SFBG: Noise

Deer Lady: Sonya Cotton's 'Red River'

2009-11-08T03:01:11Z

SONYA COTTON
Red River
(self-released)

By Kimberly Chun

San Francisco-by-way-of-Connecticut singer-songwriter Sonya Cotton hails from the halcyon peaks of Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Judee Sill: she’s a songbird of a soprano, given to praise though drawn to the dark side of folk song. She contemplates the corpse of a doe on the cover of Red River, but rather than dragging the dead deer of genre up a hill and into new turf, ala Grouper, Cotton prefers to pay her respect to the past and observe tradition with reverence and careful attention. Her immaculate footprints: the three-part harmonies on “Bear” and spare arrangement of “Hunters.”

Sonic Reducer Overage: Alternative Tentacles, Pixies, Paramore, Finches, R. Kelly, and more

2009-11-06T01:26:05Z

By Kimberly Chun

You want to wipe away the gloom with some swoony, loony sounds, you know you do. More music than we could cram into ye olde newsprint.

Alternative Tentacles 30th Anniversary Incest-a-Thon
The proceedings kick off with Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine -- and it's going to be raging and ornery from the sound of the outfit's new The Audacity of Hype (Alternative Tentacles). The fun continues with Citizen Fish, Star Fucking Hipsters, and MIA (the hardcore band not the lady) opening tonight; Ludicra, Munly and the Lupercalians, and Knights of the New Crusade Friday, and Alice Donut, Victims Family, and Burning Image Saturday. Sounds like a good, loudly irreverent time for all. Thurs/5-Sat/7, 8 p.m., $20-$22 ($50 three-day pass). Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

Hank IV and Celine Dion
Hank Sr. gets a hard twirl in his grave, as the Bay Area troublemakers’ hearts go on. With Blues Control. Thurs/5, 9 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., SF. (415) 923-0923.

Dawes
The early-20-something LA foursome have been listening closely to The Big Pink -- namely the Band, not the UK 4AD duo. With Langhorne Slim and Austin Lucas. Fri/6, Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

Devo
Are they not new wave legends? With Reggie Watts. Fri/6, 9 p.m., $40-$75. Regency Ballroom, Sutter and Van Ness, SF. www.goldenvoice.com

Hallelujah the Hills
Devil and angels, watch out when the Misra band wields its trusty brass, plies its ganged vocals. With Mist and Mast and Pancho-san. Fri/6, 9:30 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., SF. (415) 923-0923.

Finches
The Bay Area combo flies in with its first show in ages, after nesting and recording a spell. With Little Wings and Mantles. Sat/7, 9:30 p.m., $8. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., SF. (415) 923-0923.

Gift of Gab
And gab the Blackalicious baron will, when he gets together with the Jurassic 5 jester. With Chali 2na and Mr. Lif. Sat/7, 9 p.m., $20. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

R. Kelly
“The World’s Greatest” just might give us a taste of his new ‘un. Sat/7, Paramount, 2025 Broadway, Oakl. (510) 763-7308, www.paramounttheatre.com

Still Flyin’
Turn out the jam-a-lams live -- the local party band wants to make that hang-over well-worth it. With Yellow Fever and Nodzzz. Fri/6, 10:30 p.m., $10. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.

Birds and Batteries
The Bay indie combo charges up for two sets at its EP release show. With Telegraph Canyon. Sun/8, 9 p.m., $12. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.

Pixies
Doolittle gets played, front to back. With Rain Machine. Sun/8-Tues/10, 8 p.m., call for price. Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph, Oakl. (415) 421-8497.

Pigeons Flight - Shakes Gown

Shakes Gown | MySpace Video

Shakes Gown
Members of Fuckwolf, le Flange du Mal, LSD and the Search for God, and Curse of the Birthmark wax experimental while tangling with vintage synths. With Panther and Death Sentence: Panda! Sun/8, 9 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., SF. (415) 923-0923.

Matt Melton’s Birthday
Should be a fun, psych dance-party for all, courtesy of the Snakeflower 2/Bare Wires brainiac. With Earthmen and Strangers, Nectarine Pie, and Becky Lee and Drunkfoot. Tues/10, 9 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., SF. (415) 923-0923.

