Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Dwntwn at The Satellite: 2nd Time
Dwntwn. I have to say that I hardly ever see the Monday night residency bands twice (during their residency). I rotate around between the different Monday night venues, which limits my ability to see a band twice. Sometimes, though, I make sure I catch a band twice. This was the case with Dwntwn. I saw them early in January and loved them. I saw them on their last night and loved them even more.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Maxim Ludwig at Bootleg Theater
Maxim Ludwig. Sometimes too much time passes before you get to catch a band once again.
They hit the stage first on a recent Monday night and I was in love with every beat, every song.
They hit the stage first on a recent Monday night and I was in love with every beat, every song.
Friday, February 7, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #15 (The Final One): Amnesia - Transfer, Nova Albion
This dispatch series was meant for intraffik, but I'm posting it here.
I picked a Tuesday night for my last call in the San Francisco music scene. Location: Amnesia. This was my second visit to this venue. This is the location that I feel has a misleading venue name as my imagination conjured up something far different than the Old Western themed bar that it is. This is San Francisco’s version of Harvard & Stone.
This was a solid night to pick for my last outing into the San Francisco music scene. First up, was a San Diego band called Transfer. I noticed that they played with a band that someone told me I should check out, Flaggs. They are a four member rock and roll band. If I heard correctly, they are friends with what was the evening’s residency band, Nova Albion. As I was watching the two guitarists and bassist play, I couldn’t help but come up with nicknames for them. Constant motion. Intensity man. The cool one.
I was amused when I first saw them get on the stage. The lead singer started off by stomping his foot on the stage. I’m sure he was wondering if it would hold his weight as it bounced upon each stomp. As for the bassist, at times he played the bass guitar like it was a standup bass. I suspect that Transfer hasn’t played on such a small stage in a long time. They looked cramped and at times it appeared that they were about to collide into each other.
Nova Albion was the residency band for the month of September. Their sound was a mix of 80s pop rock and fusion jazz. I always second guess myself on those types of assessments, but when the second to last song was a Tears for Fears cover song, I decided that I was at least partially right in regards to the 80s influence. They represented the final band I saw during this adventure in San Francisco. I’m happy it was them. It was good to say good-bye to the San Francisco music scene listening to a top-notch San Francisco based band.
Comment of the set: I’m being blessed with beer.
Random notes about San Francisco, the San Francisco music scene and whatever I want to say:
In my first dispatch, I made a couple observations that were not totally true. I complained about the late start of the SF music scene. I learned this was not a true statement across all the venues. There is a randomness to start times across different venues. Some start at 8:30 p.m. Others at 9 p.m. and some after 10 p.m. I mentioned that BART stopped service too early. BART goes later than I initially thought though I hated the fact that late night construction caused 20 minute delays that prevented me from getting back to my bed when I wanted.
My first encounter with Square occurred at the Rickshaw Stop. I quickly learned that Square is used extensively in the San Francisco area. Maybe as I re-adjust back to Los Angeles, I’ll learn it is used extensively here, as well.
I mentioned two awesome vegetarian restaurants in my posts: Herbivore and The Golden Era Vegan Restaurant. I’d like to add a third: Souley Vegan.
Best Pizza: Delfina Pizzeria. I had it cold and it still rocked.
Worst restaurant: I came across a handful of restaurants I wasn’t thrilled with, but I’m going to single out Toast. Why would you serve me cold hot chocolate?
The two coolest musicians I came across: Mish Way who was playing with Louise Burns and is also the lead singer for White Lung; and Sarah Parson, the lead singer for The Lower 48.
Best bands seen in San Francisco that aren’t from Los Angeles. First, Tesla Boy. Second, The Lower 48.
Los Angeles bands I wish I had seen while they were on tour in San Francisco (some played on the weekends when I was back in Los Angeles): Best Coast. IO Echo. Jail Weddings. Local Natives. Milo Greene.
The band I didn’t see, but I am intrigued to see is Mish Way’s White Lung. I’m going to repeat myself: she is so cool.
The furthest venue I walked to from the BART: F8.
The most difficult venue to locate: The Luggage Store.
Coolest non-music moment in San Francisco: Going to Daly City to see where I spent my first years of life.
My top 3 ranking for best SF music venues (within walking distance of a BART stop): 1. Rickshaw Stop. 2. Café Du Nord. 3. Brick and Mortar. Is Bottom of the Hill a top ranked venue? I’m guessing it is, but it was too far of a walk from the BART.
What I learned via reading online articles: Never ever bad mouth San Francisco. The knives come out. But let me say this, there seems to be an over-obsession with money.
Southwest. I think techies are the worst passengers when it comes to following the simple request to turn off all electronic devices. Flight attendants either needed to ask numerous times or didn’t know to ask because the passengers purposely hide the fact that their devices were still on. I don’t believe this is an unsubstantiated accusation as I’ve written extensively here on Intraffik about my trips over-seas and so have experience with other types of passengers.
Southwest comment #1: Please raise your hand if the person next to you has their cell phone on.
Southwest comment #2: If you don’t like the service, there are six exits.
Coolest Southwest moment: seeing the pilots welcome a young girl into the cockpit.
I picked a Tuesday night for my last call in the San Francisco music scene. Location: Amnesia. This was my second visit to this venue. This is the location that I feel has a misleading venue name as my imagination conjured up something far different than the Old Western themed bar that it is. This is San Francisco’s version of Harvard & Stone.
This was a solid night to pick for my last outing into the San Francisco music scene. First up, was a San Diego band called Transfer. I noticed that they played with a band that someone told me I should check out, Flaggs. They are a four member rock and roll band. If I heard correctly, they are friends with what was the evening’s residency band, Nova Albion. As I was watching the two guitarists and bassist play, I couldn’t help but come up with nicknames for them. Constant motion. Intensity man. The cool one.
I was amused when I first saw them get on the stage. The lead singer started off by stomping his foot on the stage. I’m sure he was wondering if it would hold his weight as it bounced upon each stomp. As for the bassist, at times he played the bass guitar like it was a standup bass. I suspect that Transfer hasn’t played on such a small stage in a long time. They looked cramped and at times it appeared that they were about to collide into each other.
Nova Albion was the residency band for the month of September. Their sound was a mix of 80s pop rock and fusion jazz. I always second guess myself on those types of assessments, but when the second to last song was a Tears for Fears cover song, I decided that I was at least partially right in regards to the 80s influence. They represented the final band I saw during this adventure in San Francisco. I’m happy it was them. It was good to say good-bye to the San Francisco music scene listening to a top-notch San Francisco based band.
Comment of the set: I’m being blessed with beer.
Random notes about San Francisco, the San Francisco music scene and whatever I want to say:
In my first dispatch, I made a couple observations that were not totally true. I complained about the late start of the SF music scene. I learned this was not a true statement across all the venues. There is a randomness to start times across different venues. Some start at 8:30 p.m. Others at 9 p.m. and some after 10 p.m. I mentioned that BART stopped service too early. BART goes later than I initially thought though I hated the fact that late night construction caused 20 minute delays that prevented me from getting back to my bed when I wanted.
My first encounter with Square occurred at the Rickshaw Stop. I quickly learned that Square is used extensively in the San Francisco area. Maybe as I re-adjust back to Los Angeles, I’ll learn it is used extensively here, as well.
I mentioned two awesome vegetarian restaurants in my posts: Herbivore and The Golden Era Vegan Restaurant. I’d like to add a third: Souley Vegan.
Best Pizza: Delfina Pizzeria. I had it cold and it still rocked.
Worst restaurant: I came across a handful of restaurants I wasn’t thrilled with, but I’m going to single out Toast. Why would you serve me cold hot chocolate?
The two coolest musicians I came across: Mish Way who was playing with Louise Burns and is also the lead singer for White Lung; and Sarah Parson, the lead singer for The Lower 48.
Best bands seen in San Francisco that aren’t from Los Angeles. First, Tesla Boy. Second, The Lower 48.
Los Angeles bands I wish I had seen while they were on tour in San Francisco (some played on the weekends when I was back in Los Angeles): Best Coast. IO Echo. Jail Weddings. Local Natives. Milo Greene.
The band I didn’t see, but I am intrigued to see is Mish Way’s White Lung. I’m going to repeat myself: she is so cool.
