Sonic Love Affair (SLA)
The Sonic Love Affair, or SLA to its friends, ignited shortly after Y2K. Upon learning that electricity still existed, the boys plugged their SGs into their Twins and unleashed an unrelenting torrent of gnarly rock and roll music. They recorded for San Francisco’s esteemed Dollar Record Records, putting out a double 7″ and an LP. Total hysteria followed shortly thereafter. Hailing from Sack o’ Tomatoes, CA, but existing off nachos in San Francisco, the SLA have returned from a 4-year hiatus to deafen the masses. Proudly wearing it’s influences on it’s fuzzy sleave [sic], the SLA bows down before the alters of the MC5, DMZ, Q65, KAK, UFO, and the almighty Pretty Things! Our first show back is Saturday October 22, 2011 at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. As part of the final Budget Rock extravaganza, the SLA will open the show for Boston’s righteous Lyres, SF’s rock and roll godfathers Roy Loney and the Phantom Movers, Atlanta’s sexiest Subsonics, and all the way from Hayward…the Dukes of Hamburg!!! Tune in, Turn up, and let out a Treble Yell!!


Birds & Batteries
birdsandbatteries.com
Birds & Batteries are on a steady rise with consistently sold out shows in San Francisco, several TV placements and a new album in the works. This fall they’ll be touring in support of the estimable two-piece, Peter Wolf Crier (Jagjaguwar). Birds & Batteries’ latest album is called “Stray Light” and its currently in the works at Tiny Telephone Studios (John Vanderslice) with the help of engineer, Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof). The album is a funky and classic-sounding collection of Sempert’s most inspired songs yet.


The Blank Stares
theblankstares.net
The Blank Stares formed in 1999 in NYC. They have been recording, performing and causing mild ruckuses ever since. Holding a set of recordings close to their vest, they moved to SF and recorded and released their 2nd LP “All Blown Up” in in 2005. Guitars, Bass, Drums and a whole lot of singing are what these cats do. Treading heavy on the well worn path of rock and roll, The Stares rev shit up when they play and don’t let up until someone calls “uncle”. Their 3rd record entitled “Threee” is set to release in November, and promises more songs about space-born messiahs, insomnia, government paranoia, drugs and transsexuals. Tammi, Carlos and Tom’s earlier projects included, The Mensclub, The Jinkies, Papa Wheelie, and The Mink Lungs.

We Be Echo
www.webetheecho.com
Since 2003, this San Francisco trio has birthed a strange hybrid of punk/HC, jazz, dub, metal and extreme technical music. High energy, odd meters, shred guitar & hyper-dub bass lines form their sonic assault. The SF Examiner likens them to “a seizure with perfect timing… with head-noddable hooks” while The Owl Mag calls them “an instrumentally expressive musical force… hypnotic, astonishing music…” The recent release of “Return to Nations” marks their third full-length release among several EP’s and compilation appearances, and tours in the US and UK.


The Brothers Comatose
www.thebrotherscomatose.com
The Brothers Comatose formed in the Morrison Living Room, birthed from the sonic gumbo of the famous Morrison Music Parties. The band consists of Ben and Alex Morrison – hairy brothers, both singing, with Ben on Guitar, and Alex on banjo; and (adopted brothers from other mothers) Gio Benedetti on Bass / Vocals, Ryan Avellone on Mandolin and Philip Brezina on fiddle.

In just two years the mighty quintet has made their way from the street corners and dive bars of their native San Francisco, to performances at such legendary places as the Strawberry Music Festival, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the High Sierra Festival, San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill, Slim’s and the Great American Music Hall, and have supported such acts as The Devil Makes Three, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Justin Townes Earl, Trampled by Turtles, John Doe and the Sadies, Or, The Whale, and others.


Blisses B
www.blissesb.com
Blisses B, rooted firmly in the city that embraces music in all forms imaginable, introduces another compilation of genre-crashing rock and psychedelia with their second fulllength album, Thirty Days, Sixty Years. Debuted on Nov. 9, 2010, the album was recorded, produced, and engineered entirely by the San Francisco-based quartet.

Thirty Days, Sixty Years explores the mathematical parameters that define our lives — weekends, vacations, adolescence, adulthood, the reality of how much time we have left on this earth — and the personal equations that result from the many caveats that can extend and shorten most of these time frames. Are we spending our time wisely, with the right people, and in the right place? What are we giving back?


