NOISE POP day six

The final day was low key. There was a daytime show with The Growlers and The Fresh & Onlys. This was totally sold out and could have moved to a bigger venue. The Growlers brought out the young fans. There brand of garage rock is very hip. The Fresh & Onlys are one of the best bands from SF. It was good to see these bands in this mimosa environment. I missed out on th4e Ben Gibbard gig later in the night, and watched the Oscars instead. It sounded wonderful. This year's Noise Pop was singular, defining, fresh, and exciting. All the shows I went to were sold out and more people were wanting to get in. Look forward to it next year!

NOISE POP day five

I headed down to the Noise Pop day party. I saw a few readings. Zachery Lipez and Nick Zinner was really good. It reminded me of Nuyorican Poets Cafe type stuff. This was the first year that Noise pop had like an arts and crafts weekend. It was impressive. The big show on Saturday was Best Coast/Wavves at the Regency Ballroom. It was packed and we barely got in. Ended up meeting some people from High Road touring. I thought Wavves were much improved since I saw them at FYF fest last summer. Best Coast are one of the hottest bands right now. The front rows were stocked with teenage girls who knew all the songs. It was an amazing night in the city and a fun festival all around. I got to experience many bands and three films.

Noise Pop day four

A clear cold day. I was in Berkeley for most of the day in the recording studio. Back on the train to see the Nick Zinner art show. Even though I was late, it was still packed. Ice cream man was nearby, and ice cream in sub-40 degree weather is always good. It didn't snow. I stopped by a friend's house. Finally at ten I was back at Cafe du Nord. The joint was packed for The Black Ryder and Tamaryn. I heard the The Soft Moon was another band to check out.

The Black Ryder came out with a projected light show. They are an Australian band. But they have been bringing their brand of gothic rock to the people here in the States. They have played in SF a few times this year, and recently in LA too. Aimee and Scott both handle the vocal duties. Their songs have shoegazing jangly guitars and strong basslines. At the end it is a heavy experience.

Tamaryn is a newer band who is making a mark already. Their original sounds have captivated many people. I have included a video in a previous post and will let the music speak for itself. They will be on tour with the Raveonettes. That is a show that is not to be missed.

Alessi's Ark - Wire

NOISE POP day one

I arrived in SF on Monday, so I was rested for the first day of Noise Pop. I went downtown to get a bus pass. I stopped by the Noise Pop office to pick up my badge. It was located in the same building where I worked ten years ago when I first attended Noise Pop. In fact I interviewed Simone Rubi of Call and Response. Simone is having an art opening at the Viz Theater during the Feist movie. Everything is coming round. I ran into a friend and we headed to Mini Bar to see some photography. The small event on Divisadero was nice. After that, I headed to Bender's and saw a heavy metal band. The place was packed and it was difficult to see the band. I passed on going to Oakland and checking out Yo Lo Tengo. My feet were tired after many miles of walking.

San Francisco: Noise Pop 2011

Noise Pop starts tomorrow. Some great shows coming up this week are:

Feb 22nd: Yo Lo Tengo @ Fox Oakland
Feb 23rd: Versus @ Du Nord
Feb 24th: The Stone Foxes @ Independent
Feb 25th: The Concretes @ Rickshaw
Feb 25th: Tamaryn + The Black Ryder @ Café du Nord
Feb 26th: Best Coast + Wavves @ Regency
Feb 26th: How To Dress Well @ Café du Nord
Feb 27th: Fresh and Onlys @ Bottom of the Hill

Suburban Lawns "Janitor"

The Octopus Project: west coast tour

The Octopus Project Announces West Coast Tour with Man...or Astro-man? and Devo "The Rolling Stones of bleep-bloop." - The Onion "If there's a such thing as a happiness seizure, be prepared to have one." - Paste Magazine "Unprecedented levels of bliss slapped across the faces of concertgoers... see for yourself" -Spin.com Download and Listen to "Fugefat" off Hexadecagon Austin based quintet The Octopus Project has announced a West Coast tour including dates with iconic new wave group, Devo, and surf rock outfit Man...or Astro-man? In October, The Octopus Project was honored to join the line-up at Moogfest 2010 with MGMT, Massive Attack, Hot Chip and headliner Devo. When Devo's guitarist suffered a hand injury and couldn't perform, The Octopus Project was asked to fill in as Devo's backing band. They all got along so well, that when it came time to schedule their make-up tour, they asked the band to join them. Perhaps a result of a shared obsession for vintage electronics, the band will be supporting Devo on their rescheduled tour dates. The Octopus Project plans to hit the East Coast in April (dates to be announced) in their continued road support of their fourth full length album, Hexadecagon, released in 2010 on Peek-A-Boo Records. After the band's extensive tour, they will return to the studio to work on a new LP! The Octopus Project West Coast Tour Dates: 2.18 - Plush - Tuscon, Arizona w/ Stareater, Treasure Mammal 2.19 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.20 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.21 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.23 - The Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR - w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.24 - The Crocodile - Seattle, Washington - w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.25 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC, Canada - w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.26 - The Wild Buffalo - Bellingham, WA - w/ Man... or Astro-man? 2.28 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT - w/ Birthquake 2.28 - The Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT - w/ Birthquake 3.01 - The Hi-Dive - Denver, CO - w/ Le Divorce, Force Publique 3.02 - The Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM - w/ The Gatherers The Octopus Project Tour Dates w/ Devo: 3.15 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater 3.16 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR 3.18 - Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA 3.19 - Club Nokia - Los Angeles, CA 3. 20 - Belly Up - San Diego, CA 3.25 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX 3.27 - ACL Live - Austin, TX For more information, please visit: http://www.theoctopusproject.com http://www.myspace.com/theoctopusproject http://www.peekaboorecords.com/hexadecagon/

KUSF radio station 90.3 FM

KUSF 90.3 FM is an independent radio station based in San Francisco. If you spent any time in SF the past thirty years you are probably familiar with it. I have spent half my life in SF and my dad and my grandmother both lived and died there. My dad also went to Hollywood High, and went to gigs in SF at the Fillmore back during the summer of love. KUSF has a relationship to a city like no other radio station. It was the main station we listened to in the 1980s and 1990s before the internet, when you had to rely on radio as a major source for new bands.

