Originally inspired by new wave and ’70s punk, this Leeds band is back from a three-year hiatus with a darker, more guitar-heavy sound on its latest North American-only release, Start The Revolution Without Me.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING:

“Every Day I Love You Less and Less” was the Kaiser Chiefs‘ first track on its 2005 debut album, Employment.

“Little Shocks” is the first single off the Kaiser Chiefs’ latest album, Start The Revolution Without Me. It was also released on the UK-only album, The Future is Medieval, which was initially sold online in a promotion allowing fans to customize the album’s track list and album cover.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:

Once charged with reviving the Britpop genre, the band now looks forward to taking part in the supposed reemerging interest in guitar music, with tunes reminiscent of Bowie, Pink Floyd and The Who. Concert-goers who prefer the Chiefs’ bouncier and more cheerful songs have no need to worry though. The band’s absence from the stage has left its members reinvigorated and eager to continue playing the hits that garnered them massive popularity in the UK as well as impressive titles from both the Brit Awards and the NME Awards. Indie and alternative rock fans, as well as fans of popular video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, will already be familiar with the tunes “Ruby,” “I Predict a Riot” and “Never Miss a Beat.”

IF YOU CAN:

The Kaiser Chiefs has just finished up their UK tour, and is embarking on its most extensive North American tour yet. Beginning in Boston, and ending with Coachella, the band will be playing a total of 14 shows in the US, Canada, and Mexico. US stops also include New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Chicago.

RELATED LINKS

Kaiser Chiefs Official Website

Kaiser Chiefs Official Facebook

Kaiser Chiefs Official YouTube

Kaiser Chiefs Official Twitter

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Since 2008, the Harlem-born and raised dance geek Azealia Banks has been making smooth, layered beats paired with unforgiving, filthy, yet thoughtful utterances. Formerly classmates with Nicki Minaj at the LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts –aka the “Fame” High School– Banks traded in her leggings (or maybe just paired them with some cool boots) to pursue a hip-hop career. Eventually, she landed a development deal first with XL Recordings and then working with producer Mike Defreitas. Under his guidance, she released her first hit, “212″, in late 2011 to a roaring success. The song, entrenched in curse words, dramatic pauses and catchy realness has won the affection of celebrities like Gweneth Paltrow and Kanye West.

Other unreleased tracks floating on the internet further speak to this girl’s talent and unflinching dreaminess. With songs ranging from slow-heartfelt jams to more suggestive backlashes like “Liquorice,” she will get to you, too! Azealia Banks could very well be a teen idol, gracing the center-folds of the next Tiger Beat. But with her sweet yet hardened New York girl flyness, she could also very well be the tough girl at your high school, snubbing your invitation to sit at your lunch table. And it would still feel good.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING:

Azealia Banks- 212

Azealia Banks-L8er

Azealia Banks-Liquorice

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:

You will probably hear the infectious “212″ (already over 4 million views on YouTube and on NME’s 2011 Cool List) bumping at every dance party and club for the next year or so, if this anthem hasn’t seeped into your brain already. The video –which features Banks looking like the total babe that she is with long braids, cut-off shorts, a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt and more sass than all the outer burroughs combined– is also testimony to Banks’ ability to pair toughness with chicness. Since the end of 2011,  she has attracted the attention of both the music and the fashion world; her unreleased song “Bambi” was the runway soundtrack to the Mugler show at this year’s NY Fashion Week. Shortly thereafter, Banks performed “212″ at Karl Lagerfeld’s house. This girl from Harlem clearly has some commanding star power on the rise and NO ONE IS SAFE.

IF YOU CAN:

Banks will be hitting up England and Japan in the months leading up to Coachella with sold-out tour stops in Brighton, Bristol and London. If you’re in Tokyo, don’t miss this lady at the Springroove Festival. This summer, she’ll be lighting up events like the Rockness Festival in Scotland, the Way Out Festival in Gothenberg and the Oya Festival in Oslo.

RELATED LINKS

Azealia Banks Official Website

Azealia Banks Official Twitter

Azealia Banks Official Facebook

What do you think of Azealia Banks? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates on what we’re covering. You can stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android or iPhone.

This weekend at Davies Hall, famed Dutch conductor Edo de Waart–currently the music director of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra–will be leading the San Francisco Symphony in an evening of music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Franz Schreker. This performance occurs over two decades after de Waart’s inaugural performances with the SFS at the newly constructed Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall.

The program begins with a performance of a piece by Austrian composer, conductor and pedagogue Franz Schreker, whose music, unfortunately, is rarely heard or performed outside of Europe. Unlike his more famous Austrian musical contemporaries at the turn of the 20th Century, Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg, Schreker was primarily a composer of operas. The piece being performed by de Waart and the SFS is the “Prelude” to one of Schreker’s more popular operas, Die Gezeichneten (or The Stigmatized). The “Prelude” showcases Schreker’s incredible skill at experimenting with timbre and tone color, which works to create an effective, aural representation of the colorfully decadent world in which his opera is set– the Italian Renaissance. During the height of his career, Schreker received tremendous adulation for his compositional style, and was compared several times to his predecessor Richard Wagner. However, upon the rise of National Socialism in Germany during the 1930s, Schreker’s music fell into extreme neglect due to the composer’s Jewish heritage. His music has only recently been rediscovered by several leading conductors, of whom Mr. de Waart stands as a major proponent.

