So I have been a little obsessed, um… correction ALOT obsessed with St. Vincent (Annie Clark) since I first heard “Now, Now” on Gorilla Vs. Bear. One benefit of working with Fake Science and being a dj is that I hear a lot of new music all the time; sometimes its uninspiring other times it is quickly added to my collection. Rarely will a piece of music grab me and force me to listen to it over and over and then hunger for more by that artist. This is exactly what happened to me with St. Vincent.

“Now, Now” was the first track made public, back in April or so, and it was such a tease. I wanted to hear more, I wanted the album NOW, damnit. The last time I was this obsessed with a new artist was when I heard Alanis Morissette’s first single back on the 94.5 the Edge, freaking eons ago. It was haunting, I wanted more and the wost part you couldn’t get it yet because the album wasn’t released.

While waiting for the album, I read that St. Vincent was going on tour with John Vanderslice. One of the benefits of living in the Bay Area is that everyone comes through here… but not this time. The closest she was coming was San Diego; that’s not fucking FAIR! So I moped and whined and then Xina recommended we fly out to see one of her shows. It was tempting, so tempting and then I by chance read that she was playing Cafe Du Nord solo. Perfect. Not only that, but Ferraby Lionheart was coming up from LA to open. Even Better.

Xina and I got to the venue around 9pm to make sure that we would catch Ferraby play. I saw him in Austin for the SXSW show and was pleasantly surprised by his performance there. At Du Nord, he was by himself with a guitar and a keyboard and he played a wonderful solo set to the early crowd. It was interesting to see him open, when I felt he really should have been the second act before St. Vincent.

The second Act was Death Vessel, another solo acoustic act, but the presentation was very different. The singer looks like your typical metal/rocker with long hair, black clothes… but his voice is this near falsetto tenor with a bluesgrass-southern feel. I honestly don’t know if I liked him or not, I had such a hard time putting the look with the voice that it distracted from everything else.

Finally, at nearly Midnight, St. Vincent took the stage with a full band. Previously, her shows have been solo and only recently has she put a whole band together. The band was made up of a drummer on a click track (for fills/backing vocals), a bassist / keyboard player player, and a violin player. After seeing the DUMBO Sessions I had an inkling into what to expect from her but seriously, being two people back from the front row watching the band work the set, truly let you see how talented Annie really is. Her ability to stay focused on her singing while playing some incredibly complex patterns on the guitar was memorizing. The backing band was tight & talented and Annie had a great interplay between the violin and her guitar parts.

The track selection was mainly from her album but she did have a few tracks that I had never heard before. She did a solo song half way through the set… I don’t know the name but the refrain was “Bang, Bang” and it was about a how a women had to kill her old lover. The great thing about all the tracks she picked was that even though I knew most of them from the album, each were changed either by pacing or style to give each a unique twist. At the end of the set the crowd went nuts and Annie came back for two encores before she announced that she was out of songs. I think Xina’s quote kind of sums up the night: “I knew she was going to be good, but not that good.” (more…)

3rd times a charm I guess… I caught Apostle of Hustle (AoH) two times at SXSW and I figured, hell why not once more at the Fillmore (no less). I got our tix a little over a month ago and at the time I had never heard of Andrew Bird. (side note: while im’ing with Niki just now he informed me that Andrew played Violin in Squirrel Nut Zippers, which makes a lot of sense now). Okay, so technically I have heard Andrew before, but not heard of him.

Because we were going to see Andrew play I thought it behooved me to check out his material. I think I first scoped out his MySpace, was impressed and then downloaded “Armchair Apocrypha” via my eMusic account. I was instantly hooked to the grandiose orchestration, melodies and swell of his first track “Fiery Crash”. The album became a regular rotation as the show got closer.

We got to the show early to make sure and catch AoH because they where initially the reason to go to the show and as with the SXSW shows they did not disappoint. Their energy was intenese and even though you could tell most of the crowd had never heard of AoH they tuned in and reacted well to the performance. It was fantastic to see and hear them at the Fillmore although I really wish they had a longer set and more room on the stage to play. That’s one of the challenges of being the opener, you have to deal with all your gear AND the other bands gear. It was a great set and I would have been content for the night if that is all that we saw.