The furthest venue I walked to from the BART: F8.
The most difficult venue to locate: The Luggage Store.
Coolest non-music moment in San Francisco: Going to Daly City to see where I spent my first years of life.
My top 3 ranking for best SF music venues (within walking distance of a BART stop): 1. Rickshaw Stop. 2. Café Du Nord. 3. Brick and Mortar. Is Bottom of the Hill a top ranked venue? I’m guessing it is, but it was too far of a walk from the BART.
What I learned via reading online articles: Never ever bad mouth San Francisco. The knives come out. But let me say this, there seems to be an over-obsession with money.
Southwest. I think techies are the worst passengers when it comes to following the simple request to turn off all electronic devices. Flight attendants either needed to ask numerous times or didn’t know to ask because the passengers purposely hide the fact that their devices were still on. I don’t believe this is an unsubstantiated accusation as I’ve written extensively here on Intraffik about my trips over-seas and so have experience with other types of passengers.
Southwest comment #1: Please raise your hand if the person next to you has their cell phone on.
Southwest comment #2: If you don’t like the service, there are six exits.
Coolest Southwest moment: seeing the pilots welcome a young girl into the cockpit.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #14: The Knockout - The Electric Noodle, Son Fish
This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.
Sick. How can one have a severe cold and cough for over a month? That’s me, of course. I blame it on the San Francisco weather. Or maybe my health is in general decline. Or maybe it was because I kept up my exercise routine as well as went out to catch the San Francisco music scene that prevented my body from over-coming my illness. Whatever the reason, I was coughing so hard over such a long period of time that I cracked a rib, I’m sure of it.
The Knockout. So this was my second time heading out to The Knockout. My first time at The Knockout, I listened to what was described as post-punk music. This specific night can be described as world music themed.
Before heading out to The Knockout, I had sushi at a place called We Be Sushi. And just to make sure my vegetarian credentials are upheld, I had the vegetarian options. I overheard two women discussing relationships. The comment of their conversation: There aren’t any good role models for couples.
It was then off to The Knockout. The first band was called The Electric Noodle. My very first thought, East Asian inspired music. The woman at the microphone, really went all in with the East Asian influenced hand and arm movements. I’m betting her home has a few Hindu images. One divergence was that instead of a sitar, there was a guitar. The guitarist wasn’t as into the East Asian style. I half suspect that he is part of a heavy metal band, as well.
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Son Fish hit the stage next. The East Asian inspired music was set to the side. The synth-style music that appears to be common place in San Francisco from the art scene of The Lab to various rock venues took center stage here. The sounds of whales communicating with each other inspired a song or two.
Noticed One: For Electric Noodle, a young woman danced away during much of the set and she too was obviously inspired by East Asian themes.
Noticed Two: the two bands/songwriters were so into their music that both sets ran over and the sound guy had to come over to let them know they needed to end their sets.
As for The Knockout, my initial opinion still stands, which was that this is dead ringer for the Silverlake Lounge.
Haight-Ashbury. It was finally time to explore an area of San Francisco that wasn’t within a half mile or so of the BART. I know I should have done this far earlier, but better late than never. It was off to Haight-Ashbury where in a 30 minute time frame I was asked three times if I needed some buds. I had a couple slices of Escape from New York pizza. It is okay pizza, but nothing to die for in my opinion. Amoeba Records was closed by the time I walked pass – seemed rather early considering the LA store is still buzzing at 8:30 p.m. I saw a small music venue called the Milk Bar, it is a venue that I’ve seen mentioned in the SF Weekly music calendar. I didn’t duck my head in to listen to any bands. Unfortunately, this venue will need to go unexplored due to the distance from a BART station. I also walked pass the numerous Victorian homes that line the streets. How much are these homes worth? Well over a million, I am sure. I started to imagine how it would be to live in this neighborhood. I then began to imagine how much a monthly mortgage payment would be and a tad bit of jealousy hit.
Southwest:
Comment 1: Separation anxiety begins now.
Comment 2: If this flight turns into a cruise, life vests can be found underneath your seats.
Sick. How can one have a severe cold and cough for over a month? That’s me, of course. I blame it on the San Francisco weather. Or maybe my health is in general decline. Or maybe it was because I kept up my exercise routine as well as went out to catch the San Francisco music scene that prevented my body from over-coming my illness. Whatever the reason, I was coughing so hard over such a long period of time that I cracked a rib, I’m sure of it.
The Knockout. So this was my second time heading out to The Knockout. My first time at The Knockout, I listened to what was described as post-punk music. This specific night can be described as world music themed.
Before heading out to The Knockout, I had sushi at a place called We Be Sushi. And just to make sure my vegetarian credentials are upheld, I had the vegetarian options. I overheard two women discussing relationships. The comment of their conversation: There aren’t any good role models for couples.
It was then off to The Knockout. The first band was called The Electric Noodle. My very first thought, East Asian inspired music. The woman at the microphone, really went all in with the East Asian influenced hand and arm movements. I’m betting her home has a few Hindu images. One divergence was that instead of a sitar, there was a guitar. The guitarist wasn’t as into the East Asian style. I half suspect that he is part of a heavy metal band, as well.
Son Fish hit the stage next. The East Asian inspired music was set to the side. The synth-style music that appears to be common place in San Francisco from the art scene of The Lab to various rock venues took center stage here. The sounds of whales communicating with each other inspired a song or two.
Noticed One: For Electric Noodle, a young woman danced away during much of the set and she too was obviously inspired by East Asian themes.
Noticed Two: the two bands/songwriters were so into their music that both sets ran over and the sound guy had to come over to let them know they needed to end their sets.
As for The Knockout, my initial opinion still stands, which was that this is dead ringer for the Silverlake Lounge.
Haight-Ashbury. It was finally time to explore an area of San Francisco that wasn’t within a half mile or so of the BART. I know I should have done this far earlier, but better late than never. It was off to Haight-Ashbury where in a 30 minute time frame I was asked three times if I needed some buds. I had a couple slices of Escape from New York pizza. It is okay pizza, but nothing to die for in my opinion. Amoeba Records was closed by the time I walked pass – seemed rather early considering the LA store is still buzzing at 8:30 p.m. I saw a small music venue called the Milk Bar, it is a venue that I’ve seen mentioned in the SF Weekly music calendar. I didn’t duck my head in to listen to any bands. Unfortunately, this venue will need to go unexplored due to the distance from a BART station. I also walked pass the numerous Victorian homes that line the streets. How much are these homes worth? Well over a million, I am sure. I started to imagine how it would be to live in this neighborhood. I then began to imagine how much a monthly mortgage payment would be and a tad bit of jealousy hit.
Southwest:
Comment 1: Separation anxiety begins now.
Comment 2: If this flight turns into a cruise, life vests can be found underneath your seats.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #13: The Rickshaw Stop - Night Drive, Tesla Boy
This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here. Note: The Queen Kwong blog post reference is over at Intraffik.
The Rickshaw Stop. On a Thursday night, the Rickshaw Stop is the place to be to catch the San Francisco music scene. I think even the ear-to-the-ground foreign tourists know this. As in my very first San Francisco dispatch, the early arrivers on this night were tourists (judging by their accents or foreign language). The night reminds me of Club Moscow: bands and dance club combined. The emphases are different; however. At Club Moscow, the emphasis is more on dancing as you’ll often see more folks dancing in the bar than watching the bands. At the Rickshaw Stop, the emphasis is on the bands. Oh, there is one additional small similarity between these SF and LA nights. Club Moscow has a large fountain in the middle of the floor – with water. The Rickshaw Stop has a small fountain – on the second floor of the venue and with not a drop of water. A nice addition at the Rickshaw Stop is that on the second floor’s backroom, there is a skee ball machine and fooseball table (though I’m not sure they work, like the water fountain). The Thursday night Rickshaw crowd is opposite of what I’ve noticed at a number of the San Francisco music venues: they don’t 10 feet stand away from the stage, they’re right up front from the first band onward. Like Club Moscow, those under 21 are allowed inside, which might be one reason why the front of the stage is a most desire real estate location. One interesting note about the Rickshaw Stop is that if you’re under 21, they mark both of your hands with an ‘X,’ using a black marker. Ink from a black marker isn’t the easiest to wash off. There has to be a better way of identify if someone is under 21. Who wants to ‘X’s on their hands for a couple days? Maybe that’s just my age talking.
