When The Lights Go Down In The City
Our concert picks for the week of 9/8-9/14.
If you don't get yourself out of the house this week to see some live music, SFist is going to have to stage an intervention. SFist will get you started by giving away a copy of Tralala's self-titled CD, in honor of their show Saturday at the Hemlock. We like to think of Tralala as Tilly and the Wall's hip cousin from Brooklyn (sans the tap dancer), in that they're a young, celebratory, co-ed popster experience. Give them a listen and enter to win. (Contest ends 9/14.)
Relive the 90's tonight with The Olivia Tremor Control at Great American (Skygreen Leopards open) or see what Kristin Hersh is up to when her band 50 Foot Wave plays at 12 Galaxies. Cafe Du Nord is au courant with Giant Drag and minipop. On Friday, get your Americana on at the Fillmore with Son Volt, or at Cafe Du Nord with Michael Penn and Jesse Sykes. Or you can Get Freaky with Prefuse 73 at 1015 Folsom.
On Saturday, come together at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park for Michael Franti's 7th Annual 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival. This year's incredible line up includes Michael Franti and Spearhead, Jean Grae, Saul Williams, Anti-Flag, Zap Mama's Marie Daulne, J-Boogie's Dubtronic Science and Glide Choir. Or you can stay indoors and see Tralala play a free 2pm instore at Amoeba. Catch Tralala later that night at the Hemlock with a couple of "The" bands. Do not adjust your monitors; George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic are descending upon the Fillmore. Garbage pouts, struts and sneers at The Warfield. Eric Martin is playing at the Red Devil Lounge -- we're pretty sure that this is the former singer of Mr. Big but we're not sure if he still has that colossal mullet. When we saw the sharks-in-the-sky animation on his website, we got bored and kept moving. At Bimbo's, M. Ward will play music that is understated and beautiful.
Head to Amoeba again on Sunday afternoon for a free performance by Sons & Daughters at 2pm. Later that night they play their Americana-via-Glasgow as the openers for The Decemberists at the Fillmore. Cafe Du Nord welcomes Virgil Shaw back to town when he plays with Brandi Carlile. Bimbo's has the bossa nova of Bebel Gilberto. The boys and the girls are split down the middle like a high school dance when Oasis, Jet and Kasabian play at Shoreline Amphitheatre while Tori Amos, The Ditty Bops and The Like reign over Chronicle Pavilion.
Amoeba is on a roll, because Monday at 6pm Black Rebel Motorcycle Club plays songs from their brand new record Howl!. They've ditched the rock in favor of a little Americana served up with organs, handclaps and tambourines. Hear the new sound later that night at Great American with Ride's Mark Gardener opening.
On Tuesday Kate Klaire plays at El Rio for opening night of the MadCat Film Fest. At the Red Devil, Thistle featuring writer J.T. Leroy plays with openers Scissors for Lefty and No More Stereo. Mia and Jonah are an Oakland-based duo who are likely to own the Buckingham Nicks record on vinyl (one of our favorite albums of all time). Fingerpicked acoustic guitar, co-ed harmonies and songs about seeds, birds and sunsets make them sound like they'd be right at home in the 70's, but their album Shine I is brand spanking new. Celebrate the release with them at Cafe Du Nord.
On Wednesday, wear your dancing shoes to Mezzanine for Royksopp and Annie. Does Corey Glover of Living Colour still wear that neon wetsuit onstage? Find out at the Independent. Fans of Conor Oberst and Okkervil River should check out Phosphorescent (a.k.a. Matthew Houck) at the Rickshaw Stop, and then blog about him before any of your friends do. Phosphorescent's album Aw Come Awry will feel right at home next to your copy of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Download the mp3 of Phosphorescent's "I Am A Full Grown Man (I Will Lay In The Grass All Day."
Image of Tralala from their website. Image of Phosphorescent from Misra Records' website.