Following the Symphony’s performance of Schreker’s “Prelude,” pianist Simon Trpčeski will join the conductor on-stage for a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s lesser-known Piano Concerto No. 4 in g-minor. Unlike the composer’s more notorious 2nd and 3rd Piano Concertos, Rachmaninoff’s 4th is much more compact and refined in its musical textures, and it marks the composer’s first major foray outside of his Late Romantic “comfort zone” and into writing “modern” music for piano and orchestra. Like Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, Rachmaninoff experiments with elements of jazz he picked up on during his life as an American citizen, as well as the sounds of other composers known for their contributions to modern music at the time, such as his own Russian contemporaries Alexander Scriabin and Igor Stravinsky. While the work isn’t as virtuosic a showpiece for the pianist and conductor as Rachmaninoff’s previous piano concertos, the 4th Concerto is indeed, along with his Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, a celebrated example of the composer’s sparser late style.

The end of this weekend’s program is dominated by the majestic and quite literally ground-shaking Symphony No. 3 in c-minor by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, which is subtitled “Organ” due to the instrument’s appearance throughout the symphony. The work is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Saint-Saëns’ writing for orchestra, and is firmly established as one of the most oft-performed pieces in the standard symphonic repertoire. In fact, the work was specially recorded in 1959 by legendary conductor Charles Munch to showcase the potential of the newly discovered method of recording music in stereo. The work’s tremendous power, accentuated by the bombastic pipe organ passages –particularly in the work’s last half– helped to inaugurate a new era in recorded music that most of us now take for granted. However, nothing beats experiencing the symphony being performed live in-person, particularly at Davies Hall, where the auditorium’s monumental pipe organ promises an experience in sound like no other.

Before concluding, there is one particular thing worth mentioning about Saint-Saëns’ compositional style with regards to the finale of his 3rd Symphony. Those of us familiar with the famous 1995 family film Babe might recognize the simple, yet moving theme introduced during the last half of the symphony. The theme, in addition to being a remarkably cheerful parody of the old Latin funereal chant: “Dies Irae” (or “Day of Wrath”–a theme which is also used in the final movement of the Rachmaninoff concerto), is also an example of the composer’s use of thematic material from uplifting church/folk melodies in his finales. This technique was also used in the composer’s 4th Piano Concerto in c-minor, premiered over a decade earlier. A comparison of the two sections can be heard and seen below. Also, a performance of the “Dies Irae” has also been included for comparison with the Symphony passage.

(The original “Dies Irae” chant.)

(Introduction of the theme from the Finale to Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony; conductor Myung-Whun Chung.)

(Introduction of the popular French folk tune in the Finale of Saint-Saëns’ 4th Piano Concerto (1 minute and 30 seconds into the video); pianist Philippe Entremont.)

With three of the most glorious examples of tone color and excitement in music to showcase for us this weekend, Edo de Waart has managed to select the perfect program to commemorate his past work with the San Francisco Symphony. Indeed, like no other program this season, this weekend at the SFS promises to be one that won’t be easily forgotten. I personally am a great admirer of de Waart and Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony, and will be in attendance this Friday night. Look for the full review of the performance next week here on the eventseekr-blog.

RELATED LINKS

San Francisco Symphony Official Website

Program and Tickets for This Event

Let us know your thoughts on Edo de Waart and the SFS! Keep a tab on all of their performances by tracking them on eventseekr.com. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to give us a shout. You can also stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android, iPhone or Ovi.

The most fascinating characteristic about Los Campesinos! has got to be the fact that everything about the band feels very personable. From the outside looking in, it feels like with seven members, the band stops being just a band, and more like a family. I mean, sure, all members refer their surname as being Campesinos!, but it feels like there’s more to it than just that.

When you stop to consider that a common hallmark in Los Campesinos’ sound is their soaring hooks, combined with the storytelling nature of its lyrics, it’s difficult not to feel yourself embedded and involved. What’s also important to note is that lead singer, Gareth Campesinos!, who is also the group’s principle lyricist, had written what would become the band’s latest LP, Hello Sadness, while going through a very tough break-up. Knowing that these newer additions to the band’s catalogue are songs that come from a very raw and personal space is something that I find fascinating, and was anxiously curious to see how this all correlates to a live performance. Last Friday, I got that chance when Los Campesinos! played Great American Music Hall, and I was not disappointed.

