Tag Archives: san francisco

The Bay Lights in San Francisco

Artwork

The Bay Lights is the world’s largest LED light sculpture, 1.8 miles wide and 500 feet high. Inspired by the Bay Bridge’s 75th Anniversary, its 25,000 white LED lights are individually programmed by artist Leo Villareal to create a never-repeating, dazzling display across the Bay Bridge West Span through 2015.

Impact

The Bay Lights is a monumental tour de force eight times the scale of the Eiffel Tower’s 100th Anniversary lighting. Shining from dusk until 2:00 a.m. for two years, it will impact over 50 million people in the Bay Area, with billions more seeing it in the media and online. By conservative estimates, $97 million dollars will be added to the local economy.

Source: www.TheBayLights.org

It’s Good to Have Benevento in the Bay

B-b-b-b-b-Benevento!

On Saturday, San Franciscans (some TigerFace’d…see below) gathered to see Marco Benevento’s sold out show at The Independent, one of San Francisco’s most beloved rooms. This time around the bay, Benevento played with a trio* comprised of Dave Dreiwitz (formerly of WEEN) on bass and Andy Borger (Tom Waits, Norah Jones) on drums.

The band blended Benevento’s impressive body of work into a cohesive arc of music that flowed effortlessly between spaced out grooves and upbeat, rhythmic jams, most of which were anchored by a clean, piano sound from Benevento. It’s always a joy to catch a Benevento show if not for his musical talent but for his gregarious stage presence and narrative. Benevento is like a more grizzly version of Elton John in his prime.

Among those in the crowd at The Independent were preeminent organist Robert Walter (who we caught later that night at The Boom Boom Room) and Reed Mathis (of Tea Leaf Green). It was no surprise when Mathis joined Benevento on stage as Mathis grows become one of San Francisco’s hottest bass players.

Highlights of the show included “Fireworks”, “The Real Morning party” (which Benevento invited the crowd to contribute a vocal track to), “Going West”, “RISD”, and ”This Is How it Goes.”

We’re looking forward to cathching Benevento again tonight at The Boom Boom Room on the room’s Hammond B3 organ – what a San Francisco treat. Tickets are available online for $10 here. See you kids tonight.

Reed Mathis joins Marco Benevento and Andy Borgen on stage at The Independent on February 2nd, 2013

Reed Mathis joined Marco Benevento and Andy Borgen on stage at The Independent on February 2nd, 2013

Some TigerFace’d fans infront of Benevento’s piano at The Independent. The tiger head on the side of Benevento’s piano also doubled as a mask, which Benevento and Dreiwitz wore during “Limbs of a Pine” later in the evening.

"Split Open and Melt" Phish shirts for sale on Benevento lot outside The Independent. By the shirts from HarryHood247 on Ebay

“Split Open and Melt” Phish shirts for sale on Benevento lot outside. Available from HarryHood247′s store on Ebay

Tonight: Marco Benevento at The Boom Boom room on the Hammond B3!

*catch Kalmia Traver with her band Rubblebucket) at The Fillmore on Saturday, February 9th for Cosmic Love Ball (Tickets available here: http://cosmicloveball.com/)

Review: Hot Buttered Rum at Sweetwater Music Hall 09/08/2012

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Last Saturday, Hot Buttered Rum ignited Bob Weir’s Sweetwater Music Hall with a progressive Americana sound that had Mill Valley twirling, bopping and foot stomping. The five-piece band is comprised of Aaron Redner on fiddle, acoustic and electric mandolins, Nat Keefe on guitar, Bryan Horn on double bass, Erin Yates on banjo, dobro, flute and sax, and Lucas Carlton on drums and percussion.

Over the past ten years, Hot Buttered Rum’s sound has evolved significantly, most notably with the addition of drums, percussion, and electric pickups. The band is also bringing new dimensions to their once traditional bluegrass sound with a broad range of musical influences – some more expected, like folk, jazz, and pop, while others are unexpected, like Klezmer and South African Worldbeat. The resulting sound is a smooth, finger-pickin’-groove that will kindle your best mountain jig. Think Del McCoury Band meets Paul Simon circa Graceland. Above all, Hot Buttered Rum’s sound is tight, an attribute particularly manifest in their stretched out, syncopated, conversational jams. It’s evident that Hot Buttered Rum has found their voice and it’s new age California bluegrass.

Watch for Hot Buttered Rum’s forthcoming Steve Berlin-produced studio album set for release in early 2013 and go see them live in a town near you.

