Noise Pop: The Mountain Goats day show at Bottom of the Hill

It always feels a bit weird to come in from the bright glorious Sunday afternoon sunshine for a day show, but the Noise Pop set with the The Mountain Goats at Bottom of the Hill last weekend was so good as to make it worthwhile for the packed, all-ages crowd. The Mountain Goats played a rarely-seen three-show run at Noise Pop and this was the last -- a Sunday matinée, the early-bird special.

After this, I'm hands-down adding John Darnielle to my list of the best songwriters of our generation. The depth and emotional punch, and sheer beauty of these lyrics actually physically hurts at times.

You Or Your Memory (live in SF 3/2/08) - The Mountain Goats
(from 2005's The Sunset Tree)

I checked into a bargain priced room on La Cienega
gazed out through the curtains of the parking lot
walked down to the corner store
just before nightfall in my bare feet
black tarry asphalt, soft and hot
and when I came back I spread out my supplies
on the counter by the sink
I looked myself right in the eyes

st. joseph's baby aspirin
bartles and jaymes
and you
or your memory

I ducked behind the drapes when I saw the moon begin to rise
gathered in my loose ends switched off the light
and down there in the dark I can see the real truth about me
as clear as day
lord if I make it through tonight
then I will mend my ways
and walk the straight path to the end of my days

st. joseph's baby aspirin
bartles and jaymes
and you
or your memory


So Desperate (live 3/2/08) - The Mountain Goats
(from the new album Heretic Pride)

We were parked in your car
in our neutral meeting place, the episcopalian churchyard
I had things I’d been meaning to say
but in the dazzling winter sun that late
I could feel them melt away

and through the warm radio static
I couldn’t hear my stage directions
and the fog on the windshield
obscured our sad reflections

I felt so desperate in your arms

we were parked near some trees
and the moonlight soaked the branches in ever-deepening degrees
had my hand in your hair
trying to keep my cool
‘til it became too much to bear

when we cracked the windows open
well the air was just so sweet
we could hear the cars ten feet away
out there on the street

I felt so desperate in your arms


I like crowd singalongs, and you may find yourself marveling as I did at the enthusiasm of this group of Sunday show-attenders. Not only could they sing the whole chorus for John on songs like "You Or Your Memory," but listen to the performance of the title track off their brand new album Heretic Pride -- it's only been out for two weeks!

Heretic Pride (live 3/2/08) - The Mountain Goats

Everyone sings so emphatically. It kind of makes me look around and say, "Who are you people!?" I guess that's a sign of a well-loved band, one with the kind of lyrics you instantly want to learn by heart.


You can stream and download the entire show here.

[photo credits]

Crazy French guys, Stephen Malkmus, and the Great American Music Hall

One of the fangirl highlights of my Noisepopping this year was meeting some of the hilariously crazy French guys behind the La Bloqotheque site, home to those dizzyingly wonderful "Concerts A Emporter" (Take Away Shows), which feature exclusive content of musicians in random everyday settings playing their blessed little hearts out.

Whether it's The Shins on the springtime streets of Paris, The National nestled near a French chapel hidden up in the mountains, or Elvis Perkins serenading from an ornate lobby staircase, each of these is so wonderful that I anxiously await the next one. Therefore it was really hard not to gush like a moron when I met the pretty cool Vincent Moon (did you see his work on the new REM video?) and his enthusiastic associates (bonjour Chryde!).

My french language skills --yeah, not so much . . . but it looks like the Blogotheque team were busy bees during their week in San Francisco. I missed the show with Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks on Wednesday night, but look what they made for us! A montage of off-the-cuff R.E.M. covers, set to panoramic shots of one of the coolest live music venues in San Fran. Ridiculous:


Watch the rest of the Malkmus performances here, and what I can piece together of their other writing on the site almost makes me want to take a French class. Oui.

She & Him are very . . . nice

One of my most anticipated shows at Noise Pop this weekend in San Francisco was the M. Ward collaboration with velvet-voiced actress Zooey Deschanel called She & Him. I could hardly overstate the level of love I have for M. Ward's richly layered music, and Zooey has this fantastic retro-throwback vibe with a sweet coyness to her inflection. The samples I've heard from two of them have been promising.

And, let's face it -- much like the time I saw Russell Crowe's band at the Fillmore (that's Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts for those of you keeping track at home), everyone likes to go see a real live attractive movie star play with their band. It's why folks spend $40 to see Dogstar.

After three opening acts at the Great American Music Hall Sunday night, Matt and Zooey took the stage for their hour-long set. I gotta hand it to Zooey, she is a charming and capable performer who reminded my friend of June Carter Cash a bit, I suppose in her vocal swing. I'd never seen M Ward before but he clearly enjoys those sounds he coaxes from his vintage guitars, and sings his vocal parts with the gusto and expressions of an 80-year-old bluesman. It's fun to see them interact with each other, ending their main set on the piano bench playing the ivories side by side.