KUSF is very similar to KXLU in LA. It is connected to a college. The DJs are both students and music aficionados. But the LA area has KROQ, KCRW, and plenty of interesting college radio stations who will play bands like No Age and Best Coast. SF only has the one station KUSF. There is some KROQ station there: it's cool if you like in Stockton. There are some college radio stations but you can't hear their signal in SF. San Francisco has a big radio vacuum.

When I moved back to SF in 1989, I worked several jobs. I lived a bohemian existence on barely any money at all. It was nice to hear a station like KUSF and win free tickets to shows in town. In the beginning of 1991, I lived on Divisadero Street, not far from the University of SF campus and the KUSF station. I would stay up late at night listen to the radio and winning tickets at 3 in the morning. I won tickets to see Superchunk, Nirvana, Psychic TV, and Soundgarden. I won a bunch of free records. The station definitely helped me.

I moved away in 1996, but a friend of mine became a DJ on KUSF. His name is DJ Stevil. I would listen to his show and look at his playlists, and there was a lot of interesting music being played on that station in the past ten years.

Recently KUSF sold it's signal to a classical radio station based in LA. If you have driven around the USA the past few years, you realize how the same corporations own all the stations and play the same middlebrow, consensual music. It's dire out there. The radio world ressembles the most monoculture envisioned by Stalin. No worthwhile bands like Arcade Fire or Smith Westerns are getting played in that scenario.

I write this all to say: I love the old KUSF. I wish that they keep the old quirky and funky format of unique voices.

--Alexander Laurence

Joseph Arthur @ Bootleg

JOSEPH ARTHUR takes over the Bootleg Theater for Music Residency & Living, Breathing Art Exhibit, February 8th through March 1st Songsmith, poet and Grammy-nominated visual artist Joseph Arthur will be transforming the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles into his workshop where he will perform, paint and curate a new, ever-evolving exhibit of his art every Tuesday night beginning February 8th through March 1st. The residency marks Joseph's return to Los Angeles following two sold-out nights at the Troubadour and three sold-out nights with Fistful of Mercy at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. A mesmerizing orchestrator of sound loops, Joseph often creates his own soundtrack to live stage painting. Listen for music from his first solo album since 2006's 'Nuclear Daydream' (more on that soon!). Joseph will also be creating, showing and selling his art in The Fold's gallery (2214 Beverly Blvd. - Bootleg's backstage area) for the duration of his residency. All artwork will be for sale and all performances will be recorded and sold as bootlegs immediately following the show. Peter Gabriel hails Joseph's artwork as exhibiting "strength and a visceral quality," connecting "Expressionism, Art Brut, Basquiat and the Graffiti movement," and Vanity Fair names him as "one of our most emotionally revealing and talented singer-songwriters." Catch JOSEPH ARTHUR at the Bootleg Theater & Gallery (2220 Beverly Blvd., LA) @ 9:45pm, openers at 9pm, doors at 8pm. February 8th w/ Tom Freund February 15th w/ Madi Diaz February 22nd w/ Craig Wedren March 1st w/ Line and Circle Tix $10 Advance/$12 Day of Show josepharthur.com // museumofmodernarthur.com

The Answering Machine - Lifeline (Official Video)

Sasquatch 2011 / May 27-30th

Foo Fighters | Death Cab for Cutie | Modest Mouse | Wilco | Flaming Lips (Performing The Soft Bulletin and more) | The Decemberists | Bright Eyes | Iron & Wine | Rodrigo Y Gabriela | Bassnectar | Robyn | Flogging Molly | Pink Martini | Cold War Kids | Old 97s | Ratatat | Wolf Parade | Chromeo | Guided by Voices | Yeasayer | Beach House | Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings | Local Natives | Matt & Kim | Deerhunter | MSTRKRFT | Trailer Park Boys | Sleigh Bells | Major Lazer | Das Racist | Flying Lotus | Skrillex | Fitz & the Tantrums | !!! | Archers of Loaf | Against Me! | The Thermals | Best Coast | CSS | Surfer Blood | Jenny & Johnny | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | The Heart and the Heart | Bonobo (DJ set) | City and the Colour | Reggie Watts | K-os | Gayngs | Tim Minchin | The Drums | Sam Roberts Band | The Radio Dept. | Young the Giant | The Antlers | Moondoggies | Sharon Van Etten | Villagers | Stornoway | Aloe Blacc | Black Mountain | Rival Schools | Noah and the Whale | Smith Westerns | Secret Sisters | Twin Shadow | Wye Oak | Tig Notaro | Wheedle's Groove | Alberta Cross | Foster the People | S. Carey | White Denim | Washed Out | Gold Panda | Dan Mangan | Axis of Awesome | The Gloves | Cotton Jones | Jaill | Mad Rad | Basia Bulat | Other Lives | The Bronx | Rebecca Gates | White Arrows | Pepper Rabbit | Talkdemonic | The Young Evils | and more