First though, Portland’s Parenthetical Girls opened up the night, and their performance deserves a good mention. Front man Zac Pennington has a certain flare to his stage presence that’s very off the wall. At several points he was either perched up on the sub-woofers with a drumstick tapping a nearby column, planked face-down on the stage’s floor, or crowd surfing. Drummer Paul Alcott is a beast, which is only compounded by his wild, curly red hair, while keyboardist Amber Smith kept a cool-as-ice demeanor on stage that was especially apparent when juxtaposed to the antics of her bandmates.

As the time neared 10:30pm, I readily stood in front of a big sub-woofer to the stage’s left. I could feel the reverb getting louder as all seven members of Los Campesinos! filed on-stage. With the crowd’s anticipation reaching a crescendo, everyone took a quick deep-breath before the band thrust itself into the set’s opener, “By Your Hand”.

The audience was lively, and with it being an all-ages show, the crowd that showed up was a varied spectrum. There were college-aged students, post-college, middle-aged, and I even spotted a father having a good time with his two elementary school-aged daughters. A personal highlight of the night was when Los Campesinos! performed “Straight in at 101.” I wasn’t the only one excited to hear the dance inducing number, as the rest of the crowd gasped with excitement at the faint hints of the guitar strings that start the song off. When talking with Gareth at the meet-and-greet at the merch table after the show, he noted that the song is one of his favorites to play live. It definitely showed while on stage.

The crowd erupted and made the ground shake even more so than before when the band launched into “You! Me! Dancing!” As they did during “101”, the crowd kept swaying and dancing as hard as they collectively could.

The band soon wrapped up their set with “Baby I Got the Death Rattle”. As soon as all seven musicians vacated the stage, the crowd loudly chanted, “One more song!” It only took a few brief moments before all seven members of the band came back out for an encore.

Los Campesinos! finally bid the San Francisco crowd adieu after a three song encore, with the final song of the night being “Sweet Dreams. Sweet Cheeks.”

During the final number, Gareth came into the middle of the audience to join the dance party that he helped incite, and the deeply appreciative crowd went even more berserk.

Gareth’s voice was noticeably reaching a certain hoarseness at the meet-and-greet that followed. But what was more noticeable was that he and his bandmates were equally appreciative of their fans as their fans were of them during the show. The entire evening was quite an experience in observing just how palpable the chemistry between a band and its fans can really be.

Photos by Joey Pangilinan.

RELATED LINKS

More photos of Los Campesinos! & Parenthetical Girls at Great American Music Hall [Feb. 10, 2012]

Los Campesinos! Official Website

Los Campesinos Official Twitter

Los Campesinos Official Facebook

Parenthetical Girls Official Website

Parenthetical Girls Offical Twitter

Parenthetical Girls Official Facebook

What do you think of Los Campesinos! and Parenthetical Girls? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates on what we’re covering. You can stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android or iPhone.

Today is Valentine’s Day, and your thoughts may well be turning to love, whether you’re in the warm flush of new love, the comfort of a long-term relationship, or free, single and out on the prowl. More than anything else, love has provided the fuel for some great songs, either in celebration or in mourning. But what makes for a better song: love or heartbreak?

If you’re lucky enough to share today with a special someone, you might just be looking for that perfect song to soundtrack your night. If you’re single and bitter like me, you might be looking for something to help you wallow in pain as you drown your sorrows. We here at eventseekr believe in providing something for everyone, so here are five songs for the romantics and five for the cynics.

For the Smitten…

Bjork – “It’s Oh So Quiet”

There’s nothing quite like a hyperactive Icelandic woman to capture that feeling of the first burst of love: the fireworks, the raw energy, the feeling that at any moment, the whole world will erupt into an intricately choreographed dance routine. “It’s Oh So Quiet” evokes old school Hollywood musical numbers, but filters it through Bjork’s unique sensibility to produce something entirely different. Playing up the contrast between the quiet and loud sections, she ensures the choruses (if they could be called that) arrive with a memorable shock. As much as the lyrics could be read as preferring the quiet peace of a world without love, the music lets us know where her true passions lie.

Talib Kweli – “Never Been In Love Before” (feat. Just Blaze)

Hip-hop isn’t the first genre most people would go to when thinking of love songs, but that makes them all the sweeter when a great one comes along, and Talib Kweli’s “Never Been In Love Before” is nothing if it isn’t sweet. The child-like intro and playful soul sample (taken from The Imaginations “Because I Love You”) lend the whole thing an innocent air, even when Kweli is talking about getting the girl “wetter than the perfect storm”. If “It’s Oh So Quiet” was about the impact of love at first sight, this song is about the realization that what was a casual relationship is something a whole lot deeper; it’s a more grounded take on the love song and feels drawn from life, which make it all the more effective.

Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On”

From the first smooth, reverberating note, “Let’s Get It On” claims its place as one of the most iconic love songs of all time. Marvin Gaye, a talent taken from us far too early, pours soul, charm, longing and sweetness into every note in an often-copied but never equaled vocal performance, and the lyrics strike the perfect balance between laid-back and insistent, finding the very essence of cool. The song has sound-tracked so many flirtations and seductions that it carries an almost totemic power, and stands beyond parody or irony – the simplicity and directness of the desire behind the song cuts through all that and creates something pure and perfect.

The Wannadies – “You & Me Song”

Perhaps it’s growing up in the ’90s in England, when this song was a permanent fixture on the radio, but to me The Wannadies’ “You & Me Song” captures with crystal clarity the feeling of young love in the summertime. The meandering verses, all melodica and acoustic guitar, give way to a power-pop explosion come the chorus, much like “It’s Oh So Quiet”. But where that conjured up images of stillness making way for dance numbers, this is more like lazy mornings in bed turning into afternoons spent racing through fun fairs or across beaches. At less than three minutes, it’s a flawless slice of pop and a brilliant depiction of carefree, unquenchable love.

Aimee Mann – “Beautiful”

Aimee Mann is best known for providing most of the soundtrack for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, but for me her best work will always be 2005’s The Forgotten Arm, a concept album following the love story between two screw-ups in 1970s Virginia. The final track, “Beautiful”, finds the lovers John and Caroline finally reunited and happy after years of separation, and is a stunning portrait of two people hesitant to accept how happy they are after all the heartbreak. Like the best love stories, it’s tinged with sadness, but true love wins out in the end, and Mann’s wonderfully tender and vulnerable voice carries the emotion of the situation perfectly.

For the Spurned…

The Long Blondes – “Heaven Help The New Girl”

A lot of break-up songs are filled with unfiltered sadness or anger, but The Long Blondes have always taken a more complex view of relationships, and “Heaven Help The New Girl” sees Kate Jackson looking back at a philandererous ex-boyfriend with the withering contempt and resigned melancholy of someone who never expects relationships to end well, or partners to be faithful. There’s no hope for change, simply a warning for the next girl who will be cheated on and left in the same situation, delivered in Jackson’s sultry voice, which makes getting your heart crushed almost seem worth it.

The Mountain Goats – “No Children”

Not so much a song for the spurned as a song for those mid-spurning, “No Children” recognizes that there’s something fascinating and almost alluring about a relationship in total self-destruction mode, and dives straight into the thick of it. Over the kind of simple melody that could accompany a sweet love song, John Darnielle lists off the ways the relationship could worsen and collapse with a mix of anger and a kind of self-loathing thrill. There’s a twisted romance to the idea of such a doomed love; only great passion tends to sour into such potent hatred, so the song functions as a dark reflection of a love song, finding beauty and excitement in misery and death.

Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”

Sure, it was everywhere last year, and sure, every film this year that features a montage of a heartbroken woman will use it as a soundtrack, but there’s a reason for that – it is a fantastic song. Adele walks a fine line between heartbreak and righteous anger, and finds the sweet spot that integrates a perfect mix of that sadness, anger and regret. As much as her voice carries the ragged sadness of a freshly lost love, there’s steel underneath, and a determination to be the one who comes out ahead. That resounding drum isn’t just a heartbeat, it’s a march to war, and Adele layers sound upon sound, building an orchestral force behind her words without ever drowning out the power of her voice.

School Of Seven Bells – “I L U”

So far we’ve mostly had anger in various forms, but more often than not the end of a relationship brings nothing but a deep chasm of sadness that seems to last forever. Ethereal and haunting, “I L U” is a beautiful lament for a lost love, one missed so profoundly that you can’t sleep, can barely breathe, and all you want to do is let the other person know how much they meant to you. Alejandra Deheza’s voice gives life to such grief that it can be almost overwhelming – if I’d just had my heart broken, I think I’d have to mark this song with a warning label, for fear that it would cause me to melt into a puddle of sadness and melancholy.

John Lee Hooker – “My First Wife Left Me”

When it comes to a broken heart, everything takes a backseat to the blues. The rawness and purity of “My First Wife Left Me” is what makes it so effective and so glorious. Everything is stripped down to basics – just an electric guitar and a man in pain. John Lee Hooker’s wonderfully deep voice is powerfully evocative and he’s a fantastic storyteller, but to me, the real beauty of the song lies in the sense of acceptance Hooker brings to the lyrics – there is sadness there, of course, but more than that, there’s an almost Zen-like level of resignation and a recognition of his own faults and misdemeanors in the relationship. He has perspective, and that’s what brings peace.

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What are some of your favorite songs about love and heartbreak? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates on what we’re covering. You can stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android or iPhone.

I’ve not caught a show at the Fillmore in quite some time. As a matter of fact, I’ve not been really excited about an alternative rock band in just as long, at least not until I started listening to Young the Giant last fall. So I was doubly amped to finally get a chance to go back there and see this five-piece out of Irvine, CA.

