Below the Stars is a quasi-weekly column that presents new music releases, upcoming exhibits, opinions, and plenty of different adjoining gadgets. We maintain shifting with the modifications, pondering outdoors the margins simply realizing…Each music scribe you want, hate, or simply troll for sport is about to unleash the Kraken actual quickly, friendo. 12 months Finish picks and opinions time is able to disrupt, like Elon Musk pestering a DJ to play some shitty music at a gig.
“I’ll purchase the membership if ya don’t.”
So pry your self away from the TV, detach your senses from listening to Fleetwood Mac hawk electrical autos to Gen-Z (RIP Christine McVie) and let’s dive into this week’s music picks earlier than the year-end blizzard of finest music lists hits…
MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN RETURNS WITH BIG PUNK QUEER/FEMME ENERGY
Listed below are two names type the previous that may nonetheless get a large swath of hearts beating arduous: Feminist pop heroes Le Tigre (taking part in their first Bay Space gig in 15 years) and native rabble-rousing legends Gravy Practice!!! These queer-centric heroes nonetheless have loads of anarchy in them (regardless of associations with turn-of-the-century “electroclash”), so that they’re a go to headline the newest version Mosswood Meltdown, simply introduced this minute for July 1 and a couple of. They’ll be joined by Tina & the Whole Babes, the Rondelles, and Quintron & Miss Pussycat plus extra to be introduced. John Waters returns for hilarious internet hosting duties. Tickets go on sale Fri/9 at 9am here.
DARK ENTRIES OPENING A STORE
Dark Entries, based in 2009 in San Francisco, is understood for releasing and preserving obscure Italo disco, synth pop, boogie, home, and different darkish synthesizer-curated music. Latest EP launch Malebox EP by the late disco legend Patrick Cowley is a chief instance of the label’s dedication to high quality music others are inclined to miss. It’s a label fueled by impressed nerd core vitality from the snout to the tooter.
Don’t consider me? The imprint is called after the primary 7″ single by the UK goth band Bauhaus. George Horn, a chief engineer within the tremendous artwork of mastering data, identified for his three-decade run at Fantasy Studios, accumulating over 50 years of expertise within the subject, remastered every Darkish Entries launch to take care of the integrity of sound and manufacturing up till his passing on the age of 87 final yr.
They don’t play.
So, if you happen to work as a DJ in San Francisco and also you don’t have a minimum of one Darkish Entries File in your bag, you may wish to hit the reset button and reevaluate your priorities.
After 13 years of existence, they’re opening a physical record store at 910 Larkin Avenue in San Francisco on December 10, with DJs Carlos Souffront, Topazu, and Jeremy Castillo spinning from 6-9 pm on the launch celebration.
Swing by with money; it’ll be going to trigger.
FRED P OUT ALL NIGHT (SHALL NOT FADE)
In a current profile piece in DJ Mag, Queens-born, Berlin-based Home music producer Fred Peterkin aka Fred P revealed that through the pandemic, he solely noticed 4 individuals whereas holed up in his condo in Germany for a complete yr. When the borders opened up, he returned to New York and jetted to a cabin upstate to reconnect with nature.
“I discovered myself out within the woods, and located a type of peace of thoughts within the silence,” he stated. “It gave me an opportunity to return again to myself on an actual stage as a result of I used to be on the market. Then I began to listen to the music once more, and it had a profound impact on me. It was a possibility to recreate a relationship first with myself, after which with how I write music, and put all of it collectively and possibly redefine the connection.”
The fruits of that reconnection may be discovered on the completely shifting EP Out All Night time, the place his recollections of membership life assist to gas this return to Peterkin preparations at their optimum. Decide it up here.
