PIDGEON
SCHANDE
THE NEW CENTURIES
Café Du Nord
Jan. 23, 2007

I went to this show cause I love Schande, and they are friends of mine. Jen (singer/guitar player) told me that it was gonna be a “great show. All the bands kick ass". To be honest, I never trust this information when it's given to me by a person who is playing in one of the bands. I’ve done it myself… it happens! You’re not gonna say: “Come see our show, all the bands suck but us… but still COME; its only $8…" even though they'll be in misery before and after you go on. No way, you say, "Come to our show. It’s gonna be great and all the bands rock". It's just what you do. So, being on the other end of this speech, I was like, "Oh, yeah. Are they?…. Hmmm”.

PIDGEON
SCHANDE
THE NEW CENTURIES
Café Du Nord
Jan. 23, 2007

I went to this show cause I love Schande, and they are friends of mine. Jen (singer/guitar player) told me that it was gonna be a “great show. All the bands kick ass". To be honest, I never trust this information when it's given to me by a person who is playing in one of the bands. I’ve done it myself… it happens! You’re not gonna say: “Come see our show, all the bands suck but us… but still COME; its only $8…" even though they'll be in misery before and after you go on. No way, you say, "Come to our show. It’s gonna be great and all the bands rock". It's just what you do. So, being on the other end of this speech, I was like, "Oh, yeah. Are they?…. Hmmm”.

So by the wonders of MySpace I did a little research… and lo and behold, I fell in love. Pidgeon and Schande are, hands down, amazing.

The New Centuries are great too… But, by the time we got to Café Du Nord, I only got to hear two of their songs. One, I heard from the bar; I was a bit preoccupied with getting the bartender’s attention. The other song I saw with drink in hand. They had a sax player who I hadn't heard on the MySpace recordings. I don’t know if he was there just as a special performer, or if he’s a new addition. To be honest, there was a little too much sax solo time for me…. And when the sax is played dry without a guitar-pedal set-up, I feel thrown back to the late 80s… not a great time in music history (in my opinion a lot of 80s musical failures had to do due with this over-used sax cheese). The sax player was good at laying down some riffs; I just wish his performance had been tampered with some pedals. I think that would have added a cool vibe to The New Centuries’ already great Modern Lovers meets the Talking Heads music. Anyhoo, I highly recommend this band. Even with the sax, they won-t let you down.

Next up? The lovely Schande. By now I was a bit hammered. And being thrown back to my childhood 90s faves was just what I wanted. Schande brings the shit on. I was moving with a big dopey smile the whole time. After Schande stopped playing, I noticed that my cheeks hurt from over-exertion. Toward the end of their show, Jen Chochinov, lead singer and guitar player, announced a genre name for their music that I will never forget.. she called their sound “90s nostalgia”, and I thought, “Holy shit, that’s exactly it”.

These mother fuckers rock, and they really are the only band I’ve seen who can pull off the (good indie) 90s pop with a new twist. Their music is downright lovable. I bum rushed Jen after the show, slurring my words; she was like a god to me at that moment. I was a happy little drunk wanting all of her attention?not a good time when she’s trying to get off stage. I know. But I couldn’t help myself which means this band really played me.

After that, I got another drink… Once you start, its hard to stop!… By the time I had sucked that one down, Pidgeon were playing. I was glad I had finished my drink like a proper alchy, cause

I was moving my shit around, bopping up and down from the first song (with beer in hand I would have been a mess!!), as if Pidgeon had been my favorite band for years. At one point, I was so happy I shed a tear. For real. I was “feeling the music, man”… and I know that drinking makes one’s emotions a bit more forthright… but STILL; I shed a fucking tear. Of course I tried to hold it back as not to feel like a total idiot... I had just heard them on MySpace the day before!!!

Anyhow, if I had to explain Pidgeon using genres and other bands names, I would say that they are a blend of hardcore metal with melodic harmonies?Blonde Redhead meets Pinback. I haven’t heard anything like it. And they pull it off so well. Pidgeon are my new favorite local band by far. I’ve become obsessed with them, and I have been telling everyone: "You gotta check this band out. They are insane”.