But somehow the visceral kick that I like to feel in a live show was missing last night. The overwhelming reaction I had when I walked out the doors was that it was nice, absolutely, and charming. It felt like a very engaging county fair act. They have a lot of potential as a duo, as their voices meld so well and offer each other a counterbalance. I've got the album at the very top of the stack of advances to take a listen to -- I am anticipating that I'll catch some layers of interest and depth in the studio album that I must have missed in the live setting.

The bloggers were out in force for this show, and as we all travel home, Aquarium Drunkard posted up a quick thought saying that the show was fantastico. The line around the block made this one of the hardest shows of the fest to get into, but I left feeling like I'd missed something in what was supposed to be the kind of glorious winner in the cool-kid olympics show of the year. It was fun. And nice.

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here - She & Him

Volume One is out on Merge Records March 18. Thanks to the dude with the iPhone in front of me who shared his clandestine pics.

Look ma! I'm a rock photographer!

If I could go back to my high school days and do one of those job shadow days again, instead of choosing a doctor or lawyer I'd pick to shadow a rock photographer. BUT WAIT. I recently got a glimpse of that good life, courtesy of Peter Ellenby, Noise Pop photographer extraordinaire, as you may recall.

Peter just sent me the results, and here are a few of the shots that I took with my own unsure hands. I think it's the coolest thing ever and love the way they turned out.

Noise Pop: “As soon as you’re born you start dying, so you might as well have a good time . . .”

Almost local band (Sacramento) Cake just blew my mind Sunday night, the perfect way to end six craaaazy nights of Noise Pop.

I’ve seen Cake thrice now and they never fail to pull off an excellent show, easily in my top 5 live acts (actually, probably top three). John McCrea is a fearless ringmaster of his own little circus, with a sardonic wit and perfect 800 SAT vocabulary to boot, and the band is tight and ace-rhythmic. The whole crowd was dancing just as hard as we could, and indeed you’d have to be dead not to want to join in. Check how they started their set:

VIDEO: Cake -- “Comfort Eagle”
(it stabilizes at around 20 seconds - aka I stop jumping)


If you’ve ever been around me while I listen to Cake, you’ll realize that it was a genuine sacrifice for me not to sing and dance my little heart out to this one, in order to hold the video camera (mostly) steady. I usually manage to dance to Cake even if seated.

Cake plays with no setlist, freestylin’ along as they feel the urge (much to the chagrin of some pugilistic and determined audience members, who seemed to think Cake was a jukebox for requests until McCrea shouted several fire-eyed "f*ck you"s in their direction).

We got songs from all the Cake albums, from the vastly underrated 'You Part The Waters' off Motorcade of Generosity, to 'Stickshifts and Safetybelts' (!!!), 'The Distance' and the Willie Nelson cover 'Sad Songs and Waltzes' from Fashion Nugget, delightfully lots off Prolonging The Magic and Comfort Eagle (my 2 favorite albums) – 'Love You Madly,' 'Mexico' (in lamentably forgotten 3/4 time signature) the fantastic 'Shadow Stabbing,' 'Never There' . . . and a few from the newest one Pressure Chief ('Wheels').

They also threw in some non-album tunes like their cover of 'Excuse Me I Think I’ve Got A Heartache' by Buck Owens, and mentioned that they finally have a "new" release coming out (independent, now that they are free of the indomitable iron will of the major labels – “You’ll never see us on Conan again!” McCrea defiantly pronounced) called B-Sides and Rarities. It’ll be available shortly via cakemusic.com.

You think perhaps that you are too cool to sing along at concerts? Not at Cake you aren’t, my friend.

McCrea never fails to lead the crowd in several extremely passionate participatory tunes, including 'Sheep Go To Heaven' and, my favorite, the “Na na na na nana, Na na na na naaaaana”s of 'Short Skirt, Long Jacket.' He splits the audience down the middle, and pits us against one another in a savage fashion (it’s like Lord of the Flies, really), taunting us (“They’re f*cking LAUGHING at you!”) to whip the crowd to a fever pitch. I think I almost bust a blood vessel in my eye, and probably made up for six days of fitness slackery with all the gleeful pogoing and hip-shaking boogying I could muster. What an evening. If you’ve never seen Cake live, DO IT. Get as close to the front as you can, wear comfortable shoes (I ditched my knee-high boots behind a speaker after about 5 minutes) and prepare to have one of the best times you can legally have in the contiguous 48.

The show was held in fine closing-night soiree fashion at Bimbo’s 365 Club -- the classiest live music joint in the city, bar none. It’s a 1930s dinner club that retains all of its elegance and suavity from that era, even down to the grand piano, the wooden dancefloor, and the row of angled make-up tables and attendant in the ladies’ bathroom. The walls are draped with swags of glittery silver fabric, and until recently, they also had the real, live lady-mermaid swimming in a fishtank. McCrea commented on the missing mermaid, and it truly is a crying shame. Not enough ladies swimming in tanks in today’s modern nightlife, I say.

