played an acoustic set on the capitol building grounds of all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., in 51 days. That means one show a day, for 51 straight days, with all the driving miles in between. He even flew to Juneau, Alaska, and Honolulu, Hawaii, while a friend drove his minivan to the next state on the route. And he did it all without once paying for lodging. Absolutely crazy, if you ask us, but he pulled it off swimmingly.

The band is currently working on a new EP (possibly called Softwar) with producer (and ex-band member) Hrishikesh Hirway, who now plays as The One AM Radio. McBride and Karl Tupper are joined here by Leyna Noel, Matt Brown, and Will Holtz. This lineup is scattered across the Bay Area and the state, but -- and this is not a knock at Tupper's excellent contributions on bass -- its heart resides at Fort Oregon, McBride's house in Berkeley (if you live around here, try driving by it sometime...).

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE:
-In April 2006, Golden Birds flew to Chicago to play the inaugural Mission Creek Music Festival Midwest (an offshoot of the highly successful Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival, which was founded ten years ago in San Francisco). This coming March 30, the band will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, to play year two.
-New Golden Birds member Leyna Noel is a longtime friend of the band. The 25-year-old released her first solo album in 2004 and has a new one coming soon called From the Mouth of the Jar.
-Drummer Matt Brown also plays in the LA-based band Foot Foot, for which his brother Josh sings and plays guitar.

The Dont's

MySpace (listen to "Blah Blah Blah," "Worldview")
Official site
Hometown: San Francisco
Next local show: 2/7, Bottom of the Hill
Upcoming release: Inner El Camino, 2007

San Francisco quartet the Dont's are on the verge of releasing the biggest album of their young career. Must be an exciting feeling. The band is barely four years old, and Inner El Camino, due January 30, is a big step forward from its 2005 debut Misc Radio Leakage. Both have been self-released, but this one streamlines and elaborates upon the experimentalism of the first while proving that the Dont's ability to distill quirky, old-school indie rock was no fluke. (more >>)

Inner El Camino is indeed an indie rock fun house. Taking stalwarts like Modest Mouse, the Fall, Can, Tortoise, and Sonic Youth, and boiling them down to their most quintissential and palatable elements, the record is simultaneously off-kilter and embracing -- a weird record that's not hard to listen to. That alone is an accomplishment, but a few moments across the album elevate it to a higher level: wild vocal melodies, sublime guitar parts, jagged rhythms, and unique bass lines that bounce through uneasy indie rock tunes like tumbleweed of pure gold.

A few tracks can be overly derivative, especially the way-too-Fall-to-be-an-accident kick-off number "Blah Blah Blah." That doesn't stop it from being one of the record's high points. And lead singer Jonny Dont's voice, whether by accident or not, sounds at time a LOT like that of Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine (what a name!). The key to this record is appreciating it for what it is and shutting down the indier-than-thou part of your brain, if you have it. If you don't, you're in the clear, for the Dont's execution is flawless. Songs like "AKA Sob" and sax-laced closer "Motherfather" are all Dont's, assuring the skeptical listener that this is not a gang of ripoff artists, but four musicians with eight great ears. They know quality music when they hear it, and they sure know how to make some of their own.

THE PLEASE DO'S
-In addition to singer Jonny Don't, the group includes Joey Don't on guitars, JJ Don't on bass, and Ken Don't on drums. Something tells us they're not actually brothers.
-Inner El Camino was recorded on analog tape at the Tiny Telephone and SF Soundworks studios in San Francisco.
-The band has retained hundreds of hours of experimental recordings since forming in 2003. This does a lot to explain the band's more precarious moments -- they probably come from improv rather than deliberate songwriting sessions.

HIJK

MySpace (listen to "Smells Like Cigarettes," "Alibi")
Official site

Hometown: Oakland
Next local show: 1/19, The Uptown
Upcoming release: The Pen and the Letter, early 2007

...And the award for longest time spent recording and producing a debut album goes to... HIJK (formerly Hijack the Disco)! A formidable 16 months after stepping into the studio, this Oakland group completed all the audio work and is now preparing to self-release the record in a few months. But let's back up. (more >>)

HIJK is Mike Mahoney, Dave Tsui, and Trevor Wencl. Shortly after coming together in 2003, the three musicians decided to attack this band differently than any they'd ever played in. In the past, impatience begat half-assed records begat failure, or at least disappointment, and they'd had enough of it. Thus a plan hatched to try harder than they ever had before, to do everything to the peak of their ability, to go all-in.

In early 2005 they enlisted the help of producer and musical mentor Enrique Gonzalez Muller (Les Claypool, MC Hammer, Dave Matthews Band). Shortly thereafter they locked themselves in the studio, emerging six weeks later with 13 new songs to add to their existing eight. Mike, who had been working long hours for no pay at legendary Sausolito studio The Plant, earned the band 35 days of credit (normally billed at $1,600 a day). There they labored for months, frequently taking a backseat to paying customers while working around their day jobs.

