MTV Hive has endorsed the new single from Oakland’s Tremor Low, “Give Blood”. The track exhibits the familiar brand of neo-goth dance punk rock that fans will recognize from the group’s previous release, Kingmaker. The Kingmaker EP, recorded with Jamie Hill (Nada Surf, Cut Copy, Rogue Wave), landed them on Live 105‘s “5 Bay Area Bands You Need to Know” list in 2012.
“Give Blood” centers around frontman Don Bellenger’s tale of foreboding woods and their resident monsters, accented with a light touch of gore and is executed with a stylistic nod to Robert Smith. The MTV Hive premier precedes Tremor Low’s South By Southwest 2013 debut, offering the band a valuable piece of national exposure. Check them out on any of four consecutive nights at the Free Now! Showcase in Austin, Texas. -Andy Lambert
March 13 – Free Now! Showcase @ The Brew Exchange – 5 PM
March 14 – Free Now! Showcase @ The Brew Exchange – 7 PM
March 15 – Free Now! Showcase @ The Brew Exchange – 7:30 PM
March 16 – Free Now! Showcase @ The Brew Exchange – 11 PM
Ambitious and profound, the documentary Reincarnated takes viewers on a journey to Jamaica as we follow Snoop Lion’s transformation from gangsterific rapper to peace-loving Rastafarian. The film reveals a candid Snoop who matured amidst a turbulent past, and professes to having been drawn to Jamaican culture for years, but felt unable to explore that path due to his past time constraints and his then-limited spiritual understanding of the Rastafarian culture.
In the heart of Rastafarian culture, Trench Town, Snoop explores its history, and was personally set on learning from reggae icon and Bob Marley bandmate, Bunny Wailer to create his own re-defining album that underlines his newfound identity. While Snoop states himself, that his life has consisted of many stages, the emotion and sincerity of the film makes it hard to think of his journey as another fullt completed ‘stage’ for him—particularly in the light of him having lost so many close friends. He was open and honest about his continued growth as an artist and as a man. He contemplated the meaning of his losses throughout his years in the rap industry.
“We don’t love them while they’re here and I wanna be loved, and the only way to get love is to give love,” Snoop confesses. Hard to disagree with such a philosophy. -Natacha Pavlov
*Reincarnated will premiere in San Francisco at the Opera Plaza Cinema on March 15, 2013.
San Francisco’s iconic lit paradise Adobe Books is facing a massive rent hike which is threatening its survival. We don’t want to let that happen! As part of a series of events, several Bay Area bands are taking to the stage to help raise funds and awareness for a substantial revamp to the store. Word has it, that the new Adobe will feature a pop-up shop with Haight-Ashbury vinyl luminary, Groove Merchant Records.
The Music for Adobe Fundraiser takes place on Monday, May 11th at Public Works in San Francisco. Adobe’s musical beneficiaries include The Dodos, Adam Stevens of Two Gallants, The Tambo Rays and Vetiver’s Andy Cabic (DJ set). Attend the show and hear some of SF’s finest, while helping expand and sustain one of the city’s cultural mainstays. It’s any easy win-win.
You can also check out the Save Adobe Books Indiegogo campaign for more information about Adobe’s future and how to contribute. –Andy Lambert
Up and coming New York City based art rock, pop darlings, Changing Modes are performing tonight (03.09) at The 3rd Annual Armory Night Performance at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center. The event goes from 8-11 pm. If you can’t make it, you’ll have another chance to see them live on May 5th at the National Underground..
Two years after the release of their debut EP, San Franciscan band Slowness returns with their first full-length LP, the alluring and addictingFor Those Who Wish To See The Glass Half Full. Singer Geoffrey Scott, bassist Julie Lynn, and drummer Scott Putnam deliver eight hypnotic drone pop-shoegaze tracks set to a dreamy atmosphere and succinct lyrics that trigger pleasant familiarity. The album, although brief, doesn’t lessen the impression that you’ve floated away into aural ecstasy. The optimistic “Day For Night” starts off with an upbeat, infectious beat that leads to an intense outro, before mellowing-out in “The Glass.” Anti-political undertones are heard in the catchy anthem “Energy” and the entrancing, melancholic “Calm & Dispel.” The sluggish “Repeater” channels a lethargic vibe that paves the way for a gradual, two-minute long airy outro, contrasting the upbeat intensity of “Wired.” The journey ends with the visionary invitation to “Race To Mars” and the beautifully moody “Walls of Blue.”