The show was ably opened up by a trio of great bands, San Francisco's Scrabbel and The Botticellis, plus the effortlessly cool Money Mark. I liked all of them – here are some video clips:

VIDEO: Scrabbel -- “Rosamo”



VIDEO: The Botticellis -- new song


VIDEO: Also from The Botticellis -- “Up Against The Glass”

Money Mark was rad. I’ve spun his new disc Brand New By Tomorrow several times now and like it more each time. I caught part of his in-store at Amoeba Records earlier in the day:

Despite some keyboard malfunctions which prevented a successful rendition of his great new tune "Pick Up The Pieces" (which was co-authored with Jack Johnson), Money Mark pulled off a really good-spirited and varied set. He invited folks up on the stage to dance along and I almost, almost did. But the guy who actually did climb up and doggedly jogged in place, dropped for push-ups, and did jumping jacks far bested anything I could have come up with.

There was also diminutive curly-haired Hispanic fella standing next to me in a leather bomber jacket, bobbing his head and taking in the show. About halfway through the set, Money Mark notices him and beckons him to join the band up on stage. He climbs up, Money Mark hands him his sweet gold guitar, and dude jumps right in with the melody. Turns out it was Tommy Guerrero, who has collaborated with all those guys on stuff like the Sprout surf film soundtrack. Tres cool.

Here is the rather restrained opening tune - he launched into much more upbeat stuff after this, but I rather enjoy this good-day sunshine pop vibe:

VIDEO: Money Mark, "Color Of Your Blues"



They’re calling boarding for my gate now as I type this in the airport, so I should go. I’ve never figured out why everyone is in such a rush to pack onto the plane as soon as boarding is announced -- I always wait until the last minute. Less time in the sardine can, the better.

Bon voyage, San Francisco. Thank you for taking such good care of me and entertaining me in fine style. I think this was an absolutely peerless festival experience. I will definitely be back, because as Cake says (and I heartily second), as soon as you're born you start dying. So you might as well have a good time!

Listen to Noise Pop shows on LaLa.com

Since there were waaaay more shows to see at Noise Pop than humanly possible by one lonesome soul, I am excited to find out that LaLa.com is teaming with WOXY.com to offer several streaming sets that I wasn't able to attend.

Click on this page and select the little play button to the left of the name of each artist you are interested in listening to:

February 28th @ The Independent
John Vanderslice
Damien Jurado
The Submarines
Black Fiction

March 1st @ Slim's
French Kicks
Scissors For Lefty
The Oohlas
Magic Bullets

March 2nd @ The Independent
Autolux
Snowden
Malajube
Death of a Party

March 3rd @ The Independent
Clinic
Earlimart
Sea Wolf
The Mumlers

March 4th @ Bottom of the Hill
Midlake
Minipop
Ester Drang
Minmae

March 4th @ Bottom of the Hill
The Dwarves
Girl Band
The White Barons

Noise Pop: "I'm nervous when I'm near you, as if I have fallen ill"

Saturday night at the Rickshaw Stop was a beyond-sold-out affair of tightly wound and very playful tunes. The club is smaller than some yuppies' garages, all draped in red velvet fabric and strung up with globe lights with a stage barely elevated above the heads of the voluminous crowd. The indie kids turned out full force in their Vans, leggings, chunky glasses and skinny jeans, ready to dance. Featuring sets by The Old-Fashioned Way, The Changes, Dios (Malos) and capped by The Spinto Band, this was one show I was most excited about at Noise Pop. I was not disappointed.

The Old-Fashioned Way opened with an enjoyable set, and had the quirky dork-rock vibe down to a T. Their music was multi-instrumental and lighthearted. I jotted in my little notebook (yes, I took notes. With so many shows, my memory ain't what it used to be) that they sounded a bit like the rumbly baritone of Nick Cave meets the playful music and harmonies of Mates of State. There were seven members packing the tiny stage, with most of the girls in frocks that looked handmade and a frontman that defied typical lead-singer stereotypes.

Before the set by The Changes, I was flagged down by Noise Pop photographer Peter Ellenby, whose work I've written about here. He asked me to photograph the next set for him and handed over his camera.

I was a rock photographer for a spell, and was ridiculously excited, as that is a job I have long thought would be so interesting and cool. I perched atop a piano by the stage and happily started clicking. If only I had known better how to operate all the bells and whistles on the camera, I could have possibly done some neat things, but as it was I told Peter that I'd be happy if even one or two shots turned out worth keeping. I was so thrilled to get to try.

The music from Chicago's The Changes is infectiously good power-pop with hummable choruses and jangly guitars. I am expecting their album Today Is Tonight in the mail shortly, which was recorded at the same Chicago studio as The Redwalls. I hear a little bit of similarities in the vibe of the two bands, and I am looking forward to enjoying the entire album.

VIDEO: The Changes, "Water Of The Gods"


I was expecting a lot from Dios (Malos). They'd performed an acoustic set earlier in the day at the Noise Pop Expo, which I heard was amazing, and I've heartily liked all the studio material I've spun from them. They took the stage illuminated only by a garage-variety shoplight behind them, which lent the set an eerie backlit vibe and cast monstrous shadows (which were fun to watch).


