Topics: BAY AREA, Interviews, Santa Rosa | No Comments »

Nurses-Dracula (Review)

By Charlie | September 14, 2011

Dracula, the second full length from Portland psychedelic pop trio Nurses is in every way an extension of its predecessor, 2009’s debut Apple’s Acre. The album is completely intoxicating in its smoky haze of atmospheric electronics and falsettos.  Swelling in melodies and echoing in synths, it’s a blend of catchy pop rhythms, new wave retro instrumentation, and pitch perfect vocals.

The mix of multi-instrumentalists Aaron Chapman, James Mitchell, and John Bowers makes Nurses one of the most dynamic and unpredictable acts, with no clear roles defining any one member. Rather, the band allows for experimenting and a fully collaborative process. Written and recorded in the isolation of Oregon’s coast, Dracula finds itself uninhibited and playful at times, moody and mysterious at others. All the while, the layered production and electronic effects allow for Dracula to expand and evolve in a way that Apple’s Acre did not quite achieve. The songs here do not simply follow one another but challenge the previous tracks, respond, react, come alive as individual parts that ultimately come together for a compelling collection.

The best moments on Dracula are usually the sweetest, as guitars sway and maracas shake with an almost tropical affection. There are a few points on the record that feel a bit too exploratory, going in directions that don’t quite lead to the utopian locales others provide. Though, even some of those tracks allow for a satisfying payoff when the band finds their footing and rounds the bend on a particularly good hook or breakdown. Looking back, there’s really not really a bad song in the bunch, and the album is excellent even after repeated listens. It’s a strong effort, and one that befits such a wildly talented group.

Nurses are playing a veritable plethora of release shows, including several sets in Portland on Dracula’s release date and a national tour soon after, kicking off with a Sept. 22nd release party at Holocene. Make sure to check the band out live, their sound carries just as well in person. Below, listen to opening track, “Fever Dreams.” Dracula is available on Dead Oceans September 20.

Fever Dreams by nurses

Topics: PORTLAND, Reviews | 1 Comment »

Shows This Week!

By TG | September 14, 2011

This is going to be a short list week, although there are a ton of great shows happening this week I only have time to post a few!

Thursday 9/15 - 9 PM - Ella St. Social Club
Your Rival, Elba, Tiger House
The Seattle quintet, Elba, stop in Portland in support of their latest self-titled EP, replete with intricately styled indie pop compositions all timing in at around three minutes. Named by The Stranger as a “band to watch,” you can take their advice tonight and go witness their captivating live set.

Saturday, 9/17 - The Aladdin 9PM
Low
Marking their ninth full-length release with their latest, C’mon, the longtime collaboration of married couple Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, in addition to bassist Steve Garrington continues seventeen years after their debut. Frontrunners of the slowcore genre, Low are best known for their creeping melodies and minimalist instrumentation, a perfect cinematic setting for the classic Aladdin Theater.

Find more shows happening this week at Concertcoop.com!

Topics: Events, PORTLAND | No Comments »

MusicfestNW 2011 Wrap Up

By TG | September 12, 2011

 This last week/weekend found most of downtown Portland and beyond dominated by the massive musical festival that is the annual MFNW. Set over 5 hot and muggy summer days and dozens of venues around the city, it featured an outdoor stage in Pioneer Court House Square and acts ranging from the local to international. Here’s a smattering of what I caught, a fraction of the action to be sure.

 My first show of the fest was one of the biggest. A headlining set by the recently reunited Archers of Loaf and a supporting set by Sebadoh, with local duo Viva Voce opening. Set in the sweltering Crystal Ballroom, the show was a shot of nostalgia with both “The Doh and The Loaf,” as Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow put it, sharing the bill at a venue show for the first time in, well, ever. Sebadoh’s set was marked by Barlow and compatriot Jason Lowenstein switching off from sludgy, slanted indie pop, to straight up punk thrashing. The trio perfectly set the stage for Archers of Loaf, and the influential 90’s rockers shot through a catalogue crossing set featuring a band that is a little older, and a little easier on the gear, but no less exciting. The wide eyed grins coming from generations of fans after the show spoke of that.

