Archive for the ‘san francisco’ Category
The Mall
November 16th, 2006 | 
Author: MySpace (listen to “A Dead Science,” “Favorite Past”)
Official site
Hometown: San Francisco
Next local show: 11/18, Mezzanine
Recent release: Emergency at the Everyday, 2006
Mall-punk it ain’t: The Mall play a hyper, condensed mix of noise, prog, and math-rock. Emergency at the Everyday, their debut full-length, is never particularly easy on the ears, but it can be a lot of fun. Ellery Samson’s vocals (and screams) are distorted and distant, as if filtered through ten feet of chicken wire and razor blades (actually he sang through an old rotary telephone hooked up to a PA.). Above him, uneasy rhythms crash and destruct as keyboards (Daniel Tierney) and drums (Adam Cimino) continually piece them back together. The tension between accessible melodies and the persistent element of noise makes the record what it is — simultaneously grating and irresistible.
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Vinyl
MySpace (listen to “Last Camel to Vegas;” download “Clickety Clack”)
Official site
Hometown: San Francisco
Next local show: 11/22, Sweetwater (Mill Valley)
Recent release: Fogshack Sessions Vol. 1, 2006
All of the hippie-jam-band-patchouli-herb-and-Birks jokes that can ever be made have already been uttered, so we’ll forgo that part of the program. The jam band concept as we know it hatched in San Francisco during the ’60s, and despite being nationally viable and somewhat distilled 40 years later, it continues to find a loyal following in the City by the Bay. Vinyl formed here in the mid-’90s; with five records now to its name, it’s one of the more established jam bands on the scene.
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.
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.