Symbols of the West came to San Francisco from Montana, so the pull of the rural and natural versus the urban and synthetic inspires much of their work. In this new clip for "Clarion," which premiered today on American Songwriter, Nat Kendall and Lauren Stark ditch the concrete jungle of S.F., row across the Bay to Angel Island (?), and have themselves a wild hilltop nature party with booming drums, waving flags, and sweeping views. It's a pretty spectacular video. The group's dreamy, synth-driven pop isn't quite as striking, but it makes a fittingly whimsical soundtrack to the childhood fantasy vibe of this very well-made visual. Check it out:
Scene Change: A few weeks ago, we ran a cover story asking whether the music scene in San Francisco is doomed -- whether high housing costs and the resulting exodus of musicians were drying up what has long been a famously vibrant scene. We got all sorts of answers, from "yes" and "no" to a whole lot of "maybe." We also heard about many efforts to improve the situation for music in San Francisco -- as well as ideas for even more action. Together with local music nonprofit the Root, SF Weekly held a panel discussion at the Chapel last week to talk about the situation. Here, after much discussion, is a partial, incomplete guide to current efforts to help music flourish in S.F., as well as suggestions on what else could be done, given varying levels of resources and political momentum. San Francisco may not be what it once was, but there are plenty of efforts to keep its music culture lively. These are a few of them... [continue reading]
Hey (heterosexual) women! Something really great just happened and we can't wait to tell you about it! Aren't you tired of all those silly conversations where you and your girlfriends discuss what you're looking for in a mate? All that talk about personality and humor and shared interests and ambition and blah, blah, blah. I mean, is that really what you want in a man? Is it? It's okay. You can be honest. Because -- I'm sure we can all agree on this -- truthfully, deep down, all we really desire in a relationship is to be reduced to a human accessory; an empty shell; body parts with no thoughts or personality of our own. What we really want is to be voiceless and on the arm of a man who has no interest in us other than how we make him look. Now that's a recipe for a long-lasting marriage! Are we right, ladies?