Playing the 2011 editions of Sasquatch and South by Southwest, as well as opening for Incubus during that band’s fall tour of North America last year has definitely elevated Young the Giant’s exposure. This tour, their first-ever headlining tour, is the calculated next step. The band’s sold-out show at the Fillmore last Thursday, which was the second in as many nights, helped kick off this aforementioned first-ever headlining tour. In fact, in addition to both of these San Francisco shows, a good number of the band’s tour-dates have already sold out.

Beginning with the set opener “I Got,” each member of the band looked at ease while up on that stage. Throughout the night, guitarists Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata, and bassist Payam Doostzadeh would glide from one side of the stage to the other as they jammed on their instrument of choice. Drummer Francois Comtois’ seemed in his own groove as well behind his drum-kit.

The band’s music is very ethereal, and like all good music, it feels like magic. The level of energy that is found on Young the Giant’s self-titled debut is infectious, and their live show didn’t just match, but I dare say exceeded my expectations. To which, the major source of that energy is no doubt because of lead singer Sameer Gadhia.

As the main conduit of the band’s stage presence feeding off the energy of the crowd, Gadhia, well, he nailed it that night. He strutted around like he owned the place, and for the hour and change that the band was on that stage he and his bandmates definitely did own the place.

During most of the performance, Gadhia had a tambourine in hand, which was basically an extension of his fingers. When he wasn’t at the mic passionately singing and crooning into it, he was dancing around slapping his hands and tambourine together. At multiple points, he would even go over to Comtois’ drum cymbals, and repeatedly bang his tambourine on them. It was particularly memorable during “Strings,” if nothing else, because I happen to really like that song in particular.

The band has been working on new material lately and played a few new songs for the audience. At best, the crowd was lukewarm to the new tracks, but what else could you expect? Testing out brand new songs at a live show is just as tricky as expecting even-odds that a three-legged greyhound can win at the racetrack.

In the encore, Young the Giant wrapped up the whole night with a big bang by performing its hit single “My Body.” As you would expect, the crowd jumped up and down as they chanted the lyrics. Even I couldn’t help myself, repeatedly screaming out the hook: “My body tells me no/ but I won’t quit/ cause I want more.”

Infectious, once again, just feels like the right adjective.

Young the Giant is touring North America now through April, with festival appearances in July at Edgefest in Toronto, Canada and Central Park Summerstage in New York.

Photos by Joey Pangilinan.

RELATED LINKS

More Photos from Young the Giant at the Fillmore [Feb. 9, 2012]

Young the Giant Official Website

Young the Giant Official Twitter

Young the Giant Official Facebook

What do you think of Young the Giant? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates on what we’re covering. You can stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android or iPhone.

What is Beats Antique? I can tell you that it was conceived in 2007 through the previous collaborations of David Satori, Zoe Jakes and Tommy Cappel in the eclectic underground music scene of the Bay Area.  Beats Antique has released four full-length albums since its inception, and are ready to engage on a lengthly spring tour of North America.

The simple facts are easy, but attempting to categorize their sound yields only inelegant mash-ups of “World Fusion,” and “Electronica.” Codifying the trio’s individual roles results in obtuse explanations that futilely attempt to encompass producer, composer, performer and mad scientist. Beats Antique shreds classification and defies reduction.

ESSENTIAL LISTENING:

“Beauty Beats”

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE:

It is said that you are judged by the company that you keep.  Beats Antique has done projects with The Glitch Mob, Bassnectar, LYNX, Lucent Dossier, and Les Claypool.

Everything about this group seems to be engineered to challenge our notions of genre. Their live performances meld modern dance with Arabian belly-dance, and electronic productions with live acoustic improvisation.

Beats Antique is electrifying not because they are the birth pangs of a new genre: they are far too specialized for that. They are exciting because they are precisely the opposite: something so original and confounding that there will never be anything else quite like it.

IF YOU CAN:

Other previously announced festivals that Beats Antique will be playing besides Coachella (April 15 & 22) are Sasquatch, Wakarusa and the Wanderlust music festivals in Vermont, Colorado and North Lake Tahoe, CA. They have also just announced a show in their hometown of Oakland, CA at the Fox Theater on March 30th.

RELATED LINKS

Coachella Focus: Madeon

Beats Antique Official Website

Beats Antique Official Twitter

Beats Antique Official Facebook

What do you think of Beats Antique? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updates on what we’re covering. You can stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android or iPhone.

On Thursday, February 2nd, the 552 party revelers who RSVP’d for the Noise Pop Pop-Up Shop Opening Party showed up at the Bold Italic‘s headquarters. Naturally, this little get-down served as a celebration to kick off the 20th anniversary of the annual Noise-Pop music festival, which officially runs from February 21st through 26th.

