As I walked in, everyone was already dancing. The Independent in SF hosts some of the best acts in the indie scene. Tonight was no different, with the lineup including only two bands: Friendly Fires and the ever charismatic and alluring Lykke Li.

Breasts is not a band that will make it big. They are not the type to make it to Billboards top ten in the college market. They will probably sell the albums they have made to the minor contingency of people who don’t relate with the trend flood that seems so unavoidable.

I was first made aware of Deerhunter’s existence a few months ago, when I saw them billed to play somewhere with Crystal Castles. My knee-jerk reaction was to note the proximity of the two names, make a few assumptions, and pigeonhole them together based entirely on my prior knowledge of the one.

As I speak with Thievery Circuit outside Rooster’s Roadhouse in Alameda, several things are evident. Despite all their love for hardcore and their chemistry together, it is still tough for a local band in the Bay Area to get gigs, and to get more exposure.

Creating original music can be hard these days. There is so much music out there it’s tough to find “your” sound. For a band like Helvetia, coming from the caverns of the Northwest and it’s untouchable churning of new and interesting artists, it’s not hard to be original.

OH OH OH The Places We’ll Go…..
It was February 2006 in a country style home with a record player soaked with rain in the back driveway. I was inside trying to stay warm. I spent my time in the dining room writing stories from the road on a lap top while just behind me I heard the laughter of Ashley Eriksson and -a as they played fun and beautiful songs. These may or may not have been LAKE songs but soon enough these two talented artists had become a part …

The d.i.y. punk esthetic around the world has many similarities. Most people feel that same push to create real art. People in Europe can empathize with the apathy the U.S. feels. Listening to Gordan Gano’s Army’s s/t bridges whatever gaps between the westerner and those overseas. Even with their cockney accents I had to second guess myself if they were from the states or not.
At first I thought it sounded too much like old Green Day, Kerplunk era. I consider myself an old Green Day connoisseur. The difference was guitar …

New Orleans based multi talented instrumentalist makes music that will stretch the ear. Get My Sound, Bernards debut, shows just what he can do. On the second song, the title track of the album, the listener is challenged that if we don’t get it, we’ll get in a little while, and we’ll be hooked like a junkie. Bernard sings the first two songs ala TV on the Radio. He’s like a poet with an espresso charge, and sometimes like a cup of sleepy time tea, a voice from a dream …

Typical of a Friday night in Berkeley, it was nearly impossible to find parking. I have a love hate relationship with the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. I hate getting to the Greek Theatre, but I love the Greek Theatre itself. Upon arrival though, my road rage dies down and is soon forgotten as the band takes the stage. Tonight was no different, especially considering that it was a completely sold out Sigur Ros show (capacity at the theatre is 8,000). The theatre is set on a hill and cement rows …

If you are like me and heard Duster back in 1998 when Up Records released Stratosphere you probably have the same estrangement. The disorganized names underneath the pictures, the commercial jets, the architecture, and never knowing if they were from Seattle or California.