THE CLIKS
DOLORATA
ORIGAMI
Bottom of The Hill
August 21, 2007


In what must surely win understatement of the year, Origami’s Rhonda Simmonds sings: “We are the kids you wanna get down with” (from the song “Broken Hearts and Broken Teeth,” off of Origami’s EP Lovers in America). ...

THE CLIKS
DOLORATA
ORIGAMI
Bottom of The Hill
August 21, 2007


In what must surely win understatement of the year, Origami’s Rhonda Simmonds sings: “We are the kids you wanna get down with” (from the song “Broken Hearts and Broken Teeth,” off of Origami’s EP Lovers in America).

The sheer energy of this band is contagious. Their sound is a fun, danceable mix of punk rock, no wave, and classic 60’s surf a la one of my personal favorites, The Kinks.

Put simply, Origami makes garage punk rock that you can dance to. And that’s just what this girl adores! Their music hits you hard right in the gut and forces your body to shake and move.

Origami opened the show, which is always an early slot at Bottom of The Hill, but there was a large gathering of people by the stage that only grew larger as the band pumped out the tunes.

Origami sounds amazing live and Rhonda Simmonds (vox, guitar & keys) is easily one of the most impressively dynamic live performers I have encountered. She is a force to be reckoned with on stage. You can’t help but notice her, watch her, and get drawn in and wholly inspired by her performance. She engages the audience during songs and is impossible to ignore – not that anyone in their right mind would want to ignore her.

Oh yeah, I have a big time band crush on Origami…watch out! Their musicianship is tight; their songs are catchy, raw, hard, danceable and fun; and their live show takes your breath away. The jagged guitar and bass lines of Illana Goldberg and Natalie White are simply brilliant, and, backed by the deep, aggressive beats of drummer Matthew Snyder, the band’s sound is flawless.

I have to be honest: Origami blew the rest of the line up out of the water. The other bands could not compare; it wasn’t their fault, few bands could match the charisma of Origami. They are most certainly the kids you want to get down with…

Origami, will you date me?

Dolorata is a blues-influenced rock band that took the middle slot of the show. The band was solid musically, and consisted of obviously talented musicians, but it just didn’t come together. Something just didn’t work for me, and they seemed to loose the audience as well. They definitely have potential but I felt the performance fell short.

The Cliks, hailing from Toronto and headlining fresh off some The L Word soundtrack hype, closed the show. Again: solid musicians, the sound hard and clean with good stage energy, but outmatched by Origami. The show was full of fans that sang and shouted along and obviously loved the show. The Cliks have been compared to The Pretenders, The White Stripes, and David Bowie. For me, the set just sounded all the same and didn’t get me excited.

[Katie Kaapcke]

[STREAM] Origami: Various Tracks

[STREAM] The Cliks: Various Tracks  

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
WU-TANG CLAN
CYPRESS HILL
PUBLIC ENEMY
THE ROOTS
MOS DEF
McCovey Cove Parking Lot
August 18, 2007

In these days of ever-declining rap sales, it was perhaps no surprise that the main stage of the Rock the Bells 2007 festival featured mostly acts that first made it on the national scene more than 10 years ago. ...

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
WU-TANG CLAN
CYPRESS HILL
PUBLIC ENEMY
THE ROOTS
MOS DEF
McCovey Cove Parking Lot
August 18, 2007

In these days of ever-declining rap sales, it was perhaps no surprise that the main stage of the Rock the Bells 2007 festival featured mostly acts that first made it on the national scene more than 10 years ago.

Given the actual lineup, it was also no surprise that the show completely kicked ass. These were not today's ghetto-glam rappers who are more concerned with their image and their bling than anything else; the performers at Rock the Bells 2007 were conscious hip hoppers and pioneers, innovators who, in their day, took the game to a new level. True, many of them are getting on in age, and their innovating days may be over, but that didn't make the show any less killer.

