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 was The Green Door. Dressed in their signature white (Bali style) clothing, the band got the event off to a great start. Some of the lineup had changed since I last saw them, with the moving of a few members around on instruments, and now playing as a 4 four-piece band instead of a five-piece. This change did not affect their sound in any way though. Lots of new material at the show I had not heard before, hopefully off their soon to be released album. The band has a nice blend of psych and country stylings, and I could see them rolling into any Southwest town on tour, and winning the locals over. Described as blending “raw and rhythmic desert sounds with driving 60s acid rock” is a good example of what to expect at their show. We talked about the name of the band with them after the performance, apparently stemming from a Bob Dylan comment about the “concept of a green door that stands as an image of mystery enclosing the individual’s perception of the outside world.” Perhaps that and the metaphorical doors of perception, with a mixture of the Green Man mythological archetype of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The Pagan symbol of spring! All that rain outside will make for very lush verdant green vegetation when the sun shines. The band helped musically usher in the Year of Dragon and the start of springtime in San Francisco.
Photography by Matt Robeson – whitelightprism.com
Silent Pictures have been on the scene for a while now, having not seen them since the Holiday on the Moon festival a few years ago, pre-COVID. This four-piece has kept their lineup and signature sound pretty solid, with both guitar players taking turns on lead vocals on different songs. The double guitars, along with a pile of guitar pedals, gave each song a real lush wash, almost like a post-punk band who produces their songs in a shoegaze style, but not necessity being a “shoegaze” band. There are perhaps some Bowie and Roxy music and Echo and the Bunnymen influences in there as well. The band played lots of new material off their third album, “Daydreams & Delusions.” The sound was incredible, especially the way the vocals rested, just nicely, on top of the wall of sound coming from the stage. For a hip Mission punk bar, the sound could easily just be OK, like in a place like the knockout, but Kilowatt Bar is more on par with the superb sound quality of Bottom of the Hill. It’s also the way the room is laid out, just enough ear room for everyone. Looking forward to hearing the new recorded songs from this band after hearing them live at this show.
Photography by emi – emi-arts.com
Photography by Matt Robeson – whitelightprism.com
Morrison Graves was the touring band of the evening. It’s always nice to have a bill with a touring band , and no bill should be without one in my opinion. That way, bands get to share their sounds live, and then network and socialize with other bands in the audience. Perhaps hearing some influences from the Screaming Trees and the Black Angels, the songwriting was very well crafted. The lead vocals were very soulful, with the lead singer getting lost in the music with his eyes closed at one point, getting lost in the lyrics, but still managing to man the controls to the “space synth.” Lots of guitar fuzz swirled around, with “heavy saturated” guitars, as this five-piece band has a very, very full sound. I’ve personally never seen so many guitar pedals on stage at once. I didn’t even recognize any of the pedals they had, and some had lights blinking and knobs that I have no idea what they did. It looked like a mini command deck of a starship up there. The band played some songs off their concept album about some of the social problems of their hometown in Portland. The bands main merch sticker was a reflected mirror print with sacred lines and geometry, one of the coolest stickers for a band I’ve seen in recent years, along with the Jim Morrison reference in their band name. The big surprise of their set came when they spaced things out even more with a live sitar on stage, along with bongos and shakers, for a nice chill part of their set. The audience loved this with their cameras coming out quickly, especially to get a few video clips and photos of this ultimate act of raga-psych rock fusion. The key to getting that unique sound out of the sitar was a little reverse delay reverb on it, as I was told by one band member after the show. Their set was very well received by the local audience, and the band said they would definitely be playing more SF shows, as they felt the love and comradery of the SF psych scene.
Photography by emi – emi-arts.com
Photography by Matt Robeson – whitelightprism.com
Local Psych hero’s, The Spiral Electric finished off the evening playing till the end of the night. This band has the hits, and all the times I’ve seen them over the years, I really don’t think they have any “filler” songs. Every song is unique in its own way. From heavy rifts to more Brit pop singalongs , they have a very diverse catalog of material now, with their most recent double album being recorded with Steve Kills of Dead Meadow. They have shared the stage with many well-known psych bands, and they currently hold the torch as being one of the best psych rock bands in SF. They always deliver a great performance, and the level of intensity on percussion is just unmatched by any other drummer on the scene. There are some dark themes in the lyrics, and heavy riffs, but by no means are they “metal” in any way. They put the “Space” in Space rock, and even have a custom drum head with a Rorschach inspired galaxy print. The guitar tones in this band are some of my favorites, really feeling the wash of warm reverb and delay wash over you like a deep river. This is just the band you want to watch after a nice toke and a cold beer in hand. It’s highly “listenable,” with a songwriting style reminiscent of a more traditional era, or even more of an English sensibility. They rock, but they also don’t forget to write melodies that you can take with you in your head after the show is over. There were some tributes to lost friends and family for the last song of the night, making the lyrics even more personal for the band members this time playing it live. A nice closer, with reverberated organ standing out from the other more guitar-driven tracks. The vocals were as soulful as it gets, and the band gave it their all for this last melodic closer. Another great night of psychedelic music in San Francisco. The rain had finally stopped, and the audience all went their separate ways as they disappeared into the night.
Photography by emi – emi-arts.com
Social Media Links:
https://www.thegreendoorband.com/
https://silentpictures.bandcamp.com/album/daydreams-delusions
