World Famous In San Francisco

I forgot about this because this player wasn't working on my linux box, but it works on my Mac. Yeah, I think my description is accurate. Video is by some dude named J. Howell. Snagged this from here.

I got to the Eagle just as Traditional Fools started. I'm kind of glad I was wound up about getting to this show because I enjoyed this. They were fun, a party band. I mean, ok, it was just more garage stomp but they were cute, young, sloppy, enthusiastic, catchy and the songs are all super short.

So, Mayyors. This band has no website, is on a label with no website, and their debut seven inch is already "sold out". I think sold out is an exaggeration, I know it was for sale at the show as I saw that all black sleeve floating around in people's hands. But still, people were definitely buzzing. The eagle was packed. After the show, within ten minutes of posting the photos I had a spike in traffic. Whatever it is these guys are doing to get their name out there is working.

So what did I think of the show? I liked it. I enjoyed it quite a bit. "I liked this" is actually all I have to say. There are reference points, but my mind is content not to make the connections. Its like I'm stuffed after a big meal, but that doesn't really help you. I'll try.

This shit is rock (no roll). You know the sound; hard guitar, screamo vocals, tweaked screachy solos. The band is pretty severe on stage -- loud and kind of threatening. John Pritchard (who was in Sexy Prison which is one of my favorite band names) fronts this band, and his antics made me think of the singer from Hank IV. The bassist is aggressive with his bass. The guitarist, Chris Woodhouse, liked to come to the edge of the stage, eyes glazed over, zombie stance, and flatten you with guitar. When he wasn't doing that he was assuming some other insane position. At one point I saw him in the most severe Ramones stance (it was almost a split). I looked away for a second and when I looked back he was still in that stance, but the guitar was on his shoulders and behind his neck and he was still playing like he was Jimmi Hendrix or something! So, yeah. I liked this. You should totally check them out this Friday when they play the Hemlock.

If my tonsils weren't swollen and pussy (if you ask nicely I'll show you) I'd be at all three of these shows tomorrow.


Floating Corpses -- The Freak Mafia indeed.
Old Haunts -- On K records, but it sounds good.
The Divine Feud -- And I quote "the 90's... in a really good way".
4/22/08 @ The Hemlock


Triangle -- You know how sometimes a band will choose three genres on myspace and its ironic or silly or something? This is not the case with Triangle, 'Psychedelic/IDM/Soul' is accurate.
Robin Williams on Fire -- They sound like their name.
The Mae Shi -- Always on tour.
Pre -- Still high from their 4/20 show.
4/22 @ 21 Grand


wealthy whore entertainment - Dirty Hookers!
The Guitar Zeros - A Guitar Hero Band. SRSLY.
The Meat Sluts -- four tunnels of fun from San Francisco
4/22 @ The Knockout

I decided last minute to check out Tarantism & Snacks at the ATA with our East Bay correspondent Legs before heading to the Eagle for Mayyors. This was kind of a bad idea because once I got there I was super on edge about getting across town -- could you tell I can be a bit neurotic?? Anyway, I'm not completely paranoid but I think everybody involved with this show was out to get me. Like they knew I was being neurotic about getting to the Eagle. Right after we paid the door guy he told us that things were running a little behind and it wouldn't start for thirty minutes. Eventually, Tarantism showed some videos they made. First was a set of late night local tv commercial spoofs. Then an absurd surrealist thing that they made about Colonel Sanders visiting a fish tank and ending up in a meat grinder. To top it off they played an abstract laptop piece with video starring basic shapes in (mostly) primary colors. I liked the Colonel Sanders video, it had a very amateur aestehtic to it and it reminded me of ashley huizenga and hazel hill's halloween video. I also liked that the video accompanying the laptop piece ended with the message "Its Over". Its hard to tell sometimes, you know? Here's a clip from a DVD they have out, it pretty much sums up what they did at this show:



Then Snacks took a half an hour to set up a drum. I swear they did. The way the guy kept getting distracted I'm tempted to think he was really stoned, but it also lends credence to my theory that I was being tormented. But more likely he was stoned, I mean this is a band dedicated to and named after snacks. They always have a snack at their shows, something gross that you wouldn't want to eat (but people eat it). Tonight it was baguette, nutella, and capers/olives/mint. I couldn't imagine, watching them eat it made me queasy. It was so very post modern, just like their videos (which they could have started showing while they were setting up that drum but they didn't because the more I think about it the more I'm sure they were out to get me).