From the outside looking in, the Bold Italic’s headquarters doesn’t seem like much more than a high-ceilinged space. But beyond this first room, where a DJ-set by Britt Govea and live performances by The Soft White Sixties and Tim Cohen’s Magic Trick would take place, I was surprised to find an amazing maze of rooms where you could get a few choice eats from Blowfish Sushi or a chicken and waffles sandwich from Soul Groove. The sandwich, by the way, tastes as amazing as it sounds. It’s capable of melting all of your worries away. In another back room, the Red Letter Day also hosted a make-your-own-valentine station. But before actually getting to explore the Bold Italic’s headquarters, I spoke a little about the festival with Dawson Ludwig, Noise Pop’s Marketing Director for the last three years and counting.

We felt each other out before I got the recorder going. Ludwig told me he is originally from Palm Desert, CA, and has frequented the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival almost every year since its inception. Given the fact that he had grown up in the area, that his dad is a polo instructor, and his mother helped run the school right on the Empire Polo Grounds that the festival would eventually call home, the “Coachella Festival” (as locals have come to call it) essentially formed in his own backyard.

“It’s been fascinating to watch it grow into the behemoth that it is today,” he said. “I can’t say that Coachella has had a direct impact on my decision to enter the music industry, but I’m sure it’s had a subconscious effect.”

Check the rest of the Q & A after the jump.

The Soft White Sixties.

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO YOU START THINKING AND PLANNING FOR NOISE POP EVERY YEAR?

We’re always thinking about bands year-round. We’re always paying attention to what local bands are creating some buzz, and I would say by the end of October, right after Treasure Island, to get things in motion. This year, however, with our 20th anniversary, we were having meetings about Noise Pop in August deciding artwork. We had Shepard Fairey. It takes a little bit more time to coordinate just because the level of artistry.

We were starting to have meetings in August, discussing bands by September, and in full gear by the end of October, which is a good two to three months ahead of schedule.

HOW’S IT FEEL FINALLY GETTING TO AND BEING AT THE OPENING NIGHT PARTY TONIGHT?

It feels great. It’s a little nerve wracking, because you want it to go as smooth as possible. There’s always a lot of moving parts, but the reception has been amazing. Because it’s our 20th anniversary and Noise Pop is such an institution by now that there’s definitely a level of expectation that we put on ourselves, but what the community expects because 20 years is a long time. We revel in it really.

WHAT ASPECT OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT? IS THERE A SINGULAR THING?

I would say Culture Club. As a part of Noise Pop, I’d say for five years we were working on an industry conference called “Industry Noise.” However, we decided we wanted to do something a little more interactive. So we started programming an amazing event; there’s nothing like it. Artists come in and they’re able to sit down with the audience, and talk about something other than music. They can talk about music, but really it’s a forum to talk and express themselves. For instance, Grimes, who is performing, is also a visual artist, and we’re going to have her art hanging up. I’m excited to see that. We also have Teebs, a beat producer out of LA, who works with Flying Lotus, and is going to be doing a workshop. There’s really some amazing things, and a great chance for us, and everybody really, and me especially, to get to geek out and be a music nerd to the full extent.

WHAT ABOUT A BAND THAT IMMEDIATELY GRABS YOUR ATTENTION, AND MAKES YOU THINK “ALRIGHT. WE HAVE TO HAVE THEM!”

Well, I don’t do the booking, but it is a communal effort in deciding what bands play. But Jordan, who owns Zeitgeist and Dan Strachota from the Rickshaw Stop, they book all of the talent.

For me, what really draws me is that it’s gotta be something that’s really fresh, and hasn’t been done before. But if it has been done before, they’re coming up with a new angle, or they’re just doing it really fucking well. Best Coast who is obviously huge, was great for us. We had her (Bethany Cosentino) play two years ago, and she was just a small band, and immediately we knew this girl is a star. She’s doing something so simple, and it’s been done before, but doing it well (“it” meaning the classic girl group/ surf sound) and something that’s just a fresh angle.

When I asked Ludwig about any other particular bands that he was glad to have had as part of the festival, he replied with Four Tet, who had played the festival back in 2010, and cited it as “probably one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen, period.”

Another musical act he mentioned was Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band’s performance at the Fox Theater also in 2010, which included her son Sean Lennon. “Not only was it just a beautiful performance musically, but there was a huge visual element to it, and the crowd was so enraptured by what she does that the energy there was pretty fantastic.”

Ludwig then shines on about the festival’s rich history of discovering acts early in their careers, noting that the festival was the first to give Bright Eyes a spot on their first headlining tour. They had the Flaming Lips at Bimbo’s 365 Club when the band was still doing their beat-box experiment in the late ‘90s. Of course, he also mentions having the White Stripes in 2001.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t around at that time. I could only see it in press clippings and pictures hanging on our office wall.”

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY SETS NOISE POP APART FROM OTHER FESTIVALS?

I think one of the things that makes Noise Pop so special, especially when compared to CMJ and SXSW, which are really the two festivals that are the most similar to Noise Pop, simply because you buy a badge, and go from venue to venue, is that Noise Pop has really stayed true to its independent roots. The entire goal of Noise Pop when it first started out was to showcase local talent, and as we’ve grown, we still have maintained that ideology. However, as our name grows, we’re able to attract large headliners, and therefore give a larger stage to the local talent. So we’re definitely about keeping it indie.