When Andrew Bird first took the stage I did not know what to expect. I was thinking more of a 5 piece with a possible quartet or so to support the backing orchestration of the album. It ends up that Andrew performs as a three piece (drummer/keys, bassist/guitarist, lead singer / guitarist / violin / whistling / glockenspiel) and the show started off with his drummer, Mark Dosh, playing keys and then looping the key section. Mark then jumped on the kit laid down a beat, looped that and then jumped back to the keys. Andrew and Bassists, Jeremy Ylvisaker, walked on stage and joined in the fray.

What was most impressive was how well the entire band worked with loops. This process was quintessential to the sound of the show. Andrew would record a violin loop, then run it through an octave shifter to pitch shift the loop down to sound more like a cello and then lay more violin parts on top. He would then sing his part while playing either the guitar, viloin or glockenspiel. This kind of loop work continued with every song and most of the management was handled by Mark the drummer who had a mixer next to him to control levels. It was very intense show and I now have an all new respect (and ear) for Andrew’s sound and can’t wait to dig deeper into the music.

I have been a fan of Air since Moon Safari… well, that’s not fully true. When I first saw the video for “Sexy Boy” on MTV’s Amp (the best show MTV ever produced) I didn’t really like the electro-70’s throwback sound in my electronica. Over the next few viewings I began to grasp what they where doing and then by the time the first Amp sampler CD came out I had to add them to my collection.

My overall perception of Air has been heavily influenced by how I initially found them, i.e. on a electronic music focused show. Around that time I began to start actively djing and for the following 8 years my taste in music was solely focused on the electronic genre. It wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I returned back to the live rock/indie genre because I felt the overall trend of dance music was becoming uninspiring. Amazingly enough, as the years went by, Air always found a way into my listening habits. I first perceived them as an electronic act with a taste for live instrumentation but how much was really live vs. samples, loops, processing… it was hard to tell and honestly I didn’t think too heavily on it.

Now that I have finally had a chance to catch their live stage show, I realize that my initial thoughts of them being an electronic act with a penchant for instruments were pretty off the mark. They are a live band with an obsession with electronic synths and production. Looking back, my view was based upon the music I was focused on and because they crossed genres (and how they where marketed to the electronic fan) they always fell into my current musical taste.

The show itself was an impressive feat with a metric shit ton of gear, both new and classic… Rhodes, synths, amps, drum kits, guitars, basses, percussion racks, etc. The live band was made up of Air (Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin) and 3 backing musicians playing keys, drums and assorted instruments (stringed, synths and percussion). The frontmen wore white based suites throwing a suave and sexy stance with a heavy 70’s/mod style playing their instruments with an ease and talent that raised both feelings of intense admiration and a bit of fellow musician jealously.

When Nicolas first started playing guitar it appeared almost that he was faking it for the complexity of notes coming out barely matched his movements. I had to scrutinize his actions before I realized that he not only was really playing the part but he was nailing the patterns with ease. Another moment that stood out was during a switch where Jean-Benoit had to jump from the rhodes to another piano to perform a complex solo that he did so smoothly it took me a moment to comprehend how hard the transition he just performed was.

After their set they came back for a 3 song encore that built and built with until it climaxed in a wall of sounds and analog synth madness that instantly brought the crowd to a standing ovation when the last note was played. It was an overall stunning show and being able to sit back in theater seats to enjoy it made it all the better.

Just back from a 20-hour excursion to Los Angeles, and I wanted to report on a suprisingly good concert. I went to go visit a friend I’ve known since kindergarten, and it turns out that my homegirl from back-in-the-day is the country’s top lesbian rapper. She may be the only lesbian rapper in the country, but she’s definitely on top of the game.

