New Music: Why?, The Dodos, Girls

It seems Bay Area bands have been feeling especially generous lately...

Why? - "This Blackest Purse" (mp3)
The Dodos - "Fables" (mp3)
Girls - "Hellhole Ratrace" (mp3)
Girls - "Solitude" (mp3)

LA Briefs: Cage the Animals, The Mae Shi, Wait. Think. Fast.

+ Have plans on Sunday? You might want to change them, so you can attend the very awesome looking Cage the Animals event with music and a whole lot more. We will have more on this event later this week.

+ Last week, Pitchfork reported that 3/4 of the Mae Shi touring band would be splitting off into a new band called Signals, but that the lineup would make one final appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. As it turns out, there was a bit more to the story, as illuminated in this blog post on the Mae Shi's MySpace page. There is a bit too much to summarize, but the post does end hopefully, noting that the band's future is "uncertain, but there is a future."

+ Wait. Think. Fast. is now on Twitter, and "loving the phrase 'put you on blast!'" We like that one too.

A Bunch of Bay Area Music Bloggers Went to a Baseball Game on Sunday

On Sunday, I partook in what has been a tradition three years running - attending a baseball game with a contingent of Bay Area music bloggers. The event has been organized each time by Adrian of ipickmynose who also has liveblogged each game.

It was a nice mix of old faces and new ones, and while the A's did not make it much of a game, I did thoroughly enjoy my plate of nachos. Besides ipickmynose and New and Used Records, we also had representation from Hello Vegetables, Kata Rokkar, Stranger Dance, The Deli SF, the OCMD, Tough Customer, SFist, Monosyllabic, Ears of the Beholder and Loud Farm. Add these sites to your reader if they are not there already.

Music+Technology Briefs: G n' R Leaker, Drake, Chris Anderson, WOXY, Perez Hilton

+ A blogger who leaked tracks from Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy has been "sentenced to two months of home confinement and a year of parole for breaking copyright law." [via Pitchfork] Ryan Dombal asks the question that must be on everyone's mind:

If famed leaker Kevin Cogill knew that hardly anyone would care about Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy once it actually came out, would he have still illegally uploaded all those bloated insta-relics?

+ MTV is calling Drake's So Far Gone the "mixtape of 2009 so far based on the impact and quality." We agree. You can still download the release for free, and MTV asked the newly signed rapper if he regrets not putting it up for sale...

"Best I Ever Had" is doing amazing on iTunes. But [the mixtape] was an important moment for me. So no, I don't ever look at it and say, "I wish that was an album." It was important that it was a mixtape, 'cause if it was an album, I don't know if it would've had the same impact. I think the fact that I gave that for free, it was kind of brazen, like, "What? What do you have in your collection, in your catalog, to be able to throw this out there?" And just while we were creating it, it was all of us, you know? Me, 40, Oliver and everyone else involved. It was us, just having fun in a stress-free environment, because we knew we were going to give it away.

(Check out our feature on what indie bands can learn from Drake).

+ Speaking of "free," Chris Anderson - the debate-causing author of Free - recently had some words about record labels:

We wrongly correlated, or equated, the music industry with the record labels. It now turns out in fact that the labels are now the least important part. If you look at the rest of the industry now, from the bands to the fans from Apple to tour promoters, everyone’s doing OK, except for the labels. So there’s really nothing wrong with the music industry; we’re just redefining what it is.

[via Hypebot]

+ WOXY is moving from Cincinnati to Austin, while also launching on iPhone app. [via The OCMD]

+ Perez Hilton haz a record label, and will announce his first signing soon.

LA[Heart]SF in LA TONIGHT!

Tonight, we are pleased to present another LA[Heart]SF event! The Echo will play host to an exciting bill that includes LA's The Monolators, Flying Tourbillion Orchestra, Kissing Cousins, and special guests The Damselles. Representing San Francisco will be French Miami.

MP3 - "The God Damn Best" - French Miami

LA[Heart]SF is a collaboration between N&UR, Radio Free Silverlake, and Kill the Mic. with promotional help from Indie 103.1 and Flavorpill.