Paramore
Move over Evanescence? The Franklin, Tenn., punk-pop darlings promise to make this date. With Paper Route and the Swellers. Tues/10, 7:30 p.m., $29.50-$32. Warfield, 982 Market, SF. www.goldenvoice.com

Saul Williams
Let the Afro Punk pow-wow wow ‘em, under the tutelage of Niggy Tardust. With Earl Greyhound and American Fangs. Tues/10, 8 p.m., $18-$20. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

Goldies Extra -- Ty Segall works out the kinks

2009-11-05T23:00:40Z

By Kimberly Chun

Ty Segall

It’s easy to imagine a battered and bruised zombie surfer hanging 10 to “Standing at the Station” off Ty Segall's Lemons, or the album's shaking version of Captain Beefheart’s “Drop Out Boogie.” Picture drag racing along to Segall's “In Your Car” and “Cents,” with the finish line at a fuzzed-out, frenzied Point Panic party. Deep-in-the-red ragers like “Johnny” take on hardcore’s crash-and-burn strategy -- tearing around on the edges of distortion on just two wheels -- while “Rusted Dust” strips it all down to Segall’s mournful falsetto and a single, evocatively ungainly electric guitar.

Lemons brought Segall together with the gloriously gritty Goner Records. “I actually just asked them if they wanted to put out my record,” he explains. “I didn’t think it was going to happen because I’ve been a huge fan for a long time. And they were, like, ‘Yeah!’

“I was super-psyched. I’m extremely lucky because they’re an amazing label.”

Ty Segall, "Lovely One"

It’s been a major evolution, going from Laguna Beach to Memphis. Segall first relocated North to attend USF, where he bonded with the rest of the Traditional Fools, bassist-vocalist Andrew Luttrell and guitarist-drummer-vocalist David Fox, who grew up in nearby coastal hamlets in Southern Orange County. “When we’re back at home, it’s like we’re all living in the same city," Segall muses. The Trad Fools didn’t know each other very well back home, but together, in the Bay Area, they started hanging out and jamming and, in early 2006, morphed into a legendary party band.

Segall broke away gently, on his own, after he released a cassette, Horn the Unicorn, on the Wizard Mountain label. “People liked it and wanted me to play live,” hel recalls, “and I was kind of freaked out about it.” So when Nodzzz asked the Fools to play a show at the last minute and the combo couldn’t get it together at such short notice, Segall jumped in to play a few songs on acoustic guitar. Having a foot free, the kick drum seemed like a good idea, and so ever the rock ‘n’ roll maximalist, he decided to throw that in as well. The one-man band was born.

Ty Segall, "Cents"

Why not go to the route of so many other single-musician operations out there and hoist a laptop onstage? “I like the way real instruments sound,” declares Segall. “I grew up listening to ‘Louie Louie,’ the Kinks, and stuff like that, old pop songs, and I loved how they sounded, and so when I started making music, I wanted to make that.”

Of course, now that Lemons is on a roll, he’s formed his own full-fledged touring group with Emily Epstein on drums, Tim Hellman on bass, and Sic Alps’ Mike Donovan on guitar. Coming soon: an album with his bud Mikal Cronin on Kill Shaman Records, surfing, job-hunting, and the solo disc he’s currently teasing out.

The new songs, he says, are “a little bit cleaner, which is nice because having stuff be blown out is really fun, but I think it’s easy to have something sound raw and messed up and have it be cool.”

Ty Segall

A tune might start with a drum pattern, then Segall might press record and write the rest of the song around the beat, but that’s only one fun approach. “I never try to record one way or else the songs sound the same,” he explains. “It’s always fun to experiment, and it’s kind of a goal. How can I put a soul song on this record, if it’s not going work at all? But if it does, it’s going to be so awesome.

“It’s like [the Kinks'] The Village Green Preservation Society [Reprise, 1968],” he continues. “All those songs are so different.” Is that something that Segall aspires to -- when in doubt, do as Ray Davies does? “No way, man, there will never be another Ray Davies,” he says. “But it doesn’t hurt to try a little...”

Goldies Extra: Saviours' Flying-V sign

2009-11-04T22:10:41Z

By Ben Richardson

Saviours. Photo by Magda Wosinka

Scott Batiste of Saviours is in a unique position regarding the band's transforming sound. Unusually for a drummer, he is also the band's primary songwriter, hammering out riffs despite his limited chops with a pick. Though previous albums were crafted on a bass, this year's Accelerated Living (Kemado) was written on guitar. “I got a shitty Flying-V copy and it just became my muse," he says. "I was playing guitar so much, just unemployed, sitting at home and playing guitar all day. Everything just came out faster, and tougher.”