God-des & She have been raging across the lesbian music scene and womyn’s festivals for the last 7 years. This is straight up indie hip-hop - but with a pro-fem/lez message. Their beats are created by some fiercely creative studio producer, the sing-song vocals outshine any major label R&B vocalist, and the rhythm in the rhymes is just ill. The content of the lyrics is definitely aimed at the disaffected lesbian/bi/confused/whatever market, but strangely crosses over to the casual listener as well… (I mean, how can any hetero guy or gal deny a song called Lick It that is nothing short of a lyrical manual on eating pussy?).

God-des & She website - http://god-des.com/

Their MySpace page - http://myspace.com/goddes

None of my photos from the show turned out (shitty flash, dark club) and I was yelled at by security for taking video with my digital camera, but check this out…

They cut a video for their track Love You Better - this is the kind of quality work that will launch them onto a proper label and likely to ultimae stardom:

Much love to God-des & She (not sure if their names are published, so I won’t do that here), Ibrahim, Cassie, and Melanie. Thanks for a wicked show, and a great time over sushi & sake.

#2 - Mew
I heard about Mew via Niki… can you tell this is a theme yet? He and Tim were super excited to see them play. On the way down to Austin we listened to their most recent album, “And The Glass Handed Kites”. The best way to describe Mew is a harder version of Sigur Ros. Dream like melodic vocals over indie rock instrumentation with a definite shoegazer foundation.

Mew was the reason we headed over to the BrooklynVegan day party. After seeing some great bands such as Rob Crow and Hella, Mew was the last act for the event. They are a five piece band that use all in ear monitoring, which was cool to see as they set up the show rig.

Watching the lead singer, Jonas Bjerre, sing was an experience in itself. As he sung his melodic parts he had an almost sad expression on his face. It wasn’t that he was having a hard time on stage, it was more his performance style. It was hard not to watch him as he sang. The rest of the band was amazing and the set went by way too fast. I can see why all people where excited to see them play.

#1 - The Dears
It should come as no surprise who my number one of SXSW ‘07 is. The Dears were the must see for both Niki and I. We first caught them at the Stubb’s show and it was amazing to see them perform at such a venue. I first saw them at the Independent in San Francisco and I felt the venue was just too small for them. They are meant to play on a large stage and they did not disappoint.

We also caught them as the “special guest” at the Art’s and Crafts showcase. We were front row center for this performance and it was mind blowing. They all work so hard on stage, every single one of them is putting it all on the line.

The highlight for me is their lead guitarist who’s energy and playing was so intense the entire set. I feel that their album “Gang of Losers” is my album for 2006 and to catch them twice in one week was the best part of SXSW for me.

#4 - Lily Allen
I first heard of Lily through a few friends of mine here in San Francisco They were talking about seeing her play at a local venue and at the time (almost a year ago) I knew nothing of her music. Since then I have heard most of the album and really liked what I had heard so far. While driving down to Austin I finally got a chance to listen to her whole album and was very much impressed with both her voice and the overall production qualities of the recording.

Once we arrived at SXSW, you could tell quickly that Lily would be the hot ticket for Wednesday night. While waiting for my badge I heard this woman talk about how excited her teenage daughter was to see her play. Walking through the streets you would hear people as they pass by say “Lily Allen”. In my mind, Lily was the Lady Soverign of ‘07. I think the SXSW crowd has a thing for cute, young UK girls…

Lily did not disappoint, albeit she was pretty drunk when she walked on stage. Here she was with her cute little LDN girl demeanor smoking a cig and hold a large budwiser in her hand. Her stage presence was solid, not bad for someone who has only been playing in public for a little over a year and half. She was honest and brash on stage, but the show was all about her voice. The girl can sing and she knows it. It was a short 30 minute set, typical for SXSW, but it was packed with all the tracks we wanted to hear.

The best part was her honesty about hating to sing “Smile” because she was sick of it, but for us she would try her hardest. I can only imagine how tiring it must be to play the same songs day in day out, every day, all the time. As an artist you want to be creative, to do something new, but you also want to make the crowd happy and give them what they came to see. Its a tough gig and for someone so young she did a great job.