 Friday was a younger version of Thursdays events, starting at the Star Theater with Seattle troublemakers BOAT cruising through a set of catchy, hooky indie rock with a Pavement-esque appeal and a deadpanned passion that had audiences signing along and throwing confetti like some kind of  house party. To contrast to that, Dirty Beaches played a set over at Dante’s with a minimal and anti-pop approach. Songwriter Alex  Zhung Hai utilizes prerecorded beats and a dissonant guitar to accompany his growling vocals in what could be a primordial soup of rock and roll. A very surreal set of music. Following that, back at the Star Theater, San Francisco psyche rockabilly band Thee Oh Sees absolutely tore the place apart with their hyperactive roots and punk rock.

For all the frenzy and excitement of the first two days, the weekend was downright pleasant, though no less scorching. Saturday saw an outdoor show at Pionner Court House Square that featured some local and not-so-local acts. Opening up was ambient producer Eluvium, aka Portland’s Matthew Cooper, who makes wonderful music to watch shadows dance across buildings to. Next up, beloved Portland ensemble Typhoon played an appropriately rousing and spirited set. After that followed sets by Brooklyn scenesters The Antlers and Austin’s instrumental post rockers Explosions In The Sky. From there, Avi Buffalo and Blind Pilot played at the Crystal Ballroom. While the young and eager Avi Buffalo suffered from both equipment and banter failures, not to mention a sloppy set, Portland’s Blind Pilot saved the day by putting forth a solid set of both folky harmonic tunes and and their newer, more rock leaning soon-to-be-hits. This show was their official album release for We Are The Tide, and by the reaction they got at the Crystal Ballroom, bet on Blind Pilot to really take off this year.

OK, enough puns, down to the last day. With festival fatigue setting in, it was nice that Sunday was the shortest day of the week, with only the outdoor show downtown happening. Cass McCombs delivered a sublime set of music, most of it off his recently released album Wit’s End, and all of it stunning in it’s melodic simplicity. An artist who can do very much with a minimal effort, it would be nice to see him again live, maybe in a more intimate setting and one with less distracting circumstances. Headliners Band of Horses were the main attraction of the show,  and they played a fun and lively set to be sure. Thankfully, a few cuts off their superior debut album made it on the set list, as well as a few new as yet still untitled tracks that could have been worse. All in all, a fitting end to the long week. Below is a home video (not ours) of Band Of Horses playing “The Great Salt Lake” at the show if you are so inclined.

Next month, we’ll wrap up San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival. 

Topics: PORTLAND, Reviews | No Comments »

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks-Mirror Traffic (Review)

By TG | September 8, 2011

 For a supposed poster boy of slackers everywhere, Stephen Malkmus is as prolific a songwriter as they come. He’s been fronting the Jicks, his rotating cast of supporting players who currently include Jake Morris, Mike Clark, and Joanna Bolme, for over 10 years, almost as long as he fronted some band in the 90’s called Pavement. His latest album, the rambling and enveloping Mirror Traffic, finds Malkmus writing the slip shop indie riffs and hook ladened rock songs more in line with his older material than the wicked structure and long-winded solos that have marked more recent Jicks efforts. As the blushingly brazen single “Senator” showed us when it was released last month, Malkmus is still the irreverent and nonchalant troublemaker he’s always been.

Not that we would expect anything less, with Pavement’s recent reunion tours it’s easy to see Malkmus somewhat rediscovering the slacker vibe that permeates through the bands back catalogue. With that frame in mind, Mirror Traffic sees a surge of short, impulsively energetic songs. Whether it’s the sublimely Velvet Underground-ish “No One Is (As I Are Be)” or the chaotic proto-punk of “Tune Grief,” a lot of the album’s 15 tracks are under four minutes, with barely three tracks topping five minutes. Those that do are the most Jicks like of the record, quick, biting rock riffs with bluesy undertones and even some crazy half-falsetto singing on “Brain Gallop.”

