Ian Port

The 10 Best San Francisco Indie Rock Records of 2012

Well, it was another solid year for loud guitar music from the Bay Area. And out of the dozens of worthy releases this year, we've culled these 10 picks for the best rock albums from San Francisco in 2012. Here they are, in no particular order: Two Gallants The Bloom and the Blight [ATO] After a br ... More >>

The Six Best Concerts in the Bay Area This Week

6. A Place to Bury Strangers @ the Independent, Wednesday, Nov. 7 In a city overflowing with notable musicians, earning the informal title of "Loudest Band in New York" is no small potatoes. But that's what Brooklyn outfit A Place to Bury Strangers is often called, and it's an honorific the trio has ... More >>

The Top 21 Bay Area Metal Albums of All Time, #10-1

Our countdown of the best Bay Area metal albums continues today with this installment: the 10 best ever. And guess which band comes up a lot on this one? See also * The Top 21 Bay Area Metal Albums of All Time, #21-11 * The Top 20 Greatest San Francisco Musicians * The Top 15 Most Cocaine-Influence ... More >>

Beck Announces Surprise Show at Bimbo's This Thursday

Behold the riches of Outside Lands: If the existing spate of night shows weren't enough, maybe this will be: Beck -- yes, that Beck, of "Loser" and Sea Change and Modern Guilt -- is playing a surprise show at Bimbo's 365 Club this Thursday night! And it's just him -- no opener. But you better move ... More >>

The Top 10 Most Disappointing Albums of 2012 (So Far)

It's a little past the halfway point of 2012, but mid-July still seems like a good time to round up the albums that came out this year and simply failed to meet our expectations. Some of those expectations were admittedly (and deservedly) sky-high -- leading to decent records that still felt like a ... More >>

Top Five Ways (Almost) Every Music Fan Is a Hypocrite

Hypocrisy is as essential a part of the human condition as shit and TV reruns. Our capacity for saying one thing and doing another is stupendous: Find a full, unredacted record, and we bet you'd find examples of self-contradiction even in the otherwise pristinely principled life of Ghandi. Even Moth ... More >>

Treasure Island 2012 Lineup: The XX, Girl Talk, M83, Best Coast, Gossip, Public Enemy, and More

Whoa! The lineup for the 2012 Treasure Island Music Festival was just announced! Performers include The XX, Girl Talk, M83, Best Coast, The Presets, Gossip, Grimes, Ty Segall, Matthew Dear, Youth Lagoon, Public Enemy, Toro Y Moi, and more. The festival takes place this October 13 and 14. Check out t ... More >>

When Main Attrakionz and Dominant Legs Get Remixed Together, Good Things Happen

Dominant Legs: Sweetly chiming San Francisco indie-pop. Main Attrakionz: Stony Oakland "cloud rap." In the balkanized, pre-millenial music world, never would these twain have met. But 2012, smooth indie and hazy hip-hop is a cross-bay fantasy just waiting to be realized. Courtesy of DJ Ammbush, it h ... More >>

Watch: Hussyclub's 'Straight Girl' Is a 3-D Queer Mindfuck

A guarantee: This will be the most San Francisco music video you watch all day. Put out by a local queer electronic pop group called Hussyclub, "Straight Girl" is a fierce come-on purred by singer Glitterus over an array of synthy '80s beats from producer Critical Akklaim. Targeted at (guess who?) ... More >>

This Lady Will Give You $200 And/Or an Hour of Sex for Tickets to See The Weeknd (NSFW)

So mysterious R&B outfit the Weeknd announced its first S.F. show ever yesterday. Tickets for the May 8 set at the Fillmore went onsale at 10 a.m. this morning, and sold out in less than 10 minutes, according to eager seekers on Twitter. When shows sell out that fast, weird things start to happen. ... More >>

Here Are the Hot Snakes Performing Live in San Francisco on Friday

The reunion tour of beloved San Diego punk band Hot Snakes arrived at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill on Friday, and if you were there, you were, well, lucky. Like a lot of local shows this time of year, the night sold out super quickly. Thanks to YouTube, we can relive some of what the fortunat ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Take a Fuzzed-Out 'Tumble Down' With S.F.'s Terry Malts

