glasvegas @ popscene

venue: rickshaw stop (popscene)
artist: glasvegas
when: 6 march 2014 (thursday)
doors open at 10p

yes, that's right. it says popscene up there. yes, it's been ages since i was there last. i don't even remember the last time i went dancing there. i certainly have yet to go to popscene while it's been at the rickshaw stop. the last time i went, it was still at 330 ritch. and i thought i was done.

but popscene is like an old friend who hasn't changed very much. even though the venue has changed and is better like a facelift sometimes is, it felt familiar and almost comforting. they still play the same music there, though much of it is new. i think the djs are the same. hard to believe i've been coming to popscene since i was 18.

unfortunately, glasvegas didn't come on until 11:30p. my friend had to leave at midnight and i wasn't sure i should stay much longer than that either. so what we saw and heard from them, we really enjoyed. the first thing that caught our attention about them is that the drummer is this badass woman. she not only rocked the drums while standing but she rocked the flock of seagulls 80's do too. we were very impressed by her.

they played a lot of songs from their latest album which i picked up on vinyl. very exciting. what else we noticed about this band was their front man, james allan. especially when he took off his jacket to reveal a shirt that was open at the sides and really nice arms to go with it. i don't remember him being especially sexy in their youtube videos. but from the second floor in the dark at the rickshaw stop, he was looking pretty hot. my friend concurred.

despite not really being able to understand most of it, i love love the scottish accent. that was a nice treat for me.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

♥ from kip

venue: slim's
artist: pains of being pure at heart (pobpah) & twin sister
who: joe
when: 7 october 2011 (friday)
doors open at 7p

joe was visiting for about 5 days which is always nice. we got a work out in there, a couple trips to the city and of course, shopping! we also had tickets to see peter bjorn & john (pb&j) the weekend he was in the area. unfortunately, they cancelled. and in an effort to make the most of his stay, i got us tickets to see pobpah. coincidentally, at the same venue that pb&j were going to play.

we got there early enough to get a prime parking spot, something to eat and seats upstairs. from our seats, we could see the merch table and who was manning it. for a good period of time, it was kip berman, the lead vocalist for pobpah. i decided that i would check out the merch and maybe add some vinyl to my growing collection. i have a record that is white vinyl and another one (from the recent jens show) that is clear vinyl. so i wanted to get a record that is special. i have their second album, belong but only a couple of songs off of the first album. kip mentioned that the record has a marble pattern to it. this of course is the exact type of thing i wanted. to top it off, kip signed it for me (see image above). he was also very nice.

the opening band, twin sister was horrible. all due to their singer. her vocals had potential, however, she did not. the look she was sporting was terrible. it was some sort of homely-yet-slutty look. the two do not go together. it was dreadful. as far as their music, i clearly forgot because i needed to. nothing special.

for some reason and perhaps it was because of twin sister, but i liked pobpah much better when ro and i saw them at gamh back in april. i still enjoyed them, just not as much.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

belong

venue: great american music hall (sold out!)
artist: pains of being pure at heart (pobpah) with catwalk & twin shadow
who: ro
when: 19 april 2011 (tuesday)
doors open at 7p

ro and i headed up to the city at 5p so we could have dinner at tommy's joynt. we got there so early, we had prime parking. this is rare in the tenderloin district of the city. i had the corned beef and pastrami sandwich. it is the most tasty meaty sandwich, ever. that is my default item there. we finished in time to make it into the great american music hall just after the doors opened and scored prime seats in the balcony. as we looked around, we saw others filling up the balcony seats in the same situation we were in. we were now too old to stand at concerts. so we get there early to get these seats. previously, in my days with my former partner in crime, betty, we barely made the show as she was always late. i am so glad those days are over.

the first time i saw pobpah, i was sort of on this blind date but not really. it was when i met my ex, john, through a college friend of mine. she asked for a favor, to take her friend out during his first trip to san francisco. he and i ended up at the pobpah show in the fall of 2009. i spent the whole time chatting with john that i didn't get a chance to see what the band looked like. if i had, i might have freaked out. ro warned me that when he saw them at sxsw, he thought the lead singer (kip) looked a lot like my ex, ted. i didn't believe ro at first but when they came on, i had to get over the initial reaction that kip looked so much like emo-ted. i couldn't watch him for a bit.

for once, the opening bands were pretty good. catwalk was surprising. and then twin shadow came on and it was as if he was headlining. i have an inkling that the show sold out because of him. the crowd below went wild when he came on. his music was reminiscent of 80's new wave with a hint of rock and roll. it was very catchy and a bit too pop for my taste but i'll have to give him another listen before i can make a proper decision.

