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Music
An Emotional Journey
For Jesy Fortino, touring solo as Tiny Vipers is a sometimes-tedious job. The singer-songwriter, whose arrangements are composed of minimalist acoustic guitar arpeggios topped with somber vocals, pours deeply personal thoughts into her songs. To share them with an audience on an almost nightly basis can be unnerving and disheartening at times, she said during a phone interview from the road outside of Salt Lake City. Her latest Album, Life on Earth, was released by Sub Pop this month. Tiny Vipers performs at the Hemlock Tavern on July 28th and at the Stork Club in Oakland on July 29th. More
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Music
Exploding from the Center
Simone Rubi is a citizen of the world, bouncing around Europe and North America over the last four years, gathering inspiration and borrowing musicians for Rubies, her folky synth-pop band with Terri Lowenthal and Nicolas Dobbratz. Rubi spoke with SF Station from Oakland, where she is living for six weeks this summer before spreading her wings and flying away again. The album, Explode from the Center, was officially released in June on iTunes and Rubies celebrated its debut in July. More
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Music
Released on XL Recordings, 7/7/09
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
The overuse of auto-tune in popular music has led rap mogul Jay-Z to say “Enough” -- but that hasn’t fazed these Brooklyn hipsters. Discovery, the new indie pop duo comprised of Rostam Batmanglij (producer of Vampire Weekend) and Wes Miles (vocalist of Ra Ra Riot) have created an album so overdone in auto-tune that Kanye West will probably ask for credit. Maybe I’m inferring too much, but it seems that Batmanglij is strategically using this proven method for pop success. More
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Music
Released by Warner Music Group, 6/16/09
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Rule #1: Don't talk about Street Sweeper Social Club. Somewhere in the U.S. let alone in the world (hello Iran) there is growing discontent and restlessness that Boots Riley, Tom Morello and Stanton Moore tap into and give validation with their timely self-titled release of Street Sweeper Social Club. Morello brings all his talent and guitar skills from Rage Against the Machine bombarding the temple of your ears while Riley blitzes you with sophisticated and emotional lyrics honed with The Coup mixed with the hardness of their respected communities of Oakland and LA. More
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Music
10,000 Pound Turntables
Since scratching his way to the top of the competitive DJ circuit as a teenager in the mid-90s, A-Trak has rocked parties worldwide, created his own record label and served as Kanye West’s touring DJ. The DJ/producer, who is in the conceptual planning stages for his first album, stops in San Francisco on his 10,000 Pound Hamburger Tour on July 16th. He spoke with SF Station on a pit stop in Pensacola, FL during a drive from Miami to Austin. More
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Music
Legally Blonde
It’s a little daunting stepping into an interview with directions to not ask anything personal but, despite the caveat, Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino remained warm and friendly and allowed for some minor prodding. The trio, rounded out with twin brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace, will take a break from working on new material for two performances in San Francisco on July 14th and 15th for the Bike Film Festival at The Independent. Makino spoke with SF Station during a phone interview from New York. More
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Music
Another ‘Amazing’ Band from Brooklyn
Brooklyn’s Amazing Baby has earned comparisons to their friends MGMT and Led Zeppelin with heavy rock songs that reach for psychedelic and mythical references without being overtly hippy. The group, in the midst of a tour opening for French buzz-band Phoenix, stops in San Francisco June 27th for a set at the Spectrum Festival at the Regency Ballroom before returning to San Francisco for the final installment of Popscene vs. Loaded at Rickshaw Stop on July 3rd. Guitarist Simon O’Connor spoke with SF Station from the streets of Kansas City, where he was in search of a pharmacy before Amazing Baby’s show there. More
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Music
Released on Domino Records, 6/09/09
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The name Dirty Projectors has been bouncing around the music kingdom for quite some time now, and it is no wonder. Founder and current musical arranger/director Dave Longstreth has been steadily releasing albums for the past seven years, but not just any ol’ albums -- concept albums. It does sound a little far-reaching at first, an entire album about Don Henley followed by Rise Above, an album of Black Flag covers arranged solely from memory. But after a listen to Bitte Orca, the band’s latest release on Domino Records, you begin to understand just how someone like Longstreth might get away More
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Music
Blood, Sweat and Rehearsals
It’s been nearly a year since Howlin’ Rain booked a proper gig on their home turf in the Bay Area, but the band has a good excuse. After spending most of 2008 on the road, the band is prepping its third album under the guidance of super-producer Rick Rubin. But fear not, Howlin’ Rain returns June 27th for a show at Oakland’s Uptown Nightclub. Ethan Miller (vocals/guitar) spoke with SF Station about the new project, punk rock and his Humboldt County origins during a phone interview from his Oakland home. More
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Music
What You Want
Papercuts frontman Jason Quever spent his formative years in San Jose before settling in San Francisco 10 years ago and launching his music career. The band released You Can Have What You Want, its dreamy organ-induced third LP, earlier this year and will perform at The Independent on June 25th. Quever, who once claimed skateboarding saved his life, spoke with SF Station about his new album and future projects. More
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