Actually, I thought their videos were really fun. The first one was this spliced up futuristic/primitive martial arts b movie that I'm sure is some classic I should know but with a new vocal track laid on top about an epic journey for octopus pizza. Kinda like that thing they used to do on that irritating improv show "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" or, probably more accurately, like Mystery Science Theater 3000. The second video was another spliced up superhero b movie. Instead of overdubbing it, they transformed the narrative by splicing in video of themselves on the phone speaking in tongues, laughing hysterically and seemingly arranging to have elepants attack a guy dressed up like superman. That description sounds terrible, but it was super engrossing.

Oh, wait. Both of these are actually on youtube, thank you amazing miracle internet:





When they finally got to the music I was so wound up about getting to the other show I couldn't really stay. I bailed when they switched from live electronics and drums to interpretive dance accompanied by bike horns.

Before these videos, I wasn't quite sure how to describe Bridez other than referencing Liza's old band So So Many White White Tigers. But after seeing the grainy TV screen quality of shake out my hair it clicked -- The Jesus and Mary Chain fronted by Jennifer Herrema. And not just because Liza works the same look. This is the nineties remembered by people who weren't even teenagers yet in 1990.

Till Your Dead



Shake out my Hair

PLEASE TO COEM! Hard place will have their new record (Get Your Hopes Up) for sale on CD and LP. There might be tshirts too. Everything for sale will have been pre-loved by the band in one way or another.

Bridez features Liza from So So Many White White Tigers and has a CDR out soon and people keep telling me that Easy Street can get any party started. EPIC WIN!!!



Hard Place
Easy Street
Bridez

4/18/2008
9PM
Smile @ The Knockout
3223 Mission St. (where misson and valencia meet)
$5

EZ JEWCE is our myspace of the week. My friend Julia is in this and she never lets me know when they're playing because she's afraid of ending up in our esteemed publication. I would like to see them so I am going to have to get proactive by putting them on the blog before I see them. PLS TO BE ON GUESTLIST NOW? THX.



From what I understand EZ JEWCE was started as a pretext to wear costumes, drink, and name their band EZ JEWCE. It turns out they actually really enjoy making an extreme amount of cut up noise with their turntables. Sounds kinda like Wobbly to me even though I can't find evidence to corroborate that. I like inexplicable reference points. Check the video!



http://www.myspace.com/ezjewce

There's a lot going on this week. On Wednesday Snacks and Bran(...)Posplay 21 grand. Snacks are a Baltimore duo who tape electronics to themselves and make squiggles and unholy snacks. Not electronic snacks either, food ones. Maybe its entertaining, maybe its stupid. The I'm going to find out!

On Thursday, at the The Terminal will be LA noise devastation dudes (with John Wiese) Sissy Spacek, Death Sentence: Panda! will do their tribal woodwind punk thing, Gerritt, Jason Crumer, and Chen Santa Maria (whom I always miss, but it sounds like they're still mining that post rock thing for new sounds. Be careful guys, a lot of miners are getting trapped these days!) . Also, there's the San Francisco debut of Mayyors (featuring Chris Woodhouse of FM Knives) at The Eagle, along with The Oh Sees and Master/Slave. Word on the street is that the first Mayyors seven inch is already sold out despite the fact that they don't have a website and neither does their label. Is the band that awesome or are they the kings of the 'buy now ebay later' scene (read: did they do a small run of seven inches and sell them to a large group of friends)? I guess you'll have to go and find out (I am).