when pobpah was preparing to get on stage, i noticed this large gap of space between the mic stands and the drummer. i mean, he was way back there. i'd never seen bands set up this way. then i found out why. kip, the guitarist and bassist all use this space to dance (sometimes in unison) or stretch out their legs. i wasn't sure which. they do this one step back thing. kip's vocals are soft and almost feminine. i should say dreamy but it is more fem than dreamy. they are clearly influenced by the shoegazer genre. their songs are romantic and some are on the edge of cheesiness. their latest cd, belong, is quite good. i am still enjoying it in its entirety.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ heart in your heartbreak

so tired of being sexy

venue: mezzanine
artist: css (cansei de ser sexy) & opening bands: princeton & hottub
who: joe
when: 15 april 2011 (friday)
doors open at 8p

last month, joe was in town and wanted to see a show. originally, he wanted to see the two door cinema club at the fillmore but we couldn't get tickets online. so, we decided to see css, an abbreviation of "cansei de ser sexy" which is portuguese for "tired of being sexy," taken from a reported quote that beyoncé had said about herself. easy, beyoncé.

joe and i spent most of the day together. it started with my picking him up at the fremont bart station. we stopped by the new nordstrom rack to check it out. for some reason, my allergies are really bad in fremont. i think i am allergic to that city. it happened again when i was there in early may. afterwards, i had to go home for a nap to recover from the allergies. we went to joe's new fav place in sf, the house, for an early dinner. and even made it in time for the best egg tarts ever, at golden gate bakery in chinatown across from where we were in north beach. i love both of those places.

we arrived very early at the mezzanine. so early, there was time to hang out at the sf shopping center for coffee and window shopping. when we returned to the mezzanine, not only did we have to get in line for will call but we had to get into another line to get into the venue. lame, if you ask me. i don't really care much for the mezzanine but am sometimes forced to go there. the venue itself is kinda cool. but the stage is tiny and the sound is pretty horrendous. it's better as a dance venue than one for live music.

since we got there so early, we secured seats on the second floor. the opening bands were pretty mediocre. though during one song, princeton made joe and i give each other that "OMG, this song is awesome" look. there are two singers in princeton and they are twins. but the song we actually liked was with the minor singing twin. and hottub was a sad trio version of salt-n-pepa. css is a brazilian pop group with a sassy and fun appeal. i think it's mostly due to their lead singer, who refers to herself as lovefoxxx. plus, she is awesome and adorable. she is japanese, german and portuguese. her lyrics are fantastically entertaining and upbeat. usually, her outfit matches the entertaining and upbeat aspect of their songs.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥
if the sound wasn't so bad at the mezzanine, i think they would have gotten 4 hearts instead of 3.

teen dream

venue: bimbo's (sold out!)
artist: beach house
who: ro
when: 14 april 2010 (wednesday)

two houses in one night...

we planned to have dinner at the house in north beach. i always seem to end up with the deep fried salmon rolls and the hangar steak with wasabi noodles. ro got one of the specials which wasn't nearly as good as the hangar steak. he should have gotten the sea bass. lisa always gets the sea bass. we were surrounded by people who ordered the sea bass and he lost his appetite for sea bass. it's too bad. the sea bass is damn good.

after dinner, we headed over to bimbo's for the other house that night. beach house! the last time i saw them was upstairs at the swedish american hall. they were fantastic despite it feeling like an elementary school auditorium. the sound at bimbo's is much better. victoria legrand has awesome vocals. beautiful, really. just like thao nguyen, victoria's voice is nothing like candy pop. it's dream pop that's haunting and leaves you wanting more.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ so very dreamy...

daydream believer

venue: great american music hall
artist: the clientele and the wooden birds
who: ro
when: 9 march 2010 (tuesday)

i actually saw the clientele back in november of 2005 at the bottom of the hill. but for some reason, i didn't blog about it. i think it was because i was having problems with the ex. oh yeah, i tried breaking up with him in october and around or on my birthday later in november. we were in the city all day that day looking at rentals, shopping and sticking around to hang out with nigel and his girlfriend, at the time. if i weren't so tired by the time the band came on, i could have really appreciated them. i do remember that i was pleasantly surprised despite my utter exhaustion. plus, the bottom of the hill is one of the coolest venues in the city.

the wooden birds opened for them. i was very impressed with their female vocalist, leslie sisson. her vocals are amazing. the recorded stuff doesn't do her voice due justice. she is also much prettier in person and super nice. i really enjoyed their set and my brief chat with her at the merch table. andrew kenny is the lead vocalist. his vocal style is soft and pretty. a bit reminiscent of belle & sebastian but more folky. they are playing sxsw this year so if you are going, you ought to check them out.