Their performance was good but unfortunately not great, with the flow often interrupted by friends of theirs climbing on stage, or discussion about what to play next. I selfishly wished they had been a little tighter as they ripped through their set because they really are a quality band (with an animated drummer that I adore). Check his entirely translucent blue drumset:



VIDEO: Dios Malos



Spinto Band finally took the stage around 11:30, and they were jittery and spastic and insane. Made me nervous just to watch them, but in a good way, as if the stage could barely constrain their need-Ritalin exuberance. As they set up their instruments, I felt like we were preparing for a high-school battle of the bands, but despite their unassuming and freshfaced looks, these kids have all the pieces in order and definitely know how to rock a crowd.

They launched straight into "Crack The Whip" which is my favorite song off their excellent 2006 album Nice and Nicely Done, and it was all pleasantly upbeat sailing from there. Check this video from later in their set:

VIDEO: Spinto Band


I'd shell out to see each of these bands again, they were awesome. What a night.

Noise Pop: "I've got soul, but I'm not a solider"

Catching up on the Noise Pop coverage! It was a night of peace, love, and reggae rock Friday night at the famed Slim's (well, famed to me because I am a huge nerd and couldn't get over the fact that Pearl Jam once played a secret show there where they unveiled a bunch of Vs. songs for the first time. Sigh). The 4-band lineup was solid and very stoked to be there -- mostly straightforward rock from all participants to a willing and plugged-in crowd.

Street To Nowhere started things off with this (direct link):


I chatted a little with lead singer Dave (who I think is about 20) at the merch table after his set, specifically about music blogs and their band's cover of Hallelujah (which he said was featured on "some big roundup of a bunch of different versions of the song"). They had a good sound, I hope he didn't think I was giving him a hard time when I asked him point-blank what made his take on Hallelujah different and worth it; I was a little belligerent. No, actually I was nice, as always. I just ask the hardhitting journalistic questions.

I missed The Actual's set. Excuses and reasoning can be found below. Sorry, Actual.

The New Amsterdams were very good, and the studio material from their forthcoming album Killed or Cured sounds like it has a stripped/alt-country vibe, but that was kinda lost in the cavernous long hall of the club. It was rollicking. Here is a sample:

VIDEO: The New Amsterdams


The danceability and reggae grooves of State Radio was a surprise that I didn't expect, kind of like the homeless guy earlier that day on the pier who hid inside bush branches and jumped out at people as they walked by. Kind of like that. Except State Radio blended a mix of their politically-charged (anti-war) songs with a Dispatch tune or two (which were wildly well-received) and had some extremely enthusiastic, and bouncy, fans the whole way through. Maybe a bit too heavy for me on the "white guy sounds like he's from Jamaica, mon" vibe, but those guys are undoubtedly loved.

VIDEO: State Radio


Perhaps this is no reflection on the shows itself, but rather the (open bar) happy hour I attended beforehand, but I think I most enjoyed this part of my evening -- dude busts out with freestyle interpretive breakdancing spontaneously in the Diesel Store on Post where we were enjoying cocktails. I happened to have my camera out taking a picture at the moment, and had to share:


(direct link)

A later incarnation of this same idea ended with him sprawled backwards across my lap. It was soo random that it was rad.

Noise Pop: "Crank it to eleven, blow another speaker"

Any trip or musical stay in San Francisco would be sorely incomplete without seeing at least one show at The Fillmore, which has always been one of my favorite music venues. We have a modern ripoff in Denver that just ain't the same, so there is nothing better than both seeing a show in this historic venue, and also wandering the halls looking at the framed portraits of all those who have played there over the last 40+ years:

Plus I love the artwork in all the framed show posters (although I noticed that the best ones are higher up, I guess to prevent the kleptos from making off with the booty):

Last night at the Fillmore (again, PACKED) I found a dose of something that I've been missing all these years. The show with The Coup was amazingly good; absolutely infectious thumping beats, sick soulful samples, lyrical flow, oh my gosh. The indie-rock part of my brain that I usually use for writing lacks the words.

I felt overwhelmed in a good way; my synapses were overloaded. The music is hip hop with a political/revolutionary bent, but the band has a rock-band configuration on stage: guitarist who looked like he should be in Rage Against The Machine, insane bassist who really lays down his lines with style, and dude wailing on the drums. An integral part of The Coup is their DJ (female!) and for the shows they also have a singer/strutter/emoter gal named Silk-E who seemed to be having a very good time (and sang this solo song called "BabyLet'sHaveABabyBeforeBushDoSomethingCrazy").

Frontman Boots Riley danced with some fancy footwork and let his lyrics smoothly flow while he rocked the afro, the huge sideburns, and the velvet blazer. It was like Marvin Gaye fronting Rage with a little Parliament thrown in, and I was in love.

VIDEO: "5 Million Ways To Kill A CEO" - The Coup
This was up in the balcony when we first got there, and it's an awesome bird's-eye view of the crowd and the fabulousness of the evening. The guitar riff in this song has a distinct Led Zeppelin/Aerosmith vibe, yes?