What got me to the Rickshaw Stop for a second time (the first time was to see NO) was to catch Queen Kwong. There is a previous post regarding Queen Kwong so I won’t write anything more other than it was so cool to see a favorite Los Angeles band playing a night in San Francisco.
After Queen Kwong opened the night, Night Drive shifted the sound towards dance. A two piece band that hit the synths hard. Some of their songs reminded me of Depeche Mode. Their on stage style reminded a bit of Big Black Delta. “This is our last song, let’s all dance shall we.”
Over-heard by two under 21 year old women: Next time, we need to bring two guys with us. That guy just came over and grabbed me.
Tesla Boy ended the night. They’re from Moscow, Russia. They do know how to drive the anticipation level. Before the band took the stage, the crowd was already more than willing to start dancing the whole set away. The crowd was crammed at the front of the stage. The band’s music started pumping through the speakers. The crowd pressed closer. The band came to the stage. The lead singer started a single beat. The crowd had their arms raised, just waiting to start jumping. The anticipation was reaching a fevered sense of ecstasy. At the very moment where the climatic heights of the fans was reached, the band truly started their set. It was a perfect situation of a band reading their fan base. And boy did they read their crowd well. As they played their first two songs, the crowd was either dancing wildly or reaching as far as possible across the stage to connect so ever more closely to the band.
BART announcement: Don’t ride your bike on the BART. I mean you. That’s where the $250 fine hits. I’m sure you can use that for other things.
Don Pico’s Bistro in San Bruno. Their website states: Friendly Service. That comment is not a lie. While I was sitting at the table, I was approached by four different individuals making sure I was either enjoying my food or that I was pleased with the service I was getting. And yes, I am a vegetarian and this is not a vegetarian restaurant, but they do have a small vegetarian menu. Often times, non-vegetarian restaurants simply don’t know how to make a vegetarian plate, but this restaurant knocked it out of the park. I can only imagine how awesome their meat dishes are. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend checking out this Mexican restaurant.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #12: Brick and Mortar - Magic Fight, Kan Wakan, Vanaprasta
This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.
Southwest. Here’s what you don’t want to hear when flying into San Francisco: we’re in a 30 minute holding pattern, but we have only 15 minutes of fuel left.
Okay, they did mention that we might have to fly into San Jose as an alternative, but then 15 minutes of fuel doesn’t give you much wiggle room.
Twenty minutes later we were still circling SFO. Maybe they meant we had 45 minutes of fuel left. Thirty minutes plus 15 minutes of wiggle room.
This announcement got the attention of the Southwest passengers. The young woman sitting in the window seat of my row turned to the center passenger and asked: did he just say we have 15 minutes of fuel left? She was very excited when it was announced that we would get to fly into SFO as she didn’t want to land in San Jose. Two passengers behind me kept tabs on the time – just as I was. I heard them talking around the 20 minute mark: it’s been 20 minutes . . .
Brick and Mortar. Tuesday at Brick and Mortar was a circled night for me. One of my friends was coming into town with his band, Kan Wakan. Over-all, this was going to be a special week of music. Not only was Kan Wakan coming into town, but so was Queen Kwong on a Thursday night (an out of cycle dispatch that was posted earlier). In order to celebrate this special week, I brought up my Canon 5D to San Francisco along with a handful of lenses.
First up on this night was Magic Fight. Where are you from? California. Seriously, where are you from? California. What part of California? Central. Okay, research indicates they’re from Oakland. Ukulele was the instrument of choice by the lead singer. The ukulele plays perfectly into their somewhat mournful tunes. The lead singer started the set wearing a raincoat. In the middle of the set, he took it off: it’s not raining, don’t be an idiot.
Kan Wakan was the middle band. It took a while for this 7 member band to set up, but once they started you didn’t want them to stop. The beautiful sounds of Sade-inspired vocals with the backing of intricately written music inspired the audience for an extremely short 30 minutes. There wasn’t a single unneeded note in the set. They sound like a poem that grows deeper and richer upon each reading.
Ending the night was Vanaprasta, a last minute addition to the night. A band that also hails from Los Angeles. As soul inspired as Kan Wakan is, Vanaprasta is infused with energetic sounds. And with a raise of his arms, the lead singer was able to draw the crowd to the front of the stage.
Here’s my impression of the Brick and Mortar crowd on a Tuesday night: they sure do like to keep their distance from the stage.
This is my third post on a Brick and Mortar night. And if you have followed these dispatches, you know I’ve had a debate about what is placed on stage right: is it a piano (first opinion) or a table (second opinion). There is nothing like a third opinion. The third opinion is that it is a small organ. So it is a musical instrument on stage, which makes Brick and Mortar remind me all the more like the Bootleg Theater.
September in San Francisco. At least this year, summer finally started in September for San Francisco. And by summer, I mean temperatures in the 70s. I have to say that as temperatures in Los Angeles hit the 90s during the late August/early September weekends, it was nice escaping up to the cooler temperatures of San Francisco.
Southwest. Here’s what you don’t want to hear when flying into San Francisco: we’re in a 30 minute holding pattern, but we have only 15 minutes of fuel left.
Okay, they did mention that we might have to fly into San Jose as an alternative, but then 15 minutes of fuel doesn’t give you much wiggle room.
Twenty minutes later we were still circling SFO. Maybe they meant we had 45 minutes of fuel left. Thirty minutes plus 15 minutes of wiggle room.
This announcement got the attention of the Southwest passengers. The young woman sitting in the window seat of my row turned to the center passenger and asked: did he just say we have 15 minutes of fuel left? She was very excited when it was announced that we would get to fly into SFO as she didn’t want to land in San Jose. Two passengers behind me kept tabs on the time – just as I was. I heard them talking around the 20 minute mark: it’s been 20 minutes . . .
Brick and Mortar. Tuesday at Brick and Mortar was a circled night for me. One of my friends was coming into town with his band, Kan Wakan. Over-all, this was going to be a special week of music. Not only was Kan Wakan coming into town, but so was Queen Kwong on a Thursday night (an out of cycle dispatch that was posted earlier). In order to celebrate this special week, I brought up my Canon 5D to San Francisco along with a handful of lenses.
First up on this night was Magic Fight. Where are you from? California. Seriously, where are you from? California. What part of California? Central. Okay, research indicates they’re from Oakland. Ukulele was the instrument of choice by the lead singer. The ukulele plays perfectly into their somewhat mournful tunes. The lead singer started the set wearing a raincoat. In the middle of the set, he took it off: it’s not raining, don’t be an idiot.
Kan Wakan was the middle band. It took a while for this 7 member band to set up, but once they started you didn’t want them to stop. The beautiful sounds of Sade-inspired vocals with the backing of intricately written music inspired the audience for an extremely short 30 minutes. There wasn’t a single unneeded note in the set. They sound like a poem that grows deeper and richer upon each reading.
Ending the night was Vanaprasta, a last minute addition to the night. A band that also hails from Los Angeles. As soul inspired as Kan Wakan is, Vanaprasta is infused with energetic sounds. And with a raise of his arms, the lead singer was able to draw the crowd to the front of the stage.
Here’s my impression of the Brick and Mortar crowd on a Tuesday night: they sure do like to keep their distance from the stage.
This is my third post on a Brick and Mortar night. And if you have followed these dispatches, you know I’ve had a debate about what is placed on stage right: is it a piano (first opinion) or a table (second opinion). There is nothing like a third opinion. The third opinion is that it is a small organ. So it is a musical instrument on stage, which makes Brick and Mortar remind me all the more like the Bootleg Theater.
September in San Francisco. At least this year, summer finally started in September for San Francisco. And by summer, I mean temperatures in the 70s. I have to say that as temperatures in Los Angeles hit the 90s during the late August/early September weekends, it was nice escaping up to the cooler temperatures of San Francisco.
Monday, February 3, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #11: Sub-Mission - INFM, Moovalya
Southwest Quiz Time. Answers below.
1. What vegetable is only sold fresh, never sold frozen or canned?
2. What US landmark is always moving backwards?
3. What do you call a cow with no legs?
4. Why do cannibals not eat clowns?
Let’s just say that one woman with a fashionably updated 80s hairstyle really got into the quiz, which was more than just the above four questions.