generally, when i go to shows, i'm standing and can't see the band. so, i had no idea what alasdair maclean looked like. then this guy showed up on the stage before their set and the audience started clapping and whistling. ro confirmed who he was. he was nothing like i expected. the reason being that one of their songs (here comes the phantom) reminds me of the monkeys. that's right, as in davy jones and daydream believer. it's a little funny because he is very british. dry humour and all, when he is speaking. but when he sings, he turns into someone completely different. not only does he totally get into it, but he also does this little dance with certain songs. it's pretty fantastic and quite entertaining. overall, they put on a great show. i'm glad i had a seat with a nice view this time.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

sweet darlin' (three out of three)

on monday, ro & i went to our third show in 5 days. that's one every other day. all up in the city. thursday, saturday and monday. i left work early to get ready for the show. we left at 6:20p, with hopes that we would get there in one hour. we didn't get there until 8ish. our plans to get to bimbo's early to have dinner went out the window. and hearing that the opening band kinda sucked, we decided to have dinner before the show elsewhere.

we ended up across the street at kennedy's irish pub & curry. i was so so hungry and as a result, we ordered too much. a lot more than we imagined (see pic below). we started with curry fries (who doesn't love fries?), lamb infused nan bread, and la piece de resistance... the chicken masala dosa. lisa tells me that dosas are not very common and that's how you can tell the place is south indian. she's right, i'd never seen dosa on the menu before. as you can see in the picture below, dosas are crepes. gigantor crepes. for reference purposes, the beer next to the dish is a pint of guinness.
venue: bimbo's (sold out!)
artist: she & him & lavender diamond
who: ro
when: 3 november 2008 (monday)
doors open at 7p

when i first heard about she & him, i thought zooey deschanel was another actress-turned-over-produced-singer with little or no talent (ie scarHo). i was happily proved wrong.

it started with their song, sweet darlin' with which my niece & nephew love (and request) to sing in the car, repeatedly. after that, i listened to more. and when i found out they were playing, i listened to all i could. ms. deschanel teams up with m. ward to form she & him making songs that are fantastically familiar and wonderful. according to their website, they strive to "make music the old fashioned way: by hand - and with as few machines as humanly possible."

i wasn't sure what to expect since more often than not, bands sound better recorded (and produced) than live. but seeing a band live is more than just listening to their music, it's also being a witness to the passion and energy of the musicians who love and make this music. it was apparent in this show.

despite zooey's celebrity status, her stage presence was a bit demure. her vocals, however, was magnificent. i was blown away by her range. and i've decided, i hate her. not only is she talented as an actress and beautiful, she can really carry a tune. or, maybe i just have another girl crush?

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ i have one word for m. ward: brilliance.

one down, two to go

venue: rickshaw stop
artist: asobi seksu
who: lou & ro
when: 30 october 2008 (thursday)
show starts at 8p (but really, it started at 9p)

according to their website, asobi seksu is "colloquial japanese for playful sex." in preparation for the show, i've been listening to them on rhapsody. yuki (lead vocalist) sings both in japanese and english. her voice is amazing. in some of the songs, her vocals sound as if she is shrieking, yet it's lovely. a lovely shrieking. a bit of an enigma, which also matches her appearance. in the images of her, she looks like a delicate flower. beautiful and fragile. but live, she's rocking out with all her might and hair in her face and everywhere. you only catch a glimpse of her face when she sings into the microphone. and still, her long hair is wild all over.

in rhapsody, asobi seksu is categorized under "shoegazer" and "dream pop." i think they are the epitome of shoegazer music, which often times, feels like a fight between music and vocals. in this band's case, the shrill of the electric guitar(s) battling her lovely shrieking notes. for some, it might just sound like noise. for me, it is a combination of dramatic sounds and hardcore rocking out.

and don't even get me started on the japanese lyrics thrown into the mix. japanese-pop-shoegazer is quite special, not to mention a little sexy.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

beach house

venue: swedish american hall (downstairs from café du nord)
artist: beach house
who: ro & lou
when: 28 september 2008 (sunday)
show starts at 7:30p

we arrived in the city early for dinner. remnants of the folsom street fair (earlier in the day) were still pretty obvious. i've never gone and have only heard about it. if you've never heard about it, think kink and leather. or just google it.

we ended up at this sushi restaurant on castro, called osaka. it was pretty good. i got the sunomono which was a cucumber and seaweed salad with tako that was particularly delightful. we also ordered a bunch of special rolls that were unique and flavorful. i hadn't had sushi in a while so it hit the spot.

this was a first time to the venue for a show for all of us. i'd been to the swedish american hall for a wedding back in october of 2004. wow, that was nearly 4 years ago. that was the only time i'd ever been upstairs. i am no stranger to the downstairs venue at café du nord. we are the type of friends that see each other once or twice a year. but also the type i'd love to see more often if given the chance. it was there that i met one of my most favorite bands ever, the trashcan sinatras. we had dinner there and were guaranteed prime seating. our waitress was so cool that i couldn't help but tip her generously. she even came by to thank me for it. and when we stayed past closing, she didn't kick us out like the rest of the crowd. that's when we went to the back room and met the band.

back to upstairs. it was set up like a middle school auditorium. there was this tiny make shift stage that wasn't really a stage. it was packed. there were no seats left when we got there. we ended up in the balcony upstairs standing to the side. note to self for the next show there: go early to get seats. despite the cold temperatures outside, it was quite warm inside.