From a musician’s standpoint, I loved that their song structures are often unexpected; in other places they give you just what you expect and want. Pidgeon is a perfect mix of the two. They nail it. I will leave you with some descriptive words about Pidgeon: sexy and moving, hard and driving. They are fucking infectious. People….

You MUST go see this band.

[Olivia Parriott]

[STREAM] Pidgeon: Various Tracks
[STREAM] Schande: Various Tracks

AS A PEOPLE
330 Rich
Jan. 31, 2007

As a People sound good online. They sound good on their three-song EP. But their January 31st show at 330 Rich needed a bit of work.

It’s hard being the opening live band. The sound in small venues like 330 Rich can sometimes make or break a performance, and the sound on Wednesday was no exception. The bass pinged when it should have thudded; the backing vocals were barely audible; and the performance lacked the intricate energy that comes through on their EP. ...

AS A PEOPLE
330 Rich
Jan. 31, 2007

As a People sound good online. They sound good on their three-song EP. But their January 31st show at 330 Rich needed a bit of work.

It’s hard being the opening live band. The sound in small venues like 330 Rich can sometimes make or break a performance, and the sound on Wednesday was no exception. The bass pinged when it should have thudded; the backing vocals were barely audible; and the performance lacked the intricate energy that comes through on their EP.

To call their sound indie seems a bit too generic, and makes use of a term that’s thrown around too often these days. So I’ll date myself, go out on a limb and say that As a People create music that sounds like what us old fogies used to call modern rock.

Adam Yas's vocals are reminiscent of Les Claypool?lead singer of Primus, another band of San Francisco’s past. And the theatrics (including a faux black eye) of, I hate to say it, Ed Kowalczyk of Live.

The band ended their set to a crowd of about 50 with the song they should have opened with?Barch P. Killface. The vocal delivery combined with Tim Way’s rapidly booming drums encompasses a sporadic energy that builds, drops, and crescendos again, all the while steadied by Nigel Sussman’s bass and accented with Nathan Link’s distorted guitar. This song alone is a prime example of why As a People are still fun to listen to, despite the sound problems. They may just be on the first wave of what could possibly be called a modern rock revival.

[Nicole Leigh]

[STREAM] As A People: Various Tracks

GAUCHO
Amnesia
01/17/07

Every Wednesday, at the heart of the Valencia corridor, you’ll notice a shift in the scenery. Coalescing along the sidewalk near 20th street, derby hats and vests, flapper dresses and feathers appear like proverbial moths to the flaming red lounge that is Amnesia. Every Wednesday, this dive-bar den-womb sprouts Django-hands and Golden Era hot-jazz feet to become home to San Francisco’s gypsy jazz band, Gaucho. ...

GAUCHO
Amnesia
01/17/07

Every Wednesday, at the heart of the Valencia corridor, you’ll notice a shift in the scenery. Coalescing along the sidewalk near 20th street, derby hats and vests, flapper dresses and feathers appear like proverbial moths to the flaming red lounge that is Amnesia. Every Wednesday, this dive-bar den-womb sprouts Django-hands and Golden Era hot-jazz feet to become home to San Francisco’s gypsy jazz band, Gaucho.

I was there on the 17th of January, a cold night that warranted the comforting warmth and 28 microbrews on tap that Amnesia offers. Gaucho started on time (rare), and everyone was relaxed . That’s the comforting feel of Gaucho. Nobody’s in a hurry, you can settle into your barstool, sip your beer, check out the costuming of the clientele, and feel confident that, in a few minutes, your ears will be indulgently feeding on some fine 20s & 30s jazz.

Dave Ricketts, Gaucho’s band leader and lead guitarist, started the show with a lively set of old standards mixed with some modern smirks (at one point, the band starts in on the Danger Mouse theme). The rest of the band houses a full batch of instruments and talent including Michael Groh (guitar), Rob Reich (accordion), Ari Monkers (stand-up bass), Pete Devine (drums and mouth percussion!), and the ubiquitous Ralph Carney (clarinet, sax, and a strange reed instrument that he said we could call “the Harold”, but just for that night).