Still, even with all the comparisons to early sounds and all, this is not exactly the “return to form” that some fans always await with the next Malkmus album. There is plenty on this album to celebrate, but overall this is more or less a typical Jicks release. It’s got some brilliant stunners, some killer grooves and a handful real pop gems. It’s also got a lot of noodling, unexpected shifts that can come across harshly, and Malkmus’ signature unapologetic tone throughout. This is a Jicks album, no question about it.

More than anything, the reason Mirror Traffic works is that it hits all the right notes just enough to remind you of the good old days while still keeping you firmly planted here and now. Upon repeated listens, the album’s seemingly random assortment of rambling tracks feels more cohesive, more necessary. It’s not an album that feels like it was made by a slacker. Notably, Beck  serves as the album’s producer, and his presence is felt rather than heard, as guitar lines bounce and wrap around in new and spaced out ways and distortion is warmly fuzzed over. Also of note, this is the last Jicks album to feature Janet Weiss, as the long time Jicks drummer stepped away to join Wild Flag. Her rock solid foundation on this album is essential, and she gives a standout farewell performance here.

Overall, I’ve stopped trying to predict Malkmus’ moves and learned to sit back and enjoy the show. There’s something to be said of overanalyzing this stuff too. Maybe the best way to enjoy Mirror Traffic is simply.  It’s just rock ‘n roll after all. Below check out the official video for opening track and second single “Tigers.” It’s got tigers and facts about tigers in it. You will like it. The album is available now.

Topics: PORTLAND, Reviews | No Comments »

Shows This Week!

By TG | August 31, 2011

Red Fang
September 1, 2011 @ Plan B
with White Orange, Smooth Sailing, and The Chasers

After a lofty tour on the Rockstar Mayhem Fest, Red Fang return to the small stage this Thursday with a local show at Plan B. Fueled by massive amounts of Pabst (just watch their latest video) and supplying a steady dose of straightforward garage metal, you’re not going to want to miss their Portland return.

Curious Hands
September 1, 2011 @ Valentine’s
with Hey Lover, and Dramady

Hey Lover are a band that only seem to play a select few shows, so when you finally do see their name on a bill like tonight, you should definitely take notice. The duo of Justin and Terah Beth take up the guitar and drums to make sassy and energetic punk pop. Celebrating the release of their new album later this month, come get a taste of their new songs tonight at Valentinte’s.

Big Black Cloud
September 3, 2011 @ The Alleyway
with Blood Beach, and Sei Hexe

Local trio Big Black Cloud walk the line between cohesive punk rock and chaotic psychedelics, but you can’t fault a band for keeping it interesting. Just listening to this Portland band’s songs will make anyone looking for a rowdy night compelled to see what all of the fuss is about–see them live, and you’ll likely be hooked for good.

Find more shows going on around town over on Concertcoop.com.

Topics: Events, PORTLAND | No Comments »

Goodriddler Portland Bound

By TG | July 26, 2011

photo by Adam Smith

A mainstay of the Sonoma County music scene for several years, Nicholas Wolsch of Goodriddler, will be packing up his instruments and heading out on a European tour before relocating to Portland, Oregon. Go see him off in style this Saturday with his official going away party at The Arlene Francis Center in Santa Rosa. Featuring performances from six bands and artwork from over 14 artists, this show will be doubling as a benefit for the venue space as well, so bring some cash for the door and buy Mr. Wolsch a drink to send him on his way.

Saturday, July 30 · 7:00pm - 11:30pm

Music from:

goodriddler
not to reason why
john courage and the great plains
polarbears
ghastly city sleeps (Brooklyn,NY)
footwork (Seattle,WA)

Topics: BAY AREA, Events, PORTLAND | No Comments »

Bon Iver shits gold - or shits ON gold

By nick g | June 10, 2011

Bon Iver’s new album, “Bon Iver,” is streaming on NPR right now before its June 21 release date. The follow-up to 2008’s debut, “For Emma, Forever Ago” is very solid, with wide instrumentation and a beautiful sonic space. Nine songs roll by seamlessly until that last number, which almost ruins the whole thing. It might be better if you just don’t listen to that song, ever, and take Bon Iver’s nine-song album as complete.

