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.
We Also Did This For Our Middle School Crush
by The Scene on January 15th, 2009
With his inauguration imminent, Barry Obammy is the best American thing since sliced bread (surrounding two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun). Being the hottest ticket in international affairs, naturally all the other world leaders want to get close to him. Canada, which is rightly convinced that acting on the world stage is the same as being in High School (this is correct), has decided that the best way to let Obama know that they not only like him but like like him, is to make the incoming President a mixtape of music by Canadian artists and they’re letting people on the intertoobs vote on which songs should be included. This is obviously a mistake becasue it’s the same internet that brought you Chocolate Rain and Hamster on a Piano. We’re pretty sure the list doesn’t even include Celiene Dion! We’d suggest “If I Had $1,000,000″ by the Barenaked Ladies to lend a hand with the bailout or show our shared commitment to “Democracy” by Lenoard Cohen. Although the correct answer is clearly Rush’s “Closer To the Heart”.
An Open Letter to Gov. Rod Blagojevich
by The Scene on January 9th, 2009
Dear Rod,
When Patrick Fitzgerald first released his report on all your horribly corrupt activities we, quite naturally, assumed your problem was simply that you were dumb. It’s okay, we thought, sometimes being dumb and getting in over your head happens to the best of us. Once, when we were kids, we thought it would be a good idea to stand behind some bushes on the side of the road, throw rocks at cars, and then have the drivers give us reward money when we told them that the rock throwers were those no-good Johnson kids who lived down the street. See, everyone does something dumb some time or another. We figured that you just wanted to be a bad-ass, corrupt politician like all the cool kids up in Chicago but were too dumb to do it properly. Your attempted fire-sale of the Barry’s vacated senate seat was so cartoonishly inept in its villainous buffoonery that we couldn’t help but feel bad for you. It was like that scene near the end of Boogie Nights when Marky Mark and John C. Riley are about to try to rob the drug dealers. You know its a bad idea; they know its a bad idea; everyone knows its a bad idea - but there’s nothing anyone can do about it because everyone’s involved is too dumb and coked out to know any better.
That was all before we saw your press conference today. Now, we have to come to the conclusion that you are not dumb. Appointing Mr. Burris to fill the seat was not the work of a dumb person, nor was claiming that the reason the Illinois state senate impeached you was because you worked too hard to protect poor minorities. Also, quoting Tennyson. These are not the actions of a dumb person, these are the actions of a crazy person.
So, we guess, what we’re trying to say is…our nephew is having a birthday party and the clown magician that we hired got hit by a car so last week so he had to cancel. If you could come and entertain the kids that would be super awesome. You’re going to have to bring your own costume (clown, pirate, guinea pig ninja) and we can’t pay you, but you can eat all the cake you want (its princess cake) and we’d be more than happy if you wanted to use us as a reference for future jobs. If you’re interested, please let us know ASAP. Thanks.
Sincerely,
F. Jameson Turquoise
Fleet Foxes… really?
by The Scene on December 19th, 2008
So it’s been a while since we’ve posted anything, due primarily to a heap of recent craziness, whether taking the form of finishing up two new Nothing Room releases, dealing with a particularly harsh San Francisco winter season, dealing with a bedroom flood caused by said winter season, spending too much time on Reddit, and dealing with that pesky gorilla that recently escaped from the zoo and has a tendency to punch us in the nose just as we fall asleep.
What’s made us come out of hibernation? How about the obligatory Best Music of 2008 lists coming from every possible wazoo of a publication this side of Mordor. More importantly, we’re trying to deal with our continuing confusion regarding everyone else’s musical tastes and preferences. The Fleet Foxes full-length, an incredibly beautiful work of folk magic, soaring harmonies, and softly poetic lyrics, has officially given Pitchfork a great big boner. A hardcore boner. Like, watching Total Recall at the age of 11 hardcore boner.