Lenz
https://www.facebook.com/LENZsound
LENZ is the new project featuring Andy Human (The Cuts, The Time Flys, Buzzer) Ray Seraphin (Impediments, Buzzer) and Brett Eastman (Montra,Shalants).

LENZ reflects and absorbs both light and darkness. Vintage 80′s Keyboards and jangly guitars round out a sound that is both moody and triumphant, reminiscent of all your favorite pop-rock from the postpunk era, with a bit of krautrock thrown in for good measure.

LENZ has released a 7″ on SS records, an EP on Tic Tac Totally slated for release in November and a full-length LP due next year.

Burnt Ones
http://www.myspace.com/BurntOnesForever


Dandelion War
http://www.thedandelionwar.net/
Repeatedly described as “Explosions in the Sky with vocals,” San Francisco’s The Dandelion War is working to shake the post-rock label and find another cliche to cling to. Mixing reverb-drenched guitars and vocals, occasionally frenetic drums, and, yes, a healthy dose of loud-quiet-loud dynamics, the bands crafts songs that take their time and fill up the soundstage. The Dandelion War’s first album, Geometries and Orchids, was released in the summer of 2010 to a healthy dose of critical praise. A video for “Sui Generis,” exploring the immigrant experience, also created a substantial online buzz.


Generalissimo
http://generalissimo.mu/
Described as “the Inglourious Basterds of the Bay Area rock scene” (SF Examiner) and “left-wing fascists” (The Stranger), Generalissimo blend utopian impulse and ruthless pragmatism to create a sound that is “cold, aggressive, and mildly unsettling” (East Bay Express). Generalissimo’s bailiwick is tension and their oppressive manhandling of noisy, post-punk chaos testifies to an unmitigated mastery in that domain. Generalissimo are architects of sound and they will build their Neobrutalist Rock Monument to Order over the graves of noble apathy and limp tolerance.

The Tiger Club
http://www.reverbnation.com/thetigerclub

The Tiger Club is just that. An exclusive club you’re in. The Tiger Club is a state of mind; beautiful, witty, otherworldly and always well dressed, we believe everything wonderful ever said about us. If the names Mancini, Alpert, Booker T, Jobim, Ventures, and Bacharach mean anything to you, you’re already in The Tiger Club. If not, you’re in for a treat. Your inner voice is saying stuff like “cool, yeah, mildly provocative”. You’re a member of The Tiger Club. Welcome, Willkomen, …


The Gems
https://www.facebook.com/thegems
The Gems (ex-Bomber, members of Early Graves) are a no-bullshit rock and roll band that will make you rethink a few things. What makes The Gems so resonant is not the music but rather the common but annihilating emotions that fuel them: It’s the clash between vulnerability and indifference that transpires after The Gems play that is so savage. Realism with the terror of actual experience. The most frightening truths about this rock and roll band rarely exist in the physical, but instead live in the intangible yet indelible wounds created in the psyche. Go try to find that on the Internet.


Valerie Orth
http://www.valerieorth.com/
The San Francisco Chronicle writes, “There is an honesty to Valerie Orth’s music that is both brilliant and heartbreaking,” and the San Francisco Bay Guardian describes her as “sexy, soulful, genuine, and edgy.” Valerie’s dynamic range as a performer is made all the more compelling by what the East Bay Express calls a “completely intuitive composition style.” Valerie is backed by punk-rocker and food scientist, Veronika Safarova on bass, and jazz genius and power player, Jeff Marrs on drums, both singing gorgeous and haunting harmonies. Fearless and genre-bending, Valerie and her band deliver a distinctive hybrid of rock, groove, soul, and funk while consistently captivating and charming their audiences.

Tied to Branches
http://music.tiedtothebranches.com/
Straight out of the dense fog of the Bay Area, Marc Manning, Brad DerManouelian and Justin Wasterlain are Tied to the Branches. Committed to stirring every speck of dust into their swirling caldron of sound, Tied to the Branches create fuzz, reverb, echo heavy, feedback laden, psych rock / shoe gaze anthems. Ghostly and hushed vocals blend in with howling feedback, ominous bass and chilly delay soaked electronic drums describing a world of spirits, monsters, and ghosts.


