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Posted on 05.10.08 by hardrockchick @ 3:31 pm
When I first discovered Atmosphere 5 or so years ago, I remember thinking that perhaps it was like the grunge movement for hip hop. It’s minimalist, dirty sounding, but still melodic and catchy with smart lyrics. In a market crowded with Dirty South, Corporate Hip Hop, and remnants of Gangsta Rap, it stood out. Also, Slug reminded me of a guy I would hang out with in high school, an approachable lead guy kind of in the same vein as Dave Grohl. I particularly loved his vocals, which are velvety and intense, their storytelling heavy songs, and performances that highlight a subdued anger that can only come from someone who has had a rocky past. I’ve seen Atmosphere at least 2 times before, on hot nights at Emo’s Austin. They were great shows. This show, however, was like seeing an entirely different artist. It felt like Atmosphere Lite. Bookmark to:
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Posted on 04.27.08 by hardrockchick @ 10:15 pm
Occasionally, between screaming guitars and brutal mosh pits, I like to go dancing. I figured that this one off Coachella show would be a fun night for it. Notice that the headliner’s name is missing. Black Kids are an interesting hybrid of indie rock, motown, techno, and The Cure. That said, I didn’t get it. The females voices were of super poppy back-up singer quality, and paired with the Robert Smith knock-off voice, it just didn’t work for me. After many a show at Mezzanine, I should know by now that sold out shows here mean that the most annoying people in SF are bound to be in attendance. Cut Copy puts on a good show. It’s dancy without getting repetitive, and their stage show is high energy. So much so, that they put one girl in enough of a frenzy to jump onstage. The crowd was going crazy, too, and because everyone was in large groups, it started to become a me against them fight. I thought we were supposed to be dancing, people. It was a nonstop set, and by the end, I was through. The good things I’ve heard about Simian Mobile Disco will remain a mystery. OVERALL: 4/10 Bookmark to:
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Posted on 04.24.08 by hardrockchick @ 9:32 pm
I resisted the idea of Jack White as my generation’s rock star for a long time. After last night’s show, I have come to my senses. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the music, or there was too much hype, or anything like that. My beef with Jack was that, in my opinion, he lacked authenticity. It was hard for me to buy into a boy from Detroit creating music that was so identifiably Southern. Granted, this only partially seeped through in the White Stripes, but, let’s face it, Meg White is just not that great. And I’m bitter that her performance anxiety canceled the show I was supposed to go to last summer. Bookmark to:
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Posted on 04.21.08 by hardrockchick @ 7:11 pm
When it’s 4/20, and Cypress Hill is playing at The Fillmore, you kinda know what you’re gonna get. We walk in to a hazy room full of the expected crowd and an unexpected opener, Literates. Apparently all of that weed smoking led the organizers to forget to post any info about an opener. I’m surprised that all of the stoners are so on time. Literates, from LA, prove to be quite capable, though the crowd is too busy tokin’ it up to care. Their DJ has a killer mohawk. Bookmark to:
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Posted on 04.13.08 by hardrockchick @ 10:38 pm
Hot Challenge really couldn’t have picked a better day to headline a show at one of my favorite SF venues, the Great American Music Hall. It was 80 degrees, ya’ll! Let’s hear some local tunes. We walked in midway through Dangraham’s set, which was surprisingly full of dark and heavy beats. Dressed in black, I would consider them an industrial version of Holy Fuck. Lots of interesting and unconventional sounds resulted in complex but danceable music. While the 2 guys started out looking very serious and intense, they ended with some entertaining dance moves. Bookmark to:
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Posted on 04.08.08 by hardrockchick @ 10:21 am
I’ve been reading about The Dillinger Escape Plan’s live shows for awhile. With every word, a gaping hole grew larger in my missed experiences file, but, alas, it was soon to be filled. I’ve never started out a review with a video, but this might be the best way to convey this experience: Bookmark to:
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Posted on 04.02.08 by hardrockchick @ 9:28 pm