the beach house are a duo from baltimore. in rhapsody, they are filed under the dream pop category along with the smashing pumpkins and feist. which doesn't seem right. their music is indeed very dreamy and ambient. but as a live band, you get their passion and splendor. victoria legrand who is the singer, was lovely, sweet and funny. i found myself enjoying them much more than i expected. thanks ro!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

devoted

venue: broadway studios (north beach)
artist: julie plug
who: jen & lou
when: 12 july 2008 (saturday)

i can't believe the last time i saw julie plug was in 2005! i think this was my third julie plug show. their singer, des, is super cute and has a fantastic voice.

before the show, we had some pizza and drinks. drinks at gino & carlo's conveniently located next door to the pizza place. it was good stuff. totally hit the spot. north beach is a really hopping night spot. it was lively and crowded. much fun!

after our pre-show adventures, we headed over to broadway studios which is located in the middle of the strip clubs. it was my first time there. we hoped to miss both of the opening bands but we were not so lucky. we caught pebble theory. ugh. they were horrendous. their sound was generic and noisy. nothing really original. despite having slept past 1 or 2pm that day, i couldn't stop yawning through their entire set. yes, they were that bad. and to top it off, they weren't even cute. damn them.

i thoroughly enjoy seeing julie plug. not to mention the fact that i always see them with lou. which is always fun because he knows des. he is quite the devoted fan. their songs are cute and catchy. really poppy but indie. takes me back... ahhh. i've been listening to them for quite a while. it's a shame they are not bigger than they are. they are a musical gem. you can have a listen here, on their myspace page.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

noise pop pt.1

first to tommy's joynt before stellastarr*,
and stops at hemlock tavern & a tranny bar

venue: gamh
artist: stellastarr*, birdmonster & 2 other openings we missed (noise pop)
who: ro, lou, jen & what's her 40-y/o face and lesbo friend di
when: 28 february 2008 (thursday)

we went to tommy's joynt for some down home cooking. very filling food at very economical prices. the only problem is that it's cash only. i had the burgundy beef (mmm meat...) with rice and a cucumber salad. we then headed over to the hemlock tavern for a few drinks. it's some sort of tradition lou has every time he goes to a show at the gamh. so we had drinks there. my tom collins was really good actually.

we met up with jen & ro's 40-something y/o coworker (we'll call her 40 for short) on the way to the gamh. we made it in time for the birdmonster. they weren't too bad for an opening. surprisingly. they were good. if you want a listen, check out their myspace page here.

before stellastarr* came on, this overly emo version of ted walks right by me. complete with long emo greasy hair, skinny jeans and a members only jacket. blegh. at first, i didn't recognize him but there was something familiar and so repulsive about him. i remembered his myspace page from whenever i go onto my friend joe's page. he's the one who introduced us and is still friends with him. and i saw the elf gf. they ended up hanging out right behind us. i was trying to get a pic of him to put in this post but couldn't do it without them noticing. the guys didn't recognize him either. 40's friend diana showed up so i told her what was going on. then she says to me, i know we just met and this might sound weird but you wanna make out? she said it was to show him that i had someone better not to mention give him (and everyone else) a show. nice gesture but i passed. i don't really go that way.

i saw stellastarr* for the first time nearly a year ago. i'd listened to their stuff online before the show so most if not all the songs they played were songs i knew at the last show. however, last night was a showcase of their new unreleased stuff. this is fine because most bands play shows to promote their new songs. i was disappointed that they didn't play a few of their better songs like lost in time. their new stuff didn't quite hit a chord with me but then again, i might have been a little distracted.

last year, i gave them 4 ♥s but this time, they fell short one ♥.
rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

afterwards, we went to divas, a tranny bar. it was my first time. we went in for a drink. it was interesting and our bartender was hilarious. i'm not allowed to say much else about this place except that i had fun. hehe.

office & popscene

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
artist: office
who: nina, her friend kearny & will
when: 13 december 2007 (thursday)
doors open at 10p

last week, i went to popscene to see this band called office. they are from chicago. i'd heard them through a couple of cds joe (sorry ro!) had made for me. so when i saw that they were playing at popscene, i thought, i wanna go! my cousin nina had expressed wanting to go to popscene so i asked her to go. the last time we were there together was... wow, the night i met bernie back in september. crazy crazy. and a crazy night that was.

before popscene, i met up with my thyroid cancer sister, funie. she lives in oakland and since it's across the bridge to sf, it worked out perfect. i'd hang out with funie and meet nina for popscene after. funie & her friends decided on karaoke. this whole in the wall place where the clerk barely spoke english. luckily, funie is taiwanese and was able to speak with her for us. this place was like a hole in the wall. you could miss it if you weren't paying attention. there were 4 of us and the private rooms were $25/hour. more of their friends were supposed to show up but it was just us for a little over an hour. her friend erika and i sang and knew the same songs. it turned out that she was 32. funny. this place even had the song come go with me by expose. i haven't sang this song since middle school. ridiculous. what's even more ridiculous is the video my sister, cousin debbie & i made with this song. we had a dance routine and lip synced. debbie's brother lam was the mc. we also had matching outfits. it was so much fun. but alas, the video has gone missing. but i swear debbie & roger have it!

