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SCATTERBRAIN JAMBOREE
Thee Parkside
02/22 and 02/23/08
Enjoying the completely killer bands at the 2nd annual Scatterbrain Jamboree was even easier because of the fact that the whole festival was benefiting such a great cause. This year, according to the man who makes it all happen – Will Cline, ladies and gentleman – $2400 were raised for the SF AIDS Foundation. It’s just incredible to me to see a bunch of scrappy rockers getting together to do something like this. Thank you Will, and thank you to all the bands that played on Friday and Saturday night. I feel honored to have been there.
Almost all of the bands can be heard in the two KWTM podcasts I have put together. Check ‘em out: KWTM Episode O1 and KWTM Episode 02 .
There were so many bands those two nights, I’m not even going to attempt to think of something original and compelling to say about them all. So I asked Wiretap’s writers to tell me about some of their favorites.
Schande took the stage Friday night in a power formation with singer/guitarist (and Wiretap writer) Jen Chochinov standing center stage in front of the band. She brought a mountain of feeling and strength to her performance, which outshined the technical difficulties she experienced during the set. The band was tight but relaxed as they chugged through their sometimes melancholy, sometimes abrasive rock n' roll songs.
Bad Touch opened the Scatterbrain Jamboree's Saturday show with a buzzing detuned guitar over a funky, laid back drumbeat. The duo launched into a Black Sabbath riff, only to swerve into their own song when the vocals came in. Among several original tunes, they offered up medleys of barely recognizable covers that included a terrifying version of "Give Peace a Chance."
The Bug Pedals played their heavy and off-kilter behemoth rock songs with a smirk. Their darkened and hard edged sounds and playful attitude came across most clearly when they sang "I don't like you" over and over in unison while smiling and laughing to eachother between each refrain.Thunder Thighs turned the night weird and wonderful. The five-piece punk rock band led by a sequin-speedo wearing AJ burned through their set with thumping beats and lots of overdriven guitar riffs. AJ got the party started by mixing in the audience, getting in people's faces, and challenging them to not dance.
[Jeff Bissell]
Top Critters are a refreshing version of indie-americana – no overkill, just mellow goodness & really great musicianship.
Shitkickers were the best surprise act of the night.
Settler
Settler
were so brilliant. So amazing. They took me somewhere beautiful. One of my new favorites.
[Jen Chochinov]
I’m a sucker for post-rock (or whatever you want to call it) bands, so as long as they could pull off a decent live set, I’d have given Settler a good review. And they did, so here’s the review: good.
These guys pulled off all the post rock tricks: subtle arrangements which give rise to heavy intense builds, rich effecting bass, engaging drums, strong but dreamy guitars, soaring, near orchestral treble notes, and some singing, to boot (although the sound wasn’t mixed well and you really couldn’t hear the guy, sadly). They have it all, and they do it well. I guess that’s the thing, they have all of the old tricks down but not really any new ones.
Other than the fact that they’re from San Jose and their myspace page claims they are human beings, there’s not much info on them out there.
In the end: a good show, one I would see again.
Something was bothering me about A.J., the vocalist for Thunderthighs: I knew him from somewhere and just couldn’t place it. I chalked it up to just seeing him at other shows and events, but it kept lingering.
Straight-up punk with an over the top in your face vocalist. And I mean in your face: he was right in the crowd, screaming, dancing (or convulsing), crawling on the floor, challenging the audience, blowing snot rockets, and generally putting on a very intense performance. And I mean over the top: he was dressed in a red sweater draped like a cape, silver sequined bikini shorts, thigh high socks, ankle high white leather boots, spider web printed gloves, and had black nails, eyeliner, and waxed legs. Yeah, it made for a very entertaining show.
Thunderthighs' AJ
And where did I know A.J. from? The first time I met him, he was waiting tables at the Olive Garden-Stonestown.
[Marky Snark]
I second what Jeff said: Schande are one tight unit. Goddamn can they rock. If you listen to their performance in KWTM Episode 1, you’ll hear Jen’s vocals cut out halfway through the first track due to a technical error. I left the song in there because of how mighty the band sounds even without their frontlady’s voice. Listen and be awed.
If you need me to describe Pidgeon’s singularly engaging blend of angular indie rock and instensely thrashing riffs, then this must be your first time visiting WiretapMusic.com. The reason I mention them here is because Pidgeon closed out the first night of the show with one of the coolest live musical moments I’ve ever witnessed. The club’s staff was obviously ready to go home for the night, so as Pidgeon’s bassist and one of three guitarists and drummer walked off the stage, the sound guy cut the mics, came on the loudspeaker, thanked everyone for coming, and encouraged them to get the fuck out. Undeterred, Val and Micah just kept playing the quiet number they close their sets with, “War Pickle.” Equally undeterred, the crowd just went ahead and lent their voices to the cause. It was beautiful. (You can hear it all on my podcast, though a recording cannot do justice to the experience of being there.)
Little Teeth proved once again to be the reigning queens (and king) of experimental indie noise punk folk. Dannie’s voice was amazing that night, as she threw extra growls and demonic howls into many songs, giving the band’s songs a sharper edge even while Andy’s dress was so pretty you could clearly see there is a coy side to the band after all.
Aside from our very own Jeff Bissell totally ripping on the guitar, The New Centuries’ set was notable because they played the best cover of George Michaels’ “Careless Whisper” that I’ve ever heard. Okay, I’m pretty sure it was the only cover of “Careless Whisper” I’ve ever heard, but damn, what a brilliant choice. No one saw it coming, but everyone was into it.
French Miami
French Miami’s new album has been causing quite a stir amongst the Wiretap crew, so you might want to check it out. I can tell you, based on their headlining performance at the Jamboree, that they are definitely one of the best live acts in the city right now. It was late (once again) as the evening’s headliner took the stage, and the club’s staff was by then totally ready to go home. With consummate professionalism, French Miami took the stage and wrecked it for a crisp, clean 25 minutes. Their sound is deceptively sparse: the guitar riffs are economical but damned interesting and the synths are layered on oh so subtly yet oh so well.
[Mike G.]
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