Terry Malts is among the local rock bands whose full-length debuts we're most excited about in 2012, and the album's first single, "Tumble Down" oughta show why: With sizzling guitars playing atop a molten bassline and Phil Benson's distantly crackling vocals, the song is textbook indie rock turned ... More >>

Absorb More Best of 2011 Picks (Including Ours) in Noise Pop's New Podcast

Most people write out a year-end list; wisely, Noise Pop makes a podcast out of the project. The crew at S.F.'s best-known indie concert promotion outfit polled a host of artists, bloggers, DJs, and music writers about their favorite songs of 2011. The result is a recording that includes a wide vari ... More >>

Foxtails Brigade Beautifully Expresses Being 'Not Really in the Christmas Mood'

​ Does Christmas make you feel like sighing? Us too. So we're sort of enamored with the holiday melancholy of "I'm Not Really in the Christmas Mood This Year," a beautiful new video and song from the Bay Area's Foxtails Brigade. The song itself -- plaintive and precious and old-timey as it is ... More >>

Funny Photo: The Best Two-Sentence Review of Metallica and Lou Reed's Lulu Ever

Happy Place​ Okay, so we don't think Metallica and Lou Reed's Lulu is as bad as many people do. But the San Rafael-recorded album has still inspired some fantastic shit-talking. The above review, which comes to us via Happy Place, is about as short, curt, and funny a description of the nearly ... More >>

Tonight's Morrissey Show at the Fox Theater Has Been Canceled

See also: Top 10 Morrissey Song Titles That Describe Your Anguish About His Canceled Show Update 2: Folks at Another Planet Entertainment, the show's promoter, say they're working quickly to get a new date for the Morrissey performance. The date will be posted on the APE website when it's confirmed ... More >>

Wine Clubs Are the Coffin Nails of Rock 'n' Roll

Remember the good old days, when wine clubs were exclusively the pastime of pretentious assholes/your parents? Those days are over: Rolling Stone magazine just announced its own scheme to sell bottles of fermented grape juice to baby boomers with nothing better to blow their pension checks on. So w ... More >>

Watch Kapowski's 'Section 8' Video: Old Age, Robot Rebellion, and Some Strange Iced Tea

Kapowski is a newish four-piece indie pop band from Oakland that has no guitars and may (or may not) be named after a certain cheerleader from Saved By The Bell. But regardless of its high school sitcom loyalties, the band's new video for "Section 8" is a winner: In the Perez Brothers-directed clip ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Bouncer Steps into the Twilight Zone at the Saloon, SF's Oldest Bar

​From this week's Bouncer column: I have a few personal earworms that periodically run through my head. Every time I turn on the furnace at home, for example, I sing Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On." When I go to the Pet Club to buy guinea pig kibble, I hum "In Da Club." I have invented my own s ... More >>

In Print: Wild Flag Is More Than a 'Supergroup'

Wild Flag​Wild Flag: The concept of a "supergroup"-- wherein performers with cool and/or exciting pedigrees find themselves in something resembling a "band" -- dies hard. Imagine your favorite musicians playing together! Frequently, expectations exceed results -- a collection of individuals do ... More >>

Photo: GWAR Is Not The Answer

​ No, no. This is all wrong.

The Term "Cassette Tape" Is No Longer in the Oxford English Dictionary

What are these called again?​Alright, for those of you who didn't take the hint when the automakers dropped all cassette players from every car sold in this country, here's the final nail in the dead-tape coffin: "cassette tape" is no longer included in the latest edition of the Oxford English ... More >>

A Quick and Easy Guide to Talking (or Not Talking) at Concerts

​After having Jens Lekman's subtly gorgeous show at California Academy of Sciences nearly ruined last night by loudly chattering drunks, we think it's perhaps time to lay down some reasonable guidelines for talking during shows. No pop music show, no matter how quiet, is like the symphony, whe ... More >>

Holy Wow: Wallpaper Isssues a Throbbing, Sexed-Up Cover of Adele's "Rumour Has It" (With Guest Verse By Danny Brown)

