Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Ghosteater














"So I guess we must like something about each other... in my case it's Chris’ refrigerator. " -Steve Whitright

This week I have been lucky enough to interview Steve Whitright and Chris Norkoski the duo that together forms new upcoming band Ghosteater . Steve's quote from above was just one of the modest (and silly) answers given by the band in their interview, but before I give you any more juicy info on the guys first click the link and check out their music if you haven't already done so!

Take me to the music



You only have to listen for about 10 seconds before you are put in a trance by a sound no genre of music could describe. My favorite song that they have posted is Grandsire the voice is so light and pretty. Pretty in a way that can only be achieved by natural ability. Those who take continuous voice lessons can only hope to achieve such a melody. With the music so soft you may have a hard time noticing that the lyrics are really full of emotions.
"when you tried to fall out I forgot that we've got no souls to lose you were free then with a knife to your throat you threw out the bags of cash and then the vagrant's eyes spoke"





Merchandise To Stock Up On

T-SHIRTS


Indian' Shirt
Black ink on: red, purple, green, olive green, brown, light blue, dark grey, light grey, white/grey shirts. Specify size and color with backups. $6ppd


Choir' Shirt
Black ink on: red, purple, green, olive green, brown, light blue, dark grey, light grey, white/grey shirts. Specify size and color with backups. $6ppd

MUSIC


First Recordings (demo)' CD
Demo cdr. Free with postage or shirt. Available for download.


Our Ship Is Never Coming Home' CD
Forthcoming full length. More information coming soon.

ART


Phantom' Print
Sold out. New posters, stickers, buttons, etc. being made and will be available soon.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Low Sea Roar






Unsigned local band, Low Sea Roar falls under the shoegaze category of music.
Adam Hain. Andrea Caturegli, Brandon Thomas, and Jake Hosek come together to create a refreshing sound. This is the type of music I picture myself blasting in my car on a sunny day with my sunroof open and windows down. I first heard about this band from Adam himself who does bass, Hammond, synths, and vox. Like myself Adam is also a broadcasting student at San Francisco State studying focusing in audio production, and it shows. The quality of the Low Sea Roar’s music has earned them a spot at South By South West this March in Austin, Texas. SXSW is a huge festival that hosts hundreds of bands from around the world, playing on one of their 50 stages. If you are like me and are not able to go all the way to Texas to catch this band play they will be having an April 3rd show here in San Francisco at Annie’s Social Club.
Their Myspace profile features three of the songs off of their self-titled ep.









Upcoming Shows

Mar 12 2008 6:30P
Pete’s Bar (SXSW) Austin, Texas
Mar 13 2008 2:00P
The Parlor (SXSW) Austin, Texas
Mar 15 2008 9:30P
Pete’s Bar (SXSW) Austin, Texas
Apr 3 2008 9:00P
Annie’s Social Club San Francisco, California

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Better Than Aliens





As promised this weeks blog will be featuring the local indie-rock band Better Than Aliens. Though this was not intentional it also happens to be Valentines day, a day of love and chocolates! It seems appropriate for me to be featuring this particular band on a day that is devoted to celebrating those you love because this happens to be my boyfriend's band!

I have had the opportunity to watch this band since it first formed. The singer and keyboard player Marty Mattern was the initial creator, moving here from the East coast and was soon joined by drummer , Justin Pittman. The two played as a two-set for a few months before introducing the idea of having a bass player. There have been a few different bass players popping in and out of the group but finally they found their fit with Dan Leech.
In more recent times Better Than Aliens have been featured in some popular indie music related websites including The Bay Bridged and The SF Deli.

I conducted a short interview with the guys to give you the latest inside information




Why did you choose the name Better Than Aliens?


Marty - "It was inspired by a song called "better than aliens" by a band called "Self"; though we aren't using it in the same context. He's using the word "alien" to mean men from space, where as we're intending the word "alien" as in something which is foreign to you."

What is your greatest accomplishment so far as a band?


Marty - "When we booked the radio show at KZSU we had 20 minutes of material, however, the set on the radio was to be one hour long, with some talk between songs. We came up with an additional 30 minutes of material in 2 weeks!"


What do you guys have planned for the near future?


Justin - "within the end of this month (february) BTA will be underway recording a new EP with 5 new songs. We also have some shirts and stickers in the process!"

What is your favorite BTA song?

Marty - "In the Beginning."
Justin - "find"


What is your favorite local band?
Marty - "Mosshead"
Justin - "Mosshead!!"



BTA Supporters



Tuesday, February 5, 2008

"We are not groupies. Groupies sleep with rock stars because they want to be near someone famous. WE are Band-Aids. We're here for the music."




Who's that girl?
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la



I am what some like to refer to as narrow-minded, fake, judgmental, and bitchy, however, someone has to be that person. Though in the past I have been known to be a bit harsh on my “constructive criticism” I would like to take an opportunity to show off my better side, yes Amanda Mac notorious bitch of San Francisco has a nice side too. (See I even have a picture to prove it!)

Glancing around the blog one can assume that this is yet another music review page, however my background in music is not the typical musician gone reviewer. Instead I take on the behind the scenes roll, the person who drives equipment to shows, sends out those annoying friend requests to everyone on Myspace, and at the end of the night is the last one at the bar making sure all the gear gets back into the car. Yes that is correct, I am a musicians girlfriend.




What to expect next time

My blogsite is going to be a hybrid of review, interview, and witty commentary on the side. My next blog will be featuring indie/rock band Better Than Aliens


3 CD's That Will Get You On Your Feet!




BAND - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
ALBUM - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (self titled)
SONG - The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth


BAND - Of Montreal
ALBUM - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
SONG - Gronlandic Edit



BAND - Q And Not U
ALBUM - Power
SONG - Wonderful People





The title of my first blog was a quote from one of my favorite movies, "Almost Famous. To order your own copy click the photo!