Saviours, "Livin' in the Void"

Once the rough riffs are completed, guitarist Austin Barber takes over, acting as a sort of musical translator. The close understanding between the two is palpable in person, but bears its ripest fruit in the practice space. As Batiste admits, “A lot of the guitar playing I do isn't really decipherable [to the rest of the band].”

The arrangement has other drawbacks. “I feel like I can write myself into a box.," says Batiste. "I only write what I can play comfortably. I do it less now than with the earlier stuff.” Though he rarely has a drum part in mind when writing, Batiste benefits from a deeper understanding of the songs in rehearsal, which further stokes his creative fires: “On this record, I was trying to push myself on drums. I'm playing two kick drums, which I had never done before, and I was going down to the practice space, playing along to Motorhead's Overkill (Sanctuary, 1979), trying to learn the whole record.”

In the studio with Saviours

A change in percussive power is certainly noticeable, along with an improvement in every other conceivable metric. Though the approach is idiosyncratic, the strength of Saviours' shuffling grooves, the intricacy and melodic potency of their leads, and the arresting rawness of their sound all point to a band ready to escape their humble Oakland roots in the pursuit of wider renown. In keeping with their hedonistic lifestyle, their transformation into a bigger, better, faster band left no room for second thoughts. Says Barber, “we've played so much together, and toured so much together, there was no real discussion. It was just like, 'go!'”

Goldies Extra: D-Lo makes it hot...and wet

2009-11-04T02:39:02Z

By Garrett Caples

D-Lo

“Once I heard myself on the song,” D’Angelo Porter says about his studio efforts one night two years ago, “I was like, ok, that’s me right there.” He was right: thanks to “No Hoe,” the man known as D-Lo soon found himself a full-blown celebrity in various ‘hoods.

“In Oakland, I might hear whispers,” he says, “like, ‘There go D-Lo.’ But out of town, like Fremont or Sac, they be chasin’ me down.” One excited fan, encountering him at a gas station in Pittsburg, asked him for a hug, only to promptly “pee on herself” after receiving it. This ghetto Beatlemania hasn’t gone to D-Lo’s head, however, but only inspired him to grind harder.

Thanks to “No Hoe”’s popularity, KMEL found itself getting tons of requests for a song they couldn’t play on the radio. “They was telling me it was too vulgar,” he recalls, “too much cussin’ and all that.”

D-Lo, "No Hoe"

As implausible as it seems, D-Lo managed to make an acceptably “clean” version, which did receive airplay; he also put together a high-profile remix featuring Beeda, E-40, and the Jacka, which is spinning everywhere from San Diego to Vegas. One of the remix’s most fascinating features is the way all three veterans adapt their flow to D-Lo’s, partly encouraged by the beat itself, but also, one senses, because they want to try the rhythm out. This might be the ultimate complement to a young, homegrown MC.

D-Lo, "You Played Me"

“I grew up on hella Bay Area rap,” D-Lo affirms. “That’s all I listened to when I was younger: Keak, Jacka, RBL Posse. Mac Dre was like a big influence to me. Now I’m working with the dudes I used to listen to.”

D-Lo’s debut album is titled Undeniable Talent. “I go to YouTube and look at the comments,” he says. “People say I can’t rap, I just got this one song. That’s why I’m doin’ this album and showing people how I get down with this pen. My pen game right now is killing. Only features I got right now are Sleepy and [Mistah] F.A.B. I don’t want features; I want a song that’s hot.”

"No Hoe" remix video shoot

Armenian lullabies class 'orors' into Oakland

2009-11-03T20:22:37Z

By Caitlin Donohue

Apparently, perusing the “Lullabies of Armenia” Wikipedia entry did not leave me skilled in that particular musical school. No matter how many times I explained that oror means “rock,” to my boyfriend (making repeating the word crucial to any decent sleep-inducing ditty done in grand Armenian style), he was still loath to let me whisper it in his ear ad infinitum. Oror oror oror oror…

There is no accounting for taste. I am willing to allow, however, that there may have been an issue with my tone. Which is exactly why I need Hasmik Harutyunyan’s Armenian lullaby class, which will be held Saturday in Oakland as an opener to an evening of music as soothing as a mother’s womb.