"God bless you and your American thighs," he sings.​ Considering it's track two of the Blockbuster Album of 2011 -- and the latest single -- you must know the song: Adele's "Rumour Has It" [delightful British spelling sic]: A stabbing post-breakup romp with the R&B diva's soaring voice front-a ... More >>

We Hereby Cast a Vote for This Misfits-Inspired Image as SFMOMA's New Logo

Whatever you have to do, whoever you are, whether you like modern art or not, get behind this Misfits-inspired image as the new logo for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and be a force for radness in the world: ​

Adorable of the Day: Video Proof that Kittens Make Amazing DJs

​ Felines have good ears, so perhaps it's no surprise that they make good (and freaking cute) DJs. Watch these three kitties play on the wheels of steel in this adorable video, and ponder the newly important dual meanings of the word "scratch". Or just go "awwwww."

KUSF's Rock 'n' Swap Is This Sunday

​Still miss KUSF? We do, too. Luckily, not having a proper radio frequency (or station) isn't keeping the exiled crew from putting on one of its best events: The several-times-yearly rock 'n' swaps, where music and memorabilia collectors assemble en masse to sell and trade and chat and general ... More >>

City Limits Records Offers Local Sounds Live and on Record Tonight

​ Local music bloggers Peter Arko (Ears of the Beholder) and Robert Khoury (See The Leaves) had an idea: Put out a series of compilations of the best bands from various cities. Naturally, they started with home -- San Francisco -- for the first release on City Limits Records. The comp, which y ... More >>

Times New Viking Struggles to Follow King Tuff at the Rickshaw Stop

Ian S. PortKing Tuff at the Rickshaw Stop last night.​ Times New Viking King Tuff Spencey Dude and the Doodles @ the Rickshaw Stop June 14, 2011 Better than: A doubleheader of Williamson-era Stooges, and then a 14-inning ball game. It seemed that most of the crowd at the Rickshaw Stop last n ... More >>

Rumor Confirmed: Kreayshawn, Polarizing Oakland MC, Signs with Columbia Records

The Bay Area's newest major-label rapper.​ When your video gets two million views in two weeks, something big is bound to happen, and for Oakland MC Kreayshawn, it just did. Today, her publicized announced that the polarizing rapper and White Girl Mob leader a signed deal with Columbia Record ... More >>

TV on the Radio Recasts Songs, Energizes Crowd at the Independent

Ian S. PortTV on the Radio at the Independent last night.​TV on the Radio IO ECHOTuesday, May 10, 2011@ The IndependentBetter than: Must See TV What's great about a TV on the Radio show? Well, there's the fact, for better and occasionally for worse (mostly when the sound personnel aren't up to th ... More >>

Bay Area Freshman 10 Rappers List Includes Riche Cunning, Rafael Casal, Young Gully

​It's out! After weeks of anticipation, shouting on Twitter, more anticipation, argument, make-ups, breakdowns, tweets about tweets about tweets, and more anticipation, DJ Amen, Thizzler, and KMEL 106.1 FM finally dropped their Freshman 10 list of the hottest up-and-coming Bay Area rappers. G ... More >>

Mountain Winery 2011: Huey Lewis! Grace Potter! Neko Case! Yacht Rock!

The Mountain Winery​Sorry for all the exclamations, but there's a lot of shows here we're going to make our parents take us to. The Mountain Winery recently announced its schedule for 2011, and there are some most notable artists coming. Among them, a five-day period this September in which b ... More >>

Reminder: Crazy Punks OFF! Rouse the Eagle Tavern Tonight

This -- but in a leather bar.​In under two years, OFF! -- the cantankerous L.A. punk group that features members of the Circle Jerks, Black Flag, and Rocket From the Crypt -- has gone from newbie status to national phenomenon, reminding a generation of happy-go-lucky sellouts what punk ideals real ... More >>

E40 on How to Attain Rap Success: "Fuck 'Em"

​Behold the Vallejo-grown genius of E40, whom you may encounter at a barbecue in Walnut Creek (seriously) this Saturday: "Fuck 'em," he thumps here, apparently sharing a key to his success. Fuck who? You'll have to listen to find out, but it's worth noting that the lyrical athlete known as Earl Fo ... More >>