Ventid
http://ventid.bandcamp.com/
Ventid in no way endorses moving to San Francisco from 3 different corners of the U.S. (New England, Southeast, & SoCal) and forming a band via an anonymous Craigslist posting in 2009. Nor does Ventid condone the natural union of 4 music vets with past projects as divergent as math rock, film music, traditional Arabic music, indie folk, post rock, bluegrass, surf, classical, metal, punk, and R&B. Ventid cannot, with a clear conscience, recommend music alternating from intricate to sparse, melodic to raw, organic to experimental, with a penchant for finding the natural groove in a tune that switches between 7 & 8 each bar. Ventid does not support naming a band after an acronym for oxygen toxicity.


Angel Island
http://www.angelislandband.com/
Piling lay­ers upon lay­ers of imagery, Justin Gold­man cre­ates a lyri­cal world not unlike a Dylan-esque acid trip (if Bobby wrote more songs about girls, anyway). Gold­man fronts the San Francisco-based band Angel Island, lay­ing bare his emo­tions with painfully auto­bi­o­graph­i­cal lyrics one moment before build­ing up walls of psy­che­delic metaphor to hide behind next. Joined by gui­tarist and multi-instrumentalist Pas­cal Gar­neau and Robert Jakubs on drums, Angel Island has a sound that echoes with 20th cen­tury rock and pop as if fil­tered through each decade, pick­ing up strange bed­fel­lows along the way. A 6/8 dance­hall bal­lad sud­denly shifts into nineties shoe-gazer ter­ri­tory and fin­ishes with a Moog syn­the­sizer solo that would make Linda McCart­ney blush—all in one song last­ing under three minutes.

Annie Bacon
http://anniebacon.me/
For me music is a way of resisting the tide that urges towards blind consumption not just of things but of ideas and lifestyles meant to imprison us in complacency. in creativity/creation we find the antidote to war, to genocide, to injustice, intolerance. we find ways to empathize with our enemies, and to gently criticize our lovers. for me it is how I explain to myself all that is unexplainable. it is my direct line to the divine.


Erin Brazill
www.erinbrazillandthebrazillionaires.com
I was born and raised in California and was fairly entrenched in music, community theatre, and poetry writing as a very little girl and through college. I studied classical piano and voice in college as well as literature and creative writing. After college I moved to San Francisco and worked in jazz clubs in North Beach in SF bartending, booking bands, immersing myself in jazz and writing constantly and glamorously with great beatnik flourish in little journals stashed behind the bar. In the past 5 years I have been lucky enough to play with very talented, creative and generous people who stir their musical gifts and ideas into the songs. We play original compositions I have written reflecting upon my time in San Francisco, my rural child hood and travels, as well as a few well loved or unusual covers here and there.


Two-Headed Spy
http://www.twoheadedspy.com/
Born in San Francisco in the post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland of Hunters Point Shipyard in 2006, Two Headed spy isculmination of chance meetings, long friendships,past experiences and pure luck that has resulted in a sound that can best be described as alternative post grunge rock with qualities that have evolved from five years of playing the dankest bars in San Francisco and beyond. With longtime friends and true partners in crime Trent temple on guitar and vocals, Matt Jarrell on Bass and vocals and Troy Arajs on Drums, THS brings over 300 years of combined experience to rock and roll badassness.So let’s get real, bring your helmets and athletic supports of all varieties (M/F) and prepare yourself for the cyclic revolution of that hook-laden, bass-heavy, drum-pounding, melodic, guitar-driven rock and roll sound you crave so much that comes hitherto reincarnated in the form of Two Headed Spy. “Club Hong Kong” will be released in conjunction with the Victims Family, Two Headed Spy CD release show at Café Du Nord, Friday September 30th.

Mister Loveless
misterloveless.com
Mister Loveless are a 4-piece rock band founded in 2003 by high school friends, Rob Miller and Charlie Koliha in a sleepy suburb of San Francisco called, Walnut Creek. Loveless (as those familiar with the band refer to them) grew from an angular, post-punk act to a sonic territory, all their own when they enlisted long time friend, Sean Gaffney and devoted fan, Nick Clark. The group currently resides in Oakland.


LILAC
facebook.com/lilacsf
LILAC is pop religion for non-believers. A heavy driving acid grunge dream LILAC’s music, similar to Nirvana in spirit and intent, aspires to represent a subculture – A subculture comprised of the passionate, unusual, angsty, romantic, poor, queer, long-haired, starry-eyed, depressed, downtrodden, dirty, loud, funny, ugly, beautiful, and bright. They want the true singers and dreamers of the dream to take back culture and make it shine again. Their songs are a reach for eternal acts of passion in the face of death. It
is about love, but mostly sexual and even more, about heartbreak. It’s a flower and it is a drug.


