by Moses Namkung more ›

Avoiding the masses storming the theaters for Transformers? Here are a few things to keep you busy until the 4th... more ›

Last week we got to see one of our favorite new bands Scanners twice, in two different cities. At Cafe Du Nord there were maybe 50 people in the house, but in New York we were sardined amongst a few hundred sweaty, sweater-clad CMJers. No matter the size of the audience, frontwoman Sarah Daly pouts, glowers, stares and gives it her all. This band is talented, comely, exciting, dynamic both live and on record, and they're part of tastemaker label Dim Mak's hipper-than-thou roster. So why are we so worried that we're never going to hear from Scanners again? San Francisco music lovers, we know you will get this. Listen to their music and buy their record before they go back to the UK forever.
more ›

We headed to Cafe Du Nord last Friday to catch the sold-out early show by Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton. By the 9pm showtime, the band was still soundchecking behind closed curtains and didn't start playing to the crowd until an hour later, but it was worth the wait. Haines crouched behind the keys, bird-skinny and soft-voiced, embodying the delicate yin to her animated Metric persona's yang. Eerie old black and white film clips played in the background while she drenched the crowd with slow, forlorn song movements. This introverted version of Haines was just as intense as you'd expect her to be. Between songs she debated whether or not she should talk to the audience more, and when a woman in the crowd encouraged her to, Haines thought and then replied, "I don't feel like it." Then she let the songs speak for her. more ›

SFist interviews Michael Taylor from the Court and Spark more ›

The June music issue of The Believer will come packaged with a CD compilation of pure indie rock gold. We hear that local do-gooder and author extraordinaire Dave Eggers is behind the compilation, proving his excellent taste and indubitable influence by convincing the persnickety indie rock elite to cover each other's songs. Local duo Two Gallants made the cut, as did Devendra Banhart, Vetiver and Joanna Newsom. The majority of the songs were recorded specifically and exclusively for the compilation. All this genius for only eight bucks, friends! Behold the track list: more ›

Friday night's show with CocoRosie and Antony and the Johnsons at Great American Music Hall felt like a night at the underground opera. More than a few audience members came dressed in costume, with jaunty hats, face paint and all manner of fancy plumage adorning their frocks. The capacity crowd was fervent in their love for Antony, yet they were quiet and respectful, not uttering a word during either performance. In fact, the only distraction came from the wait staff snaking through the maze of tables and chairs to fulfill drink orders. more ›

Our live music picks for the week of 3/3-3/9. more ›