Selected SF Bay Area Events: January
I'm off to a slow start coming out of the holidays, but it seems that so is the scene in general. Not much is going on in the first few days of the month, but things really start to pick up after the first weekend.
My theme this month is variety: variety in what appeals to me, variety within shows. It's like a sampler box of Bay Area and West Coast music, which is perfect if you've made a resolution to see more live music this year.
Recommended bands are linked and bolded; click on the venue name for show information.
*hip hop* Sat, Jan 4, 9pm, $8 // Telli Prego, Peter Feliciano, Onewerd, BP & Praduh, Sean Dick @ Hotel Utah
born and raised in san francisco, telli prego creates hip hop with smart lyrics and good flow
*football* Sun, Jan 5, 12/1:40pm doors/game, free // San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers @ The Chapel
what? my football fandom may be sporadic and non-monogamous but that doesn't mean i don't like to watch a hometown team in the playoffs. also it seems like the chapel would be a fun place to watch a game
*post rock* Tue, Jan 7, 9pm, $8 // Wander, Balms, Airs @ Bottom of the Hill
this is embarrassing to admit, but i've been hearing the term "shoegaze" for years without actually associating it with any specific musical sound. maybe it's because i lived in seattle for so long, where "shoegaze" just seemed to mean "what people do as they listen to music." (joke: how do you spot an extroverted seattleite? they're the one staring at someone else's shoes). anyway, listening to wander, it dawned on me that, oh, this is shoegaze, because you get lost in the builds and swells that put you in a kind of a trance that would be ruined by eye contact or acknowledging your fellow human beings. with just a touch of metal sensibility, wander constructs music to get lost in. (EDIT: i've been informed wander is best classified not, in fact, as shoegaze but rather as post rock, so i apparently still have no fucking clue what that term means)
*rock* Wed, Jan 8, 8pm, $15 // Mikal Cronin, Cool Ghouls, Cocktails @ Rickshaw Stop
this show is part of the week-long 10-year anniversary celebration for the rickshaw stop, and this is a great line-up to celebrate with. mikal cronin is writing some of the catchiest rock out there these days and cool ghouls plays some solid surf rock. despite recommending cool ghouls a bunch of times, i've never managed to see them, so that's going to change this month
*indie rock* Fri, Jan 10, 8pm, $14/18 // Sea Wolf, Ghost and the City @ Great American Music Hall
sea wolf is one of those bands that i've always lost track of amongst all the wolves, owls, deers, oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and waves of indie rock nomenclature. but that is a shame, because they are really, really good and i’m kicking myself for not listening sooner
*dream/indie pop* Sat, Jan 11, 9pm, $8 // StaG, Tidelands, Dinners, @ Thee Parkside
stag is catchy dream pop; tidelands is intense, tightly constructed indie pop. this show seems like one of the best bets of the month.
*performance rock* Sun, Jan 12, 8pm, $16 // Leslie & the Ly's, Double Duchess, DJ Kidd Sysko @ Rickshaw Stop
if you've not heard of leslie and the ly's, let me give you a snapshot. leslie hall created and curates the mobile museum of gem sweaters, which also doubles as her tour bus. she generally appears in a skin-tight lamé body suit, despite having a sizable number of songs dedicated to pants. her first album was entitled "gold pants," and the remix album is called "songs in the key of gold." in other words, you should see her if you possibly can
*dark rock* Tue, Jan 14, 9pm, $8 // PSSNGRS, Face Tat, Casey Chisholm, Kid In The Attic @ Bottom of the Hill
here’s why i’m recommending this show: i like things that are starting out. i like things that have potential. none of these bands feel like they’ve quite hit their groove yet, but they also sound like something that’s growing. i like to support and observe the development of the scene. face tat taps into the appealing aspects of electronic music while remaining imaginative. their songs develop just enough that they don’t quite put you in a trance. casey chisholm sounds like a more chill diamond rings. these bands seem like they have growth potential, so get in on the ground floor and check them out
*indie rock* Fri, Jan 17, 9pm, $12 // Painted Palms, Soft Metals, Melted Toys @ Rickshaw Stop
painted palms plays catchy pop music with an ever-so-slight psychedelic edge
*indie rock* Fri, Jan 17, 9pm, $10/12 // The Hundred Days, Cosmic Suckerpunch, Blackout Party, Dogcatcher @ Bottom of the Hill
this is one of those indie-rock sampler-plates this month: there's probably something that you'll like, and something that will clash with your pallet. for me, what i'm digging the most is the hundred days, with their dancey hooks and new wave sensibility. blackout party is good americana/roots and dogcatcher is indie rock with a bit of a funk groove
*surf rock* Mon, Jan 20, 8pm, $12 // Pure Bathing Culture, La Luz @ The Chapel
la luz is a dreamy surf-rock band out of seattle who's album "it's alive" is going to be on heavy rotation on my playlist this summer. fun fact: i met some super rad girls at the filming of their video for "brainwash," in which we spun some hypnotic spinners (those are our legs around the 1:55 mark). pure bathing culture is also pretty, dreamy pop. this should be an excellent show
*indie rock* Tue, Jan 21, 8pm, $10 // Cloud Control, Body Parts, Wild Ones @ Rickshaw Stop
cloud control is beautiful, dreamy indie rock; wild ones is electro-tinged indie pop; body parts is more dancey and synth driven
*rock & pop* Tues, Jan 21, 8:30pm, $6 // Vision, O Presidente, Cobalt Cranes, Unstrung @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
this is another variety show, with lofi, high energy bedroom rock from vision; poppy college rock from o presidente; and dreamy female-fronted indie rock from cobalt cranes. vision and cobalt cranes are also playing on weds, jan 22 at eli's mile high club.
*dark & indie rock* Thu, Jan 23, 8:30pm, $6 // Kitten Grenade, Halcyonaire, Sad Bastard Book Club @ Hemlock Tavern
halcyonaire’s lofi, dark country rock album “dread hymn” has been on heavy rotation for me the last month and i've been wanting to check them out live. they'll pair well with sad bastard book club, which is shoegazey (see, i'm learning) post-rock with a hint of metal. this might be an odd match up with kitten grenade, which is, surprisingly, a ukelele-driven outfit who writes sweet pop songs. but hey, variety is the spice of life
*pop* Fri, Jan 24, 9pm, $12 // Dent May @ Great American Music Hall
dent may writes kind of silly but heartfelt music
*indie rock* Sat & Sun, Jan 25 & 26, 8pm, $20/22 // !!!, Fine Steps @ The Chapel
i wonder how !!! feel about having chosen a band name whose pronunciation must be explained in every press encounter (it's "exclamation point exclamation point exclamation point," i believe). anyway, they write high-energy rock music that'll get you dancing
*indie & electro pop* Fri, Jan 31, 9:30, $10 // Birdmonster, The Lower 48, City Light @ Bottom of the Hill
the lower 48 writes catchy, well-constructed pop songs with tight harmonies. city light is fun, electronic indie pop
*pop punk* Fri, Jan 31, 9pm, $10 // Japanther, Self Defense Family, Creative Adult @ Thee Parkside
japanthers is pop punk, but with fuzzed out vocals and more playful, interesting song structures. self defense family is like a poppier nation of ulysses ( i could only find their music on spotify so either go that route or take my word for it). i can’t imagine this not being a fun show
*rock* Fri, Jan 31, 9pm, $8/10 // The Kanes, The Wearies @ Hotel Utah
the kanes are solid rock, traditional rock