What can we say to dispute Pfork’s decision to give Fleet Foxes the #1 spot? The album is majestic, the singing is pure and beautiful, the songwriting is memorable and pleasing, the production and arrangements all ring true. Yet, when people look back on the year 2008 some time down the road, will they really remember Fleet Foxes as the band that changed everything? Has this band really made an album that, while never having a notably bad moment, is enough to infiltrate our hearts and minds to a point where Natalie Portman can say with a straight face “This band will change your life?”
No offense to FF, but The Scene thinks not. We love the album, are happy that the band has reaped widespread fame and adulation, and for us it is among the best of the year, but for once in a lifetime we actually agree with Rolling Stone; this is a #11 best album, not a #1. You want a #1 best album? Well, then either do something completely new and do it brilliantly (and any truly original work is bound to have pimples and warts, just like any brilliant astrophysicist or IT professional who secretly records Captain Beefheart covers in his bedroom), or do something traditional, and make it perfect. Wait, not just perfect, startlingly perfect. Blow us out of the water, whether through bombast or intricate subtlety. Grab us by the hearts, grab us by the brains, kick our faces in with your masterpiece. But you can’t just settle for beauty. Lots of music is beautiful; it’s your job as an artist to go beyond that term and create something whose importance is impossible to accurately convey.
We’re not just gonna be negative nancies though and deride everyone else’s decisions… We’re all about constructive criticism around the scene. So what is our #1 album of the year? You’ll have to wait until January 1st, when we release our own toppermost of the poppermost list… unlike some people, we actually understand the concept of a calendar.
And as a parting thought, here’s something to remind you how important music really can be… the type of thing that can truly be looked upon with a declaration of “yes, this changes everything”…
San Francisco Halloween Bash: Everybody Gets Slayed
by The Scene on October 25th, 2008
Hey there ladies and gents, been a long time since we’ve posted anything, what with the economy, an addiction to shwarma, and a man-bear hybrid that refuses to stop chasing us around. Luckily, that quick bastard is taking just enough of a breather to let us chat about the place to be this Halloween. The Scene and some of our best buddies are getting together this Friday, Hallow’s Eve, at Irelands 32 for an excellent show and party, aptly dubbed “Everybody Gets Slayed”. Theme of the night: Haunted Saturday Morning Cartoons. Do you remember the theme song from Dino The Last Dinosaur? We don’t, but you can make up the words if you’re hammered enough. The gist:
1. It’s an Irish pub in which you don’t have to be embarrassed that you blame witchcraft and illiteracy on the beer you just spilled on yourself.
2. From 7-8, you can get your body rocked by hot spins from DJ Hot Rod. He’ll make you dance, we promise.
3. From 8-9:30, your favorite indie insaniacs Dubious Ranger will be powering through earth-shaking art-rock and freak-out pop– including covers by none other than David Bowie, Blondie, Talking Heads, and The Beatles– and blowing you away in general. They will be dressed as Ghostbusters, fucking aye.
4. There will a costume contest that won’t make any sense because that guy who spent $1000 and 40 hours building his Mum-rah outfit will lose.
5. 10-12: Your favorite hair rock + polka/klezmer 8-piece funk band, Sex With No Hands, will hit you across the face with 1.2 Gigawatts of laser-light-show power and accordian+vocoder sexual magic.
6. 12-onwards: best Halloween afterparty in town, featuring Portland’s Excellent Gentlemen. Imagine Chromeo, but more slow-jams, and they can actually sing without autotune. Yaaaaay.
7. Did we mention the entire night will feature a huge laser-light-show? Yeah guess we did.
This all sounds awesome. The Scene says Go.
You can get tickets here: http://everyonegetsslayed.eventbrite.com/
And We Have A Winner…
by The Scene on September 12th, 2008
And the winning haiku was:
Tegan & Sara/ Flying in Antarctica/ sing “You Went Away”
And the loser is everyone who entered because poetry is for lame-o’s. True ballers write exclusively in prose. Thanks to everyone who entered.
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