I arrived shortly after Mos Def had started his set – during the time slot staked out for Nas, according to the concert program. (I never determined whether Nas had played earlier or never played at all.) Mos Def's set was as lively as it could be at 2:30 in the afternoon; he spent a lot of time walking around the area between the stage and the crowd, slapping fives without missing a beat. I enjoyed it well enough, but went to grab a beer by the end, because the beer garden line was ridiculous and, given the lineup that was about to storm the stage non-stop, I needed to get some beers down and get back out in the crowd.

Next up were The Roots. Even though I've listened to a lot of The Roots' music on CD in the past, I wouldn't count myself as much of a fan. I really, really dig the all-live hip hop outfit concept, but have just never felt like The Roots did as much exploration as they should, and have never been terribly inspired by any of Black Thought's rhymes.

But The Roots, I must admit, put on one hell of a show. The energy was undeniably there, and it was hard not to at least nod your head to drummer ?uestlove's beats. Guitarist "Captain" Kirk Douglas is awesome when he sings the radio number "The Seed 2.0," the big radio hit from their album Phrenology that starts strong and normally bores me by the end; but the live rendition was captivating throughout.

Interestingly (given that they were the only group that got up there without a DJ), The Roots did the most "sampling" of anyone that day. Though since they're a live crew it was more like "covering." They busted into the riff from Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and even went off on Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," among others. All in all it was a solid performance, and the perfect warm-up for what was to come.

The legendary Public Enemy took the stage gradually (in fact, all of the set changes were ridiculously long), but damn was it awesome to see them up there. Except for the fact that original DJ Terminator X was not present, it was a total thrill to see Public Enemy live and onstage (replacement DJ Lord did a great job, and really fit in with the persona of the group with his camo fatigues and his fist cocked in the air). The whole rest of the crew was there: Chuck D spittin his rhymes, as sincere and badass as ever; Flavor Flav and his antics were on point, and when you see him live you have to admit that he's an excellent entertainer (also, according to an article in the UK's The Observer, Flav is the musically gifted member of the band, able to play 15 instruments, including oboe!!!); Professor Griff was there marching in lockstep with other members of the S1W team. It was just awesome to see these guys still out there telling it like it is. Despite Flav's recent forays into TV (ahem) stardom, it's great that a band as political and Afro-centric as Public Enemy is still going strong, still on top of their game, and still finding an audience.

PE hit a number of classic cuts, like "Fight the Power," "Don't Believe the Hype," and "Welcome to the Terrordome;" they even brought out Anthrax's Scott Ian to do "Bring the Noise"! Though Ian's guitar was not nearly loud enough, the fact that he was there at all was cool as hell. PE's set closed with Flavor Flav admonishing the crowd about peace and love, asking everyone to hold up a peace sign, then to close the fingers: "This stands for peace and unity," he told us. Then he launched into "911 Is A Joke."

As soon as their giant golden Buddha was inflated, Cypress Hill hit the stage. B-Real and Sen Dog were on point, but where was DJ Muggs, dammit? (And why was someone handing out stickers for "DJ Muggs, DJ for Cypress Hill" after the show, when Muggs wasn't even there?!?!?)

Anyway, the DJ that filled in for him did a good job of keeping the crowd hopping to the grooving, bouncy beats for which Muggs is famous. B-Real and Sen Dog did their thing despite the sound being kinda shitty in general and percussionist Eric Bobo's congas being turned up way too loud.

All the same, those congas ended up producing one of my favorite moments of the entire show. B-Real jumped behind the drums with Bobo at one point, and they did an extended drum solo that was completely awesome. There were what looked like three "stations" to the drums, and B-Real and Bobo had it perfectly choreographed so that they each skipped around from station to station without missing a beat. At one point, Bobo was beating on this massive bass conga drum that sounded exactly like the thumping bass of a hip hop beat. In other words, they were still playing hip hop beats, only with Latin percussion. It was really one of the most remarkable musical moments of the whole show – and one of the coolest musical moments I've ever witnessed, period.

Another of the most remarkable moments of the day was when B-Real went backstage and came back out with a joint the size of a cigar – then smoked the entire thing while finishing up the set. Of course, they played "I Wanna Get High" when he first came out. They also played several other crowd pleasers, including "Hits From the Bong," "How I Could Just Kill A Man," "Hand On the Pump," and "Insane in the Brain."

