Tritone is still open through February (or whenever the liquor license gets transferred over to the new owners). However, Sara Sherr’s Sugar Town will be moving its showcases to Kung Fu Necktie. It has two remaining shows left at the little red room on South St., which includes Sugar Town’s 11th Aniversary with Lust2Love, Shondes, Butterscotch Grimm, Jurassic Shark, and the Lady.Bang.Beat. DJs on January 28. Its debut showcase at KFN will be on January 25 featuring Slutever, Little Big League, Dear Althea, and DJ Julia Factorial (WPRB/Englan Belongs to Twee). Congrats to Sugar Town for finding a new home!
On Thursday 1/19, DC’s own up and coming country rock group the Morrison Brothers Band, will be hitting the 9:30 stage with tracks from their 2011 indie release "Shotgun Silhouette" and their 2010 debut "Midnight in Virginia." And the 9:30 Club wants to make sure that you are there for the fun, so we’ve got a couple passes to give away! Just email us here by 3 PM on Thursday 1/18 and let us know your fav song by the MBB, and why. (Please include your first and last name.) The winner will be chosen at random and emailed back.
Winning tickets is awesome, and supporting locals is awesomer- so if you don’t wanna chance missing out, get your tix here now! And check out their video for "Still Want You Back" below.
Boston-based rock quartet A Do knows how to rock—hard. Their self-titled album features plenty of hard-hitting rock songs with dark undertones. After listening to the entire album, it became quite clear to me that the band must listen to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age. No – the third track off the album – is a prime example of this dark, QOTSA-inspired sound. Lead singer Adrienne Bel provides her own backing vocals on this song, taking a page right out of Josh Homme’s playbook. Guitarist Derek LeDoux’s performance on this track is quite excellent as well, adding various licks and unison bends throughout the song.
Bel’s vocal performance is the highlight of this record. Her voice is powerful but not too harsh, a trait that is hard to come by in the realm of hard-rock/grunge singers. Her strong voice is enhanced by high-energy guitar riffs and a rhythm section that knows how to hold down a song.
A Do is currently in the process of preparing a new album that is set to drop this year.–Daniel McMahon
Pageants is one of those bands that teases listeners with a mesmerizing dream pop sound and captivating female vocals that linger in your brain for days. Having only released a handful of songs, the Long Beach duo, comprised of Rebecca Coleman and Devin O’Brien, is building up much anticipation for a full-length release. Some may recognize Coleman from her time playing with Avi Buffalo, but with a voice like hers, it was well overdue for her to start a new project. In addition to playing all over the Los Angeles area, the band has also been buddying up with Best Coast’s Bobb Bruno, who helped record a few tracks in the studio. Let’s hope that they do not keep us waiting for too long. – Karla Hernández
Newton, Massachusetts– a suburb of Boston– has repeatedly ranked as one of the nation’s safest and wealthiest cities of its size. It also happens to be the spawning place of one of the most hilariously diabolical bands in the nation, or even the world, although that ranking may be harder to prove statistically. The village pride of West Newton, Anal Cunt was led by the late vocalist Seth Putnam from 1998 until 2011, with an ever-changing lineup and a hiatus or two along the way. In June, 2011, Putnam died of a heart attack at the age of 43, but toward the end of his life, he put together what would be Anal Cunt’s lattermost, fully authorized set of recordings.
The Old Testament is a collection of the noisy grindcore band’s most archaic material along with rare and live recordings, released by Relapse Records in November, 2011. Released as a two-disc set, the collection includes their very first demo, which was recorded in April of 1988 but went unreleased until now. Also included are the 47 Song Demo (1988), 88 Song EP (1989), 5,643 Song EP (1989), Another EP (1991), Unplugged EP (1991), and Live EP (1991). Live recordings include shows in Germany and Indiana, and there is also material from several of their 7” splits as well as from The Masters of Noise compilation album. The set also features original liner notes by Putnam.
Anal Cunt are not family friendly, and they’re in your face about being politically incorrect, but in a way that is equal parts metal, awesome, and chuckle-worthy. They grabbed attention with their offensive song titles and lyrics, but these traits mostly appeared in their works after what is included in The Old Testament. Songs included in their early EPs are untitled and lack lyrics entirely, but the band still fit the humor into: Sporadically throughout TOT recordings, Putnam will shriek “Eeenie meenie minie moe,” which also happens to be some of the only decipherable words uttered during a song. And at the beginning of their Schwäbisch Hall, Germany live set, Putnam calmly announces “We’re The Beatles,” before launching into the first noise orgy. Also, listen for an incredibly brief MC Hammer cover in their 7” split with Psycho.