Violent Vickie
violentvickie.com
Violent Vickie is a two-piece multi-media electro-punk band from San Francisco, Calif. Inspired by riot grrrl, experimental electronic music and electroclash, Vickie started writing songs in 2003, recording drum machines, keyboards, samplers, guitars, vocals and other assorted instruments onto a four track in her parents’ suburban home in Southern California. Her lyrics question society and address female stereotypes, TV, addiction and religion. She has since played throughout Los Angeles and the Bay Area, toured the West Coast, and played Ladyfest and Scutterfest. She has shared the stage with many bands including Mika Miko, The Sharpease, Boyskout, Eagle and Talon, and Dame Darcy. Her shows incorporate energetic, psychedelic visuals that complement the content of the music. After releasing two CD EPs, “Shut Yr Snatch” and “Violent Vickie EP,” she is currently producing and recording a full-length album entitled “Monster Alley” with the new addition keyboardist and producer Cat.

Bam! Bam!
http://www.facebook.com/bambamthebandband

Bam!Bam! is the East Bay duo of Chloe Bam! from Stiletta, and Zola Bam! from Make Me and Boyskout. The two play a unique brand of tweeish punkish music that is inspired by early 90’s girl bands like The Frumpies, and The Breeders. The band has been together a little under a year and in that time they have opened for Shonen Knife, The Forgetters, and Grass Widow amongst others. In May the band released the first video for Why I had to Go the title track for their upcoming 7” which earned them acclaim from Bust magazine and the SFist who proclaimed them “the best band you haven’t heard yet. ” In October Bam!Bam! will embark on a west coast tour.


Gun and Doll Show
http://www.gunanddollshow.com/

The Gun & Doll Show celebrates the online release of their newest album, American Radio Two. It is the much anticipated sequel to the band’s last effort, American Radio One, voted one of the top 50 records of 2004 by SF Weekly. The album is a versatile and imaginative auditory trip across the radio dial, representing all brands of American music, done Gun & Doll Show style. This is post-modern pop with Killian MacGeraghty’s provocative and risk-taking songwriting style at the center. MacGeraghty is the writer, lead singer, mastermind and ringleader of what he calls “The Gun & Doll Show Cirque du Chevrolet.” He has been called a “boulevard surrealist who actually rocks,” and he tackles a wide range of material on American Radio Two including the first female quarterback in the NFL (Can You Feel It), a rock star who should have chosen a different profession (Cowboy Lingerie Store), and the truth about self-righteous punk rockers (What I Hate About Punks). Further down the dial are requiems to bad relationships (Honest Girl & I’m Not Bitter), cloned celebrity babies (First Born), as well as terms of endearment (Jungle Ho).

Only You
http://www.myspace.com/birdsfledfromme

Only You is the collaborative dream pop efforts of Micayla Grace (formerly of Leopold & His Fiction) & Rachel Fannan (formerly of Sleepy Sun). Combining core elements of surf rock and brit pop, Fannan & Grace are making us weep joy struck tears of nostalgia. Its the late 50′s early 60′s. Its falling in love for the first time, again.
Having shared bills with J Mascis, the Entrance Band, Young Prisms & Ben Chasney, Only You has also borrowed the talents of Rich Good (Kings & Queens, Psychedelic Furs), Hunter Burgan (AFI) & Jon S

Trainwreck Riders

The Trainwreck Riders are a rock ‘n’ roll country band from San Francisco. Singer Pete Frauenfelder grew up in Bernal Heights, and brothers Steve (drummer) and Andrew Kerwin (guitar) grew up in the Richmond District, starting their band in their basement during high school, they have had a number of bassists. In October of 2008 Shawn “Boof” Wyman joined as permanent bassist. Trainwreck Riders are also often joined at local shows by “Cayenne” Dan Massie on Dobro and lap steel. Forming in the early winter of 2000 the band was originally called Rockin’ Chair, but eventually had to rename in 2004 because of another band of the same name. Apparently, the Kerwin boys’ mother came up with the name Trainwreck Riders.

La Corde
http://www.lacordesf.com

La Corde’s dark, delay drenched punk provides a soundtrack to nuclear meltdowns, global recession, toxic southern swells, and artificial respiration. They’ve toured from Tijuana to Vancouver, playing shows with Defektors, Cat Party, Arctic Flowers, Face the Rail, Rank / Xerox, and Airfix Kits. Reviews of their 2010 self-titled EP drew comparisons from the Wipers to Hot Guts to Sex Church. Resurrection Records will put out their split EP with Costa Mesa’s Cat Party later this month, with another EP heading for the streets in September 2011 on Pyrrhic Victory Records.