Friday is a total unwieldy cluster fuck of a night. There's The Mantles and The Botticellis(record release) and The Papercuts at Cafe du Nord; Jucifer at the Uptown in Oakland; Buzzer and The Aerosols at the Hemlock; Club Sandwich at the ATA; Awesomefest featuring Girls, The Oh Sees and Port O'brien.

Its kind of overwhelming. The Mantles are solid, Buzzer features Andy from The Cuts and its fun enough, Club Sandwich has some interestingly sensual moshing that you simply have to witness, and if you read this blog at all you know how we feel about Girls. You should definitely check all of these bands out SOME OTHER TIME because Friday is the Hard Place record release party for Get Your Hopes Up



Hard Place
Easy Street
The Sarrees

4/18/2008
9PM
Smile @ The Knockout
3223 Mission St. (where misson and valencia meet)
$5

And if you just can't wait, or want to be able to sing along with every song, or you're obligated to be at one of these other shows but feel like you could be missing out on a piece of rock 'n roll history, you're in luck. The record is totally for sale on iTunes right now. Come on out on Friday and say hi!

As of the time of this post Sony's new gay label, music with a twist, had an access denied message up. I guess they're still in the closet? THATS SO GAY.

Come to the Eagle Tavern tonight for music instead. They're not in the closet and thursday nights aren't all about being gay (except for tonight. tonight its all about being gay):

Dorian Wood
Lucky Jesus
Carletta Sue Kay

I've been missing the myspace of the week feature, so I'm bringing it back. This week its Nero's Day At Disneyland. Yes, I know I already gushed about this, but I'm bummed because I can't make the International Noise Conference this Thursday at 21 Grand (!!!) where he'll be performing. Somebody go for me please, you will enjoy it!



http://www.myspace.com/nerosdayatdisneyland

The Mug Shot

If anybody deverves to be World Famous in San Francisco it's this guy. Matier and Ross, in this weekend's SF Gate, dubbed him "the fire-starting, tomato-tossing boyfriend of new San Francisco Planning Director John Rahaim"

His real name is Lance Farber, he's a chiropractor and wouldn't you know it, like me he's originally from Michigan. Those mid-westerners are such nice people. Salt of the earth and all. I have to admit, I love this guy. Who hasn't wanted to light their boyfriends bed on fire at one time or another? I have ever since I saw Farrah Fawcett in that awesome TV Movie.



I did a little internet snooping on Lance, found his New Age chiropractic website and this little graphic displayed on it made me chuckle:


It neatly sums up his alcohol-fueled lovers' spat (in court Farber pled guilty to setting a bed on fire and tossing an open can of tomatoes through the city's historic fire chief's house, staining the walls, causing close to $50,000 in damage). Think about it, the experience must have been "emotional", the damage "structural", and the effects from alcohol "biochemical"!

Friends and family insist Farber is no danger to the public and needs treatment for alcohol addiction. His pleading guilty has secured his release from jail. I think he needs to drop the "new age" spiritualism. That shit will make you crazy. I think the gay rock & roll community needs to show it's love and support for this guy. We should throw a benefit to help out with his legal troubles. San Francisco needs to show Lance Farber the love. Maybe Puce Moment, The Passionistas and Carletta Sue Kay could put on a show with proceeds going to Lance. I'm sure the 30 bucks we raised would come in real handy right about now.

Pictures from my Florida vacation.



Hi y'all. I'm back! Florida with the family was actually a heartwarming mix of mental illness, overeating, Alzheimer's, sunbathing, and alcoholism. I promised Jeremy Smears I'd post while I was on vacation basically laying around doing nothing the entire week but all of the above proved to be a tad overwhelming.




