Interviews with Bay Area up-and-coming bands
On Baghdad by the Bay, January 12 : Interview with Marginal Prophets, Prize, Hot Fog and Party Owl
January 12, 2012 8:00pm
Marginal Prophets
marginalprophets.com
The Marginal Prophets are a 5-piece Hip-Hop/Garage band from San Francisco that cleverly combine odd samples, funk/rock riffs, and decidedly non-traditional b-boy lyrics into a smart-alecky punk/rap mix that appeals to anyone who came of age back in the day when college radio actually mattered.
The group, comprised of vocalists Keith Knight (the Black one) and the Noble Def G (the Jewish one), bass player Adam Lodge, drummer Adam Lipsky, and guitarist Jeff Ranney, has taken their show up and down the West Coast, garnering opening slots for Spearhead, Black Eyed Peas, Fishbone, G Love & Special Sauce, Insolence, and De La Soul.
Prize
facebook.com/prizemusic
Sophia Santulli is electro-rock frontwoman and composer Prize. Shortly after earning her Master of Music at San Francisco Conservatory, she released The Split EP under this simple, irreverent moniker. Prize composes lush electro and string arrangements and in the next breath evokes the mosh pits of her youth with raucous guitars and drums. Whether traversing ethereal heights or unleashing an earthly growl, her raw, operatic voice is technically sparkling and her “emotional urgency makes for a thrilling live show” (Jon Bennett, MVRemix). Prize arranges her brand of electro-orchestral folkpunk for violin, cello, synth, drums, and guitar, and her live shows are theatrical and moody, replete with custom made black-and-white costumes and special effects.
Hot Fog
hotfog.net
Hot Fog is a San Francisco Hard Rock and Heavy Metal band born from the ashes of a slew of SF bands spanning the 90′s through the 00′s including Oranger, Film School, Hammerdown Turpentine, Pinq, Carlos!, and Preston School of Industry. This rag-tag group band of SF-rock veterans decided to get back to their roots — all they way back to their days of prepubescent bedroom rocking. They bring forth a thundering sound akin to a convergence of the “NWoBHM” sound of Iron Maiden and Priest with the speed and attitude of proto-thrash of the early 80′s a la early Metallica. Nodding to the past while rocking into the future, they deliver monster riffs, ripping leads, soaring vocals, and utterly ridiculous song titles. They bring it un-ironically and with a focus on quality song-writing and metal-rific lyrics that would make any 13 year old D&D dork beam with delight. Their live shows are sweat-soaked full-on, frontal assaults, complete with fog machines, lasers, back to back harmony guitar solos, and fans thrusting devil horns in the air as participants. They eschew the current trend of beards, tattoos, and Kyuss-tinged sludge-metal, and instead, they walk that razors edge of sincerity and fun like not many bands can.
Party Owl
partyowl.bandcamp.com
Party Owl likes to party. The San Francisco band’s live shows make drunk old ladies and hip kids alike loose their minds with their short compact songs of fuzzed out poppiness. You can hear the influence of early 90′s indie rock and 50′s rock-n-roll here imediately. Bassist Alexi Belchere holds down the minimalist rhythm, only two notes sometimes, while drummer Melissa Funk creates a Cramps-like backbeat that is infectiously danceable and surprisingly heavy. Singer/guitarist Kris Zouzoulas uses the space between these two to craft lyrics and melody lines that are at the same time sarcastic and genuine. Party Owl are currently recording new tracks for their debut L.P. which will be out in early 2012.
marginalprophets.com
The Marginal Prophets are a 5-piece Hip-Hop/Garage band from San Francisco that cleverly combine odd samples, funk/rock riffs, and decidedly non-traditional b-boy lyrics into a smart-alecky punk/rap mix that appeals to anyone who came of age back in the day when college radio actually mattered.
The group, comprised of vocalists Keith Knight (the Black one) and the Noble Def G (the Jewish one), bass player Adam Lodge, drummer Adam Lipsky, and guitarist Jeff Ranney, has taken their show up and down the West Coast, garnering opening slots for Spearhead, Black Eyed Peas, Fishbone, G Love & Special Sauce, Insolence, and De La Soul.
Prize
facebook.com/prizemusic
Sophia Santulli is electro-rock frontwoman and composer Prize. Shortly after earning her Master of Music at San Francisco Conservatory, she released The Split EP under this simple, irreverent moniker. Prize composes lush electro and string arrangements and in the next breath evokes the mosh pits of her youth with raucous guitars and drums. Whether traversing ethereal heights or unleashing an earthly growl, her raw, operatic voice is technically sparkling and her “emotional urgency makes for a thrilling live show” (Jon Bennett, MVRemix). Prize arranges her brand of electro-orchestral folkpunk for violin, cello, synth, drums, and guitar, and her live shows are theatrical and moody, replete with custom made black-and-white costumes and special effects.
Hot Fog
hotfog.net
Hot Fog is a San Francisco Hard Rock and Heavy Metal band born from the ashes of a slew of SF bands spanning the 90′s through the 00′s including Oranger, Film School, Hammerdown Turpentine, Pinq, Carlos!, and Preston School of Industry. This rag-tag group band of SF-rock veterans decided to get back to their roots — all they way back to their days of prepubescent bedroom rocking. They bring forth a thundering sound akin to a convergence of the “NWoBHM” sound of Iron Maiden and Priest with the speed and attitude of proto-thrash of the early 80′s a la early Metallica. Nodding to the past while rocking into the future, they deliver monster riffs, ripping leads, soaring vocals, and utterly ridiculous song titles. They bring it un-ironically and with a focus on quality song-writing and metal-rific lyrics that would make any 13 year old D&D dork beam with delight. Their live shows are sweat-soaked full-on, frontal assaults, complete with fog machines, lasers, back to back harmony guitar solos, and fans thrusting devil horns in the air as participants. They eschew the current trend of beards, tattoos, and Kyuss-tinged sludge-metal, and instead, they walk that razors edge of sincerity and fun like not many bands can.
Party Owl
partyowl.bandcamp.com
Party Owl likes to party. The San Francisco band’s live shows make drunk old ladies and hip kids alike loose their minds with their short compact songs of fuzzed out poppiness. You can hear the influence of early 90′s indie rock and 50′s rock-n-roll here imediately. Bassist Alexi Belchere holds down the minimalist rhythm, only two notes sometimes, while drummer Melissa Funk creates a Cramps-like backbeat that is infectiously danceable and surprisingly heavy. Singer/guitarist Kris Zouzoulas uses the space between these two to craft lyrics and melody lines that are at the same time sarcastic and genuine. Party Owl are currently recording new tracks for their debut L.P. which will be out in early 2012.