The many albums featured in this set are filled with songs that come as very brief, assaulting blasts with little semblance of form or rhythm. Songs often begin with some heavy, slow chords, and soon after explode into hellish chaos accompanied by Putnam’s varied guttural noises. This may last for around thirty seconds, and then they’ll launch into another one that’s basically indistinguishable from the last. But that’s the point: to make songs that are anti-everything that would typically constitute a song. If there were ever a sudden-death match between a dinosaur and Satan himself, the 5,643 EP might be what that sounds like. Anal Cunt’s early-day material is the most turbulent and cacophonous of their already extreme catalog, whereas later on the band began to incorporate more structure, riffs, and lyrics into their songs. While it is definitely an acquired taste sort of band in general, The Old Testament provides an extensive display of the infamous band’ most deviant and raw works– you know, before they got all soft in later years.–Sarah Ruggiero
Born out of the ashes of the defunct five-piece Lesser Known Neutrinos, Philadelphia’s Sgnls is slowly but steadily carving their own notch in the local music history tree. With three releases under their belt, the young three-piece, whose currently working on an LP is turning prog-rock from technical tirade to understated art form by infusing elements of ’60s psych-garage and a bit of horror pop (it’s in the vocals, mostly). They’ll show you how it’s done tonight when they play the Level Room with fellow hometowners, Hot Guts, who, as always, will pleasantly assault your ears with their sweaty, frenzied, intense death rock. The bands will be hosting rising dark NYC neo-folk outfit Cult of Youth. The Level Room, 2012 Market St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Annamarya Scaccia
Bosco Delrey – who played our CMJ show at Pianos in October – just released his debut album "Everybody Wah" on Mad Decent Records, together with this video for the single "Baby’s Got a Blue Flame". He has a series of shows booked in the Brooklyn DIY "circuit". The next one is at the Big Snow Buffalo Lodge on January 14.
We are loving the square format and the idea for this A Place to Bury Strangers video, and also the song, which is somehow reminiscent of one of cult British bands from the late 80s The House of Love – remember the hit single "Shine On"? The band’s "Onwards to the Wall" EP will be released later this month.
Behind band leader Miles Arntzen (Antibalas, Superhuman Happiness, Milo & The Fuzz) EMEFE have reinvigorated the Brooklyn and LES scenes with their sweat-drenched, irresistibly danceable brand of Afrobeat-Funk. The young 11-piece occupies a musical space often reserved for grizzled veterans, rendering the group not only a great listen, but a spectacle. On Wednesday, January 18 EMEFE will appear at The Bowery Electric with The Rainbow Children and Ms. Lady. Go get funkified!
Slacker Radio just launched a new station hosted and programmed by Philly’s own RJD2. The producer/DJ/multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire will handpick his most favorite tunes as well as talk about how some of the music has influenced his life and music career. You’ll also be treated to some of his fine originals. If this all sounds interesting to you, tune in and listen HERE!
Our Deli jurors just finished rating all the Bay Area artists that submitted to be considered for our Year End Best of SF Poll for Emerging Artists – and here are the results for you to check out! The artists in this list will qualify for the next phase of the poll, and will be added to the bands nominated by our jury of local scenemakers.
P.S. If you are interested in understanding how our Year End Poll for Emerging Artists works, please go here.
No excuse necessary for rocking out to Excuses For Skipping’s space age, new wave sound. When they’re not banging out the tunes, you’ll find this foursome kicking it in San Francisco’s Mission District.
The prolific Oakland-based pop purveyor bring the dance party wherever he goes. Jhameel is truly DIY, playing each and every instrument himself and producing his own music.
A collaboration between Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven/Monks of Doom) and Alison Faith Levy (The Loud Family/The Sippy Cups), McCabe & Mrs. Miller bring together blues, folk, and country in memorable duets about longing, regret, and desire.
Don’t dare capitalize the first letter of moonbell or its figurine EP, released this year to praise from local and national press for its droned-out dream pop sound.
A seven-piece, orchestral indie rock band, The Family Crest extends to more than 250 members participating in recordings, live performances, and media projects.
Don’t let Sami Akbari’s small frame deceive. Big on sass, the vocalist/front woman/keyboardist/ guitarist, aka sami.the.great commanded the stage and charmed the audience at Mercury Lounge on Saturday night. Backed by her trusty band, the leading lady performed several new tracks, a couple which had never been played with a full band, from her self-titled album due out at the end of the month, among some “oldies but goodies.” Her loveable presence and witty banter between songs kept all eyes and ears on the stage, as she boogied along to her doo wop- meets-pop stylings and yearning lyrics. sami.thegreat’s first single, "Dresser Drawer," can be download for free on Bandcamp http://samithegreat.bandcamp.com/, and she will embark on a tour in early March, gracing the stages out west. www.samithegreat.com –Meijin Bruttomesso