back to karaoke, i sang this song with erika. i didn't really know the words but oh my, i think debbie was only 10 y/o and we were singing songs about sex. then again, i think most of the songs from the 80s were about sex. i stayed there a little longer than i'd planned and didn't make it to popscene until close to 11 instead of 10. luckily, nina was with her friend kearny and they were waiting for me in their car. when i parked, this black civic parked in front of me. and who comes out of it? our long lost friend will! i didn't know he drove but i suspected it had something to do with his gf.

i met up with nina & kearny in line. ken, one of the bouncers (he's the one that asked me if i was chris's girl, if so, it was a shame because i was too fine for him! hahaha), he let us in for free on my birthday last month (with lisa & allen). i didn't really expect him to do it again this time. but then i see him whisper something to the cover chick and she stamps our hands without taking any $$. score! i need to bring him cookies the next time i go...

if you don't know, i absolutely love dancing at popscene. i get on this big natural dancing high. i suppose irish car bombs help too. but i have this big smile almost the entire time. funny, this is actually how bernie noticed me on the dance floor. anyway, i needed my dancing fix. we get on the dance floor and i see will over by the stage dancing by himself. as usual. normally, he would join us but he didn't and i felt bad for him so i went over to him. and we dance the entire night. we also chatted a bit on the dance floor. it was really nice. he's living with his gf now and no longer lives in the ghetto. hahah. he seems happy too which is great.

when office came on, we went and sat down in a booth. i didn't recognize any of the songs. i don't even think they played the two songs i knew. i was really disappointed. despite that, i still had tons of fun with nina, kearny & will. we stayed until closing and walked out with will. i spent the night at nina's and made it to work on time the next day. thanks nina!

rating: ♥

lucky me & the lucksmiths

venue: 12 galaxies
artist: lucksmiths
who: ro
when: 23 september 2007 (sunday)
doors open at 9p

before the start of the academic year (stanford started on the 24th), i'd gone into the office sunday afternoon to catch up and prep for the following day. we had all sorts of events to look forward to this week. but before monday, i had the lucksmiths to really look forward to. i'd also recently received my annual raise (5%! a first!) so the plan was to leave around 6p to head up for dinner before the show. ro had some recommendations and we ended up at delfina for dinner. there was an hour wait and since there were two opening bands and we were there at 7p, it wasn't a problem. we just went to the tartine bakery for some coffee and pre-dinner desserts. ro had macaroons and mexican cookies and i had bread pudding. yummmmy!

at 8p, tartine's had closed and we headed back to delfina's. almost the moment we arrived, ro got the call that our table was ready. what perfect timing! we started with snails raised with rosemary and other herbs. i forget what others. we were being adventurous ordering the escargots. i'd never had them. ro had never had them either. and they were delightful. they did in fact, as our waitress said, melt in our mouths. it was a successful attempt at being daring in terms of food. we both had the fulton valley range chicken with olive oil mashed potatoes and royal trumpet mushrooms which was delicioso and we might have enjoyed it more had it not been for our pre-desserts. oh well.

i think it was after 10p when we headed out to 12 galaxies. we were both first-timers there. it's set in the mission district which is really dirty and seems shady if you've never been there. there are lots of hip bars and restaurants there so it's quite a popular area. personally, i prefer noe valley, but it's a lot more expensive. hence, i live in the south bay.

the venue was basically this long room with the stage set up at the very back. and like the rickshaw stop, there's an upstairs with a great view of the band. also similar to the rickshaw, it was hotter than hell upstairs. we just stayed downstairs. we caught the second opening band. there were like 20 people on stage dancing around. the sound was bad. they all looked like they were having fun but it was really random. and kinda awful. i guess there were about 13 people, really. whatever. but when the lucksmiths came on, the sound got better. then again, it might have been their lead singer's voice. it was so melodic and perfect. he didn't miss a beat. and on top of that, he played drums standing up. it was a fantastic show. i was most impressed. thanks ro!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

hot hot heat with chris

venue: 330 ritch (popscene)
artist: hot hot heat
who: alex & nina
when: 13 september 2007 (thursday)
doors open at 10p

last thursday, i went to popscene with alex (who hadn't been there for over a year) and cousin nina. it was popscene's 11th anniversary party so they had a special guest band, hot hot heat. we'd seen hot hot heat there before and it was a great show. we were really excited about seeing them again. the only thing i wasn't excited about was the line that would probably reach to the end of the block. as these kinds of bands do at such small venues. luckily, nina offered to wait in line for us at 9p. alex and i got there shortly after 9:30p and as usual, i tried flirting my way in to avoid the line. fortunately, the boys know me and it worked. they also know that i sort of have a thing with chris (not exactly sure what it is yet), with whom they tease me about, incessantly. i suppose i can't blame them. that's what i get for making out with him in public.