#5 - Peter, Bjorn and John
aka PB&J… was a must for Niki. What was interesting was everywhere we went we would catch bits and pieces of their music being played. In a bar or the music between sets. For a band I had never heard of they were getting a lot of play and a lot of SXSW press. We missed their showcase but caught them at the waterloo in-store. We were front and center and the three piece from Sweden laid it all out and it was amazing.

Their hit song “Young Folk” is by far the closest thing to the perfect pop song that has emerged in a long time. Its simplicity is what makes it so amazing and horribly catchy. Its super sugary goodness crawls into you ear and you just can’t get it out of your head, even if you wanted to. On top of their sound, they have that perfect cool look… the suits, the style, the panache… on top of that they also have this look like they just don’t care, we just want to rock out for you.

It was an amazing show, even though it started late. You couldn’t stop looking at them and then the lead singer, Peter Moren, climbed onto the railing while singing and playing the shaker to “Young Folk”. How could you not like them, with their slightly think Swedish accents and endless supply of smiles. Great show… can’t wait to catch them again…

#6 - Rob Crow
We saw Rob Crow unexpectedly at the BrooklynVegan day party. His band was 2nd in the line up for the day and as they were setting up my first impression was that they were going to be some kind of hardcore band. Wearing grizzly beards, jeans cut just below the knees, long hair, and Thor t-shirts, their look just screamed hard in-your-face rock.

With their opening note the music was nothing like we expected, it was complex, with well thought out harmonies and patterns. Each of the members were amazing musicians but the lead guitarist really stood out in my mind. Standing their with an almost autistic pose, eyes rolled back into his head he wailed on the guitar like he was slamming out power cords, but in reality he was playing complex patterns with each note clearly accentuated.

Similar to Sage Francis, we did not know what to expect and we were happily surprised. After the long grueling day of SXSW we went back to our hotel and did a bit of research on Rob Crow. That is where I found out that he was a member of Pinback and also one of the founding members of Goblin Cock. We actually caught Goblin Cock last year at SXSW during their Waterloo show, but they were all in costume and at the time the member’s were still unknown. The rumor was they had members of Pinback, which they do… ala Rob. Since the show I have bought his current album “Living Well” and have throughly enjoyed it.

#5 - Apostle of Hustle
Filling in for Rodrigo Y Gabriela at the Stubb’s show, it took a couple of songs (and a few hints from the frontman Andrew Whiteman) before we realized that this was not the listed band. We had looked up Rodrigo Y Gabriela and they were described as world music, but the band on stage was not anything like “world music” albeit they did have a percussionist. One of Joey’s friends Jason was with us and he kept mentioning how you recognized the songs they were playing, but could not recall the name of the band. Patiently as the band worked through their rocking set they finally mentioned their name to the audience.

Jump to the next night and we are heading over to the Arts & Crafts showcase to catch Amy Millan when we find out that the next band after her is the official Apostle of Hustle showcase. By this time we had read up on them and found out that the Andrew Whiteman is the guitarist for Broken Social Scene and as he played the second show I could hear similar music styles between the two bands. The band is full of talented musicians and they put on a really tight and well executed show. I have also bought their album and the music is great, but the engineering job on the mix is pretty poor with basslines too overpowering on some tracks, vocals over compressed, etc. Even with that letdown the album is still amazing and I will continue to enjoy it.

#8 - Tiger! Tiger!
In the Habana basement, the Chicken Ranch showcase had this Austin local Atlanta based band rock the joint (Chicken Ranch is from Austin, thanks for the clarification Niki). Niki describes them as an UltraBabyFat meets The Cramps and I feel its a spot on description. With slightly country fried high energy rock, the lead singer’s punctuates the music with an almost a happy snear.

When Tiger! Tiger! plays they are having a great time on stage and you know it. Working in a small space they continued to urge the crowd to move closer and closer promising they would not bite, too much. In many of their songs the lead singer would step back from the mic and give a huge wooping scream that just fit perfectly into the song. Even though the yell was part of the song the smile on her face and the way she did it made you understand that it was more then just a required bit. Every time a gap would open someone eargly filled it in. It was hard not to get into the music and the energy as the show progressed and this is why they get #8 for SXSW ‘07.

