If you have yet to make plans for this weekend, or more specifically this Saturday, then surely here is something that should be given a lot of consideration. Local blogs Kata Rokkar and Epic Sauce will be putting on an early show show, Saturday afternoon, featuring a collection of San Francisco and Portland Acts. Starting around 4 on the back patio at El Rio, and featuring free food and drinks specials, San Francisco’s Phantom Kick and Skeletal System will pair up with Portland’s Reporter and Spesus Christ to bring the afternoon noise. With what are promised to be ass-shaking DJ sets by Boyz IV Men and Soft Metals (as icing on this cake), perhaps this little event should be placed high on your weekend priorities.

–Ada Lann

On Friday, put your gloves on and head down to the Knockout where The Magic Bullets will be celebrating the release of their LP with Dreamdate, Wax Idols, and The Lambs, 9pm.

Alternatively, out at the Bottom of the Hill on Friday, SFIndie.com’s Summer Fest will be hosting Music for Animals, The Hundred Days, and the Foreign Report, 9:30pm.

This Saturday Social Studies, who will be celebrating their CD release early next month, will be playing at the Great American Music Hall with Au Revoir Simone and Alexa Wilding, 8pm.

Lastly, on Sunday Head up to Cafe Du Nord where Birds and Batteries, whose latest album is currently the Deli’s album of the month, will be sharing the stage with Grand Hallway and The Moanin’ Dove, 8pm.

–Ada Lann

Mark your calenders in advance for an early August all-ages show with a killer lineup at the Rickshaw Stop. On August 7th, Maus Haus, 60 Watt Kid and Montra will all help San Francisco’s Social Studies celebrate their second release Wind Up Wooden Heart.

The band has recently been riding on a wave of publicity from the first track released from the album "Time Bandit," a remix of which was posted as a free download on Filter Magazine last week.

Wind up wooden heart is officially available on July 27 from Antenna Farm Records. Preview the track "Holler Boys" below:

-Nicole Leigh

From the outset Business 80’s debut Strangers With Me quivers with a looming sensation of darkness. It oozes a sadness that lurks in the darkest corners of its sound. A collage of glitching synthesized sounds, live instruments, and ominously sung vocals, Business 80 is the latest project by local songwriter H.A. Eugene (whose previous creation, Burbank International’s City of Burbank, put him squarely on the Bay Area’s music scene map) and a dramatic turn from the tender folk sounds of his previous work.

A mostly electronic album, Strangers With Me is broken into three movements, each (for reasons not outwardly clear) named after Tenderloin bars (Koko, Hemlock, and Ha-Ra). With driving industrial rhythms and often piercing electronic squelches throughout Strangers With Me, apt comparisons to acts like Nine Inch Nails (or a much harder version of Depeche Mode) certainly jump to mind, peppered with a spirit of IDM from the likes of Plaid, Autechre, or even Squarepusher (maybe a stretch).

Opening amidst a wash of penetrating electronic sounds and almost choked vocal gurgles, the eerie and despondent "Koko" begins the section of the same name. As with most the songs on this album, an intricate depth characterizes the soundscape of this song, with multiple pieces waiting to be found amidst the layers. Trapped in a loop, the album title is repeated endlessly as the synth sounds punctuate the space of the song. The result of this, as the line "strangers with me" is muttered ad nauseum, is an unnerving level of violence to the loneliness evoked throughout "Koko."

"Who Died?" follows, and with it’s crescendoing viola line it may well be my favorite track on this album (the track that follows being a close second). Coupled with an ethereal-sounding arppegiated synth-line, and one of the more forceful and driving bass outros I’ve had the pleasure of hearing, this song really sends chills down the spine.