With a polished sound that breeds intimacy and nods to many great 80’s bands, Slowness proves that their realm is one to get lost into… rapidly. -Natacha Pavlov
You can can also attand Slowness’ Vinyl Release Cocktail Party tomorrow at Bar 821. Find details and RSVP here.
Santa Rosa, CA based duo Teenage Sweater have released a fresh LP entitled Concentration, available now on Tricycle Records. Concentration is a captivating collection of new-new-wave dungeon pop that combines the aural breadth of New Order, with the brooding intensity of Zola Jesus to create an album that’s as fitting on the dance floor as it is in the privacy of your bedroom while blaring through headphones.
Singer Mario Ruiz’s gently pleading chants express wary excitement–a skeptical enthusiasm for what lies ahead. In the track “Giant Summer”, where that highly anticipated season is treated as the greatest opportunity… for wasting time. Connor Alfaro’s steady, cavernous drumming shines on “Fangs”, complimenting the haunting bass line and creating an ambiance that’s entrancing in its repetition.
Ruiz and Alfaro seem most on point in “Cold Spots” and “Young Glitter”, the album’s most urgent, energetic tracks. Concentration is flush with iconic 80s synth timbres, but made to sound contemporary, more as a homage than a replication. Three instrumental interludes (all titled in parenthesis), are interspersed throughout the record, highlighting Teenage Sweater’s synth-school credentials and emphasizing the overall transient undercurrent or the album. In short, Concentration is indie dance music for hungry hearts, and a fitting title as they’ve clearly put some thought into its crafting. Stream the album in its entirety here, and don’t miss them at New Parish in Oakland on March 27th. -Andy Lambert
Burger/K Records 60’s pop darlings, The Shivas play live in Oakland, CA tonight. This nostalgic indie pop band has been known to play amazing live shows and is currently embarking on a 2013 Spring tour to promote the upcoming release of their new album WHITEOUT due out on April 30th. Make sure you make it out to Eli’s Mile High Club tonight to check out this talented rock group.
Eli’s Mile High Club
3629 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland, Ca
You can get details on the show and the line up here.
3/07/13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern w/ The Pharmacy
3/08/13 – Oakland, CA @ Eli’s Mile High Club for the worldwide burger party in every city with Cumstain, Sir Lord Von Raven and MOM
3/09/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell
3/10/13 – Tuscon, AZ @ La Cocina w/ Acorn Bcorn
3/11/13 – El Paso, TX @ Black Market w/ Apache, Bad Vibes, Glitz
3/13/13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW Burger City @ Hotel Vegas
San Francisco based, bi coastal indie rock duo, Wildlife Control has released a brand new single today. The new track is called Ages Places and it has been released in support of the band’s live musical appearences at SXSW. This new track is expressed to be written based on "modified haikus". Wildlife Control will premier the live version of Places Ages on stage at SXSW. You can also find this entrancing track on AmazonMP3, Spotify, Itunes and Rdio starting today.
A free downloadable version of Ages and Places is available on Soundcloud!
SXSW Show Dates:
March 13th – SoundCloud & Tumblr Creator Clubhouse March 15th – Official Showcase presented by CD Baby March 15th – 2:40pm: BPM / SDR 4th Annual SX Party March 16th – 3pm: House of Creatives Filming presented by No Shame
Popular SF based blues rock band, The Stone Foxes are set to headline The Deli Magazine’s UN/OFF party in Austin, Texes this year. The event is completely FREE, and will be held on March 15, 2013 at Rusty’s. Don’t miss The Stone Foxes tear the house down along with the amazing line up that will precede them!