Waldo Astoria
http://waldoastoria.bandcamp.com/

Waldo Astoria is Michael Lim and Kern Haug. Michael plays guitar and sings, Kern plays drums. When writing songs, Mike is Waldo, Kern is Astoria. When being people, Kern is Waldo, Mike is Astoria. The juxtapositions are Waldo Astoria.

Wet Illustrated
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wet-Illustrated/

Ragnhild Zeigler
LIVE PERFORMANCE

Ragnhild Zeigler is a Norwegian singer songwriter and sawplayer. She is currently travelling through the united states to discuss politics as well as promote her debut album “I don’t speak cat” released under the name The Bee’s Niece. Ragnhild studied music and established herself as a musician in Manchester, UK which is also where she met her fellow musicians in The Bee’s Niece. Research shows that her songs are quite pleasant to listen to and surprisingly good for hang overs.


True Margrit
http://www.truemargrit.com/

Ever since moving to San Francisco from Knoxville, TN, piano-player / singer/ songwriter Margrit Eichler has been in a continuous loop of gigs, adventures, and misadventures in the Bay Area–and up and down the west coast ( and beyond) releasing 5 albums under the True Margrit banner. The lineup for the past 8 years ( nobody has spontaneously combusted!) is Eichler on vox & keys, Andrew Bacon on drums, Gary Hobish on bass. This trio has been generating buzz with their exuberant piano-humping shows, with their 2005 release, “Seaworthy”, and 2010’s: “The Juggler’s Progress”, and with their much-viewed video.

Tippy Canoe & the Paddlemen
http://www.tippycanoe.net/
Originally from Baltimore and now based in sunny Oakland, songbird and solo uke-slinger/guitarist, Tippy Canoe (Michele Kappel-Stone), made the switch from a 5-piece drum kit with the garage-pop princesses The Kirby Grips (Sympathy For The Record Industry), to a 4-stringed ukulele in 2003. In 2009 she upped the string count and added guitarist to her resume. She’s on a mission to bring sincere uplift in a severely down-slanted era by spreading her hook-laden pop-meets-roots music.


Mist and Mast
http://mistandmast.com/
Mist and Mast is the new project created by Jason Lakis who had previously released three albums under the name The Red Thread (on the Badman Recording Co. label). This is a mostly one man project recorded by Jason with the exception of a couple of keyboard and guitar parts provided by others. Our first reaction to Mist and Mast…is that this music seems a good deal more focused than the last couple of Red Thread albums that we heard. And that is a good thing…because it means Jason is allowing his music to take him into new and different territories. This self-titled album features nine tracks of thoughtful, slightly odd progressive pop. The soft, subdued vocals work remarkably well within the framework of these intricately arranged tunes. This doesn’t sound like an album created to sell units…but rather an artistic creation in which Lakis is simply transferring his thoughts and feelings into music. Pensive, thoughtful cuts include “Turn Into the Turn,” “Campfire Went Out,” “Glass Tiles,” and “Price of Fevers.”


Case in Theory
http://www.caseintheory.com/
Case in Theory (CIT) is a San Jose, Calif.-based alternative-rock band that draws most of its influence from life, love, and everyday lessons. The band’s sound combines climactic choruses with spacey intoxicating verses backed by a hard-hitting hip-hop/funk-influenced rhythm section. Some might say that CIT’s music reminds them of space travel and/or epic beach sunsets. They have been compared to other eclectic acts such as Incubus, Dredg, Circa Survive, Mute Math, etc. Take a chance and join the diverse group of music lovers that have been touched by their work and come up with your own opinion.

