Posted on06/30/2011bykevin|Comments Off on mp3: Blackbird Blackbird // “Calypso”
San Francisco synth-pop artist Mikey Maramag aka Blackbird Blackbird dropped a new song on his bandcamp earlier, titled “Calypso.” You can purchase/download it from his bandcamp here. Listen to the track below.
Not too long ago Oakland-based Lumerians released Transmalinnia. The inaugural LP dropped after three years of rising anticipation by the psych supernaturals’ listeners (worshipers?), spurred by their self-released EP and a bunch of trippy light-bending shows. They made news at this year’s Austin Psych Fest (curated by the Black Angels) by blowing out their set. The quintet clearly has an affinity with power. They answered some questions about egoless music and alien dance parties ahead of their show at Great American Music Hall this Saturday with local droners Young Prisms and Bronze.
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Most bands walk onto a stage with little more than some cigarettes and their instruments — and there are the Lumerians, who show up with cabinets, projectors, multiple keyboards and cloaks. You go out of your way to create an other-worldly environ for your audience. What can a Lumerians-initiate expect at one of your shows? .
LM: An immersive, ecstatic experience. We aim to excite as many senses as we legally can. We like to be perceived as a single entity. If you leave feeling like you’ve participated an event rather than witnessed performance, we’ve done our jobs. . The video for Gaussian Castles that debuted on Stereogum a few months ago featured rapid-flicker shots of caves, sunsets, and other idyllic nature scenes. Where was it shot? How do you know director Curtis Tamm? (His website is definitely worth checking out, here.) . LM: We have known Curtis for a while now via our friends in Galena/Naked Lights. We sent him the album and asked him to make a video for any song that resonated with him. He had just gotten back from a road trip across the US, where he visited many of the locations you see in the video. He did a lot of additional shooting during dawn in the Headlands. . Two songs that you are listening to right now. . LM: Magnetic Stripper’s “Extended Play” and Bronze’s “Parallels”. One in each ear. (ed: You can listen to both tracks on an excellent mix they put together for Dangerous Minds). . I’m interested in the concept of egoless music. There are bands like Radiohead or Deerhunter — very egoless bands in their own right — where it is clear that while some collaboration is present, their is a singular “driver” of the songwriting process. Maybe its a sketch of a melody or a piano riff introduced by a bandmate — where does a song germinate for Lumerians and how does it develop? . LM: Our process is emergent. We start playing together and often times good things prevail. Sometimes they don’t. We record most of our rehearsals and the best ideas that turn into songs are often things that happen spontaneously between takes of structured material. We listen back and will sculpt, cut and weld the best parts until we have something space-worthy. . You have been called the “soul of Bay area new-psych scene”. Do you feel special kinship with any other psych-rock outfits in the Bay in particular?
LM: We relate to the concept of psychedelic as an adjective for a state of being, less than as a genre, which most people seem to equate to the Bay Area sound of the 60s. Contemporary bands we definitely feel a kinship with are Bronze, Late Young and Naked Lights. Some of the best bands to ever emerge from the Bay Area would have to be Chrome, Tuxedomoon and The Residents. . Transmalinnia has been out for a few months now and you’ve been on tour a handful times in support — including a stop at the Austin Psych Fest this year. What are your goals for your next project? What new space are you looking to explore? . LM: We are currently working on a mostly spontaneous instrumental music release. Ephemeral compositions that are unfamiliar and raw. Transmalinnia was a very complex and involved process of which we are very satisfied with the results, but this one will be a lot looser and maybe a bit more uncomfortable. . You guys were described as one of the “best – albeit short – sets” seen at Psych Fest. Given a portable tesla coil and the rights of an interstellar traveler, where in this universe would you perform? . LM: Our search parties are still attempting to make contact with awesome dance partying alien life. It would be a real bummer to travel however many lightyears just to have a couple gangly arm folders talking on a bar stool in the corner.
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Lumerians play with Bronze and Young Prisms Saturday 7/2 at Great American Music Hall, doors at 8pm/show at 9pm for $13 (dinner tickets are available for $38 if you prefer to dine and trance). You can buy tickets at the event page here. You can pick up Transmalinnia from Knitting Factory Recordshere or at any local record store. Watch the band perform Chevaux Fous on public access show “Dance Party Revival” below.
On August 6th, 2011, The Bay Bridged will celebrate five years of championing the San Francisco Bay Area indie music scene with the latest installment of our Regional Bias series of fundraiser events. Like its predecessors, Regional Bias 2011 takes place at the historic Verdi Club in the Mission District, with a spectacular lineup of bands including co-headliners Little Wings and Royal Baths, White Cloud, and Sea of Bees. Additionally, Regional Bias will be Royal Baths’ final SF show before the band relocates to the East Coast, so you’ll definitely want to be on hand to see their last local performance for the foreseeable future.