after waiting at the front and saying how scary the line is, they tell me, you don't have to worry about the line. i call nina up to the front. i asked jorge to get chris so i can say hi to him. jorge returns sans chris and tells me that chris told him to take care of me. what a sweetie. *sigh* meaning, chris is allowed two guests, there are 3 of us so it's a 3 for 1 deal on top of hopping the line. it was $13 for the 3 of us. that's actually cheaper cover than a regular popscene night! score!

we also got in before 10p! i love popscene... we go over to say hello to jessica, have some drinks with josh and then more drinks with jason. chris walked by a few times before i finally i was able to say thanks to him. he's really busy working and still, he sits down to chat with us. he's seriously the sexiest thing ever. i hadn't seen him since our date on labor day. i'm really itching for another make out session with him. but he's too busy. :( at one point, i surprised him from behind when i went over to have a little chat with jason about chris. and i got a few kisses out of him but i wanted more.

finally, chris gets the ok and we head to the back. we're a little less conspicuous about our making out these days. especially since he was working and all. i'm not sure if this was before or after hot hot heat came on. but i didn't recognize any of their songs until the end when they started playing the old stuff. we snagged a table in the back so we couldn't see much but we could hear them fine. i couldn't pay much attention with chris walking back and forth in front of me. after the band, we hit the dance floor. we were dancing as usual and there were these guys dancing near us. i was a little drunk and found myself dancing with this one guy. his name was bernie. he's 35 y/o and moving to new york. he said he lived in san francisco for 10 years. he told me he thought i was 24 but noticed that i knew the words to all the songs he knew. when i told him how old i was, it made sense to him. he also told me he thought i was the cutest thing. very sweet. he also told me that i danced very well. i don't even know how long we danced. i didn't notice anything around me, like chris. both alex and nina saw chris walk by as i danced with bernie.

it was late and we had to get going. so, alex got our coat check stuff and i was saying goodbye to bernie. he asked to see me again. gave me his card and phone number. he was really very sweet. after seeing bernie off, i looked for chris to say goodbye to him. just as i turned around, there he was, walking towards me. he pulled me inside the bar, asked me if i was drunk and we made out for a bit. i'm not sure if it was because i was a little drunk but he seemed really into it. i mean, he's usually into it but more than usual. it was nice. :D maybe seeing me dance with bernie was a good thing? anyhow, i don't know how long i was there with him but i heard the djs announce closing time. oh shit, it's 3am?!? alex wanted to leave by 1! so off i went. and off the three of us went to go home. except, we had to drop nina off at her friend's place and we got lost getting back on 101. we ended up by the golden gate and was finally on our way home. i think it was close to 4a when we got back to mt. view.

i got up around 7:30a and caught the train in mt. view. the train that i've been missing all week because i can't get my ass up early enough to get it at 7:45a in san jose. yet, on 3 hours of sleep (a wee nap), i made it into work on time. and i'm there all day. that is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?

rating: ♥ ♥ (hot hot heat)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (for chris)

we drift away with torquil

venue: café du nord
artist: memphis & the postmarks
who: alex
when: 2 may 2007 (wednesday)
show starts at 9p, dinner reservations at 8:45p

if you are a fan of the canadian band stars, you should know that torquil campbell is in this other band called memphis. i saw them this past week at café du nord in castro.

we had dinner reservations just for the seats. and at this age (because we are so old), it's something we can appreciate. that is, not stand all night. plus, i see much better with seats. otherwise, i don't see at all. the only catch to reservations is the $15 minimum per person. since we planned on spending at least $15 on drinks anyway, it was an easy minimum. the only thing that sucks about this place is parking. i thought i had secret parking at the mortuary but to my disappointment, it was closed. ugh. we eventually found some restaurant parking just down the street.

the postmarks opened for memphis, and i was pleasantly surprised. their lead singer, tim yehezkely has this lovely sweet and soothing singing voice. it doesn't really match her. on their website, her look makes me think of the 60's mod style with her long straight hair and dark outfits. i was expecting that at the show. but, she showed up in jeans and a t-shirt. not attractive at all. very plain and homely looking. in other words, kinda ugly. however, their set was very good. i guess that's all that matters. the music, right? i don't know, i think it helps to have the rock star image down. especially if you are one. yes?

i was again happily surprised when memphis came on. i've always enjoyed the stars shows. torquil campbell is quite the firecracker. he reminds me of me! heehee. not only is he funny and clever, he's also very personable. he talks to the audience like he's your friend. you want to be friends with him. his live performances have improved as well, not that he was bad before. he wasn't. he's just gotten better. he's got a very distinguished voice. it can be soft and rock at the same time. what can i say, he's awesome.