“When I sing, my dreams take wing,” says Harutyunyan of her haunting melodies

Her performances, reinvigorations of the rich Armenian tradition of lullaby, have taken her all over the world. Harutyunyan has staged concerts with Yo Yo Ma and more recently, Kitka, a Bay Area women’s vocal ensemble who will play a concert after her attempts at teaching us mere mortals the skills we need to lull our partners to sleep after long days of Bay Area rat race.

In Armenia, the songs people sing to soothe their children to sleep speak volumes of their life during the day. They’re narratives, expressions of daily goals and traditional folklore. I am told that one well known theme is that of giving one’s child over to suckle at the teat of a mother deer, which I have no grounds for understanding but trust that the message has something to do with earth and nurture.

The recorded versions of the songs are simple and rich affairs with soft accompaniment by wind instruments or strings, whose strums pack even more vibration into the undulating, soaring tones of the singer. Packaged in an language unknown to most of us, this is the perfect slide into dream world.

“I learn what I can, and I remember when I sing.” Harutyunyan seems to have a grasp of one of humankind’s elemental needs; comfort. Good on us, Bay Area, that she’s giving us a chance to share in what she’s learned.

Armenian Lullabies Workshop
Sat/7, 4 p.m. (Kitka concert to follow at 8 p.m.), $15-$25
St. Vartan’s Armenian Apostolic Church
650 Spruce, Oakland
(510) 444-0323 www.kitka.org

Post-punk stirrings: Bellini and Sleeper peel back the mask

2009-10-31T20:40:03Z

BELLINI
The Precious Prize of Gravity
(Temporary Residence)

SLEEPER
Behind Every Mask
(Mush)

The return of David Yow and Jesus Lizard couldn't be better timed, judging from releases like Bellini's The Precious Prize of Gravity and Sleeper's Behind Every Mask: there's life in that post-punk corpse yet.

Working with old cohort Steve Albini, the Sicily-NYC-Texas-based Bellini growls like the dread ghost of Live Skull, with all the elastic power of Midwestern maulers like Jesus Lizard and Shellac. Vocalist Giovanna Cacciola croons and barks as if she's had one champagne cocktail too many -- in the bowels of hell.

Sleeper is more insinuating and less definable. These dusky ambient instrumentals seem to be fashioned with an ear toward both post-punk anxiety and brooding horror scores. Carlos Ransom puts his homemade instruments to good use, good enough to make me pick this up long after it's release earlier this year. Play "Witch Hunt" in the darkest corner of your Blair Witch basement tonight for All Hallow's.

Fela redux: 'The Best of the Black President' ushers in reissue series

2009-10-31T06:27:57Z

FELA KUTI
The Best of the Black President - Deluxe Edition
(Kalakuta Sunrise/Knitting Factory)

By Kimberly Chun

Ripe for revival and just in time for FELA!, the Broadway musical, as well as the real-life black president, Fela Kuti was a legend in his own time -- the fact that he passed more than a dozen years ago seems surreal. Watch him today on YouTube (below) or on the Slice of Fela DVD that accompanies the new Best of the Black President (Kalakuta Sunrise/Knitting Factory) and includes excerpts from the film Music Is the Weapon and a Berlin Jazz Festival performance. You'll get a glimpse of the visonary's shamanistic sonic power.

No need to rely on the visuals though - just let Black President's two discs' full of hypnotic grooves wash over you. "Army Arrangement," "Roforofo Fight," "Lady," "Water Get No Enemy" -- the first in Knitting Factory Records' remastered reissue series of 45 Kuti titles shines a light on his '60s band Koola Lobitos and takes you higher. Guarans. It's the first time all 45 albums will released on vinyl in North America -- something to look forward to in the next 18 months.

Here's a taste of latter-day Fela with Afrika 70, shot by Ginger Baker (not included on the DVD):

Sonic Reducer Overage: No Age, Soapbox, Emerald Triangle, Kawabata, and more

2009-10-29T22:43:52Z

By Kimberly Chun

Halloween and NYE -- yes, it’s amateur hour once again for non-locals, gawkers, and ‘burb brats. Still, ya gotta fill the void -- here are a few more ways that didn’t make print.

Art Brut
Are the Anglo-Teutonic arty farties the next best thing to poppers like Fountains of Wayne? With Princeton Fri/30, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m., $16. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.

No Age
The LA twosome skipped the Grammys for the road (“Best Recording Package?”). With Residual Echoes and Magic Bullets. Fri/30, 9 p.m., $16. Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell, SF. (415) 885-0750.