Pilgrimage. My time in San Francisco was quickly coming to an end, which meant that it was time for a pilgrimage. I spent the first few years of my life growing up in the San Francisco area, specifically Daly City. When my parents decided to move to SoCal, I’d tell my SoCal friends that I was from San Francisco. My mom would correct me and say we came from Daly City. At the time, I didn’t understand this concept. How could we not have lived in San Francisco versus some unknown city called Daly City?
I jumped onto the BART, getting off at the Colma station. I headed up the hill towards the apartment that I spend the first 5-ish years of my life. I didn’t know what to expect. My memories of my life in that apartment are vague. What do I remember? I recall discovering a mushroom growing out from the carpet. From street view, I remember the building being well-kept and very tall with other apartments lining a long street. The apartments on the street were painted in light colors. And when we were moving, my last act in the area was very stupid. I was riding on my Big Wheel and after I was done I left it on the sidewalk. When my dad and I went looking for it, it was long gone.
So what did I see in 2013? A very rundown row of apartments with paint jobs from at least a couple decades ago. The apartments weren’t that tall at all and the street wasn’t that long, which I expected as I understood I was recalling memories from when I was 5-ish. What I didn’t realize was that a cemetery was at the end of the street. I totally don’t recall that. I took some photos and then gave a call to my parents to let them know I was standing on the street where I spent the first years of my life.
I then walked over to the cemetery and took a quick photo before heading back towards the BART station. A woman who was gathering items from her car had noticed that I had taken a photo of the cemetery and so when I passed her she started a conversation. She told me how she’d taken a photo of a crane killing a gopher for dinner inside the cemetery. It was a powerful nature scene, she said and mentioned that she had cropped out the grave stones as she felt that it made for a depressing setting for her photo. I replied, “Maybe you should have kept the grave stones in the photo as it was perhaps appropriate that the gopher was meeting its death in a cemetery.” Maybe I’m a bit sick in the head.
Music and San Francisco. I mentioned in a couple previous posts that I was getting lazy regarding the SF music scene. I was off looking for Los Angeles based bands versus trying to get familiar with San Francisco based bands. I also mentioned that I was going to stick to re-visiting the local venues that I’d already visited. I decided to shake things up a bit. I went looking for a new venue and attempted to head out on a night that featured San Francisco bands. I was only partially successful in this. I headed off to an art gallery called Sub-Mission. I thought I was heading off to this “new” venue to catch some San Francisco bands. The two bands I saw weren’t from San Francisco. One was from San Jose – okay, close enough – and another was from Phoenix – not even close.
So what’s this Sub-Mission venue? It is a DIY art gallery in the Mission District that didn’t exactly have much art inside. Bolted to the ceiling was a van that held all the sound equipment. I’m actually not sure if it was a real van or just a cool sound room made to look like a van. The music? A punk sound that reminded me of how much fun it used to be to hang out at The Blue Star on a Friday or Saturday night.
The first band that I saw went by the initials INFM. Don’t ask me what that stands for. I believe M is for Monkey. The drummer said the name twice, but he went through the name so quickly I just couldn’t pick it up. He did say an alternative name for the band was: Inside Nude Female Models. The bassist drove his body through every note and beat of every song. And after their set, I couldn’t help but over hear the drummer talking about the economic and accounting classes he was taking.
Moovalya was the other band I saw and they came by way of Phoenix. They quickly had the crowd in the circle pit. Their sound definitely represented the best that one would have seen in the past on a good summer night at the Blue Star. Comment made before their set: I got old and I got smart.
As for the crowd? It was extremely light. The maximum had to be 25. Considering there were 4 bands, half the crowd at Sub-Mission were folks in the bands. Too bad, I say. Yeah, I only saw 2 of the 4 punk bands, but those two bands gave it their all and definitely deserved to be heard by more than 10 paying customers.
Southwest.
Comment #1 (when we learned the plane was stuck on the LAX runway due to flight traffic at SFO): I know this is really lame, but there are folks at the gate who were told they need to wait 1.5 hours. At least, we got on the runway and need to wait only 30 minutes.
Comment #2: If I ask you what you want to drink and you say, ‘Ah, um, um,’ that means you want water.
Moment #1: A girl was telling her mom, “It’s too late. It’s too late.” I figured she wanted to use the bathroom before the plane took off. She was encouraged to go talk to a flight attendant. And what happened next was so cute. She went up with a book and asked the flight attendant if she could see the pilots. She then was allowed to enter the cockpit. The pilots signed her book. Not only that, but one allowed her to sit in the pilot seat. And those strange warning sounds coming from the cockpit, those sounds were caused by her pressing buttons. This is the cuteness you see while flying on Southwest.
Comment #1 from a passenger: I asked a woman once if I could take the seat next to her. She said, ‘No.’ She wanted to sit by herself. She didn’t understand Southwest etiquette.
Answers to Southwest Quiz Time:
1. Lettuce
2. Niagara Falls.
3. Ground beef.
4. They taste funny.
1. What vegetable is only sold fresh, never sold frozen or canned?
2. What US landmark is always moving backwards?
3. What do you call a cow with no legs?
4. Why do cannibals not eat clowns?
Let’s just say that one woman with a fashionably updated 80s hairstyle really got into the quiz, which was more than just the above four questions.
Pilgrimage. My time in San Francisco was quickly coming to an end, which meant that it was time for a pilgrimage. I spent the first few years of my life growing up in the San Francisco area, specifically Daly City. When my parents decided to move to SoCal, I’d tell my SoCal friends that I was from San Francisco. My mom would correct me and say we came from Daly City. At the time, I didn’t understand this concept. How could we not have lived in San Francisco versus some unknown city called Daly City?
I jumped onto the BART, getting off at the Colma station. I headed up the hill towards the apartment that I spend the first 5-ish years of my life. I didn’t know what to expect. My memories of my life in that apartment are vague. What do I remember? I recall discovering a mushroom growing out from the carpet. From street view, I remember the building being well-kept and very tall with other apartments lining a long street. The apartments on the street were painted in light colors. And when we were moving, my last act in the area was very stupid. I was riding on my Big Wheel and after I was done I left it on the sidewalk. When my dad and I went looking for it, it was long gone.
So what did I see in 2013? A very rundown row of apartments with paint jobs from at least a couple decades ago. The apartments weren’t that tall at all and the street wasn’t that long, which I expected as I understood I was recalling memories from when I was 5-ish. What I didn’t realize was that a cemetery was at the end of the street. I totally don’t recall that. I took some photos and then gave a call to my parents to let them know I was standing on the street where I spent the first years of my life.
I then walked over to the cemetery and took a quick photo before heading back towards the BART station. A woman who was gathering items from her car had noticed that I had taken a photo of the cemetery and so when I passed her she started a conversation. She told me how she’d taken a photo of a crane killing a gopher for dinner inside the cemetery. It was a powerful nature scene, she said and mentioned that she had cropped out the grave stones as she felt that it made for a depressing setting for her photo. I replied, “Maybe you should have kept the grave stones in the photo as it was perhaps appropriate that the gopher was meeting its death in a cemetery.” Maybe I’m a bit sick in the head.
Music and San Francisco. I mentioned in a couple previous posts that I was getting lazy regarding the SF music scene. I was off looking for Los Angeles based bands versus trying to get familiar with San Francisco based bands. I also mentioned that I was going to stick to re-visiting the local venues that I’d already visited. I decided to shake things up a bit. I went looking for a new venue and attempted to head out on a night that featured San Francisco bands. I was only partially successful in this. I headed off to an art gallery called Sub-Mission. I thought I was heading off to this “new” venue to catch some San Francisco bands. The two bands I saw weren’t from San Francisco. One was from San Jose – okay, close enough – and another was from Phoenix – not even close.
So what’s this Sub-Mission venue? It is a DIY art gallery in the Mission District that didn’t exactly have much art inside. Bolted to the ceiling was a van that held all the sound equipment. I’m actually not sure if it was a real van or just a cool sound room made to look like a van. The music? A punk sound that reminded me of how much fun it used to be to hang out at The Blue Star on a Friday or Saturday night.