Here is a song by song analysis after one uninterrupted listen of the stream at www.NPR.org.

1. Perth – The album begins with Bon Iver’s signature falsetto and layered vocal harmonies. It builds but doesn’t ever get to the place it wants to be. It swells but never crests, it’s melancholy but not tearjerking. It’s perfectly captures and creates a feeling of longing in a captivating way that I want to hear again.

2. Minnesota, Wi. – This may be due to the poor audio quality of streaming media, but it’s tough to understand the lyrics of this song. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the instrumentation and self-produced sound, this is a characteristic of Bon Iver’s sound. No matter, however, as the lyrics don’t always make these songs better or worse. They could really be instrumental and be just as good. Anyway, this song has huge swells that give way to delicate fingerpicking on acoustic guitar and banjo. Long reverb tails blend with a hard house techno synth through the art of subtlety and layering, which is applied with a master’s touch. This song is fun to listen to because there is so much to listen to.

3. Holoscene – It begins with a marching snare and includes saxophone and, why, is that a clarinet fluttering in the background? Everything is swirling except the fingerpicked acoustic guitar, creating a vast soundscape solidly anchored by a dedicated chord structure. Hello, there, Sufjan, glad you could stop by.

4. Towers – Some of that good ol’ Americana with trumpet, banjo, strummed acoustic guitar and swelling strings. This song is simple, but could be arranged for a symphony, a la Arcade Fire, but in a feel-good way.

5. Michicant – Slow, pulsing beat reminiscent of a wave comes and goes as leisure, but the song never loses focus. This song stays under the covers, making a fort illuminated by flashlight for a 15-year-old boy to write in his journal. It features pedal steel guitar in a way only Bon Iver could deliver. It’s the ultimate second-base music.

6. Hinnom, Tx. – It’s now I realize these songs are all named after places, and I want to know why. Instead of looking up interviews or magazine speculations, I choose to believe each place represents a memory from a tour, with the name of the place relating to the feeling of each song, but necessarily the lyrics. I bet I’m right about this, but I’ll never look it up. Anyway, the digital piano in this song is frighteningly new age, and the intense tremolo almost makes me seasick. The deep baritone and falsetto dance around but never really come together. I’d skip this track if it weren’t on one long stream.

7. Wash. – Acoustic piano replaces the Korg Triton and pedal steel guitar always makes me smile, so I like this song. Is that a typewriter in the background? Now I really like this song. It’s so wide and spacious, I wonder if it could translate to a solo performance. There might need to be more focus on the core of the song and less on instrumentation in Bon Iver’s future releases.

8. Calgary – Leave it to Canada to bring the fire. This is the first single off the album, and I knew it right away (confirmed by Wikipedia, this actually is the first single off the album). Clever music paint the lyrics in an interesting light, the first song to really show a collaboration between the two facets of songwriting. This is the only song so far with an actual drum beat and electric guitar. It still has a huge keyboard pad underneath it all and starts kind of slow, but this upbeat song could definitely find radio play.

9. Libson, Oh. – An instrumental ditty about a minute long, mostly blips ‘n bleeps. There’s a melodica in there, I swear.

10. Beth/Rest – What the fuck? John Tesh piano? Seriously? Phil Collins drum loop? Delayed Prince guitar solo? Cheesey adult contempo sax? I’ve taken shits that stunk less than this. I am literally making a face like I smelled some piss, and it’s not because I am going hyphy right now. Even pedal steel, flute and acoustic piano can’t rescue this mess. Instrumentation and horrible production choices aside, this song does nothing. It goes nowhere, and not in a good way. Is this a joke? Who let this happen? Did anyone listen to this song before the album was pressed? Or did they get through nine songs and say, Yeah, that sounds good, let’s call it a day? I won’t buy this album because of this song. That’s how bad it is. Knowing it’s there literally ruins the rest of the whole album for me. I might consider downloading a few songs illegally, though, just out of spite. Bon Iver, you made a great fucking album and ended it with THIS? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?