Shit, well it looks like I’ll be hanging out at the Verdi Club this summer.
Posted on06/28/2011bykevin|Comments Off on interview: Hether Fortune
[feature image credit: Bob Nozawa]
A few days ago I caught the Wax Idols/Paperhead/Lilac/The Wrong Words show at Thee Parkside, where the above image was taken courtesy of RINGO. Will Ivy was predictably great; the twee lads of Paperhead were brilliant (seriously — the combined age of the band is almost as many years you need to go back to imagine the genre of music they play). Wax Idols were visceral in a way that insinuated a band midway through a long tour, innervated enough to slug through every song and yet fresh enough to still care (there was no encore — “I don’t have any more songs to play!” pleaded singer Hether Fortune). Except this was the first performance with fully 3/4 of the reshuffled band. We recently talked to Hether about her internationally-loved tumblr and her German collab.
“Bat Cave” is the last song on the “All Too Human” cassette and features Oliver Scharf of Dresden-based Hanoi Janes on keyboard. The track is reminiscent of another of Jane’s Captured Track labelmates, Beach Fossils. How did you get in touch with Oliver?
HF: Well, Oliver played guitar/bass on “Bat Cave” (and drums if you count programming fake drums) and I wrote the lyrics/vocals/keyboard/other parts. I’ve never listened to Beach Fossils, so that’s a coincidence! I can’t really remember how Ollie and I got in touch, I think it was just a mutual internet admiration for each other’s music/blogs or something. We started exchanging emails and youtube videos regularly, dorking out over our mutual love for Flying Nun bands, obscure 80s pop/punk, etc. About a year ago we decided to write a song together over the internet just to see if we could pull it off. It turned out pretty cool, anddd that’s about it! Ollie rules. Captured Tracks was supposed to release “Bat Cave” as a single, still waiting for that to actually happen. COUGH COUGH.
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Thee Parkside was the stage for the first run of the new lineup, which includes Amy Rosenhoff on bass, Jennifer Mundy on guitar, and Keven Tecon on drums. How do you all know each other?
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HF: We didn’t know each other at all until a few months ago! After I finished recording the LP with my former lineup (they played on about half of it), it was time to find a new band. I put the word out and my friend Tamaryn recommended Amy. Amy and Keven used to play in Veil Veil Vanish together, so they came as a package deal which was a HUGE score. They’ve been in bands together for years. Keven (pronounced KEY-VAN don’t get it twisted) normally plays guitar and was the frontman for VVV, so he has a lot of experience and knowledge to share with me and knows firsthand how important it is for a band to have a SOLID drummer. Jen contacted me on facebook when she saw my post about needing a second guitarist. She ended up being a perfect fit, she’s got such a pretty voice too! I feel really lucky, it only took me like two weeks to replace my ENTIRE band and I couldn’t be happier with the results. They are all super professional, talented, and we’re having a great time together so far. It’s like having a new boyfriend (but better, obviously). I love them!
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Any updates on the “TBA” LP? Will it be recorded with the new band?
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HF: It’s called NO FUTURE and it’ll be out via HoZac Records in September/October of this year. It’s definitely my baby and my vision, but the work that Courtney, Ashley [ed: now members of Pamela], and Paul (the previous lineup) put into it is invaluable. I think it’s a great record and I am really proud of it. I can’t wait to share it with yknow, whoever wants to hear it!
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What’s the inspiration behind your tumblr? You seem to have some faraway admirers. .
HF: I just like to use whatever mediums available to express myself and share my thoughts, interests, aesthetics, etc. I have this inexplicable need to speak my mind at all times. Whether it’s ranting about something that makes me angry (happens pretty much every day), giving people a sneak peek of a demo I’m working on, or just posting photos of people/things that interest me – I’m basically just trying to promote myself. LOOK AT ME. I’M HERE. I THINK. I AM. It’s the curse of the internet generation. I should probably stop all of this shit and just start a zine. Something TANGIBLE. Hahaha.
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You headlined a very impressive bill on Sunday (we were really excited to see Paperhead). When are your next shows? Besides the debut LP, are you working on anything else?
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HF: Man, Paperhead was killer! That show was fun.
I’m always working on a million things. Right now my priorities are getting the artwork finished for the LP, rehearsing constantly with Wax Idols and my other band Blasted Canyons (our first LP just came out via Castleface Records), and I’m already working on the EP that will follow the WAX IDOLS LP. The working title is LOVE IS THE END and it’ll probably be out in winter/spring of 2012. I also submitted a cover of “Goodbye Again” by WIPERS and some shitty collages I made to a compilation tape/zine to be released courtesy of a UK publishing house called MUSEUMS. Not sure when that’ll be available.
