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Friday, January 1, 2016
City Does Music Venues A Solid With New Noise Protection Law
Posted By Gary Moskowitz on Fri, Jan 1, 2016 at 10:00 AM
At 1015 Folsom, electronic dance music and international music can be heard in five rooms that, in total, can hold roughly 1500 people. The South of Market dance club has been at the same location for 30 years and is right in the epicenter of ongoing, much-needed, much-debated development in San Francisco. In the last few years, the city has changed height limits of buildings and re-zoned South of Market to allow for an increasing amount of residential housing developments of various heights in mixed-use spaces.
1015 Folsom owner Ira Sandler gets the occasional noise complaint from neighbors who live within earshot of the club's windows, but the club is considered in compliance by the Entertainment Commission, the city branch that, among other things, keeps watch over development projects near music venues and other places of entertainment.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Morning Music News Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister Passes, Kanye West is Named "Most Stylish Man," and Other Morning Music News
Posted By Jessie Schiewe on Wed, Dec 30, 2015 at 10:41 AM
Just days after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister, 70, passed away. Though Kilmister was given an estimated two to six months to live, he was also suffering from a number of other health issues, including diabetes, a heart arrhythmia, and hematoma. In recent years, multiple Motörhead performances had been cancelled due to his health issues, although Kilmister remained active in the band up until the time of his death.
In a Facebook post, Motörhead wrote: "There is no easy way to say this… our mighty, noble friend Lemmy passed away today after a short battle with an extremely aggressive cancer. He had learnt of the disease on December 26th, and was at home, sitting in front of his favorite video game from the Rainbow which had recently made it’s way down the street, with his family. We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words. We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please… play Motörhead loud.”
Motörhead drummer Mickey Dee has since confirmed that Kilmister's death will mark the end of Motörhead. "Motörhead is over, of course," he told the Swedish publication, Expressen. "Lemmy was Motörhead. We weon't be doing any more tours or anything. And there won't be any more records. But the brand survives and Lemmy lives on in the hearts of everyone."
In other news, Kanye West was named the "Most Stylish Man" of 2015 by GQ for the second year in a row. Perhaps this is not that surprising given that the artist was heavily invested in the fashion world this year (and, in turn, did not drop any new music...*sad face*). Not only did he debut his Yeezy label at New York Fashion Week this past spring, but he also introduced the world to his Yeezy Boosts (which instantly sold out).
Kanye received 520,119 votes for the title, trouncing other fashion notables, like Pharrell Williams and Jared Leto, not to mention newcomer (and vintage buff), Leon Bridges. "West had a dominant hand in defining how men wanted to look in 2015," GQ explained. "His elevated, athletic-inspired aesthetic is part of the reason the athleisure look hit critical mass this year (even landing the word in the dictionary)."
In the U.S., a turntable was the top selling home audio product purchased on Amazon for 2015. The Jensen JTA-230 turntable, which goes for $50 a pop, beat out a slew of wireless devices that were also a big hit this year. We already knew vinyl was making a resurgence: Vinyl sales between January and March of 2015 were 53 percent higher than sales from the same time period in 2014, according to a Nielsen report, and vinyl sales also surpassed 9 million units for the fourth consecutive year in 2015. The fact that a turntable beat out, say, wireless headphones or Bluetooth speakers, is merely further proof that vinyl listeners are growing in number. And, in a world where nifty gadgets and digital apps are the mainstream, it's pretty cool that retro, not to mention analog, devices are back in style.
Sources have confirmed that the legendary rock outfit, Guns N' Roses, will reunite and perform at Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2016. In fact, their performance at Coachella is purportedly only their first show in a string of additional concerts that will be taking place in up to 25 football stadiums across the country next year. The original lineup, including founding members Axl Rose and Slash, will be part of the reunion tour, which is a big deal considering that the two musicians have not played a show together since July 17, 1993 at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Last Night Live Review: Singer Shawn Harris Stage-Dove the Shit out of The Matches' Show at the Fillmore Last Night
Posted By Valerie Veteto on Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 2:00 PM
The Matches
@ The Fillmore
December 28, 2015
"This one's for L3. Hey, be nice to each other — we're all 30."