The first band that I saw went by the initials INFM. Don’t ask me what that stands for. I believe M is for Monkey. The drummer said the name twice, but he went through the name so quickly I just couldn’t pick it up. He did say an alternative name for the band was: Inside Nude Female Models. The bassist drove his body through every note and beat of every song. And after their set, I couldn’t help but over hear the drummer talking about the economic and accounting classes he was taking.
Moovalya was the other band I saw and they came by way of Phoenix. They quickly had the crowd in the circle pit. Their sound definitely represented the best that one would have seen in the past on a good summer night at the Blue Star. Comment made before their set: I got old and I got smart.
As for the crowd? It was extremely light. The maximum had to be 25. Considering there were 4 bands, half the crowd at Sub-Mission were folks in the bands. Too bad, I say. Yeah, I only saw 2 of the 4 punk bands, but those two bands gave it their all and definitely deserved to be heard by more than 10 paying customers.
Southwest.
Comment #1 (when we learned the plane was stuck on the LAX runway due to flight traffic at SFO): I know this is really lame, but there are folks at the gate who were told they need to wait 1.5 hours. At least, we got on the runway and need to wait only 30 minutes.
Comment #2: If I ask you what you want to drink and you say, ‘Ah, um, um,’ that means you want water.
Moment #1: A girl was telling her mom, “It’s too late. It’s too late.” I figured she wanted to use the bathroom before the plane took off. She was encouraged to go talk to a flight attendant. And what happened next was so cute. She went up with a book and asked the flight attendant if she could see the pilots. She then was allowed to enter the cockpit. The pilots signed her book. Not only that, but one allowed her to sit in the pilot seat. And those strange warning sounds coming from the cockpit, those sounds were caused by her pressing buttons. This is the cuteness you see while flying on Southwest.
Comment #1 from a passenger: I asked a woman once if I could take the seat next to her. She said, ‘No.’ She wanted to sit by herself. She didn’t understand Southwest etiquette.
Answers to Southwest Quiz Time:
1. Lettuce
2. Niagara Falls.
3. Ground beef.
4. They taste funny.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #10: Cafe Du Nord - Tracing Figures, Torches, Filligar
This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.
San Francisco. I took off in search of City Lights Books where Jack Kerouac used to hang out. It’s a three floor bookstore, where half of those inside were tourists like myself. I personally think the poetry section is lacking. I went looking for my friend’s, David Shook, poetry book called Our Obsidian Tongues, which is on the longlist for the Dylan Thomas Prize. It wasn’t there.
I swear I over-heard a conversation where a young man was trying to convince a young woman that there was nothing wrong with buying a physical book versus an eBook. Another conversation revolved around the joys of going to a bookstore to browse around versus looking online for books. And so City Lights Books is the refuge for those of us who refuse to accept the forward progress of technology.
The two streets that intersect the bookstore are interesting: Broadway and Columbus. Half the city’s strip clubs must be on Broadway while half of the Italian restaurants must be on Columbus.
Café Du Nord. I am getting lazy here in San Francisco. My eyes go through the music calendar of the San Francisco Weekly and as soon as I see a Los Angeles-based band, I circle the night. And so it was on this night when I noticed that Torches was coming to San Francisco. I had never seen Torches, but I did recognize the band name. What better way to acquaint myself with a Los Angeles band then to see them in San Francisco, right?
First up that night was San Francisco based band, Tracing Figures. The lead singer, Brianne, reminded me of Los Angeles based singer, Laura Vall. Brianne sings her songs with intense deep vocals while at the same time coming across as the girl next door that you purposely make an effort to say hello to on a Sunday morning (or maybe a Tuesday morning).
Torches took the middle slot of the night. I suspect that most of us that were at the front of the stage were from Los Angeles. They reminded me of two Los Angeles bands: Local Natives and Eastern Conference Champions. And yes, they made me really miss the Los Angeles music scene. Even their cloths reminded me of hipster Silver Lake/Echo Park.
The headliner for the night was Filligar, which honestly was why most everyone at Café Du Nord were there to see. As soon as they started to set up for their set, the crowd that was previously way in the back of Café Du Nord came to the front of the stage. And I could tell immediately that they were going to put on a good show. There was just this confidence to them as they stood on stage, waiting to kick off their set. This band plays like they’re in a jam session. Their set lasted an hour and 5 minutes with 10 songs on the set list and quick transitions between songs. So yeah, about six minutes a song, which allowed for them to take their time exploring their music.
Comment of the set after the lead singer busted a guitar string: Yeah, you know what just happened. It’s game time.
Comment of the night from the BART station: Everyone we’ve seen in San Francisco is young. Are there any old people in this city?
Flying. What I think is cool flying into an airport: watching another passenger jet landing parallel to your own jet. Calming.
Random encounter. I was walking to a venue and ended up in a brief amusing conversation with a homeless guy.
Homeless guy: Do you have a quarter to spare?
Me: No.
Homeless guy: How about a dollar?
Me: (laughter)
Homeless guy: (laughter) I had to give it a try.
I swear I over-heard a conversation where a young man was trying to convince a young woman that there was nothing wrong with buying a physical book versus an eBook. Another conversation revolved around the joys of going to a bookstore to browse around versus looking online for books. And so City Lights Books is the refuge for those of us who refuse to accept the forward progress of technology.
The two streets that intersect the bookstore are interesting: Broadway and Columbus. Half the city’s strip clubs must be on Broadway while half of the Italian restaurants must be on Columbus.
Café Du Nord. I am getting lazy here in San Francisco. My eyes go through the music calendar of the San Francisco Weekly and as soon as I see a Los Angeles-based band, I circle the night. And so it was on this night when I noticed that Torches was coming to San Francisco. I had never seen Torches, but I did recognize the band name. What better way to acquaint myself with a Los Angeles band then to see them in San Francisco, right?
First up that night was San Francisco based band, Tracing Figures. The lead singer, Brianne, reminded me of Los Angeles based singer, Laura Vall. Brianne sings her songs with intense deep vocals while at the same time coming across as the girl next door that you purposely make an effort to say hello to on a Sunday morning (or maybe a Tuesday morning).
Torches took the middle slot of the night. I suspect that most of us that were at the front of the stage were from Los Angeles. They reminded me of two Los Angeles bands: Local Natives and Eastern Conference Champions. And yes, they made me really miss the Los Angeles music scene. Even their cloths reminded me of hipster Silver Lake/Echo Park.
The headliner for the night was Filligar, which honestly was why most everyone at Café Du Nord were there to see. As soon as they started to set up for their set, the crowd that was previously way in the back of Café Du Nord came to the front of the stage. And I could tell immediately that they were going to put on a good show. There was just this confidence to them as they stood on stage, waiting to kick off their set. This band plays like they’re in a jam session. Their set lasted an hour and 5 minutes with 10 songs on the set list and quick transitions between songs. So yeah, about six minutes a song, which allowed for them to take their time exploring their music.
Comment of the set after the lead singer busted a guitar string: Yeah, you know what just happened. It’s game time.
Comment of the night from the BART station: Everyone we’ve seen in San Francisco is young. Are there any old people in this city?
Flying. What I think is cool flying into an airport: watching another passenger jet landing parallel to your own jet. Calming.
Random encounter. I was walking to a venue and ended up in a brief amusing conversation with a homeless guy.
Homeless guy: Do you have a quarter to spare?
Me: No.
Homeless guy: How about a dollar?
Me: (laughter)
Homeless guy: (laughter) I had to give it a try.
Friday, January 31, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #9: Brick and Mortar - Spells, Louise Burns, Lightning Dust
A free night equaled my first repeat visit to a SF venue. It was off to Brick and Mortar to catch a trio of bands.
Confession: I’m not very observant at times. In an earlier dispatch, I mentioned that Brick and Mortar had a piano on stage that was being used as a makeshift table for a drum set. I took a closer look this time and it is in fact a table. Oops. I guess in my homesickness for Los Angeles I saw too much of The Bootleg in the Brick and Mortar.
The SF Weekly mentioned that the first band started at 8 p.m. so off I headed to Brick and Mortar without eating any dinner. It was off from work, change cloths and jump onto the BART. And, of course, the night started off at 9 p.m.
One woman entertained herself during that hour by dancing wildly while her husband/significant other watch from his seat. Two young women walked into the venue like they’d just finished a beauty pageant. One even had a tiara.