If "Who Died?’s" outro is an emotional ascension, "Mad at Nothing" is its zenith. Certainly the funkiest track on the album, "Mad at Nothing," if for its title only, really captures the spirit of Strangers With Me. There is a feeling of impudent rage that permeates throughout the narrative of these songs. From the anger and the drive that pushes the vamping repetition of the line "never learned shit, got stupider stupider," to the flailing rage that percolates from Mad at nothing, to the suffocating impotence of "Getting Sick for Real" and "This Place Where We Used to Play," there is an invisible force that torments the character of Strangers With Me.

All things considered, with its tumultuous layers of electronic sounds, Strangers With Me is an alluring and schizophrenic emotional ride. Peppered with rage, terror, loneliness and pure driven anguish Strangers With Me is a fascinatingly complicated album.

–Ada Lann

Note: Copies of Strangers With Me can be aquired at Business 80’s CD release show, at El Rio on July 1st, or for free by contacting H.A. Eugene here.

Well it’s the July Fourth weekend and surely a tough one for those playing shows. So, for those of you sticking around this three day weekend, and interested in some live music, here are few suggestions.

For what is sure to be a fuzz-tastic show, head down to The Bottom of the Hill, Wednesday the 30th for White Cloud playing with Dum Dum Girls and Crocodiles, 9pm.

Head out into the Mission on Thursday for a double release party at El Rio. The visual-heavy Red Blue Yellow will be celebrating the release of an EP along side Business 80 (celebrating the release of their debut album Strangers with Me) and Spiro Agnew, 9pm.

Friday night Strange Dogs, the bi-monthly all-ages noise/shoegaze show curated by the boys from Weekend, will be featuring Honey, Dadfag and Wax Idols at The Widowmaker Warehouse, 8pm.

Head down to Serra Bowl in Daly City this Saturday, where our friends at The Bay Bridged will be presenting Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps and The Fresh & Onlys. Free and all-ages, what can be better then bowling and live-music?

That about covers us for this week. Enjoy your Fourth of July weekend, and try to avoid blowing yourself up should you choose to play with fireworks.

–Ada Lann

Our most recent Deli SF Presents show began with a slight setback after we heard the unfortunate last-minute news that Meta would have to pull out of the line-up. In spite of that announcement, and with an air of laissez-faire for how the evening would unfold, Tokyo Raid and the Dashing Suns went on to deliver wonderful performances.

Summoning all the dark and brooding post-punk they could muster, Tokyo Raid took to the stage for an enthusiastic audience. A immensely powerful three-piece band, Tokyo Raid pounded out an impressive set that fused the pulsing drone of Joy Division with blues-inspired psyche rock. Layered with aptly placed shrieks of feedback, Tokyo Raid bludgeoned the crowd with their wall of sound that eagerly awaited dissection. An intricate tableau of tones and frequencies, Tokyo Raid is certainly a band for those with an inquisitive ear.

Closing out this fairly laid back evening were Oakland’s The Dashing Suns. Combining the power of punk rock with the youthful jubilance of 60s pop, The Dashing Suns exploded onto the stage in an exciting contrast to the preceding act. While similarities to the Kinks and The Troggs definitely jump to mind, perhaps an apt contemporary comparison would be the Austin punk band Harlem. Both groups exude an almost dangerous level of energy while maintaining something akin to childlike innocence in their sound. They have recently signed with a label in New York, and we’ve heard rumors of a new album soon to be released; lets all look forward to following the Dashing Suns on what should be a promising musical career.

With such intricate and fascinating music, this show suffered no disappointment in the face of a last minute cancellation. I thoroughly encourage you to check out Tokyo Raid and The Dashing Suns at the next opportunity you get; and stay tuned for the announcement of our next Deli SF presents show at the end of July.

-Words and Photos by Ada Lann

In places you should probably be news, tonight local Blog Kata Rokkar will presenting the second round of their series Snob Theater. Hosted by Kata Rokkar’s Shawn Robbins, at The Dark Room in the Mission (9:30 Doors), this months line up features acoustic sets by Stomacher and Judgement Day, as well as comedians Red Scott, Melanie O’Brien, Alex Koll, and DJ Real. For more information check out Kata Rokkar’s blog post. Tickets can be purchased here.