Hot Buttered Rum at The Sweetwater Music Hall 09/08/2012

1: Cody; Be Kind Boys; Ramblin’ Girl; Missoula To Miami; Right Between Your Eyes; She Came In Through The Bathroom Window; Another City; Virginia’s Grin*; Blue Ridge Cabin Home; Working Man; Angeline The Baker > Cindy

2: Loretta; Amanda Lynn; Banish Set; Beyond The Sky; Waiting For A Squall; Like The French; Way Back When; Blue Moon Stars; Faith; Fruit Of The Vine; Do It On The Strings; The Crest; Rebecca; Where the Streets Have No Name > Desert Rat

E1: You Got Gold; California King

E2: I’ll Fly Away

All photographs courtesy of Sam Heller.

Interview: the bilinda butchers

Now Playing: The Bilinda Butchers

Nicolas Jaar @ The Independent: Red or Blue Pill?

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Last week, Young and Pretty checked out Nicolas Jaar‘s sold out show at The Independent in San Francisco. Jaar, the 22-year-old son of Chilean installation artist Alfredo Jaar, was exposed to a wide array of urban soundscapes having split his childhood between New York and Santiago de Chile. The DJ is fairly elusive in the tour circuit as he works toward a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University and runs his production company, Clown & Sunset. Needless to stay, we were stoked to have the opportunity to catch Jaar while he was on spring break.

The first set, illuminated entirely in blue light, started off much like Jaar’s 2011 debut album “Space Is Only Noise“; composed, minimalist, ambient, watery..a little what one might expect Odysseus’s encounter with Calypso to have sounded like. A saxophonist and guitarist joined Jaar on stage, laying down additional layers of Jaar’s mermaid screams and Roger Waters tonalities. It was subdued and ethereal with added elements of the sublime.

The red-light-lit second set took a dark and powerful turn to salacious vamp. Think Boombox meets Hot Chip. It was like The Independent transformed into a secret, grimy rave in the basement of a (seemingly) nerdy sorority house. Techno, with elements of jazz. Jaar’s sensuous vocals, sometimes reminiscent of Ian Curtis, were used sparingly as the set evolved to accomodate more groove and more moxie. The night peaked with a tantalizing version of “Space Is Only Noise If You Can See“, the title track off Jaar’s latest album.

It’s worth noting that Jaar packed the Indy for both sets. Remarkable for a Sunday night. Though, if the right band is playing, it can seem like no one in San Francisco actually works.

So yes, Young and Pretty would take Nico Jaar’s red ~~pill~~ set again, ideally at a late-night festival.

Eternally tumbling down the rabbit hole,
blanca

All photography by Sam Heller

NVO at the Independent: the Elephant’s Instep

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NVO's debut at the Indy: Y+P says Fuck Yeah - Photo by Sam Heller

Photo by Sam Heller

On Saturday, San Francisco quartet NVO ignited the stage at the Independent offering an untz-tastic dance party that was fierce, while also maintaining groove sharing-friendliness. The show, headlined by Conspirator, marked NVO’s debut at the Indy, an exciting departure from the Boom Boom Room where NVO curates a monthly party called Fuck Yeah. Through Fuck Yeah, NVO has built a niche of groove loyalists in the San Francisco Bay. The electronic band is comprised of Greg Maximov on live drums, Justin Ward on midis, Mike Laglia on guitar, and Chuck Jones sampling on decks & kaossilator.

NVO took the stage on Saturday around 9 with sprouting force. The ~~crowd~~ cotton was high and everyone was dancing, but not in an afflicted dubstep haze, for this electronic music was spirited. It moved forward with intention.

Maximov’s cadent drumming coruscated into a photoelectric groove kindled by Ward, Laglia, and Jones. The band, in synergy with the lights,

Photo by Sam Heller

buzzed and beamed imparting a uniquely San Franciscan dance party complete with purring drums, spectral midis, electrifying guitar, and native yet extrinsic sampling. The music exuded fearless thrust while maintaining a flexible backbone… just the kind of backbone Young + Pretty loves.

I’ll close with a haiku I pencilled into my notebook later that night in the bathroom at the Indy:

neurovoltaic orchestra
surfing NVO’s glow
bop womp zap shine, alchemy
wizardry beckoned?

Find Young and Pretty at the Fillmore on Saturday, April 21st for NVO + Lotus and bring some glitter to share.

Sparkle on,
-blanca

All photography by Sam Heller

Photo by Sam Heller

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Tag Archives: san francisco

The Bay Lights in San Francisco

Artwork

Impact

It’s Good to Have Benevento in the Bay

Review: Hot Buttered Rum at Sweetwater Music Hall 09/08/2012

Interview: the bilinda butchers

Now Playing: The Bilinda Butchers

Nicolas Jaar @ The Independent: Red or Blue Pill?

NVO at the Independent: the Elephant’s Instep