The first band of the night was Spells, a local band. Spells didn’t disappoint with their Hotel Café style sound. Whenever (I’m guessing a friend) a guy with a smart phone was taking video of the lead singer, she’d blush all so briefly.
Comment of the set: This song is about a cat that met an unfortunate fate.
Comment of the set 2: Bass. How does it look on me?
The next two bands were from Vancouver, Canada. Oh yeah, it reminded me of my first travel post on Intraffik. Louise Burns took the stage first with her country influenced sound. The crowd loved her. After the set, a crowd formed to buy her stuff. And she sounded legit Canadian to me once she shouted out, “Eh.” She had one cool bassist who refused to smile except during their last song when she must have found something amusing; and when she took over the keys, she played with her right hand while she sipped her drink using her left, the definition of cool.
Comment of the set: This song is about sensitive young men who write poetry on typewriters.
Lightning Dust was the final band of the night. A female lead singer, who at times sung in a staccato quick fire method, surrounded by three synth musicians. It was, of course, electronic heaven for 30 plus minutes. For one song one of the synth musicians turned up the Peruvian flute music. Someone in the audience called the musician out for that one. Maybe even in San Francisco, Peruvian flute music equals Universal CityWalk.
Interesting notice of the set: their set list was written down on cardboard.
In an earlier dispatch, I wrote how I was attempting to see if I could recognize any fellow San Francisco music fans at various venues. On this night, I’d say I definitely recognized four folks. Yeah, I know that is meaningless, but it make me feel part of the San Francisco music scene even if it is for an all so brief moment of my life.
As soon as Lightning Dust’s set ended, I rushed out to get to BART. I really have no clue why I did that. By now I should know that there is construction going on at night and that I’ll be stuck waiting for a train for close to 30 minutes. I guess there is always that faint hope that I’ll just catch a train that was supposed to arrive 30 minute earlier or that construction has finished on the BART.
Random note: all three lead singers wore black.
Southwest. Call me a rule follower, but what irritates me most about fellow Southwest fliers is the refusal by a few to not turn off their electronic devices. Some people need to be asked three time to turn off their devices. Others simply hide the fact that their iPhones are on. They’ll hold the screen against their body so that the reflection isn’t seen. Come on, you can’t be disconnected from your music or texting?
Confession: I’m not very observant at times. In an earlier dispatch, I mentioned that Brick and Mortar had a piano on stage that was being used as a makeshift table for a drum set. I took a closer look this time and it is in fact a table. Oops. I guess in my homesickness for Los Angeles I saw too much of The Bootleg in the Brick and Mortar.
The SF Weekly mentioned that the first band started at 8 p.m. so off I headed to Brick and Mortar without eating any dinner. It was off from work, change cloths and jump onto the BART. And, of course, the night started off at 9 p.m.
One woman entertained herself during that hour by dancing wildly while her husband/significant other watch from his seat. Two young women walked into the venue like they’d just finished a beauty pageant. One even had a tiara.
The first band of the night was Spells, a local band. Spells didn’t disappoint with their Hotel Café style sound. Whenever (I’m guessing a friend) a guy with a smart phone was taking video of the lead singer, she’d blush all so briefly.
Comment of the set: This song is about a cat that met an unfortunate fate.
Comment of the set 2: Bass. How does it look on me?
The next two bands were from Vancouver, Canada. Oh yeah, it reminded me of my first travel post on Intraffik. Louise Burns took the stage first with her country influenced sound. The crowd loved her. After the set, a crowd formed to buy her stuff. And she sounded legit Canadian to me once she shouted out, “Eh.” She had one cool bassist who refused to smile except during their last song when she must have found something amusing; and when she took over the keys, she played with her right hand while she sipped her drink using her left, the definition of cool.
Comment of the set: This song is about sensitive young men who write poetry on typewriters.
Lightning Dust was the final band of the night. A female lead singer, who at times sung in a staccato quick fire method, surrounded by three synth musicians. It was, of course, electronic heaven for 30 plus minutes. For one song one of the synth musicians turned up the Peruvian flute music. Someone in the audience called the musician out for that one. Maybe even in San Francisco, Peruvian flute music equals Universal CityWalk.
Interesting notice of the set: their set list was written down on cardboard.
In an earlier dispatch, I wrote how I was attempting to see if I could recognize any fellow San Francisco music fans at various venues. On this night, I’d say I definitely recognized four folks. Yeah, I know that is meaningless, but it make me feel part of the San Francisco music scene even if it is for an all so brief moment of my life.
As soon as Lightning Dust’s set ended, I rushed out to get to BART. I really have no clue why I did that. By now I should know that there is construction going on at night and that I’ll be stuck waiting for a train for close to 30 minutes. I guess there is always that faint hope that I’ll just catch a train that was supposed to arrive 30 minute earlier or that construction has finished on the BART.
Random note: all three lead singers wore black.
Southwest. Call me a rule follower, but what irritates me most about fellow Southwest fliers is the refusal by a few to not turn off their electronic devices. Some people need to be asked three time to turn off their devices. Others simply hide the fact that their iPhones are on. They’ll hold the screen against their body so that the reflection isn’t seen. Come on, you can’t be disconnected from your music or texting?
Thursday, January 30, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #8: The Luggage Store - Lindsey Walker, Doug Lynner
This dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting it here.
The Luggage Store is an art gallery off the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART stop. It is a location that is very easy to miss unless you are looking for it. Even if you’re looking for it, you’re unlikely to find it on first glance as there is no visible signage (there is the possibility I am blind on the signage part). I was walking down the street, looking for the address and a sign that said, “Luggage Store.” I walked to a graffiti art covered door without thinking much about it. I noticed that the next door over had an address that indicated I’d gone too far. So I stopped and looked to my left and then to my right. The Luggage Store had to be in between these two addresses. Was this some sort of Harry Potter train station type address? I looked straight ahead and re-noticed the graffiti art covered door. Dead center was an 8.5 x 11 paper sheet that said “Luggage Store Gallery” along with the night’s schedule. Another paper sign was taped next to the door handle. The sign said, “Door is open. Turn & pull.” Does this now sound like Alice in Wonderland? I opened the door and a staircase with graffiti art on either side led me up to the second floor of the building. There, behind a long table, sat three individuals. I handed one of them $6.
The Luggage Store may be my last “new venue” that I explore in San Francisco. At this point, with my time in San Francisco drawing to a close (though I do have a few more weeks here), I figure my time might best be served revisiting some of the venues I’ve already visited. But that’s in the future. On this night at “new venue” The Luggage Store, there was an ongoing summer music series of what they defined as new music. To me, the music sounded like what I heard at The Lab, but far more accessible to a person like me who lacks an appreciation for art music.
First up was a young woman, Lindsey Walker, with hair dyed pink and a bubbly personality. Her music consisted of the sound of her voice layered over and over again. “La la la LA LA LA la la la.” The sound would start soft and would grow in volume as she added additional layers. She’d collapse it all with a single tap and we’d be left with her initial layer, which she’d build upon again. Her music sounded like a chorus of nuns singing inside an ancient European cathedral. And one couldn’t help but notice her smile and occasional giggles.
The final performer of the night was an older gentleman, Doug Lynner, who played a Magical Serge from the 1970s. It had what seemed like a hundred wires that he spent time plugging and unplugging from one slot to the next. At times, his music sounded like what must be considered the music of deep space. At other times, I imagined listening to a choir of Battlestar Galactica cylons. And then at another moment I thought that the music signified the cells of my body singing to me. Or the aurora borealis.
The two did a song together, vocals on top of synthesized sounds. Then Doug Lynner ended the night with a final song. And to end his song, a fire engine roared pass outside and so he felt it represented a perfect way to end his song.
Noticed: A guy sitting next to me was way too into the music, in my opinion. At times, he swayed to the music like he was listening to a gospel choir.
After the music ended, it was off to the BART station. And there I was for 30 minutes. The BART is doing some construction, but 30 minutes is an extreme length of the delay especially when I just wanted to get home and go to bed. It didn’t take long to realize that the BART electronic signs that were stating that the next train was going to arrive in 12 minutes wasn’t right as after five minutes and then ten minutes the time hadn’t change. I was approached by one individual who asked in frustration, “Has there been an announcement about why the train isn’t coming?” When the train finally came, we were packed in like the proverbial sardines. Yeah, life without a car.
