The amount of indie rock groups in the Bay Area music scene can be overwhelming at times. For some reason there is an unbelievable amount of 20- and 30-somethings who somehow find their way to starting an indie rock band. With this in mind, I swallowed my prejudices towards the genre and gave Geographer an honest chance. Fortunately for me, Geographer is great.

Geographer delivers two wonderfully indie songs with a level of musicianship that is scarcely found in the Bay Area indie rock scene. The first track, “Can’t You Wait,” begins with a four-on-the-floor kick pattern and an unbelievably catchy guitar melody. Shortly into the song come the lyrics. A sweet, full voice begins to tell a story with an engaging personal tone. The track builds, adding cello, keys, and layers of vocals which lead up to an incredibly catchy synth line/disco beat chorus. In indie fashion the song builds up and down on this same theme returning at the end for one last disco beat chorus. “Rushing In, Rushing Out”, the second track on the single, slows down the tempo slightly but continues on the same general path laid out by the first song. A sweet synth melody leads you through another personal and powerful vocal, filled out nicely by a steady and lush cello performance.

Geographer reminds me why I, and a whole lot of other people, fell in love with bands like Broken Social Scene. Geographer celebrates the release of their full length album at Cafe Du Nord on August 17 with Cotillion and Judgement Day.

San Francisco experimental trio the Bad Hand seems like the kind of group that’ll try anything once. On This Is No Time for Modesty, the band’s staple rock instrumental base of guitar, Rhodes piano, and drums gets invaded by a gaggle of other genres and sounds, resulting in an ambitious mix of kitchen-sink sonic collages with varying degrees of success.

The band certainly offers enough surprises to satisfy anyone bored with the verse-chorus-verse same-old same-old, as the musicians follow a slew of paths within the album and on the songs themselves. Just when you begin to brace yourself for an all-instrumental record, “Hell Bent” drops in soft, girly vocals; or dirgy grunge falls into good ol’ Southern blues on “Then He Tried to Kiss Me”; or an interlude of fart-like kazoo sounds (“Short Door”) creeps into the batch.

Some of the tracks that fail to catch on weave together so many melodic and genre-hopping fragments that they leave listeners with little to grasp onto. The occasionally rough mixes, as on the hard-rock mishmash “How to Know When” and on the tail end of the disjointed “South Door,” which awkwardly melds a church organ with Southern blues guitar, can make one wonder: Are these guys all playing the same song?

But the band is legitimately enjoyable when it tones it down a few notches and sticks to one groove, like on “En Attenant De Baiser,” a proggy swirl of fuzzy guitars and shifting time signatures that drifts into funky jazz percussion and discordant piano tinkers; “The Twist,” which melds a paced electro pulsing with rainforest flutes and romantic whispers; and the best track, “Lo Ha,” a somber acoustic tremolo piece blended with funereal violin for a chilled out and downright lovely ambiance.

Perhaps most admirably, This Is No Time for Modesty showcases a band with oodles of energy that, when focused, can traverse a range of music and still pull it off — most of the time.

Tom Waits gets all hopped up on some crack, somehow manufactures a lovechild with the likes of Leon Redbone and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and out pops Jimbo Trout and Fishpeople (JT&F). If you’re not familiar with those artists, I suggest you listen to them before continuing on. [Recommended Listening: Tom Waits – Hold On; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Battle of New Orleans; Leon Redbone – Lazybones.]

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to JT&F. Their album of covers, Hillbilly Bebop-Boogie (aptly named no less), transports you onto a railcar somewhere in the Midwest complete with tramp traveling companions. Jimbo’s gravelly twang on lead vocals plays back and forth with Annie Staninec’s fast-fingered fiddle and Greg Laakso’s ’20s-era jazz clarinet and sax, accented by flashes from a little xylophone here, a little cowbell there, and a little kazoo for good taste.

While the band’s lineup boasts seven members on this album, it’s never overwhelming. Organized chaos is perhaps the best way to describe it. On the surface, things seem quite hectic, but just a minute later you see how skilled these musicians are at layering their sound while avoiding drowning each other out.

The album is a great listen, coming in at just under 40 minutes, it’s a nice package. The opening track, “Just Because,” is the listener’s “All Aboard” call for the Fishpeople train. “Sweet to Mama” eases you in with a comfortable groove driven by Jimmy Sweetwater’s harp, allowing him the opportunity to showcase his pipes a bit.

I couldn’t help but love “Sure Had a Wonderful Time Last Night” and its ability to make me remember those nights that I have to ask my friends what happened, and still come away feeling like a champ. Laakso’s sax gets a chance to breathe and lay down some sultry accompaniment. “Travellin’ Blues” shows Jimbo’s best impression of Jimmie Rodgers’ railroad yodeling, and it’s not half bad at all. Wrapping up with “Y’all Come,” JT&F let you know you’re always welcome, and thank you for listening. It’s the bow on the present the Fishpeople call Hillbilly Bebop Boogie.