Although, I’ve seen Gaucho many times at Amnesia, watching them in preparation for a live review reminded me of just how talented and enjoyable they are. At one point, my pal Steve Owen, himself an accomplished singer/songwriter, leaned over to me and said, “You know, it says a lot about the demise of the live music scene in SF that a band this good is playing for free.” Whether its lack of appreciation or an embarrassment of riches, here in the Mission, we have a treat waiting for us every Wednesday night, free for the taking,. Dress up and tip well.

[Ann Larie Valentine]

[STREAM] Gaucho: Various Tracks

FOXTAIL SOMERSAULT
FRENCH DISCO
PELOTON
The Rockit Room
02-08-07

Ah, there’s nothing like an evening of shoe-gazing, psychedelic pop to bring out the fight in bouncers working in the rough-and-tumble...uh, Richmond District?!?

The first band I saw, Peloton, was at their best when they played expansive, wall-of-sound-type compositions. Their sound reminds me of Asobi Seksu without the edge, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. When the keys and guitar swell to tsunami heights and the rhythm section holds down a low end that is both searching and driving at the same time, the whole band achieves an epic glory. But there is a thoroughly saccharine side to Peloton, as well: a sugary pop side that lacks the depth to make it compelling, although it had a jazzy sensibility that’s not terribly common in the shoe-gaze realm. ...

FOXTAIL SOMERSAULT
FRENCH DISCO
PELOTON
The Rockit Room
02-08-07

Ah, there’s nothing like an evening of shoe-gazing, psychedelic pop to bring out the fight in bouncers working in the rough-and-tumble...uh, Richmond District?!?

The first band I saw, Peloton, was at their best when they played expansive, wall-of-sound-type compositions. Their sound reminds me of Asobi Seksu without the edge, which isn’t entirely a bad thing. When the keys and guitar swell to tsunami heights and the rhythm section holds down a low end that is both searching and driving at the same time, the whole band achieves an epic glory. But there is a thoroughly saccharine side to Peloton, as well: a sugary pop side that lacks the depth to make it compelling, although it had a jazzy sensibility that’s not terribly common in the shoe-gaze realm.

French Disco came next, with a much more traditional rock-n-roll take on shoegaze. Like Peloton, French Disco created dense, delay-drenched, reverb-soaked, towering walls of noise reminiscent of bands like My Bloody Valentine or Ride (but without the folky, acoustic-guitar element that those bands often inject into their sound).

Singer Myriam de la Jara seemed to be channeling Siousxie Sioux, but her vocal stylings are equally redolent of Elizabeth Fraser—especially because her Spanish/French accent made me think that she was employing glossolalia, or nonsensical verbalizations. De la Jara might have actually been singing words though; I don’t know. I do know it sounded cool, whatever she was singing.

The headliner was Foxtail Somersault, who were playing their second show with new singer Catherine Howland. Despite having the most lush sound of the evening—on a bill full of lush sounds— something about their show failed to grab me. All the elements were there: propulsive but laid-back rhythms, atmospheric vocals, ambient guitars that weren’t afraid to take on a harder edge and envelop you in a torrent of sound.

But there was something almost too wistful about the band, as if everyone was half asleep, or, at least for this night, just going through the motions. The vocals, for instance, were beautiful and haunting, but sounded so dreamy it was like listening to Hope Sandoval if she was really, really bored. To be fair, Ms. Howland did tell the crowd that they’d been working on a bunch of new songs; so I hope they’re still working out where to place the hooks.

Now, on to the main event:

Toward the middle of the Foxtail Somersault set, an obviously-inebriated guy started dancing drunkenly in front of the stage. I didn’t see what preceded the following incident. After the show, however, the guy got beat up pretty viciously by two bouncers, who, in their defense, spent a few minutes trying to talk the guy into leaving peaceably.

The bouncers alleged that the drunk dancer cocked a fist, which prompted one of the bouncers to punch him multiple times in the face while the other bouncer held him. When the drunk guy fell to the ground and the first bouncer knelt on his back; the other bouncer apparently still felt threatened, because he bent over and punched the dude in the face about eight more times, just for good measure. It was a perfectly incongruous end to the evening.

Way to protect the peace, gentleman!

[Mike G.]

[STREAM] Foxtail Somersault: Various Tracks
[STREAM]  French Disco:  Various Tracks
[STREAM] Peloton: Various Tracks