Psych garage legend Roky Erickson makes his first album in 14 years with Okkervil River, plays The Fillmore with the band tonight. [SF Gate]
SF's Monarchs hire Mission day-laborers to star in a music video. [Mission Mission]
Hyphy's dead, but what are its stars doing now? (Hint: the Federation's Stressmatic is rhyming about how much "Being Broke Sucks.") [100 Grand On My Wrist]
Hip-hop, DJs, graffiti and lots of other fun at Eco-Fest in Dolores Park Saturday. [Uptown Almanac]
Barbecue, beers, and 13 bands: Operation Restore Maximum Freedom festival this Sunday in Davis provides a great reason to leave the city. [The Bay Bridged]
Pavement, LCD Soundsystem among June's hottest concert tickets. [7x7]
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One of my favorite albums from 2009 was the ambitious double-disc Toeachizown from future-boogie kingpin Dâm-Funk. Since discovering his debut full-length, I've made it a point to see every local Dâm-Funk performance I could, and I've kept my ears perked for any new sounds coming from the prolific musician. So you can imagine my excitement upon receiving news that the LA-based Damon Riddick had started a band--more like a supergroup, actually--with fellow funk futurists Computer Jay and J1, called Master Blazter.
To commemorate Blazter's formation, a mix of the three collaborating producer's signature styles was put together by their friend DJ Kutmah as an introduction to the magic the trio aims to create. Thick grooves are interspersed through 18 tracks, including a few choice Dâm-Funk cuts. The style of boogie and future-funk--a sound heavy with vintage synths, solid bass grooves, and analog drum-machine beats--remains consistent for the full half-hour, as does the slow-speaking computer voiced MC. The Blazt Off mix is more the soundtrack to a mellow night at home or an after hours hang out than a sweaty dance party. But I'll let you judge for yourself when you stream the mix below.
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Local pop songwriter Thao Nguyen of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down started collaborating with Glee's Dianna Agron over Skype, where they bonded over a shared passion for "singing and dancing." The result of those laptop chats is a video--featuring a lot of energetic lip syncing by a variety of people--for Thao's song "Body," directed by Agron.
In this clip, the pair introduces the video, which has the singer dolled up all glamorous, as a benefit for Oxfam. (The video premiered on Oxfam's site today).
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Summary: "They used to come from storks. But we ended up killing all the storks."
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Frightened Rabbit
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Fillmore
Better Than: Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre, and Lil Wayne.
In a recent blog entry, Scott Hutchinson of Frightened Rabbit lamented his own "certain brand of self-deprecation," and joked that becoming a professional rapper would allow him to express self‐confidence on stage "without coming across as a right cunt." Now, if last night's show at the Fillmore was any kind of indication, Hutchinson doesn't need any such career shift. His lyrics may be humble, heartfelt, and serious, but his stage presence is far from subdued. (In short, Scott, I think you could rock the heavy gold necklace and fur coat, should you so desire.)
Throughout Frightened Rabbit's 75‐minute set, Hutchinson stomped around the stage, railing on his guitar like it was an extension of his body. When he wasn't crooning into the mic, he turned to his brother, Grant, on drums and hammed it up like a kid playing air guitar.
"I never really thought I'd get to play the Fillmore, but here I am," Hutchinson announced after the first song ended in a crashing crescendo. Every song was an emotional journey, starting off meandering and reflective, only to build and explode into a shiver and shake finish featuring a ruckus of guitars, drums and harmonies.
The audience, which was the strangest mix of young and old I've seen in a long time, was nothing short of into it.
"This is exactly what I thought it would be!" A kid with braces announced after the first song, "Skip the Youth." Turns out he was with a high school jazz band from British Columbia - they were on tour, and their teacher had brought them to the show (no they weren't getting extra credit, they didn't think). Later, one of the kids would attempt to crowd surf in the middle of "Swim Until You Can't See Land" and fall on his face in front of me, only to get up on someone's shoulders, rip off his shirt, and whirl it around over his head.
Sean Hayes @ the Independent
The indie-folk scene has a funky pocket. The Be Good Tanyas get in it sometimes, and on his new record, Run Wolves Run, Sean Hayes is comfy in it. Sexed-up juicy dance jams aren't typical of musicians with a front-porch acoustic aesthetic, but he manages to further mix the styles. It's his signature move, and has been ever since DJ Mark Farina remixed his 2002 song "Rattlesnake Charm," throwing Hayes onto international dancefloors.
Run Wolves Run finds the local singer completely hopped up on both emotional and physical love, with the deep, sweet, soul-influenced opening track "When We Fall In," and the shameless "Open Up a Window," with its sleek pickup line "I want to stay up all night/Do you like a drug, fall asleep in the sunrise/Exhausted by your buzz." It's no wonder he's been compared to Curtis Mayfield; this is seduction music for people who are genuinely sweet on each other.
Laura Goldhamer & the Silvernail and DJ Harry D open for Sean Hayes at the Independent (8 p.m., $17)