VIDEO: "Laugh/Love/F*ck" - The Coup
According to The Coup, by doing the above (and also "drink liquor," as you'll hear in the song), we'll help the damn revolution come quicker. And when it comes, we'll all be too drunk, relaxed, and well-sexed to do anything to support it.

One of the best parts of their set was the female DJ Pam The Funkstress, who was getting soooo into her craft and thoroughly enjoying every single moment there on the stage and the reactions she garnered from the crowd. She also showed off her multi-talented self by scratching the records with her substantial breasts. Now that's some kind of female empowerment . . .

Lyrics Born truthfully paled in comparison for me, and I just couldn't get as into them after the marvelousness of The Coup. They were, however, FUN. I think in this video you can actually see the way the old Fillmore floor actually bounces up and down during really emphatic shows:

VIDEO: Lyrics Born workin' the crowd

And I do believe that if the world outside were collapsing, a wise place to head would be the Fillmore, where we could subsist happily for a long time on free, ice-cold, crunchy apples from the big vat up front. I've missed those.

Listen to more Coup/download: http://www.myspace.com/thecoupmusic

Listen to more Lyrics Born: http://www.myspace.com/lyricsborn

Noise Pop: "Your face was simple, your hands were naked / I was singing without knowing the words"

Last night was fantastic -- great shows in a great venue for my first night at the Noise Pop Festival. So far, color me impressed with this little fest.

My night began with an inspired set from local SF artist Ryan Auffenberg (well, actually it began with a protracted and painful search for a parking space where I would not get accosted or carjacked, which caused me to miss the beginning of Ryan's set). Backed by a full band and featuring guest vocals from Hannah Prater of The Bittersweets, Ryan turned out a polished and impassioned show to a near-capacity crowd.

The setlist was pleasantly longer than I'd expected (Hey Mona Lisa, Deep Water, Curtain Call, Be Kind, Under All The Bright Lights, Missouri In The Morning, Please Don't Go), and the packed crowd received Auffenberg very enthusiastically. It was good to see this talented artist getting such a roaring reception.

VIDEO: "Missouri In The Morning"


There was some overlap with Ryan and Josh Ritter upstairs in the Swedish American Hall and I extricated myself as soon as I could. Changing gears entirely, I left the sweaty, packed downstairs and tiptoed into a silent room with everyone in rapt attention to the folk troubadour onstage.


Josh Ritter is a bit of a stylistic anomaly, almost as if he were plucked from another era and dropped into 2007. His appearance definitely has this air of some hippie Irish minstrel with his enormous red curly head of hair and formidable 'stache stretching across his often widely-smiling mouth and cherubic rosy cheeks. Plus, he was sporting a cream pinstriped suit -- you don't see that often (unless it's in a tongue-in-cheek hipster fashion statement or a Floridian retiree).

Ritter is also a rare, rare performer in his obvious ebullience to be performing. As he weaves his intricate, literate songs on stage, he overflows with each lyric as if he were birthing every line afresh for the first time. There is no sense of a rote performance, and no indication that he's sung some of these hundreds of times. Instead, he radiates a palpable joy and a sense of barely-contained anticipation with each word that comes out. It was really a sheer delight to watch, and breathed new life into songs I thought I knew.

I was continually amazed by the lyrics of his songs all night long, feverishly writing down snippets that spoke to me. In fact, he even performed "Idaho" with all the lights in the hall turned off, which made each word just hover out in the darkness. He's gotta be one of the best lyricists out there.


(both excellent photos credited to Doug Rice)

VIDEO: "The Temptation Of Adam"
(new song from forthcoming album)
Ritter writes these almost mythical stories, always with apocalyptic overtones. This one smarted a bit with the way it ends -- tragic irony. More for listening than watching, video not so hot but hey, I tried.


VIDEO SNIPPET: "Wolves"
I wasn't planning on recording this, but he was just SO impassioned and into the song that I had to record it for myself. The camera work is pretty jumpy. Plus, those lyrics (see post title), that chorus. Amazing.


VIDEO: "Thin Blue Flame"
Interesting to hear this song in a solo acoustic setting without the thundering, building piano chords. Still striking.

5 Questions with Noise Pop Festival guru Jordan Kurland

Time is short 'til my departure to San Francisco (okay, via Oakland) tomorrow afternoon for the six-day fiesta of Noise Pop, the Bay Area's best independent music festival. Its proximity on the calendar to the pricey and crowded SXSW means that many of my music blogger friends are opting for Austin and not S.F.

I say: their loss.

Not that I wouldn't love to go to SXSW (and should probably start saving my kopecks now for 2008), but Noise Pop is just the right size, high quality, varied, and not to be missed. I'll be covering all the shows I attend for your musical enjoyment, and my distinct pleasure. Noise Pop kicks off tonight with a (filled to capacity) free show with Tapes 'N Tapes, and features a boatload of other fantastic shows highlighting a thriving independent Bay Area music scene.

Jordan Kurland and Kevin Arnold are the two Bay Area music lovers behind the fest, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. In February 1993 Arnold booked five bands into a small club and called the event Noise Pop. Since then, it's grown exponentially, and this year features over 100 bands, parties, independent films, panels, art exhibits and more. How did we get here?