Solid musicianship, an ability to convey the funloving bluegrass-jazz-country music on a recording, and a voice that you can’t miss make for a great listen any day of the week (although I recommend a Monday morning as it will get your week started right).

Likewise, if you’re a BAY AREA artist with an upcoming local show that you’d like us to check out, drop me a line with the info and I’ll pass it on to our contributors to see if anyone’s able and interested.

Hopefully you won’t have to twist our arm too much. We WANT to hear your music.

Thanks and happy music making,

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2008/02/local_music_blog_calls_for_wri.php

We won’t pay you, but we’ll think you’re pretty cool. You’ll also get valuable writing experience, the chance to chat with some great local musicians, and even some free CDs and concert tickets. You’re also guaranteed to learn more about all the fantastic shit going on right under our noses.

All you need is a love of music, an interest in the Bay Area music scene, and some writing skills. What you’ll write and how often is something we can work out together.

If you’re interested, drop Nate a line at info@nascentmag.com.

ADDENDUM: Some empathy for our position in The Snitch, a news blog at the SF Weekly.

Or, read the short version here.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 1/30/08.

Creepy, The Triple EP (Teeno Records). San Francisco punk trio Creepy converts a collection of three new songs and two previously released EPs, one dating back to 2003, into a fine thirty-minute full-length. The group’s effortless balance of aggression and melody could find itself a good home on the Warped Tour.

Hot Challenge, Hot Challenge EP (self-released). Featuring three brothers and a friend, San Francisco pop-rock act Hot Challenge has a leg up in the chemistry department. But this isn’t enough to mask the fact that the ten-month-old band still needs time to mature and tighten up.

Silence Is Safety, Silence Is Safety (Teeno Records). There’s a lot to like about Silence Is Safety’s sound: a nice blend of pop- and old-school punk, a tight rhythm section, the ability to slow things down without stopping them dead. Unfortunately, showy vocals from frontwoman Red tend to overpower everything else.

Daddy Cool Productions, Call Me Daddy Cool (self-released). Daddy Cool is one Charles Davis: studio wonk, songwriter, music instructor, and bassist-for-hire. This record finds Davis’ friends returning the favor, as eight musicians in varying roles help flesh out his homage to funk lords James Brown, Bootsy Collins, and George Clinton.

Reviews originally published in the East Bay Express on 12/12/07.

Marquis Melody, Straight from the Heart (Skank So). Across 78 minutes (at least twenty too many), Marquis Melody’s warbling vocals waver in effectiveness, though the underpinning roots reggae never loses its groove. Recorded at Tuff Gong in Kingston, Jamaica.

Gyan Riley, Melismantra (Agyanamus Music). The virtuosic music of Berkeley-based, internationally recognized guitarist Gyan Riley flows between flamenco, jazz, raga, classical, and Satriani-esque shredding without so much as a hiccup.

Scene of Action, Scene of Action EP (Pop Smear). Straight outta Cal, Scene of Action’s angsty, Muse-ish sound needs time to lighten up and develop beyond its influences. Still, not bad for a debut EP.

Caren Armstrong, Everything (Wildplum Recordings). These sincere, middle-of-the-road country-tinged tunes from singer-songwriter Armstrong (and friends) neither offend nor particularly impress, but could be just the thing for the right time and place.

Stevedood, Source Domain (Hella Baked Tapes). A song- and beat-based sound collage sourced from original material (local musicians on upright bass, drums, violin, and electric guitar, plus Stevedood on djembe, synth, and a jar of mayonnaise) that remains listenable throughout.

]]> http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/12/local-licks-121207.html/feed/ 0 http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/06/live-review-arcade-fire-at-greek-61-62.html http://www.nascentmag.com/2007/06/live-review-arcade-fire-at-greek-61-62.html#comments Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:03:46 +0000 admin http://localhost/nascentmag/?p=94 Arcade Fire, the four-year-old Montreal indie band that has made fans of David Bowie and David Byrne, may now be the most important rock group in the world. On the final two nights of its five-week North American Neon Bible tour June 1 and 2 at the Greek Theatre, eleven capable musicians were one writhing, singing, strumming soul onstage. But the real magic came as they fused sell-out audiences of more than eight thousand people into ecstatic masses who sang and danced and cheered more deeply than perhaps they ever had before.

When Neon Bible was released in March, ravenous fans and frenzied press had already deemed it the most anticipated new release of the year. Kids and critics clamored for an advance taste of a new track over file-sharing networks, while media from The New Yorker to Pitchfork employed all the metaphors and religious allusions they could to summon the majesty of the moment. In 2004, following the release of Arcade Fire’s spectacular first full-length, Funeral, Pitchfork made the band one of the most-hyped of the digital music era. The second, more urgent, wave of adulation propelled Neon Bible’s first-week sales to 92,000 units and the No. 2 slot on the Billboard 200, trouncing Funeral’s climb to No. 131.

