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23rd Oct. 2009 @ the House of Chocolate, San Francisco, CA.
In the midst of all the excitement of Budget Rock 8, which boasted a HUGE line-up spanning four nights at three venues, who could fathom that anyone would dare compete for 'rock-ness' much less 'budget-ness,' but dem boys of Chocolate Covered Records done did dared, and woooo-golly did they ever succeed! Hosting a slew of garage rock bands (in their actual garage) at the House of Chocolate, for an even cheaper price: FREE!Dirty Cupcakes (San Francisco/Oakland, CA) started the night, dressed in matching bargain-basement burlap sacks, only to be out-fashioned by the swankiness of the Saucy Jacks (San Francisco, CA), who were followed by some fierce Farfisa'n by the Jinxes (Los Angeles, CA). There was a ton of beer spilled during the Teutonics ("Düsseldorf Germany", CA) set and during their game of "Beer on the Head," but it still paled in comparison to the amount ingested by the band (mostly Sharky) prior to playing. The Traditional Fools (San Francisco, CA) closed the evening to a sea of people bobbing and swaying, flooding from the very back of the room to the front, with audience standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the band members themselves.More photos of this show can be seen here.
Magic Bullets (San Francisco, CA), Summer Cats (Melbourne, AU), & the Tartans (Los Angeles, CA) @ Knockout, San Francisco, CA. 13th Jul. 2009.
Local residents, Magic Bullets headlined the indie-pop extravaganza, accompanied by Slumberland recording artist, Summer Cats. Los Angeles' twee darlings, the Tartans opened the show, albeit a bit late.
Magic Bullets new self-released EP, LIVES FOR ROMACE is pure pop perfection, with a parade of songs reminiscent of the U.K. in the 80's. A time when needles were dropping on turntables across Manchester, Bristol, and Glasgow; to sounds of the Smiths, the Sundays, and Orange Juice. Phil Benson's forlorn crooning is enveloped by shimmery guitar leads rather than atypical chord strumming, thus leaving a very open audio canvas on which to meld words of romance and introspection. The drums are played with a lyrical sensibility, filled with both melodic syncopation and steady mobility. Basically, every band member's part plays like a melody, creating lush arrangements that never feel cacophonous. On the contrary, it's a blissful marriage of sounds that will warm hearts abound.
LIVES FOR ROMANCE can be purchased online at insound.com.
Summer Cats new album, SONGS FOR TUESDAY is out now on Slumberland Records.
In the midst of all the excitement of Budget Rock 8, which boasted a HUGE line-up spanning four nights at three venues, who could fathom that anyone would dare compete for 'rock-ness' much less 'budget-ness,' but dem boys of Chocolate Covered Records done did dared, and woooo-golly did they ever succeed! Hosting a slew of garage rock bands (in their actual garage) at the House of Chocolate, for an even cheaper price: FREE!