5 QUESTIONS WITH NOISE POP GURU JORDAN KURLAND

1) When you started/got involved with Noise Pop, what hopes did you have for it -- did you ever think it would look the way it does now? How have those hopes crystallized or changed, looking back over 15 years?

I started working with Kevin on the festival in the fall of 1997 and we didn't really have a game plan other than to keep things moving forward and try to rope in some bands that we loved and admired. We slowly became more ambitious: introducing the film festival and Educational Series in 2000, doing a second festival in Chicago in 2000 and 2001, etc.

Over the last seven years these 'extra-curricular' things have ebbed and flowed but we have had a goal of making the fest more of a celebration of independent art and culture. Now that we have some great folks working on the fest year round we are actually able to try to achieve this with things like art openings and the Noise Pop Expo.


2) Also looking back over the past 15 years, name one favorite/most memorable/fantastic show that just sticks out in your mind.

Can I cheat and name 3? The below are in no particular order:

-Bob Mould at Bimbo's in 2000. Husker Du/Bob are undoubtedly, in our minds at least, the founding fathers of Noise Pop. Bob played a solo acoustic show (he was supposed to play some electric but the airlines lost his guitar in transit) and Kevin and I watched the show from the side of the stage . We were both extremely nervous when we approached him to sign a poster after the show.

-Creeper Lagoon/Grandaddy/Death Cab for Cutie at Great American Music Hall in 1999. This was back when Creeper Lagoon was considered the great hope of indie rock, Grandaddy's first album was just getting noticed in the states (it already had some traction in the UK) and it was Death Cab's second ever show in the Bay Area. It was exactly the type of balance we wish we could achieve with all the shows that we curate.

-Flaming Lips at Bimbos in 2006. The Lips had to cancel a show at Bimbo's on us in 1999 and their manager, Scott Booker, always said they'd make it up to us. Well, the stars lined up last year and their new record was coming out the Tuesday after the festival and the timing made sense for everyone. It was just magical seeing the show which had been tailored to much bigger rooms at an 800 capacity club.


3) The Noise Pop website is so complete this year, with links and mp3s for all the bands. How do you think that technology has changed the independent music scene since the inception of Noise Pop?

It used to be that the only way to hear about the bands that played the festival was college radio, press, clerks at record stores, and word of mouth. The internet has completely transformed how people learn about and digest music and has given independent bands and labels an inexpensive or free way to reach millions of people. Love 'em or hate 'em, sites like Pitchfork have the ability to expose a band to more people in one day than a label like, let's say, Absolutely Kosher, would be able to reach throughout a whole album cycle seven years ago.

I remember when it seemed unfathomable to think that Modest Mouse could sell 50,000 albums on Up Records in 1998 and now Joanna Newsom - a woman who plays harp and has no commercial radio airplay - has already sold that on her new album in less than six months.

Because I am an indie rock nerd or maybe just have too much time on my hands I often think about things like what if Neutral Milk Hotel was releasing "In An Aeroplane Over the Sea" today? It would probably rival the success of the Arcade Fire.


4) What is one thing that you'd like to add to the Noise Pop Festival in future years?

A Pavement reunion.


5) What are you personally most looking forward to at this year's festival?

Hmmmm, that's always such a hard a question and the answer varies from day to day. Right now, as I drink my morning coffee on the first day of the fest I would say I am most looking forward to getting some sleep next week :-)

************************************************************
Amen, Jordan. Anyone who has spent time with me out at night knows that my motto usually is "We can sleep when we're older." For my Bay Area peeps, come on out to Noise Pop this week, have some fun, and support local independent culture. Your ears & brain will thank you.

Here is the schedule of what I am planning on seeing -- and (!!) I just got added as a panelist to the Noise Pop Expo Sunday afternoon at the Swedish American Hall. Come listen to me pontificate about how to get your music reviewed in typical brilliant and enlightened form. Ha! I'm actually freaked out. So come cheer me on.


**Where I'll (probably) be**

WEDNESDAY:
Happy Hour @ Diesel Store with Rogue Wave DJ set
6pm to 9pm

Ryan Auffenberg @ Cafe Du Nord (previous post)
Under All The Bright Lights

Josh Ritter (acoustic) @ Swedish American (previous post)
Girl In The War


THURSDAY
Happy Hour @ Thee Parkside with photographer Peter Ellenby
5pm to 8pm

Happy Hour @ Diesel Store with Scissors for Lefty DJ set
6pm to 9pm

The Coup @ Fillmore (supposed to be "a standout")
My Favorite Mutiny

Lyrics Born @ Fillmore
I Changed My Mind (Stereo MC's Rattlesnake Remix)


FRIDAY
New Amsterdams @ Slim's
Heaven Sent

Street To Nowhere @ Slim's
Screamin (think Weezer)

The Actual @ Slim's
If You See Her

State Radio @ Slim's
Black Cab Motorcade

State Radio features Chetro of Dispatch - remember:
The General


SATURDAY
Dios Malos @ Rickshaw Stop
Feels Good Being Somebody (love this!)

