Archive for the ‘Town’ Category
Velvet Teen
November 2nd, 2006 | 
Author: 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.
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Totimoshi
MySpace (listen to “Viva Zapata,” “In Virgo”)
Official site
Hometown: Alameda
Next local show: None planned
Recent release: Ladrรณn, 2006
Ready for the heavy shit? Totimoshi can bear all manner of sludgy, stoney weight upon you. This despite having only three members and not being the slightest bit Japanese. Maybe the title of the new record (“thief” in Spanish) is a better indicator. Japanese, Latino, or Martian; Totimoshi is for real. The band’s been hand-picked to open for the Melvins and Helmet, godfathers of modern heavy. With nine years and four albums to its name, it’s poised to — any day now — become the next buzz band in the new hipster/indie metal scene led by groups like Mastodon, the Sword, and Isis. To be fair, Totimoshi are much closer stylistically to those indefatigable Melvins, who copped Black Sabbath’s slow chug 20 years ago and never looked back. If there’s any young band ready to introduce that sound to new ears, it’s this one.
Why?
MySpace (listen to “Rubber Traits,” “Sanddollars”)
Official site
Hometown: Oakland
Next local show: 10/21, The Fillmore
Recent release: Elephant Eyelash, 2005
It’s true: Why? can rap. We’re talking lo-fi white-boy rap, but rap nonetheless — marked by rhymes; an accelerated, tumbling delivery; and subtle beats. Not that this is anything strange for the otherwise indie-pop-minded musician. Yoni Wolf (recording as Why? for the past six years) is an integral part of San Francisco label Anticon, home to all sorts of local oddities including plenty of white-boy indie hip-hop.
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.