Shawn Harris, the singer for The Matches, is addressing a crowd of mostly 30-somethings who are crowd surfing on a Monday night at The Fillmore. I don't mean one or two were lucky and brave enough to be hoisted on-stage by stranger's hands — it looked like at least 30 to 40 fans were being propelled onto the stage, whereupon they danced with the band a little before being ushered quickly away by security.
New Year's Eve The 8 Coolest NYE Parties Happening in S.F.
Posted By Rae Alexandra on Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 11:00 AM
Depending on your perspective, New Year’s Eve is either the greatest party night of the whole year or an overpriced struggle to force fun on the world. Well, fear not, San Francisco, for this year, as we bid farewell to 2015, there are a plethora of amazing shows to assist you in welcoming 2016 with open arms. Here are our choices for the best gigs of the night.
Lil B
With: Kreayshawn, Kool John, Keith Jenkins aka Stunnaman of the Pack, Ashley All Day, DJ Slowpoke, Neto & So What
Doors: 8:00PM / Show 9:00PM
Price: $55 (advance) / $60 (day of show)
The Regency Ballroom http://www.theregencyballroom.com/
This All Ages extravaganza features a host of homegrown hip-hop talent, pulled together by Berkeley’s very-own Based God, Lil B, and featuring his Pack collaborator Keith Jenkins AKA Stunnaman of The Pack, as well as fierce up-and-comer Ashley All Day and Oakland’s Kreayshawn (yes, the “Gucci Gucci” mastermind is still here). Opening proceedings are DJ Slowpoke plus Neto & So What. This party’s gonna be lit, so get there early.
New Year's Eve / Show To Know The Stone Foxes: How One SF Band Made it Big Without Even Having a Label
Posted By Rae Alexandra on Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 9:00 AM
The Stone Foxes aren’t just living proof that rock is alive and well: They also stand as evidence that making a living as a band doesn’t always mean being dependent on a record label. For this San Francisco sextet, mind-blowing live shows, tenacious attitudes, and healthy doses of positivity have served them just as well. It also doesn’t hurt that their blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll has been picked up to soundtrack commercials for everything from Levis and Jack Daniels, to JanSport and BMW, as well as used on TV shows like Sons of Anarchy and Shameless. Frontman Shannon Koehler explains how the band, which is still independent, has made it so far on their own.
All Shook Down: With the state of the music industry today, do you think playing live is still the most important element in making a name for yourself?
Shannon Koehler (vocals, guitar): For us, being a rock ‘n’ roll band, the live stuff is huge. I love writing, but for me, there’s that special place where you can unite the crowd, and that’s my heart. When it becomes ‘We’re one group of people feeling this thing’, when you break all the walls, that’s what it’s all about. I think the live thing was enormous for us – just to find people that believed in us. When you find the people that do, you can create a team that won’t break around you, and that’s huge.
Earworm Weekly: Bette Midler and Wynonna Judd's "The Rose"
Posted By Lori Selke on Tue, Dec 29, 2015 at 12:00 AM
Local writer Justin Chin died this past week on Christmas Eve after suffering a stroke on December 19. Chin was gay and HIV-positive, born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore before relocating to San Francisco and joining the performance poetry scene in the 1990s and early 2000s. This is where I met him, sharing a bill in the early days of Writers with Drinks. He's the kind of writer that gets called “edgy” and “transgressive” because it's hard to convey precisely the kind of work he was doing. His pointed humor and supposedly outrageous antics weren't a cover for the raw vulnerability his words could bring; they were pointing right towards it. Chin loved to throw in all sorts of pop-culture references into his poetry. In a poem in his award-winning collection Gutted, published in 2006, he wrote:
Monday, December 28, 2015
New Year's Eve / Show To Know Old-Time Ditties Get a Modern Makeover With Shannon And The Clams
Posted By J. Poet on Mon, Dec 28, 2015 at 2:00 PM
Oakland band Shannon and The Clams made their mark in 2009 as a party band, with plenty of soul in the mix. They built their sound around the simple, emotion-drenched sounds of the ‘50s, overlaid with their own modern post-punk garage rock ethos. While their music echoes the past, its modern sensibility looks brightly toward the future. “Most of the emotions in today’s pop music don’t seem real,” says singer and bassist, Shannon Shaw via phone from her home in Oakland. “I know it’s a blanket statement, but songs used to be so unique and real. Today’s music is so restrained. It doesn’t sound like they’re singing about genuine feelings.”