DIJAHSB, “KHADIJAH,” LIVING SIMPLE EP
On their new observe “KHADIJAH”, DIJAHSB is a contemporary grasp at presenting vibe, circulate, and tone. It’s mellow hip-hop chi, steeped in lived-in moments, that truly packs hit-the-rewind-button sort punch. Named to the 2021 Shortlist of the Polaris Prize (the coveted award for songwriters in Canada), this Toronto emcee focuses on lo-fi manufacturing that frames their wordsmith acumen to sting when wanted however nonetheless folds throughout the material of a observe. Utilizing narratives that low-key converse to the realities of LGBTQ+ on a regular basis targets, it’s human common, that mos def bites when wanted, however largely rolls alongside like a traditional r&b hook.
Pre-order Dwelling Easy here.
BLUES LAWYER “CHANCE ENCOUNTERS” ALL IN GOOD TIME (DARK ENTRIES)
Have you ever ever saved lacking a band play? Irritating, proper? That’s my cope with Blues Lawyer, the Oakland-based four-member outfit with the cool joker identify which has a brand new album popping out quickly on Darkish Entries (see above). Rob Miller, the band’s main songwriter, informed the East Bay Express in June that their identify took place from working on the Ravenous Musician Guitar Retailer in Berkeley.
“We had an inside joke to consult with the form of clientele who purchased costly guitars to indicate off of their man caves. Weekend warrior guys. We known as them Blues Attorneys. They’d purchase a classic Gibson Les Paul for $5,000. No working musician goes to spend that a lot on a guitar. My automobile didn’t even value that a lot. After I began the band with Elyse, it was going to be a throwaway facet challenge that will exist for a couple of exhibits, between the issues we have been doing in different bands. If I knew we have been going to change into an actual band and make three data, I’d have used one thing else, however right here we’re.”
At all times talked about in conversations with bookers, writers, or band members from numerous native outfits as “you gotta see them” or “you simply missed them.” I’m listening to their new single “Likelihood Encounters” on repeat for about 20 minutes now, in hopes of getting a dial on some form of proximity to their resilience.
This, dare I say, pop-friendly tune gives the look a monumental shift in 2023 is about to happen by means of that fourth file.
“I’m all a few change of surroundings,” lyrics pointing to relationships and or eating places, sung in full three-person harmonies towards punk preparations. Earlier ironical slants from earlier releases are transposed into killer pop hooks and swirling refrains, indicating the ship be shifting into deeper waters.
We are able to catch them opening for Kelly Stoltz at Backside of The Hill on January 20. Seize these tickets here.
OSEES AT UC THEATER, DECEMBER 9
We write about Jon Dwyer and his band, Osees, (who maintain altering their identify) as a lot as Rolling Stone Journal had The Beatles on their cowl. For these preserving observe, that’s 30 instances.
Dwyer and his musical organizations are arguably as necessary to San Francisco rock and roll as John, Paul, George, and Ringo have been to Jann Weiner hawking copies.
Dwyer has been getting and preserving punk bizarre for over 20 years and a nickel. Fascinating, edgy, proggy, and ingenious. He’s messed with the medium (from acoustic to electro), disrupted the remuneration of his band members (everybody will get paid equally), and nonetheless sells out all of his Bay Space engagements.
Josh Rotter did a superb interview with him in September for us at 48hills which it’s essential to learn.
For 3 sold-out nights at The Chapel in September, Osees introduced out largely 400 sweaty, grizzled, unshaven, smelly AF white dudes amidst the ability grid in California at dangerously excessive ranges.
The intense warmth was inflicting the ceiling of the venue to perspire. Intermittent drops of condensation saved lacking my very tasty Moscow Mule.
It was freaking scorching. A non-James Brown sort of funk was within the air.
However when Dwyer and his insanely gifted band blasted into picks from their current launch A Foul Type, Dwyer’s tribute to hardcore bands he grew up to-Unhealthy Brains, Stooges, Black Flag-shit was on and popping and the room was fortunately in a state of dishevelment, it was like clockwork.
And that’s what you’ll be able to count on once they take the stage on the UC Theater on December 9.
Get tickets here.