after the show, i went and bought the new memphis cd. we got hooked up with free posters too! what a great end to the night! free posters, woo hoo!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

rocking the night away with kevin spacey

venue: the warfield
artist: the shins & viva voce
who: lou
when: 17 april 2007 (tuesday)
doors open at 7p

i've been wanting to see the shins for a while now. every time i found out that they were in town playing, it was always too late as the shows were always sold out. this time, i was keeping a watchful eye out for them.

lou and i met up after work. he works about 10-15 minutes away from me. it's nice because we have lunch sometimes. otherwise, we probably wouldn't see one another much. we got to the city sometime after 6:30p. we had plenty of time so we went to bloomingdale's for a bit. then we went to get a drink at the gold dust lounge. there was a lot of red velvet decor which made me feel like i was anywhere but san francisco. there was a certain charm about the place. we had one drink and chatted for a bit.

we tried an irish bar on the way to the warfield but it was completely packed so we just decided to head straight to the warfield to get more drinks and lou something to eat. we had tix on the balcony. i hadn't been on the balcony in ages. previously, it was all general admission, including their balcony seating. now, there are different prices. i always forget to get balcony tix.

viva voce came on first. the band consists of two members and they are husband and wife, kevin and anita robinson. for some reason, that makes me like them even more. kevin plays the drums and anita plays electric guitar. i didn't see a bass guitar. and they both sing. it makes for a very sweet rock and roll band. in the middle of their set, kevin opens up for a q & a session. that was pretty funny. no one ever does that! there was one guy in the front with his hand up. he had the same question i did. where is the bass guitar? to which kevin responds that the bass was this box to this right and that it was very complex, that a diagram would have to be drawn and we (the audience) shouldn't concern ourselves with it. hahah. their set was very rock. anita totally rocked out with her many electric guitars. at one point, she even busted out a two-headed electric guitar! very impressive.

when the shins came on, i didn't know what to expect. usually, bands don't sound good live. they usually suck live. but the shins were quite different. i was utterly surprised. as lame and cliché as it sounds, i got lost in the music. i was in this bizarre daze. with every song they played, the more love i felt for them. it was the strangest feeling, that was just so overwhelming. i got chills. i couldn't move less do anything but watch them. it made me want to listen to all of their albums again, over and over. all i could think was, WOW, they are absolutely, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, unbelievably, fucking fantastic. *big sigh*

afterwards, lou asks me, didn't you think the singer looked like kevin spacey?? james mercer (their singer) had a beard and we were on the balcony floor of the warfield. i could barely see their faces much less be able to tell whether he and kevin spacey shared any sort of resemblance. but the next day, i googled "the shins," and it was true. he looked a lot like kevin spacey. bizarro. but cool because i love kevin spacey!

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ again & again

new music - memphis

my long-time great friend romano makes these mixed cds. and they are probably the best mixed cds i've received, ever. they are consistently awesome. i rarely ever find myself skipping any songs. even mixed cds from previous boyfriends can't compare to his. he is the best mix master.

before the beauty and ease of mixing cds from files already on your computer, his mixed tapes were also fantastic. ugh, it was over 10 years ago and we used to make each other mixed tapes. there was this unofficial competition on who had the best transitions. i never paid much attention to my transitions so we were always surprised when it wasn't as abrupt as usual. but i think i won in the category of labels though.

recently, on a "get well" cd mix he sent me, i heard a song with a very familiar voice. but i didn't recognize the band. memphis. the vocals sounded much like torquil campbell from stars who i've seen live at least 4 times. i've even met mr. campbell at the great american music hall. that was the first stars show i saw. finally, i looked at the song list and looked up the band. much to my surprise, i found that memphis is torq's side project with chris dumont. and that they are quite good. tonight, i found the following description on their myspace page:

Although Campbell describes his songwriting influences as two parts New Order, one part Beautiful South, one teaspoon of Lou Reed, stirred with some sexual perversity and a few good jokes, lyrically Campell is more interested in shades of darkness and the sublime rather than raunchy sex and post-punk nihilism.

despite the early hour of 3am, this brought such the smile to my sleepy face and body. as most of my friends know, i worship new order. and although most new bands are influenced by them, it's rare that they are mixed with the beautiful south. if you've read my blog, you'll know that i also worship the beautiful south. i loooove that he describes himself as two parts new order and one part beautiful south. that's just so clever!

and since i know ro reads my blog, i wanted to thank you again! you're the best ro! xoxo ♥

lost in time

venue: bottom of the hill
(sold out!)
artist: stellastarr*, monsters are waiting & minipop
who: sis (plus ro, jen & jonathan)
when: 10 february 2007 (saturday)
doors open at 8:30p

the show actually started at 10p. not sure why doors opened so early. we got there around 10p so parking was good and there was no line to wait in the rain either. good stuff.