White Cloud
http://www.myspace.com/whitecloudband
WHITE CLOUD was formed about 3 years ago in the Fruitvale area of Oakland, California. They are four friends who have consistently made music that is not only a spewing of their influences but also bleeds of their cultural heritage, and take shape in their day dreams. While growing musically, they have had the honor to share the stage with acts such as Dum Dum Girls (subpop), Crocodiles (fat possum) Max Tundra (domino) Tuung (Thrill Jockey) Clipd Beaks (Lovepump) Wooden Birds (barsuk) amongst others. Their influences vary from classical master Arnold Schoenberg, to Spacemen 3, dub maestro King Tubby and hip hop boss Rick Ro$$, along with painters, and writers from Mark Twain to Heironimous Bosch


Lord Loves a Working Man
http://www.facebook.com/lordlovesaworkingman
Bay Area based LORD LOVES A WORKING MAN is a 10-piece group inspired by the raw and emotive sound of the Southern Soul shouters and horn-driven R&B of the late 1960′s. Mixing originals with obscure and originally arranged covers, LLAWM puts everything they got into respectfully invoking the spirit of this classic genre while giving it their own distinct voice. In 2008, the band was honored with the award for “Best Local R&B/Funk Act” by the SF Weekly:
“…our steamy but sweet fantasies of soulful early 1960′s amour now have a soundtrack: Lord Loves A Working Man, they pour their hearts out in songs that make audience members alternately work up a sweat and hold each other very very close” -SF Weekly

Two Headed Spy
http://www.myspace.com/twoheadedspy
The case of three strapping young gentlemen that call themselves Two Headed Spy is quite curious and intriguing indeed. Birthed in their current form by a chance meeting, their connection after 5 years of playing the dankest bars in San Francisco is unmistakable. Ready to take the stage, these lads have something to offer you the listener, you the fan, you the music lover, you the guy in the back corner: Rock and roll. High-stakes, fast-paced energy-driven music so good if they dared play a flawless set the heavens would ascend on the land below and destroy an area approximately 1 km in diameter from their exact position at the given time. So let’s get real, bring your helmets and athletic supports of all varieties (M/F) and prepare yourself for the cyclic revolution of that hook-laden, bass-heavy, drum-pounding, melodic, guitar-driven rock and roll sound you crave so much that comes hitherto reincarnated in the form of Two Headed Spy.

Elle Niño
http://www.elleninomusic.com/
In late 2008, somewhere between an abandoned lot and a taqueria, four individuals converged in an East Oakland living room to form Elle Niño. Unpredictable like the weather, Elle Niño incorporates sexy-falsetto vocals, lesbo-erotic lyrics, deep electronic beats, 80s synths, and indie guitars. Drawing from synth-pop, new wave, and electro-funk, Elle Niño’s style has been likened to Prince, the Yeah YeahYeahs and LCD Soundsystem.

With coordinated outfits and synchronized dance moves, Elle Niño’s live performances have consistently succeeded in creating a sweaty, pulsating, and irresistible dance floor.

Elle Niño has been featured on XLR8R.com, KALW radio, Pirate Cat Radio, The San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Noise music blog, SF Chronicle’s Off the Record blog, SFstation.com, RVCA’s San Francisco blog, SFIndieFashion.com and more. Unlike many electronic artists, Elle Nino takes pride in performing their music with live instruments. Everything you hear is live, no loops or staring into laptops. Elle Nino is currently working on their second EP and playing shows up and down the West Coast.

The Frail
http://www.tricycle-records.com/artist/thefrail/
Recently named the best up-and-coming act in San Francisco by Deli Magazine, The Frail has already been featured on MTV, won the viewer’s choice award in Owl Magazine’s “Video Makes The Radio Star” contest, and played alongside the likes of Justice, Moby and Goldfrapp. Of course, momentum like this doesn’t happen over night.

Over the past four years, velvet-throated vocalist Daniel Lannon and hyper-prolific producer Kevin Durr have pushed the group from a Craigslist collaboration to a stage-shattering electro-pop act worthy of national acclaim. Pop-indie hybrids, the group’s electro-tinged cuts now toe the line between falsetto homage to Michael Jackson and the hyper-literate electro experimentation of DFA acts like LCD Soundsystem.


Sporting Life
http://www.ilivethesportinglife.com/
This agreement will confirm the understanding between SPORTING LIFE (“Sporting Life”), a California band with a principal office located in San Francisco, CA, and ROCK MUSIC FANS (“RMF”), regarding the creation by Sporting Life and listening by RMF, as detailed herein, of kickass rock n’ roll tunes (the “Sporting Life Singles”), which such tunes are created by recording the amplification of sounds caused by: (i) the vibrations of an assortment of wooden stringed instruments, including, but not limited to, Guitar (“Keith Brasel,” “Andrew Gomez,” “Ryan McGee”) and Bass (“Mike Soss”); (ii) an electronic approximation of the act of striking steel cords with a felt-covered hammer, thus creating a vibration at the resonant frequency of said cords, such approximation being more commonly referred to as “keyboards” (“Keith Brasel,” “Andrew Gomez”); (iii) the rhythmic striking of a set of membranous percussion instruments with wooden sticks, such activity being colloquially described as “drumming” (“Terry Yerves”); and the use of controlled and sustained vocalizations at such pitches and rhythms as to serve a complementary function to the sounds created by the various professional musical implements described herein, such vocalizations as shall hereafter be known as “singing” or “vocals” (“Keith Brasel,” “Andrew Gomez”).