Dressed in black, goths of all ages congregated at The Fillmore last night. It was to be Ministry’s last tour, a nostalgic send off with special guest Meshuggah. Meshuggah(meaning: ‘crazy’ in Yiddish. Random.), from Sweden, was the next best thing to seeing Dethklok. One should realize that when the singer mic checks by saying, “I love drugs. I love pussy. I love drugs and pussy. These are my two favorite things.”, you’d better put your seatbelt on. A quick glance around the room, and I think I’m the only girl in there. Oh wait, that one over there is a girl…barely. Meshuggah’s intense set of hair, screams, and screeches was the most widespread crowd pleaser of the night. It’s the kind of music that, even as a chick, gets my testosterone pumping. This band definitely has an aire of danger; it’s a smileless, colorless world of commiserating, where we’re often not sure if we’re hearing Swedish or English, but we don’t care. Bookmark to:
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Posted on 03.23.08 by hardrockchick @ 10:34 am
The thought of a tribute band makes many people cringe. Are they ever really any good? Why can’t they play their own music? At one time I suffered from this same thought process. And most are probably not that great. But last night at The Knockout, two bands demonstrated proficient skills at mimicry of great bands. It was my first time at The Knockout, a strange but charming venue in Bernal Heights. It’s a bit awkward in its set up, brings a very eclectic crowd, and has mega cheap drinks. Bookmark to:
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Posted on 03.22.08 by hardrockchick @ 6:42 pm
Fucking awesome. The end. Kidding. I will remain surprised as to how many people are unfamiliar with Saul Williams. And some of those who are, like me, found out about him through his opening sets for NIN, and his ongoing musical relationship with Trent Reznor. Unfortunately, many of those people write him off because they “aren’t into hip-hop”. Saul Williams is much, much more than hip-hop. In fact, that would be a derogatory way to describe him considering the type of music currently being recorded under the genre. Plus Williams’ voice has some similar tonal qualities to Reznor’s, for those of you like me that are into stuff like that… Bookmark to:
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Posted on 03.09.08 by hardrockchick @ 6:05 pm
In a rare occasion of perfect timing for me, I take my spot at The Warfield just as Serj Tankian takes the stage. I am not as familiar with Tankian as I am with most artists I go to see. But there are three things I do know about him which compelled me to attend: 1) he’s considered one of the best frontmen of our generation, 2) he’s the former lead singer of System of a Down, and 3) he and Tom Morello formed Axis of Justice together. The first thing that I become aware of is that this venue is full of fanatics. All the way to the tip top of the balcony, people are going crazy. A girl behind me intermittently yells “Oh my god I LOVE you!!!” And there are lighters in the air…which is becoming more and more of a rarity. The band comes out in tuxes and top hats, to a slow, dramatic start. While I’m aware of metal’s symphonic influences, Tankian further adds an operatic quality to the mix. While I find this off-putting to listen to normally, it is pretty exciting live. The whole performance is a rock opera of sorts. His singing looks effortless; I realize it’s been a while since I have been to see a true vocalist. I am standing there watching and turn my head to see a brutal mosh pit moving dangerously close to me. Because the metal is not overt in this music, the lyrics are pretty cerebral, and themes tend to go back and forth between love and constructive government criticisms, I am immediately thrown off by this mosh pit. A closer look reveals that there are quite a few girls in there. I feel like I am missing some key ingredient to this music, some brutal underpinnings that are serving as an instigator to this mayhem. Towards the end of the set there is a phenomenal cover of the Dead Kennedy’s Holiday in Cambodia. There is one short encore, which closes with Tankian singing a beautiful piece on the piano. The entire thing is over in slightly more than an hour. It was a unique show of incongruous elements: opera, metal, fans that everyone else could learn a thing or two from, and stage hands that were nice enough to hand out set lists to adoring fans upon the end of the show. It was intriguing enough to want to check him out again when he tours later this year with HRC fave Tom Morello. OVERALL: 7/10 Vids from other shows: Montage Holiday in Cambodia Bookmark to:
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