Southwest
Comment 1: The chicken is in the pot. The chicken is in the pot. Please authenticate.
Comment 2: We’ve been given permission to take off. Please don’t exit the aircraft. And no flash photography.
The Luggage Store is an art gallery off the Civic Center/UN Plaza BART stop. It is a location that is very easy to miss unless you are looking for it. Even if you’re looking for it, you’re unlikely to find it on first glance as there is no visible signage (there is the possibility I am blind on the signage part). I was walking down the street, looking for the address and a sign that said, “Luggage Store.” I walked to a graffiti art covered door without thinking much about it. I noticed that the next door over had an address that indicated I’d gone too far. So I stopped and looked to my left and then to my right. The Luggage Store had to be in between these two addresses. Was this some sort of Harry Potter train station type address? I looked straight ahead and re-noticed the graffiti art covered door. Dead center was an 8.5 x 11 paper sheet that said “Luggage Store Gallery” along with the night’s schedule. Another paper sign was taped next to the door handle. The sign said, “Door is open. Turn & pull.” Does this now sound like Alice in Wonderland? I opened the door and a staircase with graffiti art on either side led me up to the second floor of the building. There, behind a long table, sat three individuals. I handed one of them $6.
The Luggage Store may be my last “new venue” that I explore in San Francisco. At this point, with my time in San Francisco drawing to a close (though I do have a few more weeks here), I figure my time might best be served revisiting some of the venues I’ve already visited. But that’s in the future. On this night at “new venue” The Luggage Store, there was an ongoing summer music series of what they defined as new music. To me, the music sounded like what I heard at The Lab, but far more accessible to a person like me who lacks an appreciation for art music.
First up was a young woman, Lindsey Walker, with hair dyed pink and a bubbly personality. Her music consisted of the sound of her voice layered over and over again. “La la la LA LA LA la la la.” The sound would start soft and would grow in volume as she added additional layers. She’d collapse it all with a single tap and we’d be left with her initial layer, which she’d build upon again. Her music sounded like a chorus of nuns singing inside an ancient European cathedral. And one couldn’t help but notice her smile and occasional giggles.
The final performer of the night was an older gentleman, Doug Lynner, who played a Magical Serge from the 1970s. It had what seemed like a hundred wires that he spent time plugging and unplugging from one slot to the next. At times, his music sounded like what must be considered the music of deep space. At other times, I imagined listening to a choir of Battlestar Galactica cylons. And then at another moment I thought that the music signified the cells of my body singing to me. Or the aurora borealis.
The two did a song together, vocals on top of synthesized sounds. Then Doug Lynner ended the night with a final song. And to end his song, a fire engine roared pass outside and so he felt it represented a perfect way to end his song.
Noticed: A guy sitting next to me was way too into the music, in my opinion. At times, he swayed to the music like he was listening to a gospel choir.
After the music ended, it was off to the BART station. And there I was for 30 minutes. The BART is doing some construction, but 30 minutes is an extreme length of the delay especially when I just wanted to get home and go to bed. It didn’t take long to realize that the BART electronic signs that were stating that the next train was going to arrive in 12 minutes wasn’t right as after five minutes and then ten minutes the time hadn’t change. I was approached by one individual who asked in frustration, “Has there been an announcement about why the train isn’t coming?” When the train finally came, we were packed in like the proverbial sardines. Yeah, life without a car.
Southwest
Comment 1: The chicken is in the pot. The chicken is in the pot. Please authenticate.
Comment 2: We’ve been given permission to take off. Please don’t exit the aircraft. And no flash photography.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #7: Cafe Du Nord - White Teeth, Bang Bang, The Lower 48
This Dispatch series was meant for Intraffik, but I'm posting the series here.
I went three straight weeks without venturing into the local San Francisco music scene. There was a BART strike and then work took over for a couple weeks. What’s the purpose of working in the San Francisco area for a few months if I can’t catch any local music? I swore that no matter what I was heading out on this particular week.
My goal to check out new venues continued and so the week’s pick was Cafe Du Nord. I didn’t know anything about the venue other than the fact that it was within an appropriate walking radius of a BART station. So I didn’t have any special reason for heading to this venue other than it would be a new venue; however, after doing some research on one of the bands I found myself getting very excited about the night. The band that got me excited is called The Lower 48. Their Facebook page had by far the most “Likes” of any of the other bands scheduled for the night. I did some casual research on the page. I went to their “About” section, which didn’t state their hometown. I took a look at their gigs. I noticed that they played around Portland. I am one who believes that a touring band from Portland equals a must see band.
One Facebook event invite noted that the night would start at 8:30 p.m. I was thinking: yeah, right, the night isn’t going to start at 8:30 p.m. Well, I was wrong. I got to Café Du Nord at 9 p.m., walked down a long staircase to the building’s basement and White Teeth, a two piece band, was finishing up their last three songs. The first song I heard made me wish I had caught more of their set.
Comment of their set after there was a cry for an encore: The drummer doesn’t know any more songs.
This was a night for some two piece bands. Bang Bang was up next, two gals rocking. Their friends were out in force with their iPhones, taking videos and photos. The lead singer sings with deep vocals and with a force that drives their music forward in an urgent manner.
As good as the other two bands were, the night belonged to The Lower 48. They did not prove my theory wrong that touring Portland bands are awesome. Their very first song had folks dancing. This is a three piece band. Two guys in suits and one gal rocking an updated Joan Jett look. The drummer plays barefooted and divides a portion of his time to the harmonica and trumpet. The lead bassist cracks the jokes. The gal plays the guitar and does the lead vocals. And I swear that other than their wonderful music, I was fascinated by how the lead singer used her mouth to form the lyrics. Now some folks in bands rock a certain look or have a distinct onstage stance, but here is someone who I swear must practice how she forms the lyrics. There is no way that she’s doing this naturally. It has to be practiced and if you catch this band she will have you mesmerized.
Fun moment of the night: a woman in the audience was having a problem with her bracelet during The Lower 48’s set. It kept falling off her wrist. Finally, frustrated with it, she tossed it on stage. The two guys in the band pointed it out. The drummer yelled out, “I’ll take that.” He got out from behind his drum set to pick it up and put it on his wrist. At the end of the set, he tossed it back into the audience where a guy picked it up and tried it on his wrist. The male friend of the gal who tossed it onto the stage pointed this out to her, asking if she wanted to claim it back. She replied it was fine. Considering it wouldn’t stay on her wrist, I’m sure she was happy to get rid of it.
Did I leave the venue on a high? You bet. Best music night in San Francisco (other than perhaps catching Los Angeles band NO on my very first music night out in San Francisco). If The Lower 48 ever comes down to Los Angeles, I want to be up front. Oh, and as for Café Du Nord: as the name might indicate, there is an elegance to this basement level venue.
Southwest Airlines side notes:
Comment of a flight 1: Federal regulations require you to turn off your electronic devices and that you don’t fall asleep. Wake up!
Comment of a flight 2: I am going to tell you what my dad told me when I turned 18. We love you, but take your bags and get out.
Comment of a flight 3: That sound you hear does not mean the wicked witch is dead. I can assure you my mother-in-law in New Mexico is alive and well.
Comment of a flight 4: If your mask does not inflate with air after one minute, please deposit $0.50 cents.
I went three straight weeks without venturing into the local San Francisco music scene. There was a BART strike and then work took over for a couple weeks. What’s the purpose of working in the San Francisco area for a few months if I can’t catch any local music? I swore that no matter what I was heading out on this particular week.
My goal to check out new venues continued and so the week’s pick was Cafe Du Nord. I didn’t know anything about the venue other than the fact that it was within an appropriate walking radius of a BART station. So I didn’t have any special reason for heading to this venue other than it would be a new venue; however, after doing some research on one of the bands I found myself getting very excited about the night. The band that got me excited is called The Lower 48. Their Facebook page had by far the most “Likes” of any of the other bands scheduled for the night. I did some casual research on the page. I went to their “About” section, which didn’t state their hometown. I took a look at their gigs. I noticed that they played around Portland. I am one who believes that a touring band from Portland equals a must see band.
