Posts Tagged ‘show’
Vinyl
November 10th, 2006 | 
Author: 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.
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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.
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.