–Ada Lann

Summer is officially upon us, and for it’s first weekend here are a few shows you may well want to attend.

With a lot of this weekends action centering itself around the Rickshaw, start off by heading down there this Thursday the 24th for Man/Miracle, Mist and Mast, and Radar Brothers, 8pm.

Friday will see a double CD release party, again at the Rickshaw, with Minipop and The Trophy Fire celebrating their latest releases alongside Chasing Kings, 8:30pm.

A relatively light weekend this time around, finish off down at Bottom of the Hill on Sunday with a thoroughly packed line-up featuring Ty Segall, Grass Widow, Sonny & The Sunsets, and The Baths, 8pm.

Otherwise, let’s hope to see some summer weather a head (especially for Pavement’s reunion tour stop in Oakland on Friday… I think i just heard the Mission squeal in unison).

–Ada Lann

Bay Area record label Parks and Records is throwing in an extra bonus to pre-orders of the new album from Silian Rail [above]. Anyone who orders the instrumental duo’s latest release, Parhelion, can choose between getting a Shuteye Unison self titled CD or a Carcrashlander self titled CD for free – all for the very reasonable price of $8.

Parhelion is filled with the kind of adventurous [yet, melodic] instrumental wandering that has become the signature sound of guitarist Robin L. and multi-instumentalist Erick K. Together they manage to make songs that feel like a narrative; tenuously shifting enough without overindulging in an avant-garde sonic masturbation of sorts [which is sometimes my least favorite part about instrumental bands]. If you close your eyes you can almost see a short film unfolding.

The offer ends June 30th and as a bonus to your conscious and the earth, a portion of all sales at Parks and Records go to statewide and national non-profit park organizations.

Preview snippets of Parhelion below:

You Need to Download Flash to Listen to this MP3

-Nicole Leigh

In an effort to bring a little levity to these final (seemingly endless) workweek hours, the Deli SF would like to share with you this wonderfully silly fan-made video for a song off of My First Earthquake’s latest EP Crush (available for free here). Hopefully you’ve already got yourself a copy, and made it out to their release show last night, but if not enjoy a taste of Crush below (as well as the shocking special effects a little over a minute in… yikes!) with this video for the song "Neon for You".

–Ada Lann

Another week upon us as we trundle into the summer, and there are quite few shows ahead that surely would go to waste without your ears and attendance.

For some dark and brooding Joy Division-esque drone-rock head up to Kimo’s on Wednesday the 16th where The Sharing Type, newcomers to the San Francisco music scene, will be playing their first show with Portland’s brilliantly colored Pink Noise and Spiro Agnew, 9pm.

Thursday at the Rickshaw, get your best nerd-rock on with the forever bubbly My First Earthquake, who will be celebrating the release of their latest EP, with The Downer Party, and The Attachments, 8pm.  Should you desire, acquire yourself a FREE copy of My First Earthquake’s EP Crush here.

Close out your working week by loosing yourself Friday night in the swirling psyche sounds of the remarkably named LSD and The Search for God at the Hemlock.  They will be playing with The Meek and Fuxa, 9pm.

Lastly on Sunday, head back over to the Rickshaw to have your noise centers stimulated by Weekend who will be sharing the stage with New York’s thunderously loud A Place to Bury Strangers and Light Pollution, 7:30pm.

That about covers it for this week.  Enjoy your weekend, and if you still have some energy on Monday, Brian Jonestown Massacre will be playing at The Filmore.

–Ada Lann

It’s Wednesday and work blows.  What better way to stick it to the "man" (…man) then to go see some of that rocking and rolling music?  Well just for you, and the mid-week blues, the Deli SF has put together a wonderful show tonight, 9pm, at the Hemlock.  Come join us for the awesome sounds of The Dashing Suns, Tokyo Raid, and Meta.  You have no excuse!

–Ada Lann