The friend I was with dismissed my gushing about Cypress Hill by calling them "stoner rap." I think DJ Muggs is one of the best beatsmiths around, and I love B-Real and Sen Dog's rapping styles, as well as the way they play off of each other. But I am willing to admit that the abundant rhymes about guns, capping fools, and all that gangsta shit is kinda whack – especially because most of their crowd can not identify with any of it. (For the record, I'm totally cool with the stoner shit.) Given that it was a largely white crowd, I couldn't help but wonder: Should I or any other whitey feel free to rap along with B-Real when he's claiming that a "n*gga" like him is going insane? Should we just drop that word as we shout excitedly along? Should we maybe substitute a race-neutral term like "Ninja" in there, for the sake of flow?

 Well, we didn't have to face this quandary, because B-Real conspicuously dropped every N-word from the refrain of "Insane in the Brain." I decline to offer any speculation on why B-Real (a man of Latin American descent) might have changed the chorus, but I think it's interesting to note.

Next up was Wu-Tang. Yep, the hits just did not stop that day. Sound problems persisted, however, as the people in the sound booth were completely unprepared for the eight MCs to be passing the mic around, even though it seemed like they had a couple lead mics that they were passing to whomever was the lead rapper on each song. I've never been a huge fan of Wu-Tang, but I was definitely in the minority as far as the crowd went. When they asked everyone to "Put up ya W," there were so many obedient hands in the air you would've thought you'd stumbled into a cult meeting. Method Man by far did the most rapping of everyone, which almost defeated the purpose of having so many damn MCs on the stage. And why the hell is every single Wu-Tang Clan song about the Wu-Tang Clan? Well, the crowd loved it, even if I didn't, or at least not exactly. I was still glad as hell to catch the legendary Wu-Tang live in concert, even if I wasn't converted into a die-hard fan.

Closing out the night was Rage Against the Machine. It was almost incongruous, in a way, both from a demographic perspective and a musical perspective, to have the rap-metal-funk band headlining the show. But I've always maintained that Zack de la Rocha is one of the best lyricists going, and that no one can spit rhymes as quick and with as much precision as that man. So as far as Rock the Bells being all about celebrating all things hip hop, I for one was glad to see Rage getting their props.

The last time I saw RATM was in 1999. There was nothing new about their set at Rock the Bells, which was simultaneously a good and a not-so-good thing. I say not-so-good because after eight years, you kind of hope for some new material. But the band was just as passionate, tight, and completely fucking rockin as ever, so who can fault them. At one point de la Rocha fell over he was screaming so hard, and he took guitarist Tom Morello with him. But Morello kept rocking the fuck out, not missing a single note. The crowd was hopping higher than they had all day when Rage went into "Killing in the Name." They played for nearly an hour and a half, hitting the highlights of all their albums: "Bombtrack," "Bullet in the Head," "Freedom," "Bulls on Parade," "People of the Sun," "Sleep Now in the Fire," "Guerilla Radio"…even their cover of "Renegades of Funk" from their underrated covers album, Renegades.

RATM claims they aren't even thinking about a new album (though an extended tour has not been ruled out), but here's hoping. All the haters can go fuck themselves. Rage is and was one of the hardest-hitting and most innovative bands of their time. Even if you don't like their politics – or for some reason believe their politics don't belong in their music – you have to admit how powerful they were – and are, as it turns out.

I had seen the documentary about the first ever Rock the Bells (cleverly titled Rock the Bells) before going to the show. That first Rock the Bells was nearly a complete disaster: The crowd eventually stormed the gates because security was lacking and couldn't get people in the door fast enough, and the headliner, Wu-Tang, almost had to play without its full lineup because Ol' Dirty Bastard was cracked out in his hotel room and wouldn't come to the show. The documentary is a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of an ill-fated but ultimately inspiring event.

I was mildly concerned about the logistics of the show in McCovery Cove Parking lot, and was fully expecting outrageous lines and long, long, insufferable waits to get in. But logistically speaking, everything went pretty smoothly.