One Facebook event invite noted that the night would start at 8:30 p.m. I was thinking: yeah, right, the night isn’t going to start at 8:30 p.m. Well, I was wrong. I got to Café Du Nord at 9 p.m., walked down a long staircase to the building’s basement and White Teeth, a two piece band, was finishing up their last three songs. The first song I heard made me wish I had caught more of their set.
This was a night for some two piece bands. Bang Bang was up next, two gals rocking. Their friends were out in force with their iPhones, taking videos and photos. The lead singer sings with deep vocals and with a force that drives their music forward in an urgent manner.
As good as the other two bands were, the night belonged to The Lower 48. They did not prove my theory wrong that touring Portland bands are awesome. Their very first song had folks dancing. This is a three piece band. Two guys in suits and one gal rocking an updated Joan Jett look. The drummer plays barefooted and divides a portion of his time to the harmonica and trumpet. The lead bassist cracks the jokes. The gal plays the guitar and does the lead vocals. And I swear that other than their wonderful music, I was fascinated by how the lead singer used her mouth to form the lyrics. Now some folks in bands rock a certain look or have a distinct onstage stance, but here is someone who I swear must practice how she forms the lyrics. There is no way that she’s doing this naturally. It has to be practiced and if you catch this band she will have you mesmerized.
Fun moment of the night: a woman in the audience was having a problem with her bracelet during The Lower 48’s set. It kept falling off her wrist. Finally, frustrated with it, she tossed it on stage. The two guys in the band pointed it out. The drummer yelled out, “I’ll take that.” He got out from behind his drum set to pick it up and put it on his wrist. At the end of the set, he tossed it back into the audience where a guy picked it up and tried it on his wrist. The male friend of the gal who tossed it onto the stage pointed this out to her, asking if she wanted to claim it back. She replied it was fine. Considering it wouldn’t stay on her wrist, I’m sure she was happy to get rid of it.
Did I leave the venue on a high? You bet. Best music night in San Francisco (other than perhaps catching Los Angeles band NO on my very first music night out in San Francisco). If The Lower 48 ever comes down to Los Angeles, I want to be up front. Oh, and as for Café Du Nord: as the name might indicate, there is an elegance to this basement level venue.
Southwest Airlines side notes:
Comment of a flight 1: Federal regulations require you to turn off your electronic devices and that you don’t fall asleep. Wake up!
Comment of a flight 2: I am going to tell you what my dad told me when I turned 18. We love you, but take your bags and get out.
Comment of a flight 3: That sound you hear does not mean the wicked witch is dead. I can assure you my mother-in-law in New Mexico is alive and well.
Comment of a flight 4: If your mask does not inflate with air after one minute, please deposit $0.50 cents.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
San Francisco Dispatch #6: F8 -- Saul Stokes and Impuritan
Another week came, which meant another music venue to explore in San Francisco. This time it was off to a bar called F8. Via Bart, I got off at the Civic Center/UN Plaza stop and went down 7th street and turned on Folsom. The whole process took 45 minutes. I had this distinct feeling that I was speed race walking with someone else as I tried to get to F8 as quickly as possible. Despite my efforts, I arrived in the middle of the first musician’s set, Saul Stokes.
Saul Stokes is a one man show who creates music via gadgets with wires that go everywhere. Now his choice of music instruments initially made me moan when I walked into F8. It reminded me of my adventure at The Lab. Now I don’t want to bad mouth the musicians who played that night at The Lab. In fact, one of these days before I leave San Francisco for good I wish to head back there. I just wasn’t looking for a night of “art” music. My initial reaction to Saul Stokes was wrong. His use of his electronics was totally different from how those at The Lab used their electronics. I was met with the beautiful sounds of rock.
After his set ended, the MC called out that everyone should come up and check out his equipment before he tore it down. A number of us took the opportunity to take a look at all the knobs and wires.
As for the set-up of F8, various seat couches line the floor. It reminds me of a venue in Vancouver called The Media Club. A side door near the stage kept opening up and folks would walk in and out. I wondered what was going on there. I looked through the door and the area was brightly lit with folks sitting around round coffee tables. When I walked out later in the night, I realized that it was a bakery. I guess the bar and bakery share bathrooms. Also, since there was a cover charge for the bands, there must be an honor code in place.
Next up was Impuritan. As I was sitting on one of the couches a young woman came and asked if she could take a seat. “So do you know anyone in the band?” she asked. “No,” I responded. “So why are you here?” “I’m just randomly checking out the different music venues in San Francisco.” “Well,” she responded, “the advantage of the San Francisco music scene is that the city is so compact that the music venues are very close together and we have a real music scene here unlike a spread out city like Los Angeles.” I could have gotten into a huge argument with her on that point. And then she nodded to her friend who was on the keyboards. “He’s a real musician. In fact, he’s an artist,” she fawned.
The night was dubbed as a shoe gaze night. Maybe shoe gaze means something different in San Francisco versus Los Angeles. I find it hard to pigeon hole Impuritan into any specific music genre. I can say their set was like a jam session that swept across multiple genres. One moment they sounded like a jazz band. The next like a rock band. The next moment they sounded like an aimless group of musicians, each pulling their music in different directions.
Moments of the set. One of the band members after every song went around high fiving all his bandmates even when they were attempting to down their beers. This resulted in the lead singer asking early in the set, “Are you going to high five me after every song?”
Unrelated moment of the set. One of the band members yelled out, “Radioactive.” A young woman at the bar who probably hadn’t even heard the comment started to get highly animated with her friends. The band’s response, “She’s been waiting for that song all night long.” Imagine Dragons, you’ve invaded the F8 bar.
Southwest flight attendant comments of a Friday night:
“For those of you clapping, you’re suffering from captive audience syndrome.”
“We have reached the magical altitude of 10,223 feet and 3 inches.”
Saul Stokes is a one man show who creates music via gadgets with wires that go everywhere. Now his choice of music instruments initially made me moan when I walked into F8. It reminded me of my adventure at The Lab. Now I don’t want to bad mouth the musicians who played that night at The Lab. In fact, one of these days before I leave San Francisco for good I wish to head back there. I just wasn’t looking for a night of “art” music. My initial reaction to Saul Stokes was wrong. His use of his electronics was totally different from how those at The Lab used their electronics. I was met with the beautiful sounds of rock.
After his set ended, the MC called out that everyone should come up and check out his equipment before he tore it down. A number of us took the opportunity to take a look at all the knobs and wires.
As for the set-up of F8, various seat couches line the floor. It reminds me of a venue in Vancouver called The Media Club. A side door near the stage kept opening up and folks would walk in and out. I wondered what was going on there. I looked through the door and the area was brightly lit with folks sitting around round coffee tables. When I walked out later in the night, I realized that it was a bakery. I guess the bar and bakery share bathrooms. Also, since there was a cover charge for the bands, there must be an honor code in place.
Next up was Impuritan. As I was sitting on one of the couches a young woman came and asked if she could take a seat. “So do you know anyone in the band?” she asked. “No,” I responded. “So why are you here?” “I’m just randomly checking out the different music venues in San Francisco.” “Well,” she responded, “the advantage of the San Francisco music scene is that the city is so compact that the music venues are very close together and we have a real music scene here unlike a spread out city like Los Angeles.” I could have gotten into a huge argument with her on that point. And then she nodded to her friend who was on the keyboards. “He’s a real musician. In fact, he’s an artist,” she fawned.
The night was dubbed as a shoe gaze night. Maybe shoe gaze means something different in San Francisco versus Los Angeles. I find it hard to pigeon hole Impuritan into any specific music genre. I can say their set was like a jam session that swept across multiple genres. One moment they sounded like a jazz band. The next like a rock band. The next moment they sounded like an aimless group of musicians, each pulling their music in different directions.
Moments of the set. One of the band members after every song went around high fiving all his bandmates even when they were attempting to down their beers. This resulted in the lead singer asking early in the set, “Are you going to high five me after every song?”
Unrelated moment of the set. One of the band members yelled out, “Radioactive.” A young woman at the bar who probably hadn’t even heard the comment started to get highly animated with her friends. The band’s response, “She’s been waiting for that song all night long.” Imagine Dragons, you’ve invaded the F8 bar.
Southwest flight attendant comments of a Friday night:
“For those of you clapping, you’re suffering from captive audience syndrome.”
“We have reached the magical altitude of 10,223 feet and 3 inches.”
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