THE DELI’S UN/OFF PARTY TWO STAGES
LOTS OF AWESOME BANDS 8pm-2am, Rusty’s 405 E 7th St Austin.
The Stone Foxes (SF)
Pearl and The Beard (NYC)
The Couch (Austin)
Friend Roulette (NYC)
André Obin (Boston)
Borrisokane (Austin)
Cultfever (NYC)
Old Blood Club (NYC)
Fan Tan (NYC)
San Jose natives and new post punk revivalist group, Bears! Bears! Bears! have dropped a new track from their recently released LP, All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go. This full length album was produced and mixed by Scott McDowell (Birds & Batteries, Geographer, The Stones Foxes), and embodies the bellowing echoes of tried and true gloom-and-doom post rock music. Bears! Bears! Bears!’s single, I Guess We’re Both Lonely is free on soundcloud, and is a testament that this up and coming rock band has a great amount of potential.
03/29 @ Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco
05/04 @ The Pancakes & Booze Art Show, Los Angeles
The darkly moving electronic/soul duo, Sister Crayon has relocated to the Bay Area and is intensely working to inspire their listeners with new music. Before revealing a new live sound, tour dates and details about their second full length album later this Spring, Sister Crayon has released the title track from their upcoming EP entitled, Cynic as an mp3 single. Cynic will be released on Fake Four Inc in April. Self proclaimed recluse, and the artistic backbone of Sister Crayon, Terra Lopez permeates beautiful and haunting vocals on the new single which creates a strong anticipation for the release of the full EP.
San Francisco based underground apocalyptic rock heroes, The Soft Moon have released a new music video entitled, Insides. Insides is a track from the band’s latest LP, Zeros (Captured Tracks), and was shared to accompany the announcement of The Soft Moon’s United States and European 2013 tour dates. Insides was directed by Jacqueline Castel, who also edited and shot the music video in the Mojave Desert. This beautiful and entrancing video marks a wonderful start to The Soft Moon’s 2013 endeavors. The band kicks off their tour today in Las Vegas.
03-06 Las Vegas, NV – The Beauty Bar
03-07 Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
03-08 El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
03-09 Denton, TX – 35 Denton (Denton Fest)
03-10 Norman, OK – Opolis
03-11 New Orleans, LA – Dragon´s Den
03-12 Houston, TX – Fitzgerald´s
03-14 SXSW – Club De Ville (Insound Showcase)
03-14 SXSW – Hotel Vegas (Austin Psych Fest Showcase)
03-16 SXSW – The Parish (Captured Tracks Showcase)
03-16 SXSW – The Elysium (Moog Showcase)
03-18 Kansas City, KS – Riot Room
03-19 Lincoln, NE – Knickerbockers
03-20 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
03-21 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
03-29 Aarhus, Denmark – Atlas
03-30 Copenhagen, Denmark – Loppen
03-31 Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser
04-02 Helsinki, Finland – Kuudes Linja
04-03 Saint Peterburg, Russia – Mod
04-04 Moscow, Russia – Artpay
04-05 Athens, Greece – Gagarin
04-06 Prague, Czech Republic – Meet Factory
04-07 Budapest, Hungary – A38
04-08 Zagreb, Croatia – Mocvara
04-09 Ljubljana, Slovenia – Menza Pri Koritu
04-10 Rome, Italy – Circolo degli Artisti
04-11 Milan, Italy – Elita Milano Design Week Festival
04-12 Bologna, Italy – Covo
04-13 Padova, Italy – Loop / Bastione Alicorno
04-14 Dijon, France – Consortium (Kill Your Pop Fest)
04-15 Paris, France – Trabendo
04-16 London, England – Islington Academy
04-17 Amsterdam, Holland – Melkweg
04-18 Antwerp, Belgium – Trix
04-19 Lille, France – Le Grand Mix
04-20 Amiens, France – La Lune des Pirates
04-21 Nantes, France – Stakhanov
04-26 Austin, TX – Austin Psych Fest
06-06 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex #
06-07 Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst Atrium #
06-15 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
06-16 Brooklyn, NY – 285 Kent (Northside Fest)
