924 Gilman is a place that needs no introduction. The 23 year old Berkeley venue is a Bay Area institution in music history. They wrote the book on all ages shows long before venues in San Francisco started getting threatened by the ABC for not selling enough tacos. However, last week their website announced that a recent rent hike has put them under serious financial stress and the future is looking questionable. This news is disconcerting from a historical perspective and from a cultural one as well. 924 Gilman provides not only a space for persons of any age to come and see live music, but a space for a niche of music that is often over looked in the current musical trend of catchy melodies and Casio keyboards. And seriously, at what other venue can you go and dine on an organic bean burrito, apple juice and Red Vines for $3.00?

You can help the all-ages, volunteer run, music and performance venue by attending shows, donating to the Alternative Music Foundation and spreading the word.

-Nicole Leigh

Photo by Murray Bowles

The married Kansan duo Mates of State recently released a cover version of the Girl’s song "Laura" from the San Francisco band’s 2009 release Album. The single is part of larger project called Crushes (The Covers Mixtape) due out this summer with re-interpretations of songs from the likes of Tom Waits, Daniel Johnson, The Mars Volta and Fleetwood Mac. It’s hard to say if all this hi-profile internet buzz about the release will lead to bigger things for Girls or the Bay Area music scene but something tells me that the band might just see a bump in their sales of t-shirts and frisbees.

 -Nicole Leigh

Photo by Bao Nguyen

Last week, Grand Lake released the video for "Louise (I Live in A Fantasy)" from the fourth-coming album Blood Sea Dream which was co-produced by Jason kick of Maus Haus. This week, they announced they’ll be opening for Ok Go at The Fillmore on May 26th. Things are heating up for the Oakland based band so catch an intimate acoustic set with them while you can this Friday, April 23rd at Mama Buzz.

Blood Sea Dream comes out next month off of the Hippies Are Dead label but you can listen to it now on Grand Lake’s site.

-Nicole Leigh

After many a busy week (for music events at least) it would seem the city is taking a bit of a breather with only a couple, but certainly worthwhile, shows slated for this coming weekend.

For an evening easy on the ears, head out to El Rio tomorrow the 21st where minimalists The Matinees will be playing with The Better Maker and The Heated, 9pm.

Thursday at the Eagle Bare Wires will be playing their dirty garage rock with The Fresh & Onlys, Blank Dogs, and Cosmetics, 9pm.

On Saturday you should definitely find yourself wondering over to The Rickshaw where Sleepy Sun will be playing their psychish folk tunes with Little Wings and Late Young, 8:30pm.

A light weekend in comparison to weeks past, but certainly one with some interesting line-ups. Get out, see some live music, and check back again next week for some more suggestions.

–Ada Lann

If you remember, way back many moons ago, there was this little folk outfit, Burbank International, that put out this beautiful album City of Burbank that, as well as being worth much attention from your ears, was made The Deli SF’s Album of the Month in November of 08. Well it had seemed, without so much as a peep from them for so long, that San Francisco had succumbed to a tragic loss with the dissolving of H.A. Eugene’s folk project; however, with new evidence to contrary, it seems that in fact Burbank International had just gone into to an extended period of dormancy. This week they just announced a new single "2034 (When Machines Start Eating People)," now for sale on iTunes, as well a video to accompany it. If you haven’t heard them before you should definitely check out City of Burbank, but for now enjoy the video for this somewhat tragic and immensely beautiful song.  A nice and tender way start to your weekend.

–Ada Lann

It was announced this week that San Francisco band Social Studies has signed with Oakland’s Antenna Farm Records. This west bay / east bay marriage will consummate with a honeymoon tour of the West Coast in May and the birth of the bands first full length LP Wind Up Wooden Heart due in late July. Antenna Farm Records also represents Bay Area artists The Dry Spells, Bart Davenport, Sugar & Gold and The Papercuts, amongst others.

The tour stops in Oakland on May 14th and San Francisco on May 27th at the Rickshaw Stop.

Wind Up Wooden Heart is the follow up release to 2007’s first EP out of wedlock, This is the World’s Biggest Hammer.

 "Time Bandit"

-Nicole Leigh

Sitting restless two days into the work week, we have much hope that it will not require a boat to traverse the city this coming weekend (much as it was last), and while we await the final verdict on that there are a few shows that are worth adding to your calender coming up in the next few days.

Should you find yourself out and about this Thursday night make your way deep into the Mission to El Rio where Tokyo Raid will be playing with shoegazers Foreign Cinema, 9pm.

For something perhaps a little more upbeat and electronic, head over to the Rickshaw on Friday the 16th where Butterfly Bones (who recently played one of Epic Sauce‘s Milk showcases) will be laying down grooves with Princeton and the Swedish band Love is All, 8:30pm.

If nothing else, Hemlock should once again be your Saturday evening destination where psyche rockers Paranoids will be playing with Pets and Midnight Strangers, who are celebrating their CD release, 9pm.

That should about cover it for this week. Let’s hope it stays dry otherwise, screw it, show up drenched. Otherwise, check back again next week.

–Ada Lann

We are all moving at a breakneck pace. Our calendars are overflowing with events, we’re constantly running late for work and always attempting to catch up on sleep. However, on a occasion something will come along and make us stop and take a breath. Enter The Northern Key.

The Northern Key’s self titled album is the ultimate companion to San Francisco’s recent stormy days. Their perfectly stark, indie folk is meant for hibernation. Listening creates that satisfied calm that only happens when rain falls softly outside your window and the city grows quite. Singer Andrew Galluccio’s voice lingers on your ears like a crush’s whisper as each violin string is played at an octave that could break our heart.

