May 12th: Leopold and His Fiction, The Lovetones, and Greg Ashley at Hemlock Tavern

Leopold and His Fiction is a spoonful of lovin’ in musical form. Somehow they manage to turn music with a strong 60s brit-pop influence into quintessential journeyman’s americana. Their energy level is high and their stories are low-down; blues rock never sounded more buoyant and traveling down old lonely roads never sounded quite so fun. This is a must-see show and their most recent album, Ain’t No Surprise, is a must-buy. In fact, here’s a selection off that album: Katie Mae

The good times will keep on rolling with the honkey-tonk psychedelics (with a hint of Doves) of Australia’s The Lovetones, and California’s own Greg Ashley, who has a song titled Apple Pie and Genocide. Yes, you read that correctly and if that doesn’t make you curious enough to mosey on down to Hemlock then I just don’t know what will.

May 13th: Downer Party, Tasso, Ovideo, and Blammos at the Elbo Room

If you combined Karen Oh’s slickness with Corin Tucker’s urgency and wrapped up in post-punk packaging, you’d have The Downer Party. And don’t forget to inject a bit of explosive teenage adrenaline. All in all, what we have here is a party and who doesn’t like to party, especially when one of the songs being played for you encourages you to “get naked and dance” (Being a Teenager is Free Palestine). But hold on, hold on: what’s up with their feud with fellow San Fran musicians, Photons?

There’s only one way to settle this: go see them play; Photos play Hemlock Tavern on the following night, May 14th. Also on the docket is TASSO, a bad-ass lady who knows how to manhandle moody blues with raw talent and a guitar, Ovideo, whose tagline is ENTHUSIASM, and Blammos, who’s coquettishly addictive pop music defies description.

May 14th: Graham Patzner at The Hotel Utah

 If you don’t feel like investigating the Downer Party-Photons feud Part 2, I cannot get enough of Graham Patzner‘s song Blind Saint. Perhaps because it’s a song about wandering and I am, as ever, a Vagabond, but it may also be how he literally screams his soul into the microphone; his voice is unmitigated emotion (trembling and troubled) and his guitar strings are almost relegated to the status of mere props. Plus, he writes poetry such as this one titled Granite Dreams:

BY THIS TIME TONIGHT THE GROSS AIR HAS CHANGED FORM AND BECOME CLEAN.

Because I can’t stand the site of a line or your soul patch, or because there will be chaos in that name you utter so quietly in the pew away from the laughter you thought was pointing at you outside of the fucking temple.

I bit my fingernails tonight.

 

SEal.

May 15th: Headlights with Loney Dear, and Audio Out Send at Bottom of the Hill

Headlights‘ music will get stuck in your head in such a way that it actually puts a bounce in your step and suddenly you’re light as a feather, fancy free. If I were a psychotherapist I would most definitely prescribe this music to manic depressives. I mean, shit, their song Cherry Tulips…it makes me want to throw a sock-hop, gather all my friends around me and just pop out with good old fashioned fun!!

 

All that goodness plus Audio Out Send‘s pleading indie rock vocals, which will get you in touch with yourself, and the delightfully Swedish, Loney Dear.

May 16th: I Can’t Decide (They’re All So Freakin’ Good)

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Telekenises, Everything Now at Great American Music Hall

As Tall as Cliffs by Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s (Check out how rad San Fran is!):

Scout Niblett at Hemlock Tavern (probably where I’ll be)

Here’s Scout playing a Black Cab Session:

Sean Hayes and The Botticellis at The Independent

If you like indie folk music (such as Sufjian Stevens or Ray LaMontagne), Sean Hayes is your altar. Here he is singing Flowering Spade:

And, with their song Stay With My Brother, The Botticellis:

May 17th: Battle of the Surfin’ Bands at The Hotel Utah (at 1p.m.) 

This is a sweet little afternoon. The Utah has really good food and this is the perfect concert to help send you into the summer. Featuring: Pollo Del Mar, The Pyronauts, The Neptunes, The TomorrowMen, The El Dorados, The DeadBeats, The Twang Tens, Blue Moodys, The Outer Edge, The Wander-Ins & The Reef Riders. And all the proceeds go to the sponsor, KFJC Radio!!. So wax your board and come get your surf on!