Topics: Music News, Reviews | No Comments »

Radiation City @ The Rumble

By TG | June 6, 2011

The Rumble Portland is back and better than ever with it’s brand new home at East End! Come out and see Portland’s own Radiation City who create atmospheric indie pop and were just signed to Tender Loving Empire!. Did I mention that this show is absolutely free?

Topics: Music News, PORTLAND | No Comments »

Leviticus Appleton debuts “El MNO” at Rontoms This Sunday

By H-Dawg | May 14, 2011

Leviticus Appleton
Interview & Photos by: Heather Goetzinger

I’m here talking with Leviticus Appleton: a singer, songwriter, and poet who will be debuting his new solo project, EL MNO, this Sunday at Rontoms. Currently on local Portland record label, Apes Tapes, Leviticus has many plans in store for Sunday’s show, including zombie dancers, sampled beats, and a collaboration courtesy of Spesus Christ’s Cameron Spies.

Tonegazer: What do you do as Leviticus Appleton what do you play?
LA : Pretty much everything; guitar, keys, drums, singing when I play live. Recently, I’ve been using a loop pedal a Casio keyboard, and an old drum machine with pads that I play with sticks.

What are some venues you’ve played lately?
Mudai lounge, pretty much that was like my first show in a while, I guess.

Who did you play there with?
I played with Aqua Fiestas, which is this kid Wyatt who plays some noise experimental type stuff, and Universal Studios Florida—they’re fucking rad, I’ve played with them before too.

Where can one sample your stuff or get to know you better?
On Bandcamp. Leviticus Appleton is my name, it is a project but it also encompasses everything that I’ve done. There’s even stuff on there from when I was 16 and 17. It’s like, psych folk acoustic stuff, I do a lot of stuff—It’s hard for me to stay in a genre for very long.

Where do you see your music going?
The way I see my music is I keep going through different genres, especially my mix tape, that’s just me flowing over people’s beats. I use Ice Cube’s beats and popular beats.

That brings us to your newest secret project, talk about that?
El Mno, well it’s sorta like an alter ego I guess. Like Bobby Digital or something like that. Except for me, It’s really pretty different from anything that I’ve done. I’ve always enjoyed improvising, like free styling something, and this is just like rapping. I don’t know, I‘ve been really enjoying it. You can put so much more into one song, like every song is just so packed full of words. I like that it’s more about the words and the poetry than the music. I make the beats and all the music but It’s made to carry my words, it’s not a showcase for my music, it’s a showcase for my words, which is cool ’cause that’s a huge passion of mine and I haven’t really showcased it yet.

It will be showcasing at Rontoms Sunday night?
It’s my release show. I don’t know if this is a faux pas or something, but the album I’m releasing is not at all what I’ll be doing live. The album I’m releasing is called El Mno. I finished it over a year ago so I’m not even really interested in that stuff anymore. I’m going to do what I do now. I hope people will still buy the tapes even though they won’t know wtf is on it.

In El Mno do you pre-record all the instruments since your focusing more on lyrics and words or are you up there doing all the mixing live?
It’s going to pretty much be all ready to go, but Cameron from Radiation City and Spesus Christ (also on the Apes tapes label) he’ll be backing me up for the show—work the sound stuff and, you know, help me on powerful lines so we can double up and whatnot. I’m also going to have dancers. Yeah, I’m going to have three girls dancing, I’m going to do the choreography as well. Well, I want them to move like zombie birds, they’re going to be in black wings but there is also going to be this spiritual entity that I interact with while I’m performing. I’m definitely into performances that are performance art and not just like we’re in our room listening.

Rontoms is going to be challenging because they have a fixed crowd that’s always there and they’re more interested in drinking and hanging out. I’ve been to quite a few shows there, and the people are always just talking. My plan is to engage all of them and get everyone involved in the performance—and if they don’t even pay attention, then I’m probably just going to be a huge dick. Rontoms has good sound, and It’s free, although I was hoping to find a place that was free and all ages. I’m super happy to be playing there, I’m just going to try to get everyone involved. I don’t, you know, want ruin their good time. I want them to have a good time with me. It’s hip hop music. it will be fun, there will be dancers, it will be bumping—going to be more interesting than their conversations, hopefully.