Produced by Chris Chu of The Morning Benders, the album feels as if it was created with gentle care. Nothing is rushed or forced, each note feels right. Even down to their album art, the Northern Key convey a feeling that is beautiful and organic.

This album could easily be the soundtrack to a Sophia Coppola movie or the backdrop to a Cormac McCarthy novel. Opening track “Proof” eases you in with its bittersweet sound of somber lyrics over electric organ and gentle strumming. “Cowboy and Indian” grows a bit darker. “I just need to flush it from my system, toss the photos and soft copies of you,” Galluccio croons. The stronger “Spaced Out” takes you to the end of the road, gingerly shaking you from a melodic haze.

Do you self a favor and take this 40 minute mental health break.

– Alex Scioli

Bay Area Girls Rock Camp has a public event coming up this Sunday, April 11th. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the BAGRC, they are the non-profit Oakland organization now in its third year of bringing music education and empowerment to girls ages 8 to 18. Ladies Rock Camp, the weekend program modeled after Girls Rock Summer Camp, features an environment where participants learn/practice instruments, form bands, write an original song, attend workshops, and perform in a live concert in three days. For many of the women, this is the first time with their chosen instrument and maiden voyage of taking the stage.

In addition to seeing some music and supporting a music education program in the Bay Area, attendees of the Ladies Rock Showcase are eligible for drawing prizes such as health and wellness packages from local acupuncturists and yoga studios as well as museum passes and gift certificates. All proceeds go to towards Bay Area Girls Rock Camp and its programs.

Ladies Rock Camp Showcase
Sunday, April 11th – 3pm 
25 Women. 6 Bands. ALL ORIGINAL SONGS!
Oakland Metro Operahouse (630 3rd St., Oakland)
$5-10 sliding scale

-Nicole

It’s another weekend on the horizon and damn it all if the Bay Area is not getting its act together with good shows to get out and see.

Thursday the 8th at Kimo’s would be a good place to start for the female-fronted dirty garage sounds of The Mallards with Street Sirens and Trumpet Solo, 9pm.

Of course if you find yourself in Mission on Thursday, instead of up the hill on Polk street, Orchestra of Antlers (who topped the Deli’s Year End Readers Poll) will be playing with Not To Reason Why, Clarissa Explainsitall, and Commissure, 8pm.

Reverb-drenched noise rockers Weekend, who currently hold the Deli’s Album of the Month award, will be filling up the Hemlock on Friday. Playing with Fever Dream and Australia’s Love Diagrams, this show is surely not to be missed, 9pm.

This week certainly seems to have had a lot of mention of the activities of Stomacher (having just won the Deli’s Band of the Month followed shortly by the release of a video) and to cap it all off this Saturday they’ll be playing at the Great American Music Hall with Tornado Rider, 3rd Rail, and I the Mighty, 8pm. Of course, yet another mention of Stomacher will be garnering some complaints from the peanut gallery concerning overexposure, but to that I say tough titties. I said it once before and I’ll say it again, so I can have the credit for accurate prediction: keep your eyes on Stomacher, this will be their break out year.

That about rounds it out for this week. Check back again for another round of picks next week, and bands, do continue to keep us updated on your schedules and you may find yourself mentioned here.

–Ada Lann

In a current mainstream music climate that views each new song as a disposable commodity, solid musicianship is hard to come by. Which is why it is so refreshing to hear Pine & Battery’s new album, 2. The new release seamlessly blends the styles of Alternative, Rock and Pop into an epic statement to let down your walls and accept life as it comes. From the first track, to the last song front-man Jeff Campbell on guitar offers the perfect counterpoint to Andy Weller’s searing guitar leads while bassist AJ Leighton and drummer Rick Munoz lays down the perfect rock rhythm.

With the first song Alibi, the theme of the album is set as Campbell sings to there are no alibis left, he can see through the facade. With the problem identified, on the next song Brass Tacks Campbell tells us “It’s time to let go.” But even without listening to the words of Campbell’s strong vocals, the guitars throughout the next two songs and the entire album give the listener a sense of becoming free as they weave across the rhythm like a kid in a galactic playground.

The turning point of the album comes with the fifth track, Tide, which aptly lives up to its name as the song starts off with a somber guitar and drums that seem to roll in like the tide. In the song accepting what we have been given finally becomes clear as Campbell belts out “In spite of everything tides bring what they bring/ and wash you away before you’re gone.” With that, the song builds up to a crescendo then dissipates into a hopeful coda which setting up the next song Latest & Greatest perfectly as it rockets out the gate.

Finally our electric journey ends with the epic and brooding song God. In the song, Campbell leaves us admitting that he will never really for sure the mysteries of life and yet somehow he is ok with this. This sentiment is echoed nicely with the raw sweeping guitars that seem to reverberate across the dimensions of time. From start to finish, 2 is a solid listening experience which makes me wish there were more bands like Pine & Battery, who actually release statements with substance.

-Nick Codling

Check out Pine & Battery on April 23rd at Bottom of the Hill.

Stomacher, recent winners of the Deli SF’s band of the month poll, have just recently released a new video for their song "Untitled/Dark Divider." A visually stunning stop motion montage, this video is an impressive pensive compliment to the spacious and contemplative track that it accompanies. The video is currently featured on Vimeo’s home page, and has already reached 7000 views. Check it out!

–Ada Lann