No Bunny
The ex-**Guardian**-ite has gotten real gone -- and will release his next disc with Goner Records. With East Bay Grease and Apache Dropout. Fri/30, 9:30 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

Melt Banana
Watch for low-flying shards of noise when the Japanese post-punk band melts down. With All Leather and We Be the Echo. Fri/30, 9 p.m., $15. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.

Soapbox Party
The renegade DIY-SF tradition whoops it up for its 15th anniversary blowout with an all-star lineup of Swingin’ Utters, Throw Rag, and Thee Merry Widows. Sat/31, 9 p.m., $16. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. (415) 522-0333.

Emerald Triangle Tour
Let’s get ready to rumble: Farmer Dave Scher of Beachwood Sparks and All Night Radio pulls a chokehold on Vetiver’s Andy Cabic, while Jonathan Rice grapples with Jonathan Wilson at this psych-folk throwdown. Mon/2, 9 p.m., $15. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. www.theindependentsf.com

Kawabata
The Acid Mother’s Temple founder goes it alone on guitar and electronics. With ?Alos and 3 Leafs. Tues/3, 9 p.m., $10. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. www.hemlocktavern.com

West Fest: The fun and the photos

2009-10-27T05:09:25Z

Text and photos by Lisa Weiss

Photos from the 40th anniversary Woodstock celebration at Speedway meadow:

“This is righteous! It’s a part of history!” Terry Kennedy makes up the seriously daunting security behind the scenes at this year’s West Fest. He, along with many of his fellow security handlers and 2B1 record employees, lent a hand to the celebrations to commemorate the majestic memories from Summer of Love and Woodstock.

More pix after the jump

Alameda All Stars got the crowd going and everyone dancing.

Connie Williams (left) and friend Cathi Richardson (right) showcase the clothing of Autumn Teneyl while reveling in the awesomeness of Jefferson Starship. Williams says West Fest 2009 revives “part of the history that was here in the ‘60’s.” Brother Reggie Williams and his wife were the owners and founders of the legendary Straight Theatre before “it was wrecked” by the city’s hand in demolition. The psychedelic venue was on par with the Fillmore and the Avalon in the late sixties.

Tom Miller, bassist for Alameda All Stars, kindly obliges to swarms of photographs and video fans as he walks off stage. Not the least bit thrown by having a string break in the last song, he stands in the mud and holds up his bass triumphantly. “It’s all great music! Boots put on a really great thing here, it’s like Summer of Love, but better organized.”

"This is a war on NARCS!” comes somewhere from the main stage. The crowd eats it up and basks in the shining afternoon sun, enjoying the down-home food, independent vendors, side performances, and endless glorious music sets of West Fest 2009.

Dreamy machines: Little Dragon roars

2009-10-27T04:36:24Z

LITTLE DRAGON
Machine Dreams
(Peacefrog)

By Kimberly Chun

“A New,” for sure. Dripping with mellotron sounds and windswept synths, Gothenburg, Sweden’s Little Dragon declares itself definitely, though far from overbearingly, with the opening track of Machine Dreams. Coming on the clicking, clamoring heels of its 2007 self-titled debut, this second full-length is an intoxicating sauce of synthpop bounce, faraway steel drum plonk, percolating bass lines, and Yukimi’s winsome, subtly soulful vocals. You know you’re in good hands when the ever-so-gently sharp synth stabs of “My Step” kick in. This is about machines blissfully dreaming of electric sheep, digital damsels, and Unix unicorns -- all bathed in enticing sweetness and light.

LITTLE DRAGON
With Nite Jewel
Nov. 4, 9 p.m., $20
Independent
628 Divisadero, SF
(415) 771-1421

Live Shots: Matisyahu, Fillmore, 10/22/09

2009-10-26T23:44:32Z

Text and photos by Ariel Soto

The Fillmore Theater was filled with yarmulkes and heart-pumping beats last Thursday as Matisyahu, a Hasidic Jewish reggae singer, bounced
his way across the stage. The eclectic crowd at the sold-out show seemed to represent everyone, from religious diehards to So-Cal blonds in high heels. Matisyahu's lyrics convey his strong religious beliefs, but somehow he's able to reach a broad and diverse crowd. With his long payots swaying to each reggae beat, one might imagine they were dreads and this was a Rasta show straight from Jamaica. But isn't that what makes going to see music so great? There are no rules, just pure creativity and a smorgasbord of cultures and ideas around every bend.