#7 - Amy Millian
After first hearing her music online, Amy was a must see on my list of bands to catch while at SXSW. Slightly country, slightly folk I was excited to see another amazing Arts & Crafts band. For her stage show Amy had 7 members: keys, bass, mandolin, drums, guitar/banjo, steel lap guitar and her self on acoustic guitar. She had a very relaxed manor on stage and her banter was light and engaging. The band was spot on but the hightlight had to be the woman playing the lap steel. The interplay between the steel and the other instruments worked well with the feel of Amy’s music and voice.

Of all the shows we had seen up to this point her’s was the most relaxed and mellow. Yet, even though her show was not about rocking the crowd it was a breath of fresh air to hear her music and bands performance. By the time her 45 minute set was up I wished there was more time for her to play. After seeing her at SXSW I regret not finding the energy to try and catch her last time she came through SF. She was in town during a time where I had seen 3 other live show in the 4 days and I just couldn’t motivate to get out to see one more night. I won’t make that mistake again…

#10 - Sage Francis
Until Sage walked onto the stage we had no idea what to expect. Was Sage a he or a she? What kind of music was Sage going to play? What were we in for? Sage was going to be our first act for our Friday night and Niki’s friend Joey informed us that we must see Sage perform. The reason Joey recommended us to see Sage, is that Joey’s co-worker a “proto-hipster” said that Sage Francis was a must see and that we had to catch the show. So knowing nothing more then a Sage being a “must see” we walked over to Emo’s Main to catch the show.

Sage walked onto stage (he ended up being a guy) with nothing more then a mic and a loop player. He hits play on the loop and then drops into fast moving and clearly punctuated rhymes. Ah, he’s a one man wreaking crew MC. His performance quickly won us over with both his wit and rhymes, which impressive act in itself. We came in not knowing anything, having to first grok what he is doing then then to sync up and feel what he is doing on stage.

He show is full of an intense energy, his word are packed with humor, pop culture references but at the same time a dark edge. For every line that brings a smile he turns it around and lays in something about human nature or problems within our lives. It was a great show and I can see why Joey’s friend called him a “must see”.

#9 - Ferraby Lionheart
We missed the official Ferraby Lionheart show because Amy Millan was performing for the Arts & Crafts showcase at the same time. Ferraby was the first band planning in the Habana indoor stage for the ny2lon day party and while we were waiting to get a free bite to eat (which they ran out just as we got there) the band was setting up.

After our first round of morning drinks Ferraby kicked off his show with a guest Trombone player who was only able to play for the first half of the show before he had to run off to another set. Ferraby played piano and sang with a unique and almost quirky pop/folk style.

I was impressed with both his simple yet highly entertaining stage presence. I had never heard his music before so it was a great way to experience his sound for the first time. After seeing him play I have added him to my queue of new music to buy. Next time he comes through the bay I will definitely want to catch him.

After a nice rest we rallied the troops and planned to head out to the first big day party of our ‘07 SXSW trip. The music blog BrooklynVegan in conjunction with AAM put on a day party featuring Mew that both Niki and Tim really wanted to catch. Niki and I started the trek on foot and made it to the party around 12:45. Jason and Glen had just arrived and the band The New Violaters were coming off the stage.

There was a plethora of free SmartWater, Kettle Chips and Crunk energy drink; how can you not get “crunked” when its free? After replenishing our electrolytes (’cause its what plants crave) Rob Crow was just about set up to kick of their set. At first glance we expected Rob Crow to be a screamo/hardcore band. The cut-off jeans, the shaggy beards, the crazed looks… but as the saying goes looks can be deceiving. Their sound, which both Niki and I are having a hard time describing so let’s go with the Allmuisc quote of “angular indie rock” was definitely not what we were expecting and I am interested in learning a lot more about them. Note: Rob Crow is in Goblin Cock (who we saw last year at the waterloo instore)

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