My parents 60Th anniversary was the reason for the celebration/get together. My sisters and brothers flew in from all over the country. (7 of us all together) My brother bought decorations and his little kids were so excited to put them up,


but they never went up. My mom declared that we all "shit on her" and refused to hang out with us. This meant my dad had to stay home and keep an eye on her. Some things never turn out the way you think they will! It was sad, no matter how much you prepare for it, your parents getting old is just not something you can prepare for. The following day Mom didn't remember telling us how disappointed she is in all of us and that we could all jump in a lake, she was happy to see me when I hung out with her on my last day there, she took me to the Goodwill so I could look for records while she scoured the knickknacks. After she bought a porcelain gravy boat with gold trim she asked me to hold it for her and a few seconds later questioned what was in the bag? "Did you buy something?" She had no recollection of picking it out and purchasing it only minutes earlier. Part of me identified, I find records I bought at home and have no memory of it, sometimes even buying the same record more than once, and it was weird, part of her is so lucid. My mom knew I lost a friend recently and she was so concerned for my friend Mike's family and made sure to tell me she was thinking of everyone and very sad at such a loss. Leaving for the airport, it was hard for me to say goodbye to everyone, tears unexpectedly welled up, but I am so happy to be home.

You know, originally I was just going to post about a few options available tonight but now that I have these three fliers in one place I wonder if I should do an expose on flyer design. Ok, specifically flyer design for the gay stuff. Everybody: there are options other than porn. Even if its extreme and amateur and funny porn.



Anyway, Anavan plays tonight at monthly beard party Trans Am. One of the dudes in Anavan runs eggcityradio and I appreciate all of the downloaded goodness I get from that site. Hard Place assure us the band is great live and I've been wanting to check them out since we had to leave before their set in Austin. Kdaija (who has no internet presence in 2008) and Ambrosia Salad will emote in wigs. DJ Dirty Knees keeps this party going every month. For completenesses sake I should mention Dee Jay Pee Play of Honey Sound System is playing too.


Club Feral is also tonight for those of you who are more gutter punk goth freak than beard fag. I like this club because they have a bake sale and I'm usually hungry. Death Of A Party, sexual terrorists Wealthy Whore Entertainment, the totally deranged Stalker Holler, and Goo perform. Plus, our buddy Gary Fembot from The Clap and Violent Vickywill be spinning records. Keep your eye on gary though, he's totally going to flyer you for his band's show coming up this Friday.



Doesn't Randy look great in that photo?? Carletta Sue Kay play tonight and they summed this show up better than I could:

lee is going to freakin' kill me. he just came home blasted. i made him something to eat. he told me to f@#k off then passed the F(%k out on our bed. i went to see if he was okay and he had sour cream ALL OVER HIS FACE. wanted to take a picture but in the end decided to be nice. instead ive opted to drink all if not most of his ardbeg. he's gonna KILL ME!!!! oh! right! we are playing tonight, saturday, at 285 9th street at the Nine Gallery. the sound is actually going to be really nice so COME ON OUT YALL!!!! it is absolutely, 100 per cent FREEEEEE, and...now im speaking to all my friend's livers....AN OPEN BAR!!!!!! AND, there is going to be some really lovely art and probably a few people who you quite likely would not introduce to your family. always fun. so come on out and hear our sad sappy songs. we love you....FOREVER...EVER....EVER...EVER....randy

Today we are (kinda) hip to the internet trends. A muxtape for you with some bands we've talked about over the past year. Except for the Hard Place and Mon Cousin Belge songs, both of which come from albums out on our label World Famous in San Francisco, these songs were all totally available for free on the WWW so don't get mad at me for stealing, ok?

1. Girls - Lust For Life
   
2. The Passionistas - Don't Hit Snooze (Live)
   
3. Hard Place - Mondays Are For Working
   
4. Mon Cousin Belge - Tweaker Bitch
   
5. Factrix - Splice Of Life
   
6. Bridez - Steal Drums
   
7. Sic Alps - Semi Streets
   
8. Fuckwolf - Mardi Gras
   
9. Jealousy - I Would Do That For Him
   
10. The Passionistas - Little Dark Room (Live)
    
11. Nothing People - Falling
    
12. Connie Fucking Francis - Where The Boys Are (Live)
    

What does everybody do when they gain some amount of success? Go back to their roots of course:

is happening July 17th - 20th. Allot smaller festival this year mostly focusing on local
musicians and artists.
Please apply online if interested in playing. www.mcmf.org
Accepting films and music.
Accepting ideas if you want to curate a night.
Please volunteer we do need help.