Live Review: Echo and the Bunnymen, Fox Theatre, 10/22/09

2009-10-23T21:08:08Z

Photos by David Schnur, text by Marke B.

Ian McCullough, dark and lovely

Somewhat surprisingly sprinkled with young fans, a rapturous crowd received '80s guitar-pop heroes -Echo and the Bunnymen with open arms and singalong voices at the Fox on Thursday. The two remaining Bunnymen, singer Ian McCullough and guitarist Will Sergeant, definitely still had it, recreating with ease the big sound and goth-romantic poetry that positioned the Bunnymen in a direct line from Joy Division to U2 -- even wearing more of their original influences on their sleeves, with covers of the Doors and Lou Reed and new material that reflected their admiration for Oasis.

The main attraction for this overdue valedictory tour was the inclusion of a 10+ member orchestra to recreate in full the Bunnymen's most ambitious album, 1984's Ocean Rain, which was just lovely, if the sound was a bit muddy at times. No one can resist the beauty of such tunes as "Killing Moon" -- if you were a kid when it came out, the spooky and then-unique juxtaposition of bunny drum machines, lunar jewels, strummed steel strings, and cosmic murder was mindblowing, and those shivers returned in ample waves here.

Will Sergeant, left, creating his indelible sound

If I was a little disappointed at the failure to really capitalize on the orchestra's presence and take the tunes into orbit (there's a lovely, churning bolero hidden inside "Nocturnal Me" just aching to be foregrounded and extended -- and I would have died fulfilled if they had included their most string-dependent, non-Ocean Rain work, "Never Stop"), the total outcome was riveting. I'm sure just as many in the audience were glad none of these pieces were "reinterpreted."

It wasn't until the second half of the concert, though, once the orchestra had been shucked and the collars loosened, that the real power of McCullough and Sergeant came to the fore, with the notoriously light-sensitive McCullough engaging in friendly yet uninterpretable Liverpudlian-brogue banter with the crowd, and repeatedly admonishing the light guy to "turn everything the fuck down" -- and switching between several pairs of sunglasses during the set. This is when the other hits started coming, including a pogo-ready version of "Cutter," its invocation against death made more poignant by the years and the death last month, in a motorcycle accident, of original keyboardist Jake Brockman. (Genius drummer Pete de Freitas also died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. Bassist Les Pattinson left the group in 1999, soon after its reformation, effectively extinguishing the original rhythm section that had made the Bunnymen post-punk dance legends. But the new guys here were good.)

That "big sound" soon rang throughout the Fox, and encompassed the old and new material, seemlessly incorporating versions of "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Roadhouse Blues," even Wilson Pickett's 1965 "In the Midnight Hour." The Bunnymen have been incorporating snippets of the Beatles, James Brown, and Nat King Cole(!) -- plus deconstructing "The Twist" -- in their songs since 1982, so this was nothing too new. But it felt more urgent, less snide. This tour has been heralded by critics as an effort by the Bunnymen to claim a legacy and reposition themselves on the rock continuum -- not just make middle-aged New Wavers get all oogy with nostalgia. This particular performance seemed to achieve all those things in spades.

The Rakes split, cancel Slim's show

2009-10-23T06:09:13Z

This in from UK band the Rakes' publicists:

"The Rakes have announced they are to split with immediate effect.

"The band who formed in 2002, came together as a foursome of childhood friends and kindred sprits and went on to release three critically acclaimed albums; the first Capture/Release in 2005, followed by Ten New Messages in 2007 and Klang (2009). Both the October UK tour and American dates are canceled, and full refunds will be given to ticket holders.

"A statement from the band reads:

"'The Rakes have always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100% to every gig we've ever played. If we can't give it everything then we won't do it. That was the rule we set ourselves from day one.

"'After much deliberation we have come to the shared conclusion that we can't give it 100% anymore and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day. We are sorry to let down all the people who were coming to see us on the UK & US tours. Writing your own obituary is a surreal thing to do but we want to give particular thanks to our much-loved fans, all the great people we've worked with over the years, our management and loyal record label. We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to write music together and perform around the world. Genuinely, thanks for the good times.... That was one hell of a party! But now, we really must get some sleep.'

"The Rakes were a spindly-framed quartet rising from the rented rooms of North London. They wrote songs unfashionably political and shot through with humour.