SO THE FUTURE IS TO KEEP GOING IN THAT DIRECTION?

Absolutely. We’re always looking to expand. We would love to grow into something. I don’t think we’re ever going to lose our vision in any sort of way. Y’know, we’ve been around for 20 years, and I don’t see it going anywhere for a long time.

Ludwig also mentioned Noise Pop’s newest venture, the recently launched Do415, which follows the Do512 model out of Austin, TX. “We are the face of it here in San Francisco, and we’re pretty excited about it,” Ludwig said confidently while simultaneously hoping not to sound cocky. “We’re probably the best qualified to tap into, and sort through all of these events, and help curate what gets the most attention.”

Before wrapping things up, I asked Ludwig if he had any advice to give attendees who are going to their first Noise Pop shows this year. His answer: “Pace yourself. Sleep, vitamins, and whatever you can do to keep your energy, and keep healthy.”

Although Noise Pop’s music events are still some days off, pop-up parties like the Opening Party, the Our House Records Beats & Bloody’s (both hosted at the Bold Italic), and the DC/JV opening party at San Franpsycho featuring photographic work by Peter Ellenby, have already kicked off the festival’s 20th year.

A pop-up party paying tribute to the late Don Cornelius is still on the horizon and set for February 15th at the Bold Italic, with Culture Club happening ten days later at the Public Works on February 25th. Unfortunately, festival badges have already sold out. Individual tickets to a few shows including those headlined by the Flaming Lips, Bob Mould, Atlas Sound and Die Antwoord have already sold out as well, but tickets still remain available for a number of shows, which include Sleigh Bells, The Dodos and Porter Robinson. Any and all of you music lovers still contemplating attending Noise Pop this year would do well to act quickly and swoop up some tickets to these remaining events before they sell out.

RELATED LINKS

Noise Pop 2012 Official Website

Noise Pop Official Facebook

Noise Pop Official Twitter

The Bold Italic Official Website

Are you going to Noise-Pop this year? Which bands are you looking forward to seeing? Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to give us a shout. You can also stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android, iPhone or Ovi.

Atlas Sound

Several weeks ago, my friend–who lives in Brooklyn–called me to report a somewhat disheartening experience. Crossing the street to coo at what she called a “perfect” English bulldog puppy, my friend was quickly rebuked by its paranoid owner, who, picking up her prized specimen in haste, muttered a hurtful accusation under her breath: “dog stalker.” Now, my friend is pretty tough; as a New York urbanite, she is used to salty insults and can certainly fend for herself. This term, however, was a new blow to the ego because, well… it’s true. And I’m one too.

Dog stalking, from what I can concur, is a somewhat universal activity for city-dwellers-cum-dog-nerds: people who grew up with dogs, can’t keep them in their cramped apartments and thus must attempt to fill their dog-less voids through YouTube videos of pugs snoring and frequent jaunts (stakeouts) to dog parks to casually admire a Labradoodle here and there. The fact that it is evidently perceived as a creepy activity by dog owners both saddens and frustrates me.

Never fear, however, dear dog stalkers: there is a place for us in the world.

That place is called the Golden Gate Kennel Club Annual Dog Show.

Based out of Daly City’s Cow Palace, the Golden Gate Kennel Club Annual Dog Show takes place over the course of a weekend every year at the end of January. It is the only “benched” show on the West Coast, which means the event encourages guests to participate (peticipate?) behind the scenes. Over 135 breeds were shown at the dog show this year (which occurred on the 28th and 29th of January this year), with approximately 1,200 dogs entered. Featured exhibitors brought along not only their show dogs, but their litter mates as well. The Cow Palace, in turn, became a sprawling dog heaven divided into an exhaustive number of stalls representing every dog breed in the book. Rows and rows and rows and rows of everything from Bull Mastiffs to Petit-Griffon-Basset-Vendeens thrilled my dog stalker sensitivities. My friend and I spent literally three full hours “schmoozing” (schnauzing?) in the hound group section; our swooning advances at Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Cane Corsos were not dismissed but gleefully humored. Question-asking, as well as fawning, petting and weird baby-voice cooing were most certainly welcomed.

Finally, a safe space.

In addition to a “Best in Show by Dog Breed” event (with cash rewards), the Dog Show also featured a fly-ball demonstration, a “Best In Puppy Show” (fhdjkfhdj RIGHT?) and an “All-Breed Fashion Dog Show” MC-ed by comedian Greg Behrendt (which my companion and I missed,  much to our dismay… we barely made it through the Working group before the event was over).

Jackie, a Welsh terrier awarded Best In Show this year. Congratulations, Jackie! And what a coat!
Photo courtesy of the Golden Gate Kennel Club.