The Changes @ Rickshaw Stop
Water Of The Gods

The Old-Fashioned Way @ Rickshaw Stop
Robot High

The Spinto Band @ Rickshaw Stop (previous mention)
Crack The Whip


SUNDAY
Money Mark in-store @ Amoeba Records (previous post)
Nice To Me (hey, this one's got harmonica by G. Love)

Participant in the Noise Pop Panel 3:30-5:30pm
"Indie Night School: Getting Your Music Reviewed Online & Off"

Money Mark @ Bimbo's

The Botticellis @ Bimbo's
Up Against The Glass (demo)

Scrabbel @ Bimbo's
Chicago New York

CAKE @ Bimbo's
Hem Of Your Garment


Wahooo!

Pants-Off Dance-Off, Noise Pop Edition

In the great tradition of intelligent, competitive entertainment (such as the shining beacon of light that is Pants-Off Dance-Off, or American Idol, or any other number of quality programs on the telly) I am enlisting the help of you, the reader, to help me decide what shows to see at the upcoming Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco (Feb 27-March 4). There are so many excellent offerings that I am a bit stumped.

On the superb show Pants-Off Dance-Off (that I was unfortunately exposed to one time, and summarily blinded for a week) all the people that you never wanted to see in various states of undress do just that for you. You get the nymphomaniac Ukrainian girl who thinks she is a lot hotter than she is, the nerdy computer programmer geek who thinks he's hilarious in his undies, or the sassy large lady who wants to broaden your horizons of beauty (and pretty much fails). The viewers vote and America Decides who they want to see take it all off on the website.

There should not be much pants-off dancing in San Francisco for me but the democratic model of you guys voting to help to decide my itinerary suits me well, since I'll be reporting back on the whole shebang for your enjoyment. Some shows I know for sure that I won't miss, but there are a few nights (mostly Thursday and Friday) where I could go either way, and that's where you come in. Please help me navigate the waters of grade-A indie rock -- have you seen any of these bands? As George Thorogood wonders, Who do you love?

Incidentally, if you live in the Bay Area (or need a junket), this is also a list of recommendations of where you should consider being in a few weeks' time -- tickets are on sale and a few shows are already close to selling out.

WEDNESDAY Feb 28
* JOSH RITTER (Solo Acoustic) @ SWEDISH AMERICAN HALL
with Will Sheff (Okkervil River)
Doors 7pm/Show 7:30pm

* WILLY MASON @ CAFÉ DU NORD
with The Watson Twins, Ryan Auffenberg, Built for the Sea
8pm/9pm

This means Wednesday (unless I can clone myself) I will have to miss covering the Sebadoh show at GAMH and John Vanderslice/Damien Jurado @ The Independent. Ouch.


THURSDAY Mar 1 (totally undecided)
My options:
* ROKY ERICKSON AND THE EXPLOSIVES @ GAMH
with Howlin Rain, Oranger, Wooden Shjips
7pm/8pm

* FRENCH KICKS @ SLIM'S
with Scissors For Lefty, The Oohlas, Magic Bullets
7pm/8pm

* LYRICS BORN @ THE FILLMORE
with The Coup, Lifesavas
7pm/8pm

* ALEXI MURDOCH @ CAFÉ DU NORD
with Aqueduct, Midnight Movies
7:30pm/8pm

* TRAINWRECK RIDERS, LANGHORNE SLIM (co-headlining) @ RICKSHAW STOP
with Poor Bailey, The Morning Benders
8pm/9pm


FRIDAY Mar 2 (completely undecided)
* VIC CHESNUTT @ SWEDISH AMERICAN HALL
with Zach Rogue, Thao Nguyen, Alela Diane
7pm/7:30pm

* TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS @ GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
with Georgie James, So Many Dynamos, Pony Come Lately
7pm/8pm

* STATE RADIO @ SLIM'S
with The New Amsterdams, Street To Nowhere, The Actual
7pm/8pm

* ANNUALS @ CAFÉ DU NORD
with Simon Dawes, Pilot Speed, Ray Barbee (from the surf movie Sprout soundtrack) And The Mattson 2
8pm/9pm

* JOLIE HOLLAND @ THE FILLMORE
with David Dondero, St. Vincent
8pm/9pm

* AUTOLUX @ THE INDEPENDENT
with Snowden, Malajube, Death of a Party
8:30pm/9pm

* THE DONNAS @ BOTTOM OF THE HILL
with Boyskout
8:30pm/9pm

* THE DANDY WARHOLS @ MEZZANINE
with Audrye Sessions, Elephone, DJ Aaron Axelson
9pm


SATURDAY Mar 3 (pretty set)
* The Art Of Noise Pop [Exhibit & Expo]
1pm to 6pm @ Swedish-American Hall

* SPINTO BAND @ RICKSHAW STOP
with Dios Malos, The Changes, The Old Fashioned Way
8pm/9pm

* CLINIC @ THE INDEPENDENT
with Earlimart, Sea Wolf, The Mumlers
8:30pm/9pm


SUNDAY Mar 4 (pretty set)
* MIDLAKE @ BOTTOM OF THE HILL
with Minipop, Ester Drang
12:30pm/1pm

* Afternoon panel with Indie Night School
3:30-5:30pm @ Swedish-American Hall

* CAKE @ BIMBOS
with Money Mark, The Botticellis, Scrabbel
6:30pm/7:30pm


My head is spinning.

