Posts Tagged ‘Great Northern’
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Great Northern’s sophomore full-length, ‘Remind Me Where the Light Is’, is quite a fitting follow-up to the band’s debut LP, ‘Trading Twilight for Daylight’. The Los Angeles-based indie duo have always been alive with a pulse that beats with shoegaze spirit. Through its veins runs the lifeblood of an indie pop band not afraid to incorporate a synth wall of sound and a mod organ in consecutive songs. There’s a synthesis of keyboards and guitars, of vocals, of ethereal programming and huge drums; a solidification of lyrics centered on the ups and downs we all experience. Whether it’s through the upbeat My Bloody Valentine influenced ‘Snakes’ or the gorgeously haunting ‘Driveway,’ Great Northern soothes and shakes at the same time with grace. Well done.
Mr Solon Bixler (vocals/guitar) answers this week’s Kuestionnaire…with his caps lock on.
1. Of all the bands/artists in your CD/record collection, which one is your most cherished?
THERE’S A LOT THAT ARE CHERISHED BUT IF THERE WAS A CHOICE OF ONLY
ONE….AT THIS POINT….LED ZEPPELIN IV
2. What have you been listening to lately?
THE KILLS…LED ZEPPELIN….ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
3. What’s your favorite local band?
USELESS KEYS….SILVERSUN PICKUPS….THE MORLOCKS
4. What was the last show you attended?
PJ HARVEY
5. What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to?
RADIOHEAD at the HOLLYWOOD BOWL
6. What show are you looking forward to?
DEPECHE MODE
7. What musician would you like to hang out/work with for a day?
MARTIN GORE and or JOHNNY GREENWOOD
8. What four albums you would bring to a deserted island?
DEPECHE MODE(MUSIC FOR THE MASSES)….RADIOHEAD(OK COMPUTER)…HOWLIN
WOLF(ANYTHING)…..SMASHING PUMPKINS(SIAMESE DREAM)
9. Would you call yourself a music geek?
FUCK YESSSS
10. Any favorite music-related videos/DVDs you own?
I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART-WILCO
MEETING PEOPLE IS EASY-RADIOHEAD
TOURING THE ANGEL-DEPECHE MODE
11. What’s the last book you read?
BLINK(MALCOLM GLADWELL)
12. Do you prefer live performances or recording in the studio?
BOTH….IN THE STUDIO, YOU’RE UNDER A MICROSCOPE WHICH IS LIKE
STUDYING FOR AN EXAM ALL NIGHT STRESSED OUT AND NEVER
SLEEPING…..LIVE IS LIKE…..SCHOOLS OUT AND YOU FREAK OUT AND PARTY
ALL NIGHT….AND NEVER SLEEP.
13. Any embarrassing moments on stage you’d like to share?
WARDROBE MALFUNCTION….IN THE TROUSER DEPARTMENT…..NOW WE ONLY
WEAR PANTS WITH ELASTIC WAIST BANDS
14. Any favorite tour locations?
NEW ORLEANS
AUSTIN
CHICAGO
NYC
SEATTLE
and uuuuhhh….SAN FRANCISCO!!!!
15. Lastly, what have you done today?
LEAPED OVER A SMALL BUILDING IN A SINGLE BOUND
Great Northern – Story
Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch (Chin and Troublemaker Remix)
Tags: Great Northern, kuestionnaire, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, THE MORLOCKS, USELESS KEYS
Posted in Kuestionnaires, Music | No Comments »
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
Another eventful week in the Bay ladies and gentlemen. First off, tonight you have the 4th Annual D.A. Taylor Charitable Foundation Benefit at The Independent featuring Rogue Wave and Turf Yard.
Monday Camera Obscura spreads the love at The Fillmore, electro-wacko Patrick Wolf, Living Things, Jaguar Love and Plastiscines weird it up Slim’s, and Handsome Furs will be supporting their newest and best album ‘Face Control’ with railcars and The Cinnamon Band at The Great American Music Hall.
Tuesday hosts Neko Case and Jason Lytle at the The Warfield (which will be on Wednesday too), IAMX (Chris Corner of Sneaker Pimps) will be at Slim’s, and the brilliant Felice Brothers and Willy Mason are performing at The Independent.
Your Wednesday line-up includes an amazing show at the Great American Music Hall with Secret Chiefs 3 and Kayo Dot. Thee Parkside hosts Static Radio with No Harm Done and Jokes For Feelings, The Lemonheads headline at Slim’s, and dueling guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela and The Mother Hips will be performing at Mountain Winery in Saratoga.
This Thursday we have Canadian rockers The Constantines and Crystal Antlers at the Rickshaw Stop, Swedish indie poppers Love Is All at the Bottom of the Hill, M.I.A. protege Rye Rye at Popscene, and The Von Bondies and Audrye Sessions at The Blank Club in San Jose.