Also, it turns out the parking lot alongside AT&T Park is a really scenic place to have a show. Let's hope more festivals follow the lead of Rock the Bells and start playing there, so we don't have to drive all the way down to Mountain View anymore. This year's Rock the Bells was run as smoothly as you could ask for it to be run (though, like I said, there were some ridiculously long set changes and the sound had some serious issues; plus, I haven't mentioned the ludicrous beer garden situation, but why bother?).

It must be said, the booking was absolutely brilliant. Add to that the creative choice of venue, and I already have to say: I'm looking forward to Rock the Bells 2008.

[Mike G.] 

IT’S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY
DJ ALEX COX
DJ MAMA CRASS
The Stud
August 16, 2007

All Men Are Evil (Except My Girlfriend) is a weekly night at The Stud that is all about riot girl and queer punk. And the tunes served up by the DJs at All Men are Evil last Thursday did not disappoint. DJs Mama Crass and Alex Cox spun a playful, refreshing mix of songs that had my friends and I dancing nearly the entire time. It was unpredictable and 10 shades of fun. ...

IT’S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY
DJ ALEX COX
DJ MAMA CRASS
The Stud
August 16, 2007

All Men Are Evil (Except My Girlfriend) is a weekly night at The Stud that is all about riot girl and queer punk. And the tunes served up by the DJs at All Men are Evil last Thursday did not disappoint. DJs Mama Crass and Alex Cox spun a playful, refreshing mix of songs that had my friends and I dancing nearly the entire time. It was unpredictable and 10 shades of fun.

All Men are Evil also features live bands every week, and I’m pretty sure the band playing that night is a secret to many people…but they won’t be for long.

I don’t even know where to start. First of all their name, It’s a Secret to Everybody, is a reference to an old school Nintendo game. And the Nintendo love fest doesn’t end there…oh no. The 8 bit influence can be readly felt in the songs as they play homage to specific games and even sample music from the games themselves. I personally couldn’t wait to see what Marty had in store visually for the show, since I’d seen him setting up a projector.

The crowd that night at The Stud was anything but energetic when It’s a Secret to Everybody took the stage. But as soon as they started playing their crazy and amazing electronic Nintendo dance music, the crowd instantly started moving. Clips of old school Nintendo games moved across the screen behind the It’s a Secret trio (Marty, Abby and Aiju), eliciting oooooh’s and aaaahh’s from the crowd. We were knee-deep in nostalgia and loving it.

Honestly, I was blown away by how good It’s a Secret to Everybody was live. I don’t know how they do it (because it’s a secret) but they perfectly orchestrate a combination of sounds from synthesizers, guitar, electronic drums, sweet lullaby vocals, vintage organ, and a heavy dash of Nintendo, and create pure musical brilliance.

I danced my ass off, as did most of the crowd. And I can’t wait to do it again. Just don’t mention Sega Genesis during the show…it might cause a brawl.

It’s a Secret is one of the most interesting, creative, talented and fun bands I’ve seen. Spread the word and it won’t be a secret for long.

[Katie Kaapcke]

[STREAM] It’s a Secret to Everybody: Various Track

MALDROID
The Stork Club (Oakland)
August 16, 2007

Two of the songs in Maldroid’s set were about the bane that is day jobs. By design, day jobs may soon be a thing of the past for the Oakland-based band. In a little over a year they’ve become Internet darlings by winning YouTube’s first online music contest and establishing a relationship with the San Francisco web-based promotional label Fuzz. They even have a highly informative, extremely up-to-date Wikipedia entry (ok, ok a Wikipedia entry isn’t all that difficult to come by).  ...

MALDROID
The Stork Club (Oakland)
August 16, 2007

Two of the songs in Maldroid’s set were about the bane that is day jobs. By design, day jobs may soon be a thing of the past for the Oakland-based band. In a little over a year they’ve become Internet darlings by winning YouTube’s first online music contest and establishing a relationship with the San Francisco web-based promotional label Fuzz. They even have a highly informative, extremely up-to-date Wikipedia entry (ok, ok a Wikipedia entry isn’t all that difficult to come by). 