Upcoming shows:
July 21st @ The Knockout w/ BURNT ONES & SLAM DUNK (Canada)
July 29th @ Burger Records in Fullerton, CA w/ TBA
July 30th @ JJRADFEST in San Diego, CA w/ REIGNING SOUND, TOKYO ELECTRON, and TRMRS
July 31st @ The Echo in LA, CA w/ GRASS WIDOW & TERRY MALTS (a Part Time Punks happening)
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You can still buy the Wax Idols cassette from PSYCHIC SNERTS here. The debut 7″ “All Too Human,” released in April, can be picked up from HoZac Records. If you’d rather have the digital form, you can purchase the songs, which includes “William Says,” from iTunes. The video for “All Too Human” — which shows scenes from around the Mission and includes band cameos from Magic Bullets and Weekend — premiered on Betty and is posted below.
Posted on06/27/2011bykevin|Comments Off on New Oh Sees Tour Dates
In support of Castlemania. TI is not confirmed yet (lineup hasn’t been formally announced) —
Thee Oh Sees — 2011 Tour Dates
Jul 23 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Jul 24 – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Monument Jul 28 – Oakland, CA @ Uptown (w/ Mike Donovan (Sic Alps) and Royal Baths) Jul 31 – Big Sur, CA @ Woodsist Festival
Sept 4 – Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival
Sept 5 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Biltmore Cabaret
Sept 9 – Portland, OR @ Musicfest Northwest Oct 15 – San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Music Festival
Feb 10 – Miami, FL and Nassau, Bahamas @ Bruise Cruise Festival
We’re pretty excited to say that this year’s Woodsist Festival is almost a month away, with a lineup that is representative of some of the biggest influences behind this blog, including Nodzzz, Thee Oh Sees, and our second-favorite LA/SF transplant, White Fence. This year’s fest is split up into two days, with performances on Saturday night (Fernwood) and Sunday afternoon (Henry Miller). The lineup is rounded out by Art Museums, Ducktails, Woods/Fresh and Onlys Big Band on Saturday night; and Real Estate, Fresh and Onlys, Woods, Sic Alps, and Sun Araw on Sunday.
Two day passes are sold out, but you can get on the waitlist for tickets to Sunday’s show here. Here’s a preview of what’s to come:
SATURDAY @ FERNWOOD 9:00pm-12:30am
Nodzzz We talked to singer Anthony Atlas the day before their new album dropped on the Woodsist label. Read our interview here. Download a track off Innings here.
Art Museums Coming off a 3-song 7″ release in late May (Bandcamp download comes with an extra track) and a stacked Slumberland Recordsshowcase event at Rickshaw during this year’s SF Popfest. Sadly, the Art Museums are no longer in existence, but the Mantles have taken their place on the roster.
Ducktails Big year for the side-project of Real Estate member Matthew Mondanile: he’s started a new label (listen to a track from the first release here, due out June 25), and Domino Records has picked up both RE and Ducktails.
Woods/Fresh & Onlys Big Band “Some kind of wonderful.”
—- SUNDAY @ HENRY MILLER LIBRARY 2pm-10:30pm
Real Estate Woodsist graduates signed to Domino for their sophomore album, due out in October. Watch them play a new, untitled track live earlier in May.
Thee Oh Sees Castlemania has been out for a few weeks now, which means that John is already busy recording the next one.
Fresh & Onlys Jennifer at SEE THE LEAVES has a great review of the recently-released Secret Walls LP here. Listen to track off the record here.
Woods New 7″ inch due July 19th via Sacred Bones. Stream a track off the singles release here.
Sic Alps
Ty Segall won’t be playing with his new/old band and current labelmates at Big Sur; the remaining Sic Alps are putting out a new 4 song 7″ via Drag City August 23rd, just in time for the Euro leg of their tour.
White Fence Tim Presley’s White Fence is currently touring with the Strange Boys before splitting off to round out the Woods bill/tour. Listen to and download an entire live set at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa.
If you can’t make it to the great Woodsist Fest this year, all is not lost. The Independent plays host to Woods, Fresh & Onlys, and The Mantles July 29th. Real Estate, together with San Francisco dream-pop acts Melted Toys and Dominant Legs (who just recorded a split 7″), also play at the Independent a few days after the fest on August 2nd.
New track from Pamela, a Splinters side-project formed by members Ashley Thomas and Courtney Gray.
stream: Pamela // “Too Late (Blind)”
EDIT: As Anonymous notes in the comments, guitarist Chris Nodyl from Lilac/Wet Illustrated has been added to the bands’ roster. A 7″ will also be released shortly, via our friends at Southpaw Records in addition to a 6-song tape via Brooklyn-based Whoa Whoa. Read our interview with Rob, the label-head of Southpaw, here.
French labels Atelier Ciseaux and La Station Radar took a plane down to the City by the Bay to record dream-pop acts Dominant Legs and Melted Toys for a limited 7″ release. Only 300 copies are available (buy here), but if you don’t get a chance to grab it the mp3s can be downloaded below.
Positive Destruction 