Friday brings the onslaught with powerviolence (yes that’s a real genre)/grindcore trio Magrudergrind at the Gilman St Project in Berkeley, experimental noise pop group Telepathe with Nite Jewel make dance at the Bottom of the Hill, darkwavers She Wants Revenge and Great Northern hit up Bimbo’s 365 Club, Norwegian electro-rockers Datarock play at The Independent, and Wallpaper. crash at the Rickshaw Stop.
click poster for more info
Hippie…err…Harmony Festival at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa is hosting a megaload of freespirited, earth loving, soulful, and psychedelic artists this weekend. You have Shpongle, Matisyahu, India.Arie, Balkan Beat Box, Michael Franti & Spearhead, ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Wassabi Collective, Steve Kimock’s Crazy Engine and DJ Gaudi all rocking out from Friday to Sunday. Let me take this opportunity now to mention that I hate Michael Franti. WTF is Rebel Rock? Really? Please stop this nonsense, it hurts my brain thingy.
Saturday is where the party is though. Au Revoir Simone and The Antlers takeover Bimbo’s 365 Club, garage punk wacko Jay Reatard and Thee Oh Sees perform at The Independent, and Papercuts will be at the San Francisco Amoeba Records at 2pm.
My highlight of the week is Bat for Lashes at The Great American Music Hall. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite female vocalists and is already at the top of my Best Albums of 2009 with ‘Two Suns.’ Expect a full report of the show.
See you out there!
Willy Mason – Sold My Soul
Love Is All – A More Uncertain Future
Telepathe – So Fine
Bat for Lashes – Use Somebody (Kings of Leon Cover)
Tags: 4th Annual D.A. Taylor Charitable Foundation Benefit, ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra), Au Revoir Simone, Balkan Beat Box, Bat For Lashes, Camera Obscura, datarock, Great Northern, Handsome Furs, Harmony Festival, India.Arie, Jay Reatard, Love Is All, Magrudergrind, Matisyahu, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Neko Case, Papercuts, Patrick Wolf, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Rogue Wave, Rye Rye, Secret Chiefs 3, Shpongle, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Static Radio, Steve Kimock's Crazy Engine, Telepathe, The Constantines, The Felice Brothers, The Lemonheads, The Von Bondies, This Week In Bay Area Live Shows, wallpaper., Wassabi Collective
Posted in Concerts, Music, This Week In Bay Area Live Shows | 1 Comment »
Sunday, May 24th, 2009
Well today is the last day of the San Francisco Popfest and probably the best day to attend one of the shows. After all today is Dear Nora, Eux Autres, ChEAP RED, Birds of California, and the ever so wonderful Botticellis at Café du Nord. This is a great opportunity to witness the best in local music and up and coming bands that you’ll be listening to later on because your friends told you to or Pitchfork gave them a 8.1 and you figured, “Hey! They’re good but certainly not the most innovative or cred-boosting I’ve hear this year.”
Right.
Anyway, you also have The Dears, Great Northern and Eulogies playing The Independent tonight as well as the biggest midget in the game Lady Sovereign and Chester French at the Rickshaw Stop. Monday, Flight of the Conchords and Arj Barker bring the laughs to the Berkeley Community Theatre.
Tuesday hosts Animal Collective and Grouper at the Fox Theater in Oakland. I’ve been waiting months to finally see these guys and hear the new tunes live. Could this be the best show of 2009 for me? We’ll see. In San Francisco, you have Boston’s Passion Pit rocking out at Bimbo’s 365 Club to a sold out crowd. I remember seeing them at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge playing for like 5 people and thinking to myself, “…cool.” Now look at them.
Wednesday I’ll be zoning out at the Mezzanine with M83 and James Yuill. I haven’t seen M83 live yet but from what I’ve heard they’re fantastic. Also St. Vincent returns to the Bay with Pattern Is Movement to play Bimbo’s 365 Club. I would have liked to go to see her but my heart belongs to M83 right now. Our good friends at Ears of the Beholder are going and will most likely be giving a report of the festivities. So stay tuned.
Thursday explodes with Black Moth Super Rainbow and School of Seven Bells at the Bottom of the Hill, the lovely Jenny Lewis at the Fillmore, The Prodigy at The Warfield, King Khan & The Shrines making noise at The Great American Music Hall, and Japandroids with No One and The Nobodies & The Happy Hollows at Hemlock Tavern. No lack of options here.
Friday Friday Friday! Wolf Eyes and Black Dice at the OCD Warehouse and Sun Kil Moon and Mia Doi Todd at The Great American Music Hall. I HIGHLY suggest attending Sun Kil Moon even though Langhorne Slim will be folking it up at The Independent. It’s tough, but a wise choice.
Saturday wraps up the week with indie-punks The Thermals at the Bottom of the Hill, The Roots at Davies Hall in San Francisco, and goth-tronic band Woven and instrumental locals Cloud Archive at the Hemlock Tavern. Woven made our top 20 Best Albums of last year with Designer Codes and are definitely worth checking out if you’re into dark electronic Aphex Twin vs Elliott Smith music.
See you out there!
Woven – My Conditioning
Dear Nora – My Guitar
Japandroids – Rockers East Vancouver
Mia Doi Todd – My Room is White (Dungeon Mix)
Tags: Animal Collective, Birds of California, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Botticellis, ChEAP RED, Dear Nora, Eux Autres, Great Northern, Grouper, Japandroids, Langhorne Slim, M83, Mia Doi Todd, Passion Pit, San Francisco Popfest, St. Vincent, Sun Kil Moon, The Dears, The Thermals, Wolf Eyes, woven
Posted in Concerts, Music, This Week In Bay Area Live Shows | No Comments »
