Stephen Malkmus officially the coolest guy on earth
by The Scene on February 26th, 2009
As part of San Francisco’s seminal NoisePop festival, currently underway this week amidst a dizzying haze of indie shows and flannel-clad fixie-bikers, Stephen Malkmus played a solo acoustic guitar set at SF’s lovely Great American Music Hall. Performing for a sold-out crowd, this event can only be properly described as a Pavement fan’s wet dream, and coupled with the recent news of a 4/5 Pavement reunion at Bob N’s wedding last week, February is something of a wet-dream month. Excepting the 2 competent but boring folk guitar opening acts, here’s why the night was pure perfection:
- Comes onstage with his laptop, on which he’d just written a loose setlist. He complains about having to use complex apps to write out this setlist, and laments “what the hell happened to AppleText?” Audience calls out for Powerpoint, Excel, etc., someone yells “Nerd!” he laughs and replies “Yeah, nerd!”
- Opens with Pavement live favorite b-side Harness Your Hopes. This is a very good sign for the evening.
- Looks like he may be stoned and is having a great time. The house is packed with what are obviously hardcore Pavement fans making constant requests for rare tracks
- Spends his long set covering every range of his career, from Real Emotional Trash all the way back to Summer Babe and Shoot The Singer. Particularly beautiful cuts include Range Life, Fin, Heaven Is A Truck, Pink India, Starlings in the Slipstream, and encore-closer Here.
- It seems he hasn’t played some of these songs in years, as he struggles to remember certain verses and progressions. It’s all in good fun though, such as when he stops playing Vanessa From Queens after forgetting the 2nd verse and apologizes to the audience with a knowing smirk on his face. In front of this loving crowd, Malkmus can do no wrong; every word and movement from him is gospel, pure and absolute.
- Audience members sing along throughout, but never (thank god) annoyingly so.
- Audience requests are taken regularly, although demands for “1% of One” and “No More Shoes” are met with a “how the fuck am I supposed to do that without a band?” smirk. At numerous points, Malkmus apologizes for not being able to end songs well, since instrumental codas from originals are regularly replaced by random acoustic guitar noise and feedback on certain pieces. Nobody requests a Spiral Stairs song, especially not Hit The Plane Down, which would have been… strange on solo acoustic guitar.
- Okay, here’s the real juice: returning onstage for his encore set, Malkmus proceeds to break into a seemingly spontaneous cover of “Love Train”. We aren’t kidding. He sings falsetto and gets really into it. So does the entire audience, clapping and singing along. This is a moment packed with humor, absurdity, cathartic release of emotion, intelligence, and humility in the face of adoring fans. In other words, a summary of Pavement’s entire career. Perfection through the art of roughness. Beauty in sound always through natural conveyance of emotions, songs, and lyrics. A pile of gold found on an old crusty seat on the subway. Too many ways to describe the awesomeness.
Point in closing: Stephen Malkmus has been one of the most important voices of music in the past 2 decades, and continues this legend merely by showing up at gigs and being himself. His work seems effortless, his happiness contagious. The Scene loves you S.M.; without your work, we wouldn’t even know what indie rock is.
Fat Skeleton, Dubious Ranger play @ Copper Rhino 2/26 in Modesto
by The Scene on February 26th, 2009
Where does The Scene end and the Outlands begin? Some would say “Modesto” because of its serene farmlands, accepted cow-tipping, and tranquil isolation from the Bay Area. Those people are wrong however, because Granddaddy. Also, Modesto gave birth to Fat Skeleton, a 6-piece psychedelic trip consisting of all around A-class dudes of the first degree. While these fellows often make appearances in the SF proper, most notably at a Slims show a couple months back when they opened for X, they are playing a free show in their home town of Modesto tonight. Splitting the bill with them will be yours truly, Dubious Ranger, who may or may not reprise their Mexican wrestling masks from days past.
The location: The Copper Rhino, a club that features $2 jack + cokes and stripper poles, but unfortunately all stripping is from volunteers only. The Scene could not recommend more. Check out here: http://www.copperrhino.com/
Show of the weekend: DNA Lounge Sunday Feb 22
by The Scene on February 22nd, 2009
Some people don’t find the Oscars entertaining. Hugh Jackman may be a song and dance man, and Mickey Rourke may be the ugliest Cinderella story of the year, but every year people seem to forget that those Oscars are pure milquetoast.
