I got a solid helping of local indie rock last week, checking out Geographer at Rickshaw Stop on Thursday, and then Grand Lake and Man/Miracle at the Uptown the following night.
Geographer were opening up for Birds and Batteries and the Heavenly States at The Bay Bridged's third anniversary celebration. I've raved about Geographer before, given that they released my favorite local album of 2008, and I have seen them play a pair of N&UR-sponsored shows before. Their set remains absolutely solid while the local following only continues to grow. Attending this show was very much a social event for me, as there are a number of local music bloggers who I've been meaning to catch up with. In addition to the editors of The Bay Bridged, I was also able to chat with Adrian from ipickmynose and Anna from The Deli SF.
The following night I took advantage of the Uptown's free "First Friday" event by checking out a couple of buzzworthy East Bay acts. I've just been getting into Grand Lake, a quartet lead by former Port O'Brien bassist Caleb Nichols. The band has been playing Oakland's warehouse and art space music scene, and this was in fact there first club gig. Don't expect the folk stylings of his previous band, however - Nichols' tracks pack a somewhat angsty emotional energy with a tongue-in-cheek lyrics (as evidenced in songs with names like "She's a Hater").
Damn, Man/Miracle have got energy. Loud indie rock songs mixed with a self-aware modern art presentation allows for a ridiculously fun show without pretension. Talking to local bands about Man/Miracle, I've heard it said, "Those guys are hungry," and "Their live set just gets better each time." They've already won fans over at Pitchfork and Noise Pop and I would pinpoint them as one of the local bands to seriously watch in 2009. You can check out some footage of them from last year's Noise Pop festival.
1 comment:
I like them! What a great sound! They bring a nice combination of something completely refreshing with something seemingly familiar.
Post a Comment