AltWeeklies Wire
The Dutchess and the Duke Break Hearts on Acoustic Stringsnew
Sunset/Sunrise is permeated by a much darker mood than the band's debut, She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke, but the follow-up succeeds by using the same simple arrangements.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jay Farrar, Ben Gibbard, and a Bad Actress Pay Tribute to Kerouac's 'Big Sur'new
On the One Fast Move or I'm Gone soundtrack, Farrar and Gibbard trade off singing 12 songs with lyrics taken from Big Sur, including lines from the poem "Sea" that closes the novel. Farrar admits to being intimidated at first to use Kerouac as his lyricist, until he settled into a stream-of-consciousness songwriting style.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
10-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Unagi Keeps Hip-Hop Reference-Richnew
Unagi takes hip-hop on a maximalist ride that jells with his geography. He talks up living in the birthplace of Del the Funkyhomosapien, Hieroglyphics, and DJ Shadow, and his drive to "go for more obscure references than [sampling] the obvious song."
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
07-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Toshio Hirano, the Tokyo Yodelernew
Hirano is a poorly kept secret who nonetheless provokes the protective nature of his followers. The night I was at Amnesia, one young fan showed concern that I would increase Hirano's exposure, shaking his head and saying, "But he's our local treasure."
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Toshio Hirano
The Units Punked the System, Played JC Penneynew
I've been dwelling on San Francisco's punk roots a lot lately after stumbling into an excellent new collection of out-of-print material by San Francisco's original synth punks. The group's music and mantra provide interesting angles from which to view an era of rapid technological and artistic progress -- much like the one we're in now.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jamie Stewart's Infinite Sadness Is Exhaustingnew
Jamie Stewart is a morgue-serious songwriter. And yet it's impossible to take the Xiu Xiu frontman seriously. The ache in his indie rock takes introspective moping to such an exaggerated extreme it's difficult to endure with a straight face.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
04-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Rappers With Low Self-Esteem: Bragging About Going Brokenew
In our ironic age, it shouldn't be surprising that a new crop of MCs is boasting about a lack of cars, women, and riches. San Francisco actor and comedian Erik Weiner can genuinely hold his own on the mike.
SF Weekly |
Ben Westhoff |
01-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Von Iva Hits the Big Time with Jim Carreynew
How do you amass a large audience from outside the traditional music industry? If you're San Francisco's Von Iva, the answer has moved from labels to licensing -- a direction that recently landed the group in the onscreen company of Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
12-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Windsurf's Beach Blanket Disconew
The pair's newly released debut, Coastlines, evokes the carefree surf 'n' sand lifestyle its title suggests, with echoing synths, dubby basslines, and lush songs that stretch out to luxurious lengths.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: coastlines, Windsurf
The Knux: From Street Warfare to Soirees with Socialitesnew
Krispy Kream and his brother Rah Al Milio have morphed from Cajun survivalists to Hollywood up-and-comers, becoming the toast of the underground rap scene in only a few years.
SF Weekly |
Ben Westhoff |
11-13-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Lyrics Born, the Bay Area Mavericknew
If you were looking for a short description of Tom Shimura's more famous alter ego, Lyrics Born, this oughta do it: high-performance, low-key.
SF Weekly |
Eric K. Arnold |
10-16-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Banned in the UK: The Ghosts in Agent Ribbons' Atticnew
With its satin headbands, lacy-collared dresses, and affinity for bluesy ballads, Sacramento duo Agent Ribbons is a modern band yearning for an old-fashioned era.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
10-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Cataracs Have the Fans, Lack the Lyricsnew
For all the group's musical and marketing savvy, when they open their mouths, their words are equivalent of cheap pickup lines: passable for getting your foot in the door, I guess, but hardly charming for guys who seem performance savvy.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: R&B, The Cataracs
Rapper Buckshot Thinks, Talks and Records for Successnew
Few rappers give better interviews than Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik alum Buckshot.
SF Weekly |
Ben Westhoff |
06-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jamie Lidell Riffs on the Absurdnew
Though the native Englishman — who was once, believe it or not, vegetarian — is a goofy ad-lib machine in person, Jim is a fairly sober work.
SF Weekly |
Ben Westhoff |
05-23-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