New Noise Pop Festival confirmations & NEW Contest

The 15th annual Noise Pop Festival takes over the city by the bay (San Francisco) February 27 to March 4th. They've just announced some new confirmations to an already stellar lineup, bringing the current list of performers to:

Roky Erickson and The Explosives
The Ponys
The Dandy Warhols
Jolie Holland
The Donnas
Sebadoh
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists
Josh Ritter
Autolux
Richard Swift
Earlimart
Ghostland Observatory
Midlake
Hella
Vic Chesnutt
Lyrics Born
John Vanderslice
Spinto Band
Clinic

FULL SCHEDULE HERE

I am hoping to possibly come out for Noise Pop: My sister just got a job at Stanford and will surely need some help unpacking and getting settled and what better way to get settled than to see a bunch of awesome shows! Logical.

I wrote about Peter Ellenby's new book of rock photography, Every Day Is Saturday. I got the book for Christmas and I can categorically say that is awesome, one of the most interesting books I've read in a while.

The photographs open new ways of seeing bands I thought I knew, give insight into the artists pictured, and illuminate the vibrant music scene that comes from and passes through the San Francisco area.

The commentary accompanying the photographs, by author Christopher Slater, is top notch -- taking you behind the scenes of the pictures in the book in a very engaging fashion, and filling in the reader on the music world in San Francisco for the last 15 years. The segments documenting the rise of the Noise Pop festival, and Peter Ellenby's role as un/official Noise Pop photographer, are required reading. Here's an excerpt:

Noise Pop and the success of Ellenby's photographs opened up a much larger world for him, both professionally and personally:

"I really met a whole lot of people. We had so much fun doing this thing [the early Noise Pop festivals]. I mean, it was totally exhausting, but it was the catalyst. I realized, this is exactly what I want to be doing. Going to the shows, seeing amazing bands, finding new amazing bands, meeting new amazing people, meeting my wife. It's not just about music and photography -- it's about friendship and all this other stuff.

And it all started that weekend. I think it was four days. You know, like when you hear a song and say, 'I've been waiting for this song forever.' Or when you meet your soulmate, it's like, 'This is what I love.' It's so great to finally find that."

That beautiful passion comes through in this book, and frankly made me want to pick up a camera and learn how the heck to use it.

After seeing the faces of all these bands that I somehow missed and never heard, I also found myself curious about their music -- then I remembered that the book comes with a sampler CD of just that, tucked in the back. Fantastic soundtrack for a second reading.

If you'd like to check it out yourself, I have one extra copy of the book and CD to give away, thanks to a shipping snafu from Amazon. I don't usually run two contests at once, but since I am closing up that Lucinda contest on Friday (great entries, folks), I figured we'd start this one up.

CONTEST:
To win the Peter Ellenby photography book, leave me a comment with a link to view your favorite concert photo on the web. Doesn't have to be one you took, but you can upload your own if that's your choice. For example, mine would be this.

A little tricky of a contest, I know, but I hope to get some good visual responses. Also make sure I have a way to contact you if you want to win. I'll run this through next Thursday (Jan 18). Oh, and since I have to pay for shipping this one myself, only US peeps can win. Sorry, my lovely and respected international brethren.

Noise Pop 2007 in San Francisco: Initial lineup announced

Already forgetting the NYC industry showcase going on recently over at CMJ, I am excited about some initial festival announcements closer to home, regarding the West Coast's Noise Pop Festival 2007 (February 27 - March 4).

San Francisco's best "indie music festival dealy" for the last 15 years, early confirmations from this well-respected shebang are pretty impressive, and include Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Jolie Holland, Josh Ritter, Sebadoh (the original lineup!), John Vanderslice, Midlake, Vic Chesnutt, and Ghostland Observatory, with more artists in the works (ultimately they'll have over 100 bands).

In addition to your quality live festival music, one component that I thought sounded especially unique was the emphasis on the intersection of music and the visual arts. Taking over the fine Swedish-American Music Hall in SF on March 3rd and 4th, Noise Pop will be hosting an art exhibition, a local designer fair, and a rock poster art show.

The festival also has an educational series element, "featuring music, entertainment and technology panel discussions." Maybe one devoted to the implications and opportunities associated with music blogging? I could be biased, but I always find those kinds of panels to be the most relevant in this particular moment in music/technological history, especially if you want to talk indie bands trying to get their music out there. Sign me up! Finally, they also offer their respected Noise Pop Film Festival. I caught a few films and shows from this festival back before I was a music blogger (I think it was 2003? or 04) and I was impressed.

For full details, see the Noise Pop website. If you think you should be IN the festival, they are also currently taking submissions. Go for it!