Waiting Room
http://soundcloud.com/waitingroom37

Waiting Room is a three-piece chick band, coming from the native hills of San Francisco, consisting of SF natives Lauren Alves, Veronica Bush and Rose Sullivan. An indie folk rock trio that draws from the blues, punk, and jazz; the girls met through local friends, Trainwreck Riders and The Dead Westerns. Lauren Alves has been playing paradiddles on her Dad’s drum set since she was five years old, and has been playing bass for some 15 plus years. She has also worked as a pit musician, and plays bass, guitar, and vocals in the band. Veronica Bush plays rhythmic banjo and vocals, and Rose Sullivan plays lo-fi drums. Both Alves and Bush write songs, making their music very collaborative and heartfelt. Some of their influences include Mazzy Star, Modest Mouse, Neil Young, Neutral Milk Hotel, Abner Jay, and Otis Redding.

All of a Sudden
http://www.allofasudden.com/

AllofaSudden is rooted in the American rock tradition. With their 2008 debut, “Appear”, they built a reputation throughout California as a band with driving rhythms, fiery guitar playing, and layered harmonies; from sing-along choruses to dirty grooves to subtly twisting progressions in songs that offer equal amounts of introspection, humor, and insight. AOS’ sophomore album, Drink the Ocean (available 5/24/11), is a complex and cohesive album that incorporates larger sounds, darker themes and more instrumental exploration than their debut. Shusterman’s climbing, melodic solos are now complemented by new keyboardist Nathan Cole’s barrelhouse piano and airy synthesizer. Stringfellow’s stately basslines provide a rock-solid foundation alongside Art McConnell’s drumbeats that swing as much as they pummel.

Wax Idols
http://www.myspace.com/waxidols/
WAX IDOLS is: Heather Fedewa, Ashley Thomas, Courtney Grey, Paul Keelan. THEY ARE: “smooth sailed rubbernecked opium dildo biters.”


Midnite Snaxxx
http://www.myspace.com/midnitesnaxxx
Midnite Snaxxx are three lovely ladies who know a thing or two about punk rocking. Chances are that you’ve seen these girls do their thing in THE LA-TEENOS, LOUDMOUTHS and BOBBYTEENS, which is all fine and dandy, sure…but Midnite Snaxxx are something else. These three girls teamed up to play no-frills, uber-catchy punk rock, equally inspired by the legit 70s hard-hitters as well as some of today’s catchiest power-pop combos. In short, actual Budget (Punk) Rock in 2010…an increasingly rare commodity is one you simply gotta check out ASAP. Raw Deluxe Records just released their first 7” in true Budget Rock fashion: 2 songs, 1 side, all hits, no bullshit.


Dead Westerns
http://www.myspace.com/thedeadwesterns
“You don’t need a bottle of Jack or even a trace of Southern lineage to appreciate the genius of The Dead Westerns’ Southern Rock charm and Surf Rock style. Without a hint of irony, the San Francisco quartet creates a fast-driving, hard-living tribute to the indelible music and legacy of Pavement, Dick Dale and Willie Nelson. With their debut self titled album, the band kick up a righteous storm, as on the alt-country lick-filled opener Stalling, or the swamp and fuzzy From the Moon Down to the Earth. It’s clear these guys deliver emotional wallops at every turn. Stylistically, they run the gamut from old-timey sounding country to a heavy surf jam influence. In the end it’s all rock & roll and one of the more unique recording artists and live bands coming out of the Bay Area today.” -Shawn Robbins – host of Snob Theater (http://katarokkar.cribble.net/)

Rykarda Parasol

www.RykardaParasol.com
San Francisco based Rykarda Parasol (\reh-kaer-dah\) describes her dark and mysterious music as “Rock Noir”. It calls up cinematic imagery akin to David Lynch or Alfred Hitchcock giving way to an icy blonde plot and Parasol’s husky low sing/talk embodies the essence of the sharp fearless femme fatale. Often compared to the likes of Nick Cave, Black Heart Procession and The Velvet Underground, Parasol personifies both swamp and sophistication reminding of us the Doors, Serge Gainsbourg, and Nico. A uniquely gender-bending voice incased in roughness, blues, and delivery, her focus is delivering Faulkner-like tales with conviction and suspense. Parasol draws on American rock, soul and southern influences among others styles.