"The Rakes in turn were chaotic, charming, sublime and ridiculous.

"The Rakes were Alan Donohoe - Vocals, Matthew Swinnerton - Guitar, Jamie Hornsmith - Bass, Lasse Petersen - Drums.

"The Rakes third and final full-length album KLANG is set for US release on ITUNES Tuesday, Oct. 27.

"Produced within the four walls of a former DDR radio station in East Berlin, Klang, has been available as a UK import since March. It’s been over two years since their previous album, Ten New Messages (2007) and The Rakes have created their freshest, most innovative album to date.

"Reuniting with a fresh new perspective, The Rakes confronted the processes necessary in completing this album with careful composure. For starters, the song selection process was much more stringent and selective, with the overall sound focused around rawness and energy. 'The second album was all about trying to expand the sound,' guitarist Matthew Swinnerton admits. 'Working with producers like Brendan Lynch and Jim Abbiss. This one was in the opposite direction. That very, simple direct thing. Doing it in two weeks, a song a day, not embellishing things at all and just capturing ‘a performance.''

But perhaps the most captivating change for The Rakes that truly defines Klang is relocating to a fresh environment to record and produce the album in a Bauhaus designed ex-Soviet radio station in Berlin that was converted into a studio. Berlin, a scene filled with musical triumphs and countless musical rebirths allowed the band to write what they deem to be 'their strongest songs to date.'

"'The London music scene is so dull right now - it's like wading through a swamp of shit. We just wanted to be somewhere more inspiring,' said Rakes singer Alan Donohoe. 'Someone suggested Berlin. It didn't take long for everyone to agree, we packed our bags and moved here just like that. We love it.' The band spent much of the year darting back and forth between their home city and this fresh, seductive new location taking the four lads on an adventure that ignited a sense of gang mentality among the band, living in an apartment on Karl Marx Allee and seeking out new thrills together in a seemingly lawless, unique environment proffered by the German capital."

The Rakes were scheduled to play Slim's Sunday, Nov. 1. Contact the venue at 333 11th St., SF, or www.slims-sf.com for refunds.

Black men invade the Castro

2009-10-23T01:21:39Z

By Marke B

Bring Black Back to the Castro !! from STOP AIDS Project on Vimeo.

Does the title of this post shock you? It shocks me and I wrote it! That's because, if you've visited our faery-tailed gay wonderland of late (like, the past 30 years), you may have noticed a somewhat shocking lack of color on the streets and in the bars. Well, StopAIDS has been aiming to remedy that with OUR LOVE, a pretty rad outreach program to black gay men, which celebrates its 10th anniversary with, what else, a party this Sunday afternoon at the Cafe called Church -- drinking, dining, dancing, and general carrying on are on the menu.

OUR LOVE has been bridging the gay color gap with a number of cool things, including a roaming Blackout party, the last installment of which (viewed above) took place at the new Toad Hall -- an interesting choice, if anyone remembers the history of controversy between owner Les Natali and some members of the black gay community. Also: an upcoming "Black Men of the Castro" 2010 calendar, and a soon-to-be-launched social networking site for gay African American men, tentatively called Welcome to My Neighborhood. There's also a "procott" planned (as opposed to a boycott), which will bring masses of African American gay men to visit business in the Castro. Plus: A mess o' more.

"What does all this have to do with stopping AIDS?" I asked Jason Riggs, the deputy director of StopAIDS. "What we've found from years of study is that bisolation and depression are huge factors in HIV transmission," he told me. We're trying to make contact, and connect people more to their own communities to lessen that sense of isolation."

Why the Castro, though? Many queers like me don't even go there not so much because of its heterogeneity -- although that's a big factor -- but because it's so, er, gross. "The people I've talked to have a lot of different perspectives about that," Riggs replied. "Which is what we're encouraging -- different perspectives. But most say that they realize the Castro is our symbolic and functional gay neighborhood, and there's no reason any gay person should feel excluded from that."

Personally, I've been encouraged at the increase of Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, and even black faces that I've seen on the few occasions I've ventured into the Castro's nether regions. Compared to the '90s there's certainly some more mix going on. Does it come even remotely close to replicating the actual ratios of people of color in the gay community? Not a whit. So bring on the black men, I say, and let's keep it up.

Now, what about queer women?

CHURCH
Sun/25, 1pm-5pm, free
The Cafe
2367 Market, SF.
More info here
www.stopaids.org