Little Dragon Review - Glide Magazine

The Swedes were recently in town to bring us into their musical world a few weeks ago, and a sold-out crowd at the Independent was there to soak up every second of it. Little Dragon is a strange little band that excels in synthy, detached pop, and though their live show left a bit to be desired, their music as a while is thoroughly unique and worth seeking out.

Amidst all the bloops and bleeps was the soaring voice of Yukimi Nagano, who's melodies soared over the weirdness of the music. At their best, Little Dragon make you feel like you're floating around in a frigid deep space party -- it's funky, but spacious and cold as ice.

Here's the write-up at Glide:

Little Dragon :: 02.04.11 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA

One of their best tunes is "Runabout," and this performance gives a good sense of the unique qualities this band has to offer:



"My Step" included some nice Prince-like synths in there, too:

Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute Review - Jambase.com

Writing about instrumental music ain't easy. Especially exploratory, free-jazz-mind-fuck-fusion. Thus was my challenge when presented with the opportunity to cover and adequately express the music of Spectrum Road on paper. This supergroup of virtuosos has recently come together to pay homage to the inventor of Jazz-Rock, drummer Tony Williams, and the result is astounding.

I caught this band in Oaktown on a Wednesday night, and they proceeded to blow the tiny room away with furious playing, heavy riffage, and cerebral excursions into the outer realms of improv. With this much talent on one stage, it could have easily turned into a battle of egos butting heads together, but the musicians played with sympathy respect for each other's strengths, resulting in a mind-blowing set of agile jazz-rock.

Here's my review of the show over at Jambase:

Spectrum Road :: 02.03.11 :: Yoshi's :: Oakland, CA

This is just a small example of the musical boundaries these guys were pushing all night. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart, or those with ADD...



But the real star of the show was Cindy Blackman-Santana, the goddess drummer in pearls. Here's a good example of what this woman is capable of with two sticks in her hands:

The Budos Band Review - Glide Magazine

The turn of the new year always brings lots and lots of great touring bands to the Bay Area, and there's no better way to dive into twenty-one-one than with a great big heaping slab of FUNK. That is just what Staten Island's The Budos Band brought to the Independent for a two-day run of deep, dark grooves. Equipped with a four-piece percussion section, these Daptone Records recording artists were here to slay, and they dug deep to bring it hard to a sweaty mass of revelers. Who needs vocals when you've got nine dudes deep in the pocket rockin' your socks off?

Here's my take on the relentless party that these guys busted out last Friday night. Glide Magazine has the scoop:

The Budos Band :: 01.15.11 :: The Independent :: San Francisco, CA

For a little taste of the fires that those who go by Budos are able to conjure up, take a gander at these here moving pictures. Gamin' on ya!

Merry (Acapella Toto) Christmas!

Here's a little cheesy camp for ya on Christmas. I know that I already posted acapella Toto here, but this one is especially appropriate...

The Voice of Keith Richards

With his new impossibly detailed autobiography flying off the shelves over the past month, Keith Richards has been on the top of our collective minds more than ever lately. Having read some of the book (or rather, listened to the audiobook narrated by Johnny Depp), I've found the candor with which Richards describes the depravity of his addict years with The Stones surprising, to say the least. He comes across as totally honest with himself when it comes to his mistakes and shortcomings, and this makes for a read that is endearing and thoroughly enjoyable.

Having learned about some of Keith's more sordid tales straight from the horse's mouth, I was inclines to look back at some lesser-known Stones tracks where Keith takes lead vocals. Typically, this usually happened once or twice an album, and the tracks were often overlooked as filler, serving as a breather in between Sir Mick's ballyhooing rockers. But while much of the Stones' output in the 80's and 90's sounds overly-slick and dated, Keith's tunes from that period really stand the test of time, and are consistent to an incredible degree when put together in a row. Especially in the later years, Keith was knocking off deeply affecting ballads of regret and humility, delivered in his signature off-hand, soulful tenor. The brutal honesty of his writing seems to come from the same place as the bracing truths in his songwriting.

So I made a Keith mix (surprise, surprise). Of particular note are "Too Rude," Keith's surprisingly successful stab at reggae from 1986's Dirty Work, and "How Can I Stop," a well-produced slow-burner from 1998's Bridges to Babylon that features jazz legend Wayne Shorter on a gorgeous outro sax solo. The rest of the tunes range from classic rockers to haunting laments, and they all come together to paint a picture of Keith Richards as one soulful, troubled dude in his own right. Play this on a rainy day, and let Kieth's blues drift you away...

The Rolling Stones, Starring Keith Richards - How Can I Stop

1. Infamy
2. Before They Make Me Run
3. Connection (Live)
4. Too Rude
5. All About You
6. Thief in the Night
7. Coming Down Again
8. Little T&A
9. Sleep Tonight
10. How Can I Stop
11. You Got The Silver (Live)
12. The Worst
13. Thru And Thru
14. This Place Is Empty
15. Losing My Touch

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Pic of the Day: Happy Thanksgiving!

George: Hullo, Bob. I dig love.
Bob: Greetings and salutations, George. I also believe dat what we need is love, to guide and protect us all.
George: Well that's something we can agree on, brutha.
Bob: United we are in de fight against repression, George.
George: Yes, Bob. Isn't it a pity, how we cause each other pain.
Bob: Fuck it, let's get together and feel alright. One Love.
George: Yes, it's true. All you need is love.

Look at this epic meeting of two cultural giants. Looks like around 1975 or so. Combined, the amount of Love and Happiness these guys inspired in people with their music is just staggering. Brothers in the cause. Monumental.

Treasure Island Music Festival Reivew - Jambase.com

Last weekend saw SF's Treasure Island get bombarded with ravers and hipsters for the 4th annual music festival, this year split into two seperate days of electro madness and indie songcraft. Though the weather sucked, bombarding us with wind and rain, we danced through it all and had a blast. My full coverage of both days is over at Jambase:

Treasure Island Festival :: 10.16.10-10.17.10 :: Treasure Island :: San Francisco, CA

Without a doubt, the highlight of the weekend was LCD Soundsystem's epic slow-burn rager on Sat. night. We were eating out of their hands like farm animals. The band's patience in building the show's energy up and out was excruciatingly awesome. This shaky video captures some of the magic that went down:



The other mind-blowing event of the weekend was the bizarre South African rap group Die Antwoord, which melted my face with pure, masterful rap prowess. This was some next level shit, straight up:

Tom Tom Club Review - Glide Magazine

The rhythm section of the band once known as Talking Heads has been touring for years as Tom Tom Club, a quirky band with a sound rooted in light funk, Caribbean music. The most distinctive element of the band has to be the sing-song, half-rapped, often nonsense lyrics of bassist Tina Weymouth, who sounds like a Japanese schoolgirl more often than not.

Their live show was a dancey affair, with lots of blondes and legs and bouncing basswork. Though the music was nothing mindblowingly profound, it was an easily digestible bit of lighthearted fun, and a great party taboot.

Here's my review of the show over at glidemagazine.com:

Tom Tom Club :: 10.08.10 :: Great American Music Hall :: San Francisco, CA

I've always had a big crush on Tina Weymouth and her sexy bass-rocking swagger. These videos attest the fact that I am still attracted to a 59 year old woman. Laugh if you like, I proudly stand by my statement...