The New Up

thenewup.com
San Francisco rock/pop five-piece The New Up has a sound that’s described as “Metric with a touch of the Rolling Stones, with a front woman with an addictive, classy, lingering voice” (Behind the Hype) and “striking, exotic and brashly coherent indie pop that feel[s] like the sonic equivalent of a thrill ride” (Flagpole). Front and center is ES Pitcher’s intoxicatingly liquid voice, which earned her a designation as “the bastard love child of Siouxsie Sioux and Karen O” (Sacramento News & Review). Featuring Noah Reid on guitar, Hawk West on flute and automation, Dain Dizazzo on bass and Drew Bertrand on drums, the band delivers captivating live performances that combine uniquely catchy songs with polished chops and inspired musicianship.


Kalri$$ian

http://kalrissianbaby.com/
Smooth Rick Chosen is a mildly schizophrenic male prostitute with an in-pants sidekick named Perseus. Chachi Harlem is his Fandango-puppet-obsessed partner in crime. Tyrone Shoelaces is a hard-drinking former schoolboy pimp with severe women issues. Felix Livinglow is their smooth-talking, scatalogically obsessed British friend. Together, and joined by legendarily mustachioed production team Keylo Venezuela and “Uncle” Tony Highrise, these engagingly foul-mouthed misfits are KALRI$$IAN.

Sam Rogers
http://www.onemouthband.com/
Live Performance
Sam Rogers is an award-winning solo performer, skilled educator/facilitator, experienced CircleSong leader, and Certified TaKeTiNa Rhythm Teacher. He is called “The One Mouth Band” for good reason: he makes all the sounds of a band using only his mouth — bass, guitar, synthesizers, horns, mouth-defying drums/percussion, and more — with the precision of a seasoned musician. Sam was the first solo act to compete (and win!) in an a cappella group competition, he has spent half his life being the resident beatboxer/rhythm section for a cappella groups, has two live solo vocal albums to his credit, is half of the pan-Pacific trip-folk duo One On One, helped pioneer live looping vocals, and was a recent finalist in the 1st US Beatbox Championships. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he happily astounds audiences from America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Get ready for 100% Organic Human Music that will blow your mind and shake your booty!

Israel Chavarin
of RoundMusic and The Frail
http://www.myspace.com/roundmusicsf
http://www.myspace.com/thefrailsf


Midnight Strangers
www.midnightstrangers.com

Retro new wave music wrapped in enticing vocals, while layered over ripping guitars and synths, the Midnight Strangers produce rock music that represents the struggle to form connections with others. The track “Strangers” reflects lead singer, Chris Swimley’s observation of himself and others at shows. He states, “We are all longing to feel the emotions and sense of connection we feel when we listen to music. Music is really just musicians attempting to express their emotions through their songs. And though the bands who play these songs are complete strangers to us, when the music is done well, it’s like we’re living a first person experience of the emotions of others. We connect at the deepest level. The connection is so strong that it compels to join in and sing along. That is what I love most about music.”

When Swimley first ventured into the music industry, the outcome was Modern Delusions, an album that led him to win “Best Male Alternative Vocalist of the Year” at the 2007 L.A. Music Awards. After nearly completing his third solo album, Days Of Decadence, Swimley decided to expand his project and added friends Anthony Petrocchi (drums) Rob Pera (guitar) and Chris Albert (Bass) to the line-up. Inspired by bands such as the Killers and U2, the music of Midnight Strangers combines a bit of electronic instrumentation with a solid mix of drums, bass, and guitar for what they call a “retro new wave” genre.

The newest album, Days Of Decadence, contemplates modern society’s ability to basically acquire anything we desire instantly. The idea that America and other wealthy nations are literally being driven insane by a manufactured appetite for endless amounts of stimulus and possessions is the main concept behind the album.

Swimley reflects on the album stating, “The thing that excites me the most is that it really moves me. This album is definitely much more modern and up-tempo then the last. It was designed with the live performance in mind, so it is my hope that the songs create an excitement to see them performed live. I wanted to create an album that was full of energy and dynamics but that a message too. I hope it moves others as much as it moves me.”