S.F. Supervisors Fire Off Letter Aiming to Save the Eagle Tavern

The Eagle Tavern: It's only John Dwyer's favorite place to play.​We saw this coming! Today, three San Francisco Supervisors -- Scott Wiener, Jane Kim, and David Campos -- began an official effort to defend the beloved gay bar/live music venue Eagle Tavern against a landlord who plans to shut it do ... More >>

Coming Soon: "Record Store in Space," Chapter 2: The Continuing Saga of Miserable, Hilarious S.F. Music Shop Employees

​Long ago in the year 2010, on a faraway place known as this blog, we told you about "Record Store in Space (A True Story)" -- the amateur video comedy project of a few rather hilarious S.F. record store employees. The first installment of the series (whose draft script was first written, of cours ... More >>

S.F. Popfest 2011: Starring the Undertones, 14 Iced Bears, Allo Darlin', More

​Is there a better time for indie-pop than late spring? Clearly not. Sunshine and lovebirds are why S.F. Popfest goes down around Memorial Day; for 2011, the festival is expanding to five days of three-chord whimsy from 25 bands. It's a solid-as-hell lineup, too: the big stunner for us are Ir ... More >>

Wallpaper's Sleazily Funny '#STUPiDFACEDD' Video Premieres on MTV

​What kind of video befits a song like Wallpaper's "#STUPiDFACEDD" -- a brash, stupid party anthem to mock all brash, stupid party anthems? A silly party video, of course: ladies dancing, drinks spilling, lips meeting, and bass booming. That's exactly what kind of video the Oakland singer/producer ... More >>

My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, Ween To Headline High Sierra Music Festival

Last weekend we were all talking about snow, but right now, let's talk about summer. Specifically, that oh-so-summery High Sierra Music Festival, which today announced My Morning Jacket, Neko Case, and Ween as its headliners. This year's festival kicks off June 30 to July 3 at the fairgrounds in Qu ... More >>

Watch: The Limousines' Amazing (Unofficial) Video Gets Made as You Watch It

Bet you can't Photoshop this fast.​So this is cool: The latest (unofficial) video from about the soon-to-blow-up Bay Area electo-pop duo the Limousines shows you how it was made while it plays. Or it gets made while you watch. Or something. Its billed as a "behind-the-scenes" sort of thing, b ... More >>

After 20 Years, the Vinyl Still Spins -- And Sells -- at Groove Merchant Records

Ian S. PortGroove Merchant owner Chris Veltri with a rare record.​Chris Veltri stands behind the cluttered wood counter at Groove Merchant record store. Dressed in a navy peacoat and Levis, with sandy blond bangs draped over his blue eyes, he watches three customers browse his small Lower Haight s ... More >>

San Francisco Opera Casting Call for 'Big and Strong' Men for Mystery Show

Looks like opera material to us...​Earlier today, my colleague Ian Port spotted a decidedly not-Figaro opera casting call seeking musclebound galoots with expertise in "push-ups, pull-ups, body strength, endurance, hand-over-hand, staged combat and full body control."Placido Domingo need not apply ... More >>

It Takes a Village To Plan a Crazy Velvet Underground Cover Show

​Think you know the players of the Bay Area music scene? Well, you can test your chops next Tuesday at Coda Jazz Music Supper Club, when a positively ridiculous number of them join forces to pay tribute to the 1967 classic The Velvet Underground and Nico. In album order, each song will be gang-int ... More >>

Monday Morning Hangover: Easter Edition

We're sure you missed out on most of these events, since you were in church all weekend praying and stuff, so it's a good thing we kept a detailed record for you.Gretchen Robinette​Neither rain nor sleet nor fear of God's wrath could stop the annual Hunky Jesus Contest from happening, so when the ... More >>

Our SXSW Party: Superchunk, the xx, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Surfer Blood

Ian S. PortThe xx at the Independent in November​If  you're heading down to Austin for the big SXSW music blowout in March, mark this party on your calendar. SF Weekly, together with our parent company Village Voice and our sister publications, will be hosting a show with Superchunk, the xx, ... More >>