I'm getting too old for mosh pits
After 3 days, 1 gallery opening, 3 concerts, 2 DJ sets, and 3 house parties, I think I'm done with the partying-like-a-rockstar scene for a while. And also, I don't care how much you love a band, but yelling their name, at the top of your lungs, for 10 minutes straight, is NOT going to get them to run onto the stage any earlier or faster. So shut the hell up!
On a less cranky note, most of the weekend was great.
Friday: Kearny Street Workshop opening -> Indie Slash @ the Attic -> The Holy Fuck @ Bottom of the Hill -> Indie Slash (again) -> Challenger DJs house party -> party at Shanan's
I am completely in love with the Holy Fuck. They are from Canada. They use typical rock-band instruments plus found gadgets (like a magnetic tape reader and a child's keyboard) to make songs that sound like electronic laptop fiddlings. Every one of their performances is partially improvised. It's loud and crazy. It reminds me a little of Battles, but more melodic. As an added bonus, all the guys in the band are super cute. Unfortunately, I got clocked in the head by some bitchy photographer and her ginormous camera, and then got slammed a bunch of times by some overzealous moshers. Overall, though, a great show.
Saturday: Maxfield's -> Noisepop Educational Sessions @ 12 Galaxies -> Music industry happy hour @ Doc's Clock -> Pupusa party @ my house -> Square One party @ Janak's in Berkeley -> pit stop @ my house -> MSTRKRFT @ Mighty
It was a night of firsts: the first time I'd eaten a pupusa, the first time Bret had bribed a door guy, the first time I realized the utter dearth of liquor stores in downtown Berkeley, the first time I almost passed out at a club. Also, I'd forgotten how hilarious "Square One" (yeah, the educational kids show) was. Our math PhD friend Janak hosted a party featuring old VHS dubs of the TV show and shots of Square One vodka, this new organic rye-based vodka. Beforehand, Sarah, Bret, and I went on the hunt for Sparks, and wound up biking to Andronico's, the fancy-pants supermarket, because apparently Berkeley doesn't believe in shady-ass liquor stores. For the record, Andronico's only sells sugar-free Sparks, which is totally unacceptable.
We got back to SF and over to Mighty at about 1:30am, and the festival coordinator guy told me the venue was at capacity, and they weren't letting anyone (even press list people like me) into the club. Which was total bullshit, because I charmed the door guy into looking the other way while we walked in, and then Bret handed the door guy some cash. Inside was totally overheated and packed (hence my near-blackout), but we got there in perfect time to catch most of MSTRKRFT's completely amazing set, which included an awesome remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E."
Sunday: Dolores Park hanging out -> Tilly and the Wall @ Rickshaw Stop
It was nice to spend the entire afternoon in the park, hanging out with moped kids and other friends from Campus. Heather showed up with her beautiful new bike (a Bianchi Pista), and I fell in love with it instantly. Her friend has another Pista in my size, but it's a fixie - I'm contemplating life as a single-speed cyclist. Or I might buy her old K2, which has both gears and brakes.
Tilly and the Wall were great, despite the drum monitor blowing out during their first song. They played a few new songs, which sound a little poppier/80's dance party than their earlier stuff, but I still haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. They brought along both a drum kit *and* a drum machine to embellish Jamie's tao-dance percussion. Josh and I managed to muscle our way to the front of the stage during the encore, and handed Nick (the keyboardist) a pack of Creature stickers. Represent!
Now I'm at home and trying to write about some of the most godawful noise bands I've heard in a long while. Ugh.
On a less cranky note, most of the weekend was great.
Friday: Kearny Street Workshop opening -> Indie Slash @ the Attic -> The Holy Fuck @ Bottom of the Hill -> Indie Slash (again) -> Challenger DJs house party -> party at Shanan's
I am completely in love with the Holy Fuck. They are from Canada. They use typical rock-band instruments plus found gadgets (like a magnetic tape reader and a child's keyboard) to make songs that sound like electronic laptop fiddlings. Every one of their performances is partially improvised. It's loud and crazy. It reminds me a little of Battles, but more melodic. As an added bonus, all the guys in the band are super cute. Unfortunately, I got clocked in the head by some bitchy photographer and her ginormous camera, and then got slammed a bunch of times by some overzealous moshers. Overall, though, a great show.
Saturday: Maxfield's -> Noisepop Educational Sessions @ 12 Galaxies -> Music industry happy hour @ Doc's Clock -> Pupusa party @ my house -> Square One party @ Janak's in Berkeley -> pit stop @ my house -> MSTRKRFT @ Mighty
It was a night of firsts: the first time I'd eaten a pupusa, the first time Bret had bribed a door guy, the first time I realized the utter dearth of liquor stores in downtown Berkeley, the first time I almost passed out at a club. Also, I'd forgotten how hilarious "Square One" (yeah, the educational kids show) was. Our math PhD friend Janak hosted a party featuring old VHS dubs of the TV show and shots of Square One vodka, this new organic rye-based vodka. Beforehand, Sarah, Bret, and I went on the hunt for Sparks, and wound up biking to Andronico's, the fancy-pants supermarket, because apparently Berkeley doesn't believe in shady-ass liquor stores. For the record, Andronico's only sells sugar-free Sparks, which is totally unacceptable.
We got back to SF and over to Mighty at about 1:30am, and the festival coordinator guy told me the venue was at capacity, and they weren't letting anyone (even press list people like me) into the club. Which was total bullshit, because I charmed the door guy into looking the other way while we walked in, and then Bret handed the door guy some cash. Inside was totally overheated and packed (hence my near-blackout), but we got there in perfect time to catch most of MSTRKRFT's completely amazing set, which included an awesome remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E."
Sunday: Dolores Park hanging out -> Tilly and the Wall @ Rickshaw Stop
It was nice to spend the entire afternoon in the park, hanging out with moped kids and other friends from Campus. Heather showed up with her beautiful new bike (a Bianchi Pista), and I fell in love with it instantly. Her friend has another Pista in my size, but it's a fixie - I'm contemplating life as a single-speed cyclist. Or I might buy her old K2, which has both gears and brakes.
Tilly and the Wall were great, despite the drum monitor blowing out during their first song. They played a few new songs, which sound a little poppier/80's dance party than their earlier stuff, but I still haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. They brought along both a drum kit *and* a drum machine to embellish Jamie's tao-dance percussion. Josh and I managed to muscle our way to the front of the stage during the encore, and handed Nick (the keyboardist) a pack of Creature stickers. Represent!
Now I'm at home and trying to write about some of the most godawful noise bands I've heard in a long while. Ugh.