The Oh Sees Surf Party Tonight

Get to Potrero del Sol Skate Park tonight at sundown for a screening of Dear & Yonder, a surf film all about bad ass girl surfers and the daring tales united by the sea. The Oh Sees, Black Bow and the Bay Area Girls Rock Camp will provide shreddable tunes while some ladies tear up the bowl in the skate park. Bring a blanket, bottle of wine and enjoy this beautiful day with $$$ music and iflm.

Tenacious Fail

Outside Lands just announced that Tenacious D will be replacing the Beastie Boys on the Sunday line up. I don't think they'll be getting my $95.

A far superior alternative lies in sunny San Diego at the 25th Annual Street Scene:

2-day pass is $122. Get tickets here.

Radio and Juliet

This breakthrough ballet offers a new take on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, set to the music of Radiohead. It is contemporary, compelling and brings out the complexities of Radiohead's sound through movement. Romania's Ballet Mirabor and Edward Clug offer something that appeals to dance and music lovers alike. They recently performed Radio and Juliet at Jacob's Pillow in their only 2009 US appearances. Here's hoping Ballet Mirabor returs in 2010. Until then, I'll be watching this on repeat.

I Don't Think You're Ready for this Jelli

Democratized Radio would emerge from the foggy and fertile creative tech center that is the Bay Area. Jelli is a new online and on-air radio station that is 100% controlled by the listeners. Their aspiration is to "change radio forever," but as long as they keep Chumbawumba off the radio forever, that'll do just fine. They stream on Sundays from 10-Midnight on Live 105 and play online 24 hours a day. When I logged in, Flaming Lips "Fight Test" was playing with Nirvana, Cat Power and the Pixies on deck...not too shabby. And for all you would-be internet celebrities, users get on-air attribution for their selections.

This week’s top 11 most voted-for tracks on Jelli:

11. London Calling - The Clash (coming in only 1 vote ahead of Miike Snow’s Animal!)
10. Suffragette City - David Bowie
9. Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-A-Lot
8. Champagne Supernova - Oasis
7. Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine
6. Waitin’ For A Superman - The Flaming Lips
5. No Feelings - The Sex Pistols
4. Electric Feel (Justice Remix) - MGMT
3. Don’t Believe A Word - Third Eye Blind
2. Brass Monkey - The Beastie Boys
1. Help I’m Alive - Metric

www.jelli.net

Sex With No Hands at the Neverland Ranch

It was only a few days ago, but the apex of Michael Jackson hysteria was in its one-gloved glory when Sex with No Hands played with Neverland in a tribute to the King of Pop. San Francisco’s most avid MJ fans assembled to remember the time. All epochs in Jackson fashion were represented, from red leather bomber jackets to flowing white button-down shirts and black pants. In the front row, a man proudly held aloft a framed Newsweek cover declaring “The tour. The hype. The hysteria.”

In a way, this show was MJ’s own comeback tour of the Bay Area, reenlivened first by Sex with No Hands, a seven member accordion-funk supergroup. Complete with outlandish costumes, laser light shows and keytars, it’s Parliament meets Polka at Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Best known for turning any party into a partay, their sell-out shows are always sweaty slopfests that can only happen in a city like San Francisco, but this particular show could only happen in this fever pitch of Michael Jackson fandom. Two accordions battled over funky bass lines. A keytar was shred centerstage. A dancer deftly moonwalked, spun and gyrated in the center of this ADD Neverland. While their music always conjures a delightful mix of irreverence and enthusiasm, this set in particular left the audience with irrepressible smiles as they danced their faces off. It was a fitting tribute to the power of Michael Jackson’s music and dancing.

No one could be a bigger fan of Michael Jackson than the Bay Area’s own Michael Jackson Tribute Band, Neverland. Their name conjures up fascination with the bizarre, nervousness about sleepovers and intrigue surrounding a place where time seems suspended at age 10. Neverland played through the pain in their second show ever. They were thrust into the spotlight by the sudden death of the King of Pop five days after their first show. Their show was splashed across every weekend preview in town and was probably the first press this rag tag team of MJ-loving musicians had ever received. Somehow they avoided Animal Collective’s fate and did not cross the line of overexposure into blogosphere backlash.

Neverland is far too sincere for that anyways. A true tribute group, they go beyond spectacle to deliver a sophisticated recreation of Michael Jackson’s powerful sound, complete with five lead vocalists, four horns and a six piece rhythm section! As you’d expect from superfans, they are a well-studied super group. While the horns got everyone to blame it on the boogie, the vocalists really shone as they took on Michael Jackson’s gifted singing style. On most songs, they took on MJ’s disarming falsetto and gritty growl. The most affecting was when all five of them came together to sing “I’ll Be There.” If you closed your eyes and really went with it, it was almost like MJ was there. And everyone in the audience really went with it. The energy was earnest, we still hadn’t heard any autopsy reports, we were practically in Michael’s Giving Tree at Neverland as we danced to the full range of the King of Pop’s catalog. With 2 inductions to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 13 Grammys, 13 number on singles and the sale of over 750 million records and the best-selling album of all-time, there was no shortage of classic jams. Per their myspace page, Neverland is available for your next public or private event…Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough Office Christmas Parties!

Sex with No Hands is not a one-night stand kind of band. Catch them July 25 at Summer Meltdown at Café du Nord with Super Adventure Club & Griddle. They’ll finally get to play their accordion version of “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” that they’ve been dreaming of.

Sex With No Hands Upcoming Shows:
July 25: Summer Meltdown at Café Du Nord with Super Adventure Club & Griddle
August 18: Elbo Room with Antioquia

--Jenna Glass
July 8, 2009

Christmas in July: Treasure Island Line Up Announced

Treasure Island has got Outside Lands beat. The line up was announced today on the Treasure Island Music Festival website and it's glorious.

Saturday, October 17th, 2009
MGMT
MSTRKRFT
Girl Talk
Brazilian Girls
The Streets
Passion Pit
LTJ Bukem feat. MC Conrad
DJ Krush
Federico Aubele
Dan Deacon
Murs
Crown City Rockers
The Limousines*

Sunday, October 18th, 2009
The Flaming Lips
The Decemberists
Beirut
Grizzly Bear
Yo La Tengo
The Walkmen
Bob Mould
Thao with The Get Down Stay Down*
Vetiver*
Spiral Stairs
Sleepy Sun*
Tommy Guerrero*
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Single Day Tickets are $65.
2-Day Passes are $99 for the early birds, then go up to $115.
Get tickets here.

*Bay Area artists

Blitzen Trapper Look As Good As They Sound

New Video from Portland's very own Blitzen Trapper! "Black River Killer"
It's like Requieum for a Dream meets No Country for Old Men and I love it. The flickery quality, dripping sepia tones and circling camera work all delight. Now for the real question, where can I get one of those masks?

The Sub Pop standouts' Behind-the-Scenes bonus is equally beautiful. "We all, whether knowingly or unknowingly, speak the language of film."