LA Briefs: Kissing Cousins, No Age, Beck

+ Our concert presenting partners Radio Free Silverlake have a review of Kissing Cousins' debut full length, Pillar of Salt:

The first full length by this all female, Silver Lake quintet is full of driving rhythms and haunting melodies that lull you into a hypnotic state–like a snake charmer drawing out a cobra with his tune. An apt reference actually, as swirling around the haze of fuzzy guitars and pounding drums are lilting flute melodies that carry the group’s songs above the frenzy. The album is dark and moody, full of spiritual woe and soulful laments.

+ No Age have a new 12" EP, Losing Feeling, out October 4 on Sub Pop. Tracklist is: "Losing Feeling," "Genie," "Aim at the Airport," and "You’re a Target." [via MBV]

+ Beck likes to add new features to his website every single day. The latest is Modern Guilt acoustic, featuring acoustic versions of songs from Beck's 2008 Danger Mouse-produced LP. You can watch those as they appear on Beck's Videotheque page.

SF Briefs: Regional Bias, Why?, The Dodos

+ On Friday, July 31st, The Bay Bridged present their biggest San Francisco event yet - a benefit for the site entitled Regional Bias: A Celebration of Bay Area Music and Culture.

Taking place at the historic Verdi Club in Potrero Hill, Regional Bias is a celebration of the things that make living in the Bay Area a great, unique experience. As you might expect, we’ll have four of the best San Francisco Bay Area bands and some celebrity DJs providing great music throughout the night, but we’ll also be showcasing some of the other things we love: the Bay’s vibrant visual arts and food scenes. But if the rich experience isn’t enough, here’s a little added incentive: proceeds from the event will support The Bay Bridged’s efforts to bring you the best of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene.

The lineup features French Miami, Adam Stephens and the Finite Plan, Or The Whale and Leopold and His Fiction, plus DJ sets from John Vanderslice and Joshua Rampage (Maus Haus).

+ Pitchfork is premiering the new Why? song, "The Blackest Purse."

Musically, there's not even a hint of WHY?'s art-rap past in "This Blackest Purse". The Bay Area band recorded Eskimo Snow at the same sessions that produced their last album, 2008's Alopecia. But "This Blackest Purse" is warmer and slower than anything on that record; the piano is positively Ben Folds-ian.

Eskimo Snow is out September 22 on Anticon.

+ You can stream the new Dodos album, Time To Die, in full right here. The album is out September 15. [via MBV]

LA Briefs: Silversun Pickups, Beck, Marvelous Toy, The Deadly Syndrome

[Photo cred: The Color Awesome]

+ MTV Unplugged is back - and we think this is a good thing. Silversun Pickups recently taped a session. Check out this performance of "Growing Up is Getting Old" - it sounds lovely:

+ I know everyone has already covered this, but it is certainly worth a mention from us. You know, when you've figured out how to live off you're art, there's two things you can do - hit cruise control and pad your bank account or try and innovate. Thankfully, Beck chooses the latter, as evidenced by the bevy of projects turning up on his new website. The new blog-like website has been introducing a bunch of new features - Record Club (where Beck and friends re-record entire albums), Planned Obsolescence (continuous mixes of whatever Beck is listening to); and Irrelevant Topics (where Beck interviews people like Tom Waits). Check out this clip of Beck covering "Venus In Furs" from The Velvet Underground and Nico:


+ The Deadly Syndrome will open for Lykke Li on August 4.

+ Joe Fielder from Radio Free Silverlake has been talking up Marvelous Toy for a while, and it seems like everyone else is starting to catch on. Check out this review from Loudvine:

In a city that offers so much and takes so much from so many, listen to Marvelous Toy, and you are reminded what an amazing band Marvelous Toy is. The fact that they can move and inspire through their music, reminds me how lucky I am to live where I do.

