Matisyahu @ The Fillmore 10/22/2009

That was an amazing night. It's always a treat to see Dub Trio backing up Matisyahu. I was not prepared for the sounds I was about to hear that night. It was your basic Thursday night down near the Fillmore and it was unusually warm for a late October night. We've been seeing warm nights in San Fran and it's not normal, especially here.

With the club air filled with pot and people walking around with apples, Matisyahu and his band stepped it up. The dub was quite heavy and we all liked it. Interesting note as well, the photographers up in the pit got yanked halfway through the second song. All night I was told there was an open photo policy and was never given a pass and obviously those guys had passes but someone didn't like it. That was just the start to an interesting night.

Elizabeth, the band to watch out for!

Just like the Queen herself, this band exudes royalty. They most recently opened for the Roots and Common at the Hennessy Artistry Series. They really can't be compared to any band out there right now. Their sound can be best described as a new brand of rock and roll. Every great rock band needs powerful vocals with Toneda Laiwan heading the crew. It's a concept that may be a lost art:

ELIZABETH the band. A concept based on England's Queen of the Golden Ages: Elizabeth the 1st. She represented consciousness, strength, wisdom, endurance, struggle, rebellion, faith, high fashion, passion, a love for the people and their right to choose. She didn't allow others to influence her decisions even to the point of death on her own life. She also had few within her court whom she could trust. She learned to trust those who helped assist her to rule the land and make it one of the wealthiest in the world.

ELIZABETH consists of a group of four individuals with one vision. To create music which they love and believe in without interference.



ELIZABETH is straight in your face Rock n Roll 3 guys 1 female. Guitar, Bass, Drum, and vocals. They write and produce original music with the assistance of a co-producer, Raymond Angry.

The vision is Toneda Laiwan's, the vocalist of the group. After one show on May 31st of 08', they decided to continue to work together. Rehearsing consistently they began to evolve, as did their sound.

The mission is set for ELIZABETH: To take this music everywhere, to the highest heights.

Toneda knows and believes this to be true: "The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack." - Rudyard Kipling.

This is the vision of Dave, Lex, Daru, and Toneda. Though obstacles are hit, they hold tight to the reigns and run with it.



iTunes link for Elizabeth

Helmet in the studio

Last week was pretty monumental. It was one of the best experiences of my life. It's kind of funny sitting here and thinking about the whole thing now. Be a fly on the wall while Page and Co. blow up Entourage studios...uhhhhhh. Dream come true? I wish we had met Page when they were recording Meantime, Betty, Strap it On, Monochrome...the list continues! We'll definitely be covering this more as we get all the video from the shoot up and going. This is must see for all Helmet fans.

Mono @ The Great American Music Hall

I was really excited to see Mono. Not because they share the same name as our little company over here, but because they really inspire me. One thing I did know, that they were going to be bloody loud. 120db? No problem. I had my earplugs ready to sit in with their sound check. Once they kicked it into full band it sure was deafening. But in a good way. I knew there would be hipsters all up in the front row without their earplugs, and I was correct. I saw a few head checks during their set, but man everyone was just way into the deep orchestrating. I use that term orchestral to describe Mono because their classical influence can be heard. It is obvious they structure their songs in the same vain as a composer would with peaks and valleys of crescendo and diminuendo's. Every song has a height that builds to sonic glory, with Taka and Yoda shoegazing their way through multiple delays and oscillating pedals. At one point during the performance you could see Taka using his guitar as a shield against the amp as his body provided a barrier of sorts bridging the gap from guitar and effects.



Tamaki who plays bass as well as keyboard provides the deep roots of the band. Her playing is so delicate as you see her swaying to an untimed beat keeping this nice pocket that allows Yoda and Taka to follow the rhythm while Yasunori (drums) waits to creep in. Yoda compliments Taka's playing very well. He starts a lot of the songs providing a layer of support and often times melody.





Taka really drives the bands direction. You can tell that each note was well thought out, there is no wasted playing. Often times he will double the notes with an octave to enhance the presence of the songs melody. I don't get a sense of over technical playing when I listen to Mono, there is more art in their music. This is a very special band.

Dave Bazan @ The Independent 10/01/2009

We're back from Los Angeles where we spent some time with Helmet who just so happens to be recording their next album. Buried deep in North Hollywood, they've been spending the good part of this week tracking what sounds like a killer record. Just before this trip down there, we had the opportunity to spend some time with one our favorite musicians David Bazan. His newest album "Curse Your Branches" is currently out and he started his official tour right here in San Fran.



Dave and his supporting band, members of Seattle favorite Say Hi took the stage right after an opening set. Immediately digging into songs from "Curse Your Branches" the band set a course for a very intimate night. The peak of the performance came when Dave busted into some Pedro tunes like "I Do" which seemed to be a crowd favorite. Bazan is continuing his tour all throughout the US.

Living Colour and Fishbone @ The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco 09/25/2009

We met a couple of guys who flew in from Calgary just to witness this show. Fishbone and Living Colour on the same bill??? I've got to tell you, Fishbone really got the place moving and Living Colour well let's just say they haven't lost anything. We met up with them before the show and it feels like they are really happy to get back out on the road. A long road is what they have as they don't see it ending until the end of December. That's a good 3 months of touring with a trip basically all over the world.



Fishbone kicked the night off with their usual blend of ska, jazz, funk, and punk. They were crazy!!! Jumping into the crowd to do some surfing. Their energy is still ripe and Angelo really gets everyone excited.



LC took the stage and it was over. They played tons of songs from their newest album. And then they rocked us with an encore that included a rendition of Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic". Great tribute.