Thanks,
Jeff Ray

I've seen a lot of people bemoaning the state of SXSW. Its not as fun as it used to be. Its too crowded. The corporate sponsorships are too intrusive. And, worst of all, the music isn't that great. Well, ok. Its true. SXSW is way too big for its britches. I mean, this really isn't surprising. The festival is now old enough to drink, and twenty one year olds are troublesome when they decide to party.

Having never been before, I was overwhelmed by many of the festival's growing pains. From the desperate search for a hotel room, to the lines for shows, to the lines for after parties, to the bouncers who guarded the brightly colored wristbands that you needed to get into VIP shows (which, once you got into you couldn't figure out what the fuss was about). Its a bit much to go through just to see a few bands. Except that bands are so promotion crazed they're after as many shows as possible in four days. I heard some bands had show counts in the double digits. Its like sport fucking for bands! I noticed a lot of shows seemed to be under-attended, so in the end I'm not sure this strategy is really paying off.

Also, there's the joy of being in Texas. I know, I know, Austin is different but maybe the rest of Texas floods in for the festival to throw beer bottles at you for wearing white pants, or to hang out of their pickup trucks to scream at you that they (correctly) think that you're a faggot, or cosy up to you on the dance floor to try and chew (literally!) their way into your heart. But the real nail in the coffin for the festival was when the interactive section was added. The geeks are making their desperate grab for cool, and thats usually when you know its time to move on.

All of that aside, we still managed to have a blast. The trick is to go to the 'unoffical' events and bypass all the above silliness. These were much more laid back, friendly, and sonically interesting. I wrote a ton about The Smell/Deathbomb Arc showcase already but another fun showcase we hit up was the Social Registry/Cake Shop showcase which is pretty cool if you like some scuzzy modern psych (which I do). Speaking of, I was totally enjoyed Knyfe Hyts, one of the scuzziest, ugliest sounding bands. And they've got a look to match. Check out "Smoke The Milk" on their myspace page, it was seriously hypnotic live. Pictures!

You can read a little bit more about the video (and buy the album of course) over at our label website.

I dunno if you caught that in the last post, but World Famous in SF is now not only a trail blazing blog but (probably) your new favorite label. Actually, I think we've slyly referenced it a few times in the past. Those of you that have caught on already know that we have an awesome logo which was designed by Hazel Hill:



But we also have:

• An awesome website (http://www.worldfamousisnf.com)


• A spiffy new myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/worldfamousinsanfrancisco)
Sorry, yes we have to become friends all over again for a second time. Its going to be so fun rediscovering each other though!

• An awesome first release, Get Your Hopes Up by Hard Place which is out now and on sale over at the website
  


• More releases on the way from Mon Cousin Belge and The Passionistas

Ok, last post about this show, for real. Seriously though, it was super fun and its too bad we couldn't have all been there together. The Hard Place set was maybe up in the air as they didn't have, you know, like amps and stuff. But Devon Williams was a total super hero and lent the band, like, everything. Their live show is totally evolving -- moving from the territory of birthday party glitter and fake blood theatrics into a full on adult super show. At one point I found Actually Huizenga humping my leg! Being Hard Place's label I might be biased, but I thought they were super great. If that doesn't sound objective, just look at the photos!





Magic Johnson taught me something. They taught me that you can be avant punk rock and do an a cappella version of a dolly parton (ironic) classic. When in more punk rock mode, this guy would sing into his guitar pickups, which I found endearing. Sadly, no photos of that but here's one in more standard mode:



The last band I caught was KIT (sadly, I had to take off before Anavan). This band is a little on the aggro, screamo, nineties post hard core side of things which I'm not as into these days. But these guys were really great. I like bands that mingle with the audience while they're playing. I was particularly impressed by the guitar which was way catchier and more immediate than I remember it being on record. I wrote to a friend "You know what, I was wrong. They aren't too nineties sxe underground post hard core."

Aaron from Music stands for Comfort gives us us two cents on what IN and what's OUT at World Famous In San Francisco.