Photography by emi – emi-arts.com Another winter rainy night in the Mission, San Francisco. Even though it was the first of the month, and pouring down rain, the show was still a great turnout. There was no DJ, no lightshow; just four solid bands from SF, the East Bay, and Portland. Turnovers were fast, and each band played a lengthy set, getting warmed up and hitting the grooves very fast. Drug and sex movies played behind the bar on TV screens, and lots of photographers were in attendance, as this event was highly documented. New and old friends were all there, like any good SF psych show. Opening the night…
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Knockout 10.27.23 – Psyched! Fest 2023. Reckling, Annabelle Chairlegs, Daydream Twins, The Grizzled Mighty and WIFE
I attended Psyched! Fest 2023 show at the Knockout on October 27th, one of multiple shows sponsored by Psyched! Radio SF. This was the sixth show in their series of shows in San Francisco. This was the smallest of all the shows, showcasing bands in a smaller and more intimate venue, where they could interact with the crowd in all their Halloween costumes. There was a DJ set by 13 Angels, playing some good standards like The Smiths and others, to set the mood of the show in between sets, “spinning melodic enchantments that will transport you to otherworldly dimensions,” but it’s also hard to hear the DJ at the…
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Music Box Presents – Kilowatt Bar 4.1.23
Everyone was on the guest list for this event, and it wasn’t just an April fool’s joke. Music Box Presents hosted an amazing night of psychedelic and new wave rock music at the Kilowatt Bar on this past April 1st , 2023. It’s amazing the amount of people that come out of the woodwork for a free rock show in San Francisco. Not only did lots of denizens of the SF psych scene make an appearance, lots of just average people going out on a Saturday night in the Mission District also got to be exposed to some really good original music from two really talented new bands. Alongside friends…
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The Black Angels – “Wilderness of Mirrors”
The Black Angels are back with their newest album in five years, Wilderness of Mirrors. Recorded over the course of two years during the pandemic, these 15 songs are a sonic rock attack, with a sense of urgency heard within. Post-apocalyptic scenarios, environmental destruction, and the falling of empires and institutions are mirrored in the lyrics and themes of each song. The album is a psychedelic editorial on the state of the world today as seen from a band who has toured internationally, but still stays true to their roots in Austin, Texas. Just like the haunting electric sounds associated with The 13th Floor Elevators before them, The Black Angels…
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The Stargazer Lillies – “Cosmic Tidal Wave”
Starting “Lit like the Sun,” Kim Field’s lush vocals wash over the stratospheric mood of this opening track, like they’re emanating from the source of the center of this solar system. “Any color can be bright, but it takes all to produce daylight.” Vast expanses of space and time transverse perfectly, reflecting the album’s title “Cosmic Tidal Wave.” An epic album opener, it set the stage for the rest of the astral journey over the course of the solid nine song album. “Bending the lines” is the second track, having more of a bounce, and creating a nice low-key dance vibe after the cosmic voyage of the album opener. Smooth…
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Aoife Nessa Frances has returned with a new album, Protector
Aoife Nessa Frances has returned with a new album, Protector, on Partisan records. Starting off the album is the calm track, “Way to Say Goodbye.” The soothing vocals are mixed over a mid-tempo beat, with a creative use of brass and strings that softly creep up in the mix, which opens the door to the rest of the album. “This Still Life” has a similar vibe and production. “Emptiness Follows” has a fantasy acoustic-type vibe with shimmering keyboards and/or mellotron. Harps and Brass accentuate the chorus, giving it a timeless feel and the hearing of music on a grand scale. The next track, “Only Child” features a toe-tapping minimal beat,…