It’s hard to get people out to a rock concert on a Sunday night at 9 pm. It’s not necessarily a party night for everyone. However, often bands are on tour, and one plans their whole weekend around when they will be in town because they are just that good and can’t be missed. The Asteroid No. 4 and Elephant Stone show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco was one of those shows. No matter what was happening that weekend, one had to make it out to support a band like this when it was playing a local show. The third band slated to be on the bill, the opening act, had to cancel – but in hindsight, it would have been too packed of a bill. Both Asteroid No. 4 and Elephant Stone have fairly large draws anyway, and it allowed them more time for their sets, more socialization between the crowd, and less of a rushed pace for a chill Sunday psych show. There were some familiar SF psych people at the show, but I couldn’t help but notice a more mainstream SF audience in attendance, with my one friend joking about “tech bros.” This is a good sign though, as the bands are reaching out and gaining a new, wider audience. Hats off to the professionalism of both bands who roll into town with their act, setup and breakdown of all this heavy and complex musical gear, and “ace” playing the set. The bands make this look easy!
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All photography by emi for Pow Magazine | – emi-arts.com
I had not seen Asteroid No. 4 play live in a while. They put out a whole album or so without me realizing it, so it was nice to hear some of these new songs live for the first time. The band has a lush sound with two guitars, being processed through many guitar pedals to give the stage vibe a very warm feel. Dynamic shifts, soft relaxed vocals, and crisp drum fills could be heard very easily with the above average sound at Bottom of the Hill. Though it is a small venue, it has always been known for its sound, and bands with lots of effects and pedals do stand out there. There was such a nice mix of guitars, both distorted and lush, and everything felt mixed perfectly and in the right place. Some of the new songs could have been off a My Bloody Valentine EP, while others shared a similar songwriting style heard on Asteroid No. 4’s previous albums like “Collide,” a “fierce” shoegaze sound that has bite, but at the same time flows like water without being too overly aggressive. The band has a huge catalog to choose from at this point, so it was interesting to see what songs they featured during this set. The crowd took note when they played the fan favorite, “Windmill of the Autumn Sky.” This cosmic country-type ballad has always been a highlight of the band for me. Knowing the band currently resides in Marin County, it reminds me of sun shining through leaves falling off the trees, with a nice sunset over the pacific ocean. The band ended their set with a cover song by the UK band, Adorable. The lead singer sang it perfectly, with passion, like it was a song they wrote themselves. I would say the Asteroid #4 are the premier Neo-psych band in Northern California, and I never miss a chance to see them play.
All photography by emi | emi-arts.com
Headlining the evening was the premier Neo-psych band from Montreal, Canada, Elephant Stone. After the set, I confessed to the keyboard player of the band that Elephant Stone was one of the best psych bands from Canada, which he jokingly responded, “There are other Canadian psych bands?” And yes there are, but not psych with the mod/sitar element that this band is known for in the traditional ’60s sense. Opening up the set with a Sitar raga, followed by playing some psych songs, and then back to some space sitar jams, the set felt very flowing with a nice blend in their set. There was even enough time for some endearing playful stage banter, making fun of Americans in general and their obsession with football. Ha. This band knows where their dynamics shifts are as well, and when to play loudly and softly, giving the audience that psych jolt when the wall of sound kicks back in to knock you back a bit. The lead singer and sitar player played the whole set barefoot, jumping back and forth between bass and sitar. Hopefully there was no broken glass on stage, but they are professionals. The band had played a few shows on tour before this show, so they were nice and warmed up to roll into town and play some psych raga in top form. There was some great synth and guitar work, creating a nice Gary Numan vibe on a few songs. Once again, the amazing sound system and engineering at Bottom of the Hill allowed for the audience to really hear deep in to the mix, especially with the live sitar, which can sometimes be hard to mix with other instruments, let alone keep in tune on stage moving it around. Everything sounded spectacular. The band ended with a cover of the Beatles “Norwegian Wood” to the surprising delight of the crowd. This may be been the first sitar song I ever heard when I was younger, so it was nice to hear their version of it live. On a side note, the back garden of the Bottom Hill venue has a stone bench, shaped like an elephant! The band laughed when one fan pointed that out after the show. What are the chances that would be there? Though the band’s recordings are psych and produced well, they have an edge to them live with their song selections, and the live energy inserted on stage hits a little differently than their studio work. The sitar interludes, and sitar psych jams at the end of their set, make for a nice musical journey overall. There is something magical about hearing a live sitar on stage, and also it played so well. It’s an integral part of the Elephant Stone sound, not just someone off on a song. The band made a great impression on San Francisco. Anytime Elephant Stone is playing in California I make it a point to see them.
All photography by emi | emi-arts.com
Social Media Links:
Elephant Stone –
https://www.youtube.com/elephantstone
https://www.facebook.com/ElephantStoneHQ
THE ASTEROID No. 4 –
https://theasteroidno4.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/theasteroidno4
https://www.instagram.com/theasteroidno4