Crime Ruh-Roh: City Attorney Busts Justin Bieber for Guerrilla Marketing Campaign
Posted By Peter Lawrence Kane on Mon, Dec 28, 2015 at 12:00 PM
"First I'll acknowledge / Your trust has been broken now."
So begins Justin Bieber's "Recovery," but it's going to take a lot of soulful longing and chillin' by the fire eatin' fondue for Bieber to make up with City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who is gunning hard for the 21-year-old Canadian musician after a guerrilla marketing campaign left S.F. sidewalks stenciled with ads for Bieber's album Purpose.
Lists Striking the Right Cords: 4 Great Wireless Headphones of 2015
Posted By Tony Ware on Mon, Dec 28, 2015 at 9:00 AM
This year, it felt like I didn’t even have time to blink before retail went from pumpkins to peppermints and flurries of Beats By Dre discounts started showering across the Internet like so much white noise. There is no perfect answer to “what to get the music lover in your life?” but what snags my personal endorsement in 2015 are wireless headphones that dump the cords without dropping any notes. So, whether you’re looking to give a belated gift or just invest in some new gear, here are some standout options that marry convenience and conviction.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Interview New Kid in Town: Rockabilly Artist Justin Townes Earle Moves From Nashville to Northern California
Posted By Tom Lanham on Fri, Dec 25, 2015 at 8:00 AM
For good reason, Justin Townes Earle has had one thing on his mind lately: family. At 33-years-old, the folk-rock son of alt-country renegade Steve Earle has been seriously considering his musical legacy (as evidenced by his two autobiographical companion albums, 2014’s Single Mothers, and this year’s Absent Fathers). In 2013, he also married a Gyrotonic exercise instructor named Jenn Marie, whom he met through friends from the band Lucero. The couple recently relocated from Nashville to a rambling old California Victorian “in an undisclosed location about four hours north of San Francisco, way the fuck up in the growers’ triangle,” he said.
Earle’s musical career started unsteadily, curtailed by his dad’s estimable shadow. He released a stylistically-muddled EP called Yuma in 2007 that had streaks of folk, country, and blues. His debut album, The Good Life, dropped a year later, but it wasn’t until 2010, with the release of Harlem River Blues that he found his laconic, loping style. The twangy, R&B/folk/retro country hybrid even won Earle an Americana Music Award in the Song of the Year category.
Along with a musical ear, Earle also inherited an outlaw spirit from his father who left home when his son was two. By age 12, he, too, had begun abusing drugs and alcohol and was soon carrying around a pistol for protection. “I was a dangerous man,” he recalled of those tough times, which landed him in a few rehab centers. Now, as he prepares to turn 34 this January, he allows that he’s “at a point where I, uh, smoke a lot of reefer, but it’s not ruining my life.” He won’t say “never” when it comes to anything harder, he added. “But I did get the opportunity to live through something that most people don’t live through, and you see a side of life that most people do not walk away from.”
Along with his new focus on family, Earle’s writing habits have changed with his new situation. He has a spacious office/retreat in his new house, where he’s already started crafting an even more elaborate concept album to follow Mothers and Fathers, which he initially wanted to issue as a double-record set. It’s desolate where he lives, he said, and he misses daily visits to his neighborhood Nashville bodegas. “Getting in the car to go get cigarettes is just uncivilized,” he sighed.
His marriage has also shifted things in his life, presumably for the better. “If getting married doesn’t open up new realms of thought, then you’re probably not going to be married long,” reckoned Earle, who was raised by his mom Carol Ann Hunter Earle, who often worked three jobs just to keep the clan afloat. “You’ve got to worry about another person – and the effects of what you do – in a very real way,” he continued. “This is not some girlfriend that you met at a bar where it’s going to last six months and you have no expectations. You are now building a life of your own, and it’s a much more serious proposition. You can’t fall back and go live on your friend’s couch. That’s just not an option anymore.”
It’s too soon to say whether kids will be part of Earle’s future, but it’s a possibility. “That’s the thing,” he said. “We don’t always know.” In fact, he’s not even sure if he’d make a good parent, adding that “we think we’re going to be good parents [and] we think we know what’s best, but we don’t know shit!”
Justin Townes Earle plays with John Doe at 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 26, at Slim's. $23; www.slimspresents.com.
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