Do you try to promote yourself or network? Do you send tapes out to the clubs?
No. I haven’t really done that because I’m a little particular about my stuff. As soon as I finish an album I usually think It’s shit and I want to do the next thing. My plan is to start promoting myself. I’m really into the El Mno stuff right now. I mean, I do want to be a successful artist, hopefully I can stay stoked on it long enough to do that.

OK this question can pertain to one of your projects or yourself, if you could describe your self/project in one or two words what would they be?
[Long sigh] Well shit, how would I describe myself? Well, when I played at Mudai the other night people were saying “Whoa you’re a dark dude man.” I might have said something like sucking a dead dog’s dick or something. I really let go that night. Mudai has great shows there.

If I could describe myself in one word it would be musical. It’s what I do. I don’t know what else about me is consistent besides that I love to make music. I love music, I feel like I’m a different person all the time and I probably have bad things to say about myself.

What are some compliments you’ve received?
About my music? Well, people say they like it but you know, you can only take that with a grain of salt as an artist because, I don’t know, if people like you they’ll tell you because it’s true. But, if they don’t like you, they’re probably still going to say they like you. If someone says I’m good I’ll feel good for a minute, but don’t use that as criteria for how I judge my music. If my friends were to describe me as a person, they’d say that I’m unstable.

You’re obviously creatively inclined, what other creative endeavors do you explore?
Visual art, decoupage, multimedia stuff.

***

Leviticus Appleton will be performing this Sunday at Rontoms for free, check out more about him and his multiple projects over on his website: http://leviticusappleton.bandcamp.com/.

Topics: Events, Interviews, Music News, PORTLAND | No Comments »

The Book Of Hours - Vinyl Pre-order

By Annie | April 29, 2011

After many months of anticipation, Northern California’s Not To Reason Why are gearing up for the release of their 3 track EP, The Book Of Hours, available for pre-order beginning May 17th. Released on Side With Us Records, NTRW’s latest features a succinct 3o minutes worth of sound that will engulf you in epic, instrumentally focused delight. While the increased vocal presence on their latest marks a notable departure from their earlier sound, Not To Reason Why continue to treat their vocal harmonies as an additional tool, with no one instrument sustaining the focal point of any given song. Sample their new track “Good Morning” below and pick up their new album in hand, on June 18th.

Topics: BAY AREA, Music News, Things We Love | No Comments »

The Return of Nostalgia Fest - 2011

By Annie | April 16, 2011

Yeah, I know. The ’90s were a great time for music in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County. Great places to play were as plentiful as the bands and fans that were packing them in. And now here we are, almost twenty years later (shudder) and those who were involved in the scene are left reminiscing about the good ol’ days, while those of us that were just a little too young for the scene’s heyday are left cursing ourselves for not being a little more wise to local music back in middle school. I for one, stand by the fact that the latter still witnessed the tail end of that scene with bands like Benton Falls and The Velvet Teen pulling in great touring lineups at Jessie Jeans and The Phoenix on a regular basis in the early 2000’s.

And while bands in the area still continue to churn out new albums and work like crazy to enhance the long struggling music scene in Santa Rosa—a scene recently improved with the likes of the Arlene Francis Center and Aubergine Vintage—there is always the good ol’ Nostalgia Fest that has become a returning celebration of what once was since it’s inception back in 2008.

Lead by Section M mastermind Michael Houghton, Nostalgia Fest 2011 is set to return in December of this year and will feature a sampling of six to seven bands that all played and broke up before 2002. “The rule is that it has to be bands who at least played in Sonoma County regularly back in their day,” stated Houghton in a recent email interview. “[There’s] no specific era theme this time. It’ll be a hodge-podge of different times.”