minipop started on time. the lead vocalist is this cute petite blonde chick. they are a local band. she had a voice reminiscent of that of emily haines from metric. the sweet, potentially angelic sound yet with some sauciness mixed in. i'd heard of them but hadn't really heard their music. lisa seemed to enjoy them. and lucky for us, ro got their last cd.

next up was monsters are waiting from los angeles. i'd seen them at popscene before and remembered liking them. not quite what they sounded like but i just remember thinking, they're not too bad. this band had yet another female vocalist with a voice similar to minipop's lead vocalist. however, the music was a bit different. but when this woman spoke, it was the most annoying thing. she sounded like a little girl with this little voice. she spoke as if she were ten y/o. i absolutely hate women who do this. for some reason, there are many large women that do this too. as if it was a way for them to seem smaller. i just want people to speak normally!! is that too much to ask? apparently so. i think this smallish voice is more common with asian girls. betty and i bitch about this all the time.

finally, sometime after midnight, stellastarr* came on. and the lead singer, shawn, is quite cute. the pics don't do him justice. he's the one with his hands on his knees in the above pic.

in the last few weeks, i've been listening to them online on and off. i wasn't sure whether there were female vocals as this one song sounded like shawn but like a girl. so i mentioned this to ro. i said, i think he sounds like a girl sometimes. and ro looked at me as if i were crazy. and when i heard the first song (lost in time) which has him singing in this very deep, manly voice, i thought i was crazy too! then there was this song, the one he sounds like a girl in, and i ask both ro & lisa, doesn't he kinda sound like a girl? they both concurred with me. i knew i wasn't crazy!

even though we left a bit early (i wasn't feeling well), i really enjoyed the show. the range of music they play is quite eclectic. songs that were slow and fast, deep and upbeat. someone had mentioned that they thought they were like the band interpol because they are both from new york, but i beg to differ, stellastarr* are much better. i don't think of interpol at all when i listen to them.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

the warfield after a 4 year hiatus

venue: the warfield
band: clap your hands say yeah & architecture in helsinki (2nd opening)
who: betty, lou & ro
when: 13 october 2006 (yep, friday the 13th)
doors open at 7p

the last time i was at the warfield was the travis show in... i think it was 2002 because i was still "friends" with smella. and um, still with cliff. i still have the travis cd he sent me prior to going to the show. anyway, bygones.

i discovered aih while listening to my musicmatch radio. i forget which band i put in. it was probably hot chip or death cab. i put a couple of aih's songs on my wishlist to download. later, i just put all their songs i could listen to on my playlist. this was before i found out they were opening for cyhsy. when tix went on sale for cyhsy and i saw that aih was opening for them, i was uber excited!

when they first came on stage, i didn't know it was them. i thought it was the first opening band. we got there sometime before 9p and didn't think they had started. the first song was really noisy and very 80's, in a bad way. there was all this energy on stage, reminiscent to the hot chip show. the second song was one that i recognized and i had this look of shock on my face when i realized it was aih rather than the sucky first band (who may not have sucked at all since we missed them) we assumed them to be. the band members all switched off playing different instruments and took turns singing. it felt like a theatre production. a musical of some sort. it was the coolest thing. they were so engaging and fun.

they even embraced friday the 13th by bringing a mirror onto the stage and breaking it. as well as opening up an umbrella though it took cameron bird a while to get it open. it was quite entertaining. he read some story during the whole thing.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (loved them!)

after aih, we were totally hyped up for cyhsy. but they weren't as good. they were a little boring. the lead singer, alec ounsworth was totally bored singing all the old songs. and actually, we were bored with him. i felt sleepy in the middle of their set and before they could come back for their encore, we decided to scram. that was enough disappointment for me. and many others as we all rushed to leave the warfield.

rating: ♥ (that's right, one ♥)

silversun pickups & the rickshaw

venue: the rickshaw
band: silversun pickups & viva voce (opening)
who: lou & ro
when: 28 september 2006 (thursday)
doors open at 9p

last thursday, i saw the silversun pickups (from LA) with my friends louis and romano. the show was sold out. i'd only heard their old stuff on musicmatch. lou & ro had only heard their new stuff. it was a nice balance. there were two opening bands. i don't remember the first one but the second band was viva voce. i think they were from oregon. according to the guys, the singer was cute and that certainly added to their appeal. i thought she was ok.

it was my first time at the rickshaw. they have actual rickshaws there. it's kinda fun. it was a small venue. nice and hip. apparently, it's some indian club on the weekend sometime. i think it'd be fun to go to.

the silversun pickups were quite good. i was impressed. i was especially excited when they played their old stuff. i'd been listening to it non-stop since will told me about them. i thoroughly enjoyed the show. and to think that ro thought they were too rock 'n roll for me. and that he'd been filtering out such bands on my mixed cds he'd been giving me. but he knows better now.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