Thee Parkside 6.28.25 | Hangtown | The Green Door | The Love Dimension

Thee Parkside | San Francisco | 6.28.2025

San Francisco is always busy with events the last week of June. From birthday parties to street festivals, to Pride activities and parades, there is a lot going on. The fog either rolls in at a certain time or burns off in the afternoon, creating that classic San Francisco “Hills and Clouds” environment. With everything going on though, this double album release show was the premiere psych event of the week. It was very fitting for this picture-perfect San Francisco summer day, as the sun gave a golden glow over Potrero Hill, with the fog encircling Twin Peaks in the distance like a giant cloud fortress. People lounged in the back beer garden of Thee Parkside lounge, chilling to the Ravi Shankar records being played as a warmup record for DJ Mr. Robinson’s set, tying the show together with a fantastic selection of rare psych on vinyl throughout the evening.

Hangtown took to the stage first. Despite not having the best monitor mix, and after taking a song or two to warm up, the band delivered an energetic and entertaining set of songs to kickstart the show. Described as “post-apocalyptic spaghetti western surf rock,” the band does indeed embody this sound. Long instrumentals full of epic moments transport the audience into a cinematic musical world of the mind. However, in between these sonic journeys, the band has a handful of 90s inspired “radio singles,” with more traditional arrangements and vocals being expressed in the music. I found this to be a nice changeup throughout their set, with the dynamic shifts between the two modes of the band being felt at each transition. The more 90s inspired songs stuck out as uniquely different compared to the rest of their western inspired set, which I wasn’t expecting. There are almost two uniquely different modes to this band, which I have not seen in a while: the idea of having two distinct genres in one band. A new acoustic guitarist and vocalist joined Hangtown recently, giving this 5-piece band a nice wall of sound with just raw guitar and bass, without the need for many effects. The percussionist was on fire their whole set, playing at 100% intensity nonstop. I was impressed with his skills in particular driving the whole band’s overall energetic sound. It can get hot on that stage, and the band played through its “post-apocalyptic” set, playing a little longer than an opening band would. This was good, as the summer sun was still low in the sky, and some people were still arriving. It’s good for an opening band to play long at points, especially if it doesn’t bump the other acts. No opening band should leave the stage when the sun is still shining, and the energy they brought to the whole show paid off, setting the stage for the other acts to follow. They had a cool merch table as well with cassette tapes for sale, one album having an appropriate “Creepshow” theme.

All photography by emi | emi-arts.com

The Green Door took the stage dressed in their signature all-white clothing. (The sun gets hot out there in the cosmic country!) Playing all new songs off their album “Dead Stock,” it was nice to finally hear these new songs as the band takes their time with their music, only releasing an album every six years or so. With some minimal stage projections reflecting off their white clothing, they tore into their brand-new material, with brand new vinyl also for sale, fresh off the record press. “Blending raw, rhythmic desert sounds with driving 60s acid rock, The Green Door beckons the listener into a landscape evocative of the wild, uncompromising west themes of the 1960s with a mind-bending, psychedelic twist.” This consistent theme for the band is evident in all their music videos and merchandise, which reflects optical art, desert landscapes, animal skeletons and skulls, and psychedelic keyholes that offer a glimpse into their “Dream-western” psych sonic landscapes. All three bands utilized a song or two with some tambourine as well, which kind of tied all the sets of the bands together, as this instrument was highly respected and represented at this show. All the bands had their “Ennio Morricone” moments as well, with crisp guitar picking close to the bridge and some Fender tremolo for those spaghetti western tones.

You can find our album review of The Green Door | Dead Stock by Nathan Rose here.

Check out The Green Door at Kilowatt on this Sunday at 7 pm, November 9, 2025 (The show is free)

All photography by emi | emi-arts.com

The Green Door | Thee Parkside | 6.28.25

The Love Dimension are an “Ever expanding sacred psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll music collective that creates sonic architecture for the benefit of all sentient beings across the multi-verse,” and so much more. I’ve often described them as the band with the best karma in rock, being part of the San Francisco rock scene for quite a while now. Throughout all their incarnations and eras with different band members, they have always maintained a consistent sense of optimism, musical shamanism, and positive lyrics. All seven members provide a unique mix and blend of personalities and music showmanship, all living in or around the San Francisco bay area. It’s hard to imagine this band being formed in any other place. While maintaining their sound of ’60s psych rock, they have slowly embraced a surf and cosmic country sound over the years. This album leans into those country guitar vibes more than previous albums and shows, with their set also including a Byrds and Flying Burrito brothers cover sprinkled in: ” Wasn’t Born to Follow,” and “Break My Mind,” respectively. While aware of the “Blues,” this band would rather focus on the light, looking on the bright side of life to reflect on their audience as they play. A positive Blues band for once! The songs have a universal perspective and exalted levels of insight and advice at points, urging us to climb on out of our collective mental despair, to songs with a chorus that reaffirms that in the end: “We will be ok.”. It can’t be cloudy all day, the sun will eventually shine. Overall this was a solid lineup of a vinyl DJ and bands, all complimenting each other nicely. Lots of old and new friends were there, some being introduced to these bands for the first time. By the time the show was over, the fog had rolled into the entire city – creating a vibe as people left the venue, wandering off into the mythic night.

You can find our album review of The Love Dimension | BALANCE by Shaelan Walker here.

All photography by emi | emi-arts.com