So here we are today. The record's done. And it sounds awesome. Old songs have been reworked to a higher standard, while new songs are wholly impressive. The Pen and the Letter is made up of dark, yet poppy indie rock. It's melodic and catchy, but full of sudden twists and turns that make the listening experience somewhat addictive -- like reading a good mystery novel.

As for the recent name change, well, let's hear it straight from the group: "Due to the growing popularity of Panic! At the Disco and confusion about the similarities between the two names, the time has come to begin the next chapter. After much discussion, HIJK (spelled out when spoken) seemed the obvious choice. Not only does it visually recall our past as 'Hijack,' but it's simple: the alphabet is a foundation for language, language is the foundation for lyrics, and everyone knows how to sing 'aych-eye-jay-kay.'"

THIS AIN'T NO DISCO:
-Hijack the Disco formed four years ago in Oakland, and the upcoming release really will be their very first full-length. It'll also be their first recording under the name HIJK -- unless, of course, you count the five-song teaser EP that'll be given away for free to fans at shows who've signed up for the mailing list.
-In 2004, HTD released a five-song EP called Working is Easy. Two years before that, an earlier East Coast iteration of the group put out another five-song EP, this one self-titled. Both were released on the homemade label Restless Press. Some of these older songs will make it to the new record.
-The group also did a split 7" with Electric Badness, released in 2005 on Grayscale Records.

The Velvet Teen

MySpace (listen to "In a Steadman Spray," "Code Red')
Official Site
Label Site (stream five new songs here)

Hometown: Santa Rosa
Next local show: 11/10, Bimbo's 365
Recent release: Cum Laude, 2006

Maybe you've heard of the Velvet Teen. On paper, it's a small and independent band. But its name certainly gets around. Beyond obvious talent, it's hard to say why. Coulda been the opening night performance at Noise Pop in 2002 that did it. Or maybe the collaboration with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla on VT's debut full-length, 2002's Out of the Fierce Parade. Or possibly just the band's refusal to sit still stylistically; it's moved from baroque pop to elegant IDM to messy rock to something that encompasses all three. (more >>)

The Velvet Teen's latest, Cum Laude, released this past July, falls squarely into the latter category. It's the group's greatest statement thus far, fearlessly toying with math rock and jazz structures as well as the aforementioned genres. The Velvet Teen seem hard-wired to innovate, and the replacement of original drummer Logan Whitehurst, who's dealing with health issues, by Casey Deitz (of Chico group the Americas) seems only to reinforce that. His carefully spastic drumming pushes the group into almost experimental territory. Yet the Velvet Teen never loses its sense of songcraft, often burying emotional melodies beneath layers of raw noise much like the Promise Ring or early Thursday.

Cum Laude is a fearless effort that won't make the band an instant success but should contribute significantly to the mysterious buzz surrounding its name. It'll also certainly be a late-year addition to many best-of-2006 lists.

PRAY FOR MOJO:
-Velvet Teen founding member and local music vet Logan Whitehurst had to leave the band after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Keep him in your thoughts.
-The new lineup includes founding member Judah Nagler (vocals/keyboard/guitar), Josh Staples (bass/vocals), and Deitz (drums/vocals).
-Cum Laude is the group's third full-length, all of which have been with Portland-based indie Slowdance Records. Maybe this'll be enough to land the group on a bigger label.

The May Fire

MySpace (listen to "Red Eye," "Right and Wrong")
Official site

Hometown: San Francisco
Next local show: None planned
Recent release: Right and Wrong, 2006

Is that a cowbell we hear? The leadoff track on the May Fire's debut disc is loaded with it -- bangin' out the quarter notes a la "Don't Fear the Reaper" through every verse. Many purport to love the cowbell, but few have the guts to feature it in their official "Hello" to the world. (more >>)

Fans of Elastica may appreciate the verse bassline and rhythm in the next track, "Nothing Today." The song wraps up with a guitar solo that screams White Stripes. This is good, mind you -- as they say, sometimes innovation is overrated. And if you're looking for something unique, try their backstory. Singer/guitarist Catty Tasso hails from Chile, while drummer El Pipe is from Colombia. The two met in Los Angeles in 2004, then moved to San Francisco. Needless to say, they have a strong Latino following.

Cat's lead guitar work throughout the record is stellar -- front and center, technically sharp and on the mark, and always bathed in some degree of distortion. Very immediate and raw; definitely got a fire under its ass. And her vocals follow suit. The comparison to Elastica holds true, as her voice carries a similarly punk timbre.

The May Fire's heady mix of blues, garage rock, and punk is held together by El Pipe's drumming. He sounds like he was trained in a bar band with a great repertoire, jamming for hours on everything from Hendrix to Skynyrd. His strength is not in complexity, but suitability; expert drumming is about more than fills and solos. Pipe and his partner Cat know how to make rock that sounds good and feels nice.

FIRESTARTERS:
-The May Fire recently played the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, either wearing leather chaps or simply rocking them off audience members. We've received conflicting reports....
-Right and Wrong was recorded primarily in Alhambra (Pipe's garage, aka Rock Whores Studios), plus a little more in Los Angeles (Le Boot), and -- following the move up north -- our very own Berkeley (Chabola Studios). Mixing and mastering remained a Bay Area affair.