Arcade Fire songs are about feeling something and running with it. Twice on Saturday night, members of the band scrambled up a fifty-foot latticed stage support with instruments in tow. One carried his drumsticks halfway up and rapped on the metal structure as if it were a drum: a display of arena rock showmanship infused with the childlike joy that characterizes the group’s live show. Arcade Fire is equally adept at sadness. Funeral is rooted in the deaths of family members, and Neon Bible, recorded and self-produced in a church in Montreal, feels even darker. Neon Bible, neon Bible/Not much chance for survival frontman Win Butler chants on the title track. Closing song “My Body Is a Cage” is expressly funereal, with gothic organs swarming over a shattered death march. Set my spirit free, set my body free, he sings.

Built on word of mouth and signed to sturdy independent label Merge, Arcade Fire embodies the future of an embattled industry. The musical mass market is disappearing, and the bond the band shares with its fans is the new real deal. A fervent, albeit niche audience cherishes Arcade Fire for the plain reason that its music is, almost without exception, rapturous, cathartic, and profound. That’s all fans and the band will ever need — not a major label contract or a new sound or the support of Bowie and Byrne or even Bono. “This is a song about how people believe in whatever shit they wanna believe in,” Butler said Saturday to introduce new track “The Well and the Lighthouse” — and much of the audience believed in him.

The entire crowd sprang to its feet for “Rebellion (Lies),” Funeral’s lead single. No one knew it yet, but this was the last song of the set, the moment the whole concert had been impeccably approaching. When it ended and the band left the stage, something extraordinary happened. Instead of clapping or cheering for an encore, without provocation the audience began to intone, in perfect harmony, the violin melody from the end of the song. It must’ve looped twenty times. The crowd plucked the tune from the air and claimed it as its own, as much in a call for the band to come back as in a spontaneous expression of joy and togetherness.

The musicians reappeared after a few minutes and the moment passed, yet in a sense it never really did. “Thanks for a very memorable night,” Butler said between the ensuing two encore songs. He was right again. It must’ve been the best show we had ever seen.

(First published in the East Bay Express 6/13/07.)

Thee More Shallows is a band NASCENT’s been wanting to cover for quite some time; we were just waiting for the right moment. With the quirky San Francisco indie-pop group’s third album — and anticon Records debut — out last week, now is definitely the time.

anticon fans will recognize whisps of Why? in the new record, particularly in Dee Kesler’s vocals. There are also overtones of Grandaddy, the Flaming Lips, and even a little Bowie. Anyone familiar with these four artists’ catalogs knows they are fine company, yet Thee More Shallows’ proximity seems to be more organic than calculated, as if TMS stumbled upon the realization themselves only after finishing the album: “Hey, this sounds a bit like the Lips!” The six-year-old band seems to have absorbed many of the same influences and impulses as its labelmate and big brothers — krautrock, neo-psychedelia, instrumental and experimental rock, art-pop — and arrived at basically the same place.

Thee More Shallows’ liason with Oakland-based artists’ collective anticon evolved just as naturally: when Kesler learned that anticon artist Odd Nosdam was a neighbor of his, the two realized they shared common musical interests and began to collaborate on projects such as a remix (with Why?) on TMS’ 2006 EP Monkey vs. Shark, a Boards of Canada remix, and joint contributions to both Nosdam’s 2005 release Burner and Why?’s 2005 LP Elephant Eyelash. Multi-instrumentalists Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales round off the TMS palette, and on Book of Bad Breaks the trio sounds right at home at the esteemed, yet perpetually underground anticon. Perhaps that’ll change a bit with Bad Breaks; besides being Thee More Shallows’ finest moment yet and a stab at the sound the band seems to have been approaching all along, it also rivals the best releases in the label’s nine-year history.

WHAT’S IN A NAME:
-Thee More Shallows are known — by us, at least — for using very creative names on their records.
-The band’s nicely named releases include A History of Sport Fishing, More Deep Cuts, Monkey Vs. Shark, and Book of Bad Breaks.
-Thee More Shallows actually began as Thee Shallows, but changed after receiving a cease and desist order from another local artist using a similar name. Around the time they printed the inserts for their first CD, the group heard from a San Francisco musician named Brian Gregory, who was already performing as The Shallows (with one ‘e’). The group was at first reluctant to change the name, but they were hardly invested in it (beyond a grand or so spent on the inserts), and a legal order from Gregory convinced them to find a new name. After auditioning a few possibilities (Thee Original Shallows, Shallows Jr., etc.), they settled on Thee More Shallows.

DOWNLOAD CENTER:

Download “Night At the Knight School” (mp3)
from “Book of Bad Breaks”
by Thee More Shallows
anticon

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