Maldroid’s sound is nu-wave indie rock that’s a mix of Devo, Iggy Pop, Beck (when he’s not being sensitive) and a little Brit pop. They don’t sound quite as clean and pristine live as they do on their EP, Malfunction, but their catchy beats, hook-laden lyrics, matching gold suits, and robot-inspired stage lighting make for quite an entertaining performance.

The song transitions are tight and the tempo is steady enough to keep up the audience’s energy, but you can’t help but feel as though the onstage antics are covering up a bit for what the band lacks in sound quality and consistency. Nevertheless, lead singer Ryan Divine will out-dance you any night of the week. In fact, he’ll out dance everyone within mic cord range.

Maldroid takes over the Stork Club every Thursday night of August and September.  Their two-month residency should provide them ample time to hone in on perfecting their stage performance and help them get past the hype of their online image.

[nicole leigh]

[STREAM] Maldroid: Various Tracks

THE NEW CENTURIES
SWEETIE
Edinburgh Castle
August 18, 2007
 
 
Lately I've been really selfish about going to shows. Namely, I’ve been going to shows to pass out fliers for my own purposes. I'll admit it. However, last Saturday I actually went to a show for the sheer fun of it. Crazy, I know.
 
Unfortunately I missed The Ian Fays - I hear wonderful things about them, but alas I can't review them because, well, I didn't see or hear them. But I did see The New Centuries and Sweetie and, to be blunt, it was f-in'awesome. ...

THE NEW CENTURIES
SWEETIE
Edinburgh Castle
August 18, 2007
 
 
Lately I've been really selfish about going to shows. Namely, I’ve been going to shows to pass out fliers for my own purposes. I'll admit it. However, last Saturday I actually went to a show for the sheer fun of it. Crazy, I know.
 
Unfortunately I missed The Ian Fays - I hear wonderful things about them, but alas I can't review them because, well, I didn't see or hear them. But I did see The New Centuries and Sweetie and, to be blunt, it was f-in'awesome.
 
This is the first time I’ve seen The New Centuries with their new bassist, Adam. Ryan, Jeff & Sabrina previously played as a trio after the departure of their former band members, and I was actually partial to the triad line-up. Jeff’s guitar playing balances melody & rhythm majestically; it is the optimal style for interweaving with Sabrina's backbeats and Ryan's semi-crooning vocals and synth parts.
 
They kind of reminded me of a more modern Modern Lovers the first few times I saw them, but with Adam in tow The New Centuries bring the rock, and it's impressive. The dynamics of the band's songs are still in tact – their individual parts still mesh well together, and the notes aren't competing for space with one another – there's just more balls behind it.
 
Their set was pretty short when I saw them, which on one hand was sad for those of us loving them, but it also left me wanting more which I always, always love in a band.
 
Sweetie is a band I've been meaning to check out for a long time. Yet I have sadly missed them until last weekend. I say sadly because Sweetie completely blew me away.
 
Bringing back the early 90s indie rock that goddamn I love so very much, Sweetie, like The New Centuries, are really addictive. The band is a four-piece ensemble comprised of guitar, bass, synth & drums (both The New Centuries and Sweetie had female drummers, which I thought was really cool, especially since they both rock).
 
To me Sweetie is the quintessential Indie pop/rock band. Catchy, catchy guitar & synth hooks with really sweet, laid back vocals. Omar's vocals remind me of a slightly softer and more soothing Ira Kaplan (of Yo La Tengo), and I was bobbing my head in total joy.
 
Their brand of indie rock is the kind I can listen to non-stop – it was like that feeling when you're on a road trip and you chance upon an awesome college radio station that is playing everything you want to hear exactly how you want to hear it. Sweetie brought back the joy of new band discovery for me, and for that I say thank you.
 
Again I feel bad for not being able to report on The Ian Fays that night, but as for The New Centuries and Sweetie - you have to have to have to check them out.
 

The New Centuries are playing September 25th at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco, CA.

[Jen Chochinov]
 

[STREAM] Sweetie: Various Tracks 

[STREAM] The New Centuries: Various Tracks