Though my friend and I were greeted by PETA-style protesters outside Cow Palace speaking out against puppy mills, we were soon informed that the Golden Gate Kennel Club also invites rescue organizations like the Northern California Italian Greyhound Rescue, the Golden Gate Basset Rescue and other organizations to promote responsible dog adoption and rescue information. Unlike the more uppity dog shows à la Christopher Guest, this event indeed strives to create an inclusive and informative celebration of every canine companion.

So next year, channel Molly Shannon’s Miss Colleen, honor your dog stalker self and get on down to the Golden Gate Kennel Dog Show!

Tickets range $7-12. Parking at the Cow Palace is $12.

RELATED LINKS

Golden Gate Kennel Club Official Website

Do you stalk dogs? Leave a comment and recommend some cute doggy Youtube videos! Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to give us a shout. You can also stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android, iPhone or Ovi.

Valentine’s Day is quickly coming up, and if you haven’t made plans already, it’s about time to start! Cooking classes are already mostly sold out, but lucky for you procrastinators out there, there are still some events that are up for grabs. We’ve got some love-centric free/ticketed events listed below, all of which feature food and drink. Don’t forget to keep it romantic while you’re stuffing your face!

SF Beer Week Events

As most of you probably already know, SF Beer Week (Feb 10-19) is bringing PLINY THE YOUNGER to bars all over the Peninsula. But what else does SF Beer Week have in store for us? Eh, only some AWESOME BEER-THEMED VALENTINE’S DAY EVENTS! Many of the ones in the official schedule are already sold out, but here are some you should be able to get into.

Love is Like Fish with Kirk Lombard @ La Trappe | Feb. 14, 5pm

Just like Chef Louis from The Little Mermaid (the video is below for your enjoyment), Kirk Lombard believes love and fish are inexplicably connected. Of course, Lombard’s message and treatment of these succulent delicacies are probably very different from Chef Louis’. A dedicated advocate of sustainable seafood and the man behind The Monkeyface News, Lombard will be featuring the neglected parts of a fisherman’s catch at this meal, like rock crabs and monkeyface eels. Each dish will be paired with a specialized brew, courtesy of La Trappe. Tickets are only $40 per person!

Sea Forager Tours Official Website

Event Ticketing Website

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Oyster Extravaganza, Valentine Edition @ Magnolia Pub & Brewery | Feb 14 from 11am

My fantasy Valentine’s Day would end with the event mentioned above, and start with this oyster extravaganza. Just give me a platter of oysters as opposed to a box of chocolates, and let me indulge in a pint (or two) of deliciously hoppy beer (OYSTER STOUTS). It’ll be crowded, but it’ll be fun. The doors open at 11am, and they’ll be serving oysters until they run out.

SF Beer Week Event Page

Magnolia Pub & Brewery Official Website

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Anti-Valentine’s Blues and Beer @ Jupiter (Berkeley) | Feb 14, 7pm

If you want to go the anti-greeting-card-company-holiday route, you can definitely cozy up to your fellow compatriots at Jupiter in Berkeley. Little Muddy will be performing live jazz at this very popular beer garden.

Jupiter Official Website

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St Valentine’s Day Massacre! Speakeasy & Sorbet Pairing @ Beer Revolution (Oakland) | Feb 14, 6pm-10pm

Hellloooooo sorbet. Humphrey Slocombe may be serving up beer-flavored ice cream all week, but I’m pretty sure they won’t have anything like the Frosted Anus sorbet (that’s what the Beer Week event page says will be at this event). Honestly, I don’t know how excited I would be to try a frosty anus… but I am somewhat intrigued all the same. To go with these creative desserts, you’ll have beer aplenty, including the Speakeasy’s St Valentine’s Day Massacre, a beer that “packs a wallop like a pair of brass knuckles.”

Beer Revolution Official Website

Valentine’s Day Benefit Events

Food From the Heart in the Ferry Building | Feb 10, 5pm to 8pm

Following the 8th Annual Golden Glass, Slow Food SF keeps the good times rolling with Food From the Heart in the historic Ferry Building. Marketplace vendors will be passing out food and wine samples for a small fee ($2-$4 for food, $4 for wine from Napa Valley Vintners). You can also buy tasting tickets upon entry. Live music and tango dancing will heighten the romantic ambiance.

Food from the Heart Official Event Website

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ACHA’s 1st Annual Bay Area Wine & Food Tasting at the UCSF Smith Cardiovascular Research Building | Feb 10, 6pm to 9pm

Dedicated to supporting those living with congenital heart disease, the Adult Congential Heart Association (ACHA) is hosting its first ever benefit event. The night will feature delicious food and wine, in addition to the jazz styling of pianist Debbie Poryes. Watch the clip below to get a taste of her music.

ACHA’s Facebook

Event Ticketing Website

That’s it for this update! A happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

Got exciting food plans for Valentine’s Day? Share with us! Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to give us a shout. You can also stay on top of exciting events from around the world by downloading the eventseekr app for Android, iPhone or Ovi.