Although no confirmed bands have since been announced, a recent facebook poll on Nostalgia Fest’s page has garnered so many responses that it maxed out the band count and a second page had to be created. Among some of the top bands currently on the two polls are Mr. Bungle, Nuisance, The Conspiracy, Desciples of Ed, and Edaline. But Michael also warns, “Don’t expect to see a band play the show just because they were voted high on the poll. We still have to convince the ex-members. Funny thing, though—there are at least two bands I’m talking to now who voted for themselves in the poll. That’s how they told me they wanted to play! And that was a big surprise to me for one of the guys. Things are shaping up already—and that poll really helped get the word out. I hope more people keep filling it out.”

Don’t be too disappointed if you don’t see your favorite old school band on this year’s lineup. “We plan to start laying groundwork for future years now too. For instance, we’re telling all the bands that we’re asking that it might be this year that we book them, and it might be another year,” explains Michael. “We don’t want to blow all our great big giant draws on one bill, and we actually want to have a good spread between different eras to maximize draw from each era. It’ll be a delicate balance, so we want to be able to make that choice and possibly bump some bands to 2012 or 2013…which would then make booking those future years way easier.”

Although the name of Nostalgia Fest really gets at the root of what has made this festival so popular, the reunions are also a signifier of the future the music scene of Sonoma County holds. “The most important thing that’s come out of the past NFests—even more important than the music—is this amazing sense of community. For a lot of us, the friends we’ve made through the music scene were and still are a second family. I’ve seen a lot of old friends come back together and renew friendships through these shows. I’ve seen a lot of folks reinvigorated in making their art. I’ve even seen The Invalids reform and now put out an incredible album. I’m really proud of that.”

“For people who never got to see these bands in their day, it’s a chance to finally get to. And to see that the music scene of today is standing on the shoulders of all the generations of scenes that came before. It really makes you feel like it’s all part of something much larger—this thriving, ever-changing community. And I think it becomes much stronger by melding together all those generations and getting more cross-pollination. So while NFest may be technically looking back, I think it’s also helping subtly to encourage the foundation for the future to get even stronger. ”

Stay tuned for more updates on Nostalgia Fest 2011 as they come in, and make sure to follow along and get your last minute votes in over at the official facebook page right here.

Topics: BAY AREA, Events, Music News, Santa Rosa | No Comments »

PETA once again fails to recognize its own obvious hypocracy

By nick g | April 15, 2011

I wonder if PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) realizes the girls in this video are excited about eating meat themselves? And the guy who replaces the impotent actor is the stereotypical definition of a male vegan, malnourished and scrawny, while also failing to care about his physical appearance. I would have loved to see this ad during the Super Bowl, it would have both a waste of money for PETA and better than the rest of the commercials and the game itself.

That being said, I think the way factory farms treat their animals is horrible, wrong, unnecessary and makes the meat taste bad. I was a butcher and we only used meat from humanely-raised sources. But PETA is just being stupid and desperate with its latest campaign based on nude women and using sex as a motivator for vegetarianism.

But on the other hand, it is so, so sexy. Remember that Seinfeld where George has sex in the kitchen while eating a sandwich? Peta should settle with something like this, but point out that it’s a delicious tofu sandwich, or something.

BTW, you really should go to that Nostalgia Fest detailed in the previous post. They have all been wonderful events with great music.

Topics: Rants | No Comments »

Stumptown Cartoonist Show Thursday

By TG | April 4, 2011

As some of you may have noticed, we here at Tonegazer love Santa Rosa via Portland crossover events, which is why we are particularly excited about the Stumptown Cartoonist Show going down this Thursday night at The Pony Club. Longtime Santa Rosa artist Trevor Alixopulos (he did the flyer art below too!) will be showing work in addition to a long list of illustrators from both Portland and beyond.  The opening party begins at 6pm this Thursday along with the always fun Stumptown Afterparty later this month on the 17th.

click to enlarge!

Topics: Events, PORTLAND | No Comments »

Hosannas, Hello Electric and Vanaprasta for The Rumble PDX

By TG | April 4, 2011

The free monthly music series The Rumble continues, this time with the popular indie rock turned electro pop outfit Hosannas. Back from tour and celebrating the release of their new EP of reworked old songs, Thug Life Nichole, Brandon and Richard Laws continue to refine their sound as a minimalist, electronic based duo.

Topics: Music News | No Comments »