SF Briefs: ipickmynose Presents, Grand Lake at Mission Creek, more

+ ipickmynose is presenting a great show at Bottom of the Hill tomorrow - the Rural Alberta Advantage with locals Okay and Half-handed Cloud. Reasons to go: this could be the last IPMN show ever (in SF, at least), and IPMN's Adrian has this to say:

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know my love of Rural Alberta Advantage is nothing new. In fact, they released one of my favorite albums of 2008 [rereleased this week on Saddle Creek].... I saw them twice at SxSW, including an incredible, breath-taking show at Central Presbyterian. They produce driving, often-raw indie folk about Alberta. Mark my word, they will put on a good show.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - "Don't Haunt This Place" (mp3)
Okay - "Beast" (mp3)

+ The Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival kicks off this weekend, and the complete lineup is a beast. A totally awesome beast, that is. One highlight is this Saturday's OMFG Oakland! - an all-day showcase for East Bay bands at Rooz Cafe. The lineup features our pals Grand Lake alongside Make Me, White Cloud, The Blank Tapes, Colossal Yes, The Splinters, Ghost and the City, The Dashing Suns and The Double U.
[via The Bay Bridged]

+ On the subject of Grand Lake - the band is now a trio consisting of original members Caleb Nichols (bass/vocals) and Jameson Swanagon (guitar), alongside new drummer John Pomeroy.

Grand Lake - "Concrete Blonde on Blonde" (mp3)

+ MBV has a video of John Vanderslice performing "Forest Knolls."

+ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are hitting the road. Their California stops will be July 20 at The Echo in Los Angeles and July 21 at The Rickshaw Stop in San Fransisco. Support for both shows comes from locals Girls. Pains' debut album and a bunch of 7" singles are out on Oakland label Slumberland.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Young Adult Friction" (mp3)

+ Or, The Whale's new, self-titled record will be out September 22 on Seany. Check out this performance of "Never Coming Out" from Luxury Wafers...

Music+Technology Briefs: Jack White, Pandora, Spotify, Pampelmoose on Radiohead manager's new label

[Photo cred: mattbooy]

+ Jack White has kind of a love/hate relationship with modern technology. Or, maybe, it's just hate. He tells Uncut:

I would like to set the computers on fire. We are in an age that is the antithesis of what I am trying to do, artistically. It's a constant battle. The last five or six albums I've put out, no matter what the project or band, the internet has blown it. Leaks, surprises, which is my favorite part. It's so hard to surprise anyone with anything anymore.

Still, for a guy who has his qualms with the modern age, White seems rather engaged with how to thrive in the modern music industry. For instance, his innovative new record label which just announced a subscription service...

dubbed The Vault - to provide fans with exclusive vinyl releases and web content.... The Vault is based on a two-tiered system. Premium members pay $7 a month and get access to videos, forums, photos, ticket pre-sales, artist blogs, and "pay-per-view live concerts of Dead Weather, Raconteurs, White Stripes, and more." Platinum members pay $20 a month and get all that stuff plus a Third Man 12" LP, 7", and t-shirt exclusive to Vault-ers every three months. You can sign up now.

[via Pitchfork]

White's got this new band called The Dead Weather, and this is actually the least excited I've been for a White-related project (and this from a dude who was stoked about the Cold Mountain soundtrack). Still, I plan to check it out and may even sign up for the subscription service.

+ If you've been following Pandora on Twitter today, you've noticed they've had some news. The New York Times reports:

On Tuesday, after a two-year battle, record labels and online radio stations agreed on new royalty rates for streaming music online. Many of the music sites had argued that the old rates were so high they were being forced out of business.

Pandora founder Tim Westergren had this to say:

It has been an extraordinary couple of years. Believe me, I never thought I'd be donning a suit and tie to walk the halls of Congress lobbying for a bill. Thanks to all of you for your continued support. It is incredibly exciting for everyone at Pandora to see the vision for the company truly beginning to take shape. We are all looking ahead with renewed vigor to the future.

+ I haven't had the Spotify experience, because it is not available to US residents and I am not technologically smart enough to get around that. People tell me it is awesome, though. Of course, being awesome doesn't always equal immediate profits so, according to Hypebot, "the startup is on the hunt for another $40-$50 million in venture capital funding." I have wondered this - given this financial crisis we are in, are music+technology-related startups having a harder time finding venture capital funding?

+ Yesterday, we told you that Radiohead's manager was starting a record label. Dave Allen aka Pampelmoose, said via Twitter, "I'm skeptical. They're making some huge assumptions." I pretty much take what that dude says as gospel, so color me skeptical as well.