So what’s your alternative remedy? The Scene has many friends playing tonight at the DNA Lounge in SOMA, San Fran. The show is, unfortunately, a Battle of the Bands, however that fact is balanced by the goodi-ness of many of the bands involved. We’ve got the following SF indie bands playing from 6pm-11pm…
DUBIOUS RANGER
ROBERT GASTELUM
FEAR THE FIASCO
OF THIS CITY
THE SCARLET PIMPERNELS
THE PUNDITS
STEREO FREAKOUT
JHANA
WILD SIDE
Buy tickets this way: https://cart.dnalounge.com/order/?item=50879
Get there this way: 375 11th St. @ Harrison, right near Slims
Oh and Nate Silver already predicted the Oscar winners if you’re really a sucker for suspense: http://nymag.com/movies/features/54335/
Thursday Rock City
by The Scene on February 10th, 2009
Hey Scenesters, so this Thursday, we’ve been informed of a great lineup playing at Retox in San Francisco from 9pm til 1am, and it looks to be a big whammy, in the parlance of our times. The gritty nitty:
What: Fat Skeleton (dancey psychadelic metal/electronica/rock from Modesto), Mass Fiction (Slammingly catchy pop-rock/electro/classic rock from Berkeley), and Fat Water (Electro-experimental avant-garde noise jams)
Where: Retox, 628 20th St, San Francisco, 21 and over only
When: Thursday, Feb 12, 9pm-1am
How Fat: Two Fats and a Massive. Now THERE’S a great name for a cock-rock band.
The Scene likes all of these bands. A lot. We’re going… are you?
Fucked Up
by The Scene on February 6th, 2009
Pop quiz hotshot: what’s the happiest day of the year?
Columbus day? No. Arbor Day? No. Chinese New Year? Fuck yeah! That’s because around Chinese New Year, Fucked Up the magic post-hardcore band Canadian elves that destory your ear-holes with their awesomeness, release an epic song about whatever year it is. This just did it and, fuck-a-doo is it a doozy. Big chugging guitars mix with hardcore screaming a closing sound clip from the fuckstick that doesn’t get to fuck up the planet any longer. Awesome.
So What Was Best in 2008?
by The Scene on February 6th, 2009
Here at The Scene, we don’t like to break promises. So when we promised a month ago to come up with our own Best of 2008 list - just to justify our spite for Fleet Foxes taking over the world - we meant it. While no single man can speak for The Scene as a universal voice, this humble writer will attempt to make his best guesses for what deserves our accolades, high fives, and extra stick of chewing gum. In the coming weeks, other members of the Scene will show their own cards, but here come my best picks.
1. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
Juggling more side projects than even Damon Albarn can be a tall task, but for all the extracurricular dabblings of the members of Wolf Parade, the core band’s track record remains perfect. 2005’s Apologies To The Queen Mary was an epic display of jagged hooks, enigmatic yet heart-crushing lyrics, and race-to-the-finish crescendos, and it claimed its rightful place among many of that year’s Best Of lists. Unfortunately, 2008’s At Mount Zoomer failed to make the same splash, yet carries its predecessor’s same bend to innovate, challenge, tug emotions, and never shy away from a disturbing strangeness that somehow fails to detract from every song’s catchy, accessible aesthetic. Originally titled after closing track “Kissing The Beehive”, that name is much better suited to the sharp and uneasy nature of most of the album’s songs. Jumping from the intense stomping rock of “California Dreamer” to the nauseating modulations of “Bang Your Drum” and Fleetwood Mac permanent vamp of “Fine Young Cannibals”, the images on Mt. Zoomer change regularly but always stem from the same beautifully demented palette. Let’s not even get started on closing track “Kissing The Beehive”, a cathartic outburst that cresendos into some of the best dance-punk of the year. It’s a shame this work didn’t receive more accolades for its startling originality, brilliant songcraft, and heartfelt performances. Well Wolf Parade, The Scene honors you… You have rocked our asses and we really, really appreciate it.
2. The New Pornographers - Challengers
3. TV On The Radio - Dear Science
4. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
5. Lil’ Wayne - Tha Carter III
6. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
7. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
8. David Byrne and Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
9. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
10. Walkmen - You & Me
Honorable Mention:
Islands - Arm’s Way
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Beach House - Devotion
Good News Everyone!
by The Scene on February 5th, 2009
Remember the 90s? Flannel, middle school, Bill Clinton. Good times. One of the things that happened in the 90s was that Pearl Jam, who at that point were quite possibly the biggest band in the world, tried to take on the Ticketmaster behemoth. Even though Pearl Jam failed in their noble quest, so did Ticketmaster fail in ruining music for everyone all the time. Luckily, at least for people who hate music, due to Clinton-era media deregulation Clear Channel (a small group of sociopath gnomes wearing magic underpants) moved into the concert business, which was later spun off into Live Nation. Live Nation is now in talks to merge with Clear Channel.
Obama, if you would be so kind as to block the living fuck out of this merger we would be ever so grateful.