See Moir Music: Early January
I’ve been snoozing and dancing a lot lately, so this one covers all of January, but I’ll pop back around in a couple weeks with an update.
Where I’ll Be
Pulled the trigger on this. The lineup was just too good to pass up. Still slightly bummed that Rodriguez Jr. was at The Great Northern for Breakfast of Champions, but the lineup for him was just not improving while the one for Fresh Start doubled in excellence. I made it through half of Fresh Start, and would’ve made it through the whole thing if I’d showed up closer to 2pm instead of noon and gotten some more sleep before heading back out. But the set times changed last minute, so no regrets! Also turned out that Rodriguez Jr. was playing indoors at The Great Northern and the line was too long to see him. Also Elax got sick. 🤷🏻♀️
Fri 1/3 — Nora En Pure at 1015 Folsom
How will I rally? I’m not sure, but it’s “close by” and I’ll know people there, so I’m making it happen. Yes I’m on my way out soon.
Sun 1/19 — Leon Vynehall and Oona Dahl at 1015 Folsom
My parents are in town and it’s MLK weekend and I have barely listened to either of these artists so this should be an ideal DJ set, right?
Fri 1/24 — Jody Wisternoff and James Grant: Anjunadeep 11 Release Party at Audio
I barely listen to these two, but I’m planning on this based solely on the strength of Anjunadeep. Either way, they’re playing all night so it’s a win win for my snoozes if I get tired and decide to leave early.
Sat 1/25 — Motion City Soundtrack at The UC Theatre
MCS were my favorite band all through high school. I’ve seen them once as part of their own show, and once at Warped Tour. That’s way too few times for one of my favorite bands. They broke up and reunited, and this is their “Don’t Call It A Comeback” tour, so I’ll be there scream-singing along.
Conflicts and considerations
Sat 1/4 — Anthony Attala at Audio (Free!)
He played an awesome set when I saw him play at the Toolroom takeover at the SF Mint. However, I’m exhausted so I’m staying home from this.
Thu 1/16 — Deep House Yoga with DJ Femmelectric at Public Works
I met DJ Femmelectric at the history of house music event that I went to. She’s great, this should be a fun time.
Fri 1/17 — Rex Orange County at Fox Theater (sold out)
I recently listened to him talk about his latest album on the Broken Record podcast with Malcolm Gladwell. But it’s sold out, and I’m busy.
Fri 1/17 — Miniature Tigers at Rickshaw Stop
Their song The Wolf is a delight. Recommended for indie fans.
Sat 1/18 — ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead at Bottom of the Hill
This is one of those bands that a lot of people I know listen to, but I do not. All the shows at Bottom of the Hill are a good time tho.
Wed 1/22 — Maverick Sabre at Rickshaw Stop
His song I Need is a thing of beauty but it’s the only song of his I know. Another one just cropped up in the Said the Gramophone roundup list and my Release Radar playlist, but still isn’t quite cuttin it.
Wed 1/29 — Wolf Parade at The Fillmore
Remember that stretch of a few years where it seemed like every band had wolf in the name? This is one of the good ones. Debating based on the strength of Yulia and my memories.
Fri 1/31 — Com Truise at 1015 Folsom
He’s someone I always think I’ll like, but I never really quite do. Very synthwave but not my speed somehow.
Just Announced
Coachella! I won’t be going, but I’m looking forward to SFchella and couchella. Festivals stress me out due to logistics and crowds, so I prefer small ones (Just Like Heaven, Pitchfork) or ones where I have a singular goal (e.g., see Jamie XX DJ) so that if the rest is a wash, I don’t mind.
Other notes
Recent great releases
I am behind on actual great releases, I think maybe. I listened to mostly DJ sets while traveling for the holidays, and these were my favorites of those:
I also made my way through some tracks that Said the Gramophone shared as their favorites of 2019; of the ones I downloaded I liked the tracks by: Vampire Weekend, Maggie Rogers, Zlatan, KH, Angel Olsen (who almost sounds like a modern Rilo Kiley in that track), Daphni, Sampa the Great, and Beirut. Plus, dare I say it, Coldplay. Also worth noting that a Maverick Sabre track made the list.
Shazamming while Dancing
My last month ended up fairly unevenly stacked… here’s the roundup!
Franc Moody at Rickshaw Stop was excellent live, they promised they’d be back in March this year so keep an ear out (and I’ll keep you posted on what I hear!). Such a grooving good time, and I’d barely listened to them. Highly recommend! 💃🏻
Sebastian at Great American Music Hall was delightfully bassy. He played a few tracks off his latest album Thirst but I’m convinced he’ll never play Embody. Ever. The opener, MPHD was local and a delight. I’d see him again (and I did, at Tourist the next night, but he was just attending…. small world). 🙃
Tourist (and Swim Mountain and Matthew Dear) at Mezzanine was so nice. Tourist is just entrancing live, with a tension-filled set. Swim Mountain was fine, and Matthew Dear varied between danceable songs and crooning I-don’t-know-whats, so I left before his set was done. RIP Mezzanine. I want more SoundCloud sets by Tourist especially to make up for the fact that I shazammed nothing. 🏝
Deadmau5 played with Justin Martin and Qrion at Billy G. I got there too late to hear Qrion’s set, but damn have I been sleeping on Justin Martin. His set was excellent, and I might have liked it more than Deadmau5’s set. Deadmau5’s banter and sense of humor, combined with the technical execution of his show, made for a great time tho. Pam shazammed this one. 🐭
Bonobo and Chrome Sparks on NYE were fun, but largely unoriginal. Bonobo’s set was fairly similar to the two Outlier sets he played in the summer (as well as his fabric set). But I still stayed til 3am dancing. I was pleased Chrome Sparks played Could Heaven Ever Be Like This right at the end of 2019, but I’m bummed a song called Marijuana was the first thing I heard in 2020. Can’t be helped! 🙉
I saw Verik, Sacha Robotti, and Moon Boots at Fresh Start at the Midway, but was too tired to stay for the rest of the stacked lineup. Oops! Had an incredible time dancing and snacking while I was there at least. Day parties make for excellent people watching and juice is the best drink for a dance party. 10/10 very few regrets. 🌚
Read Moir Music
I’m still groggily coming back from being on vacation, even for fun things like this! Of note over the break is that 8tracks shut down. I never used them, but they were very popular in college while people were making Grooveshark playlists, and their platform plus the community pioneered the notion of a shareable streamable playlist built around a mood or a task. Read the whole post from the founders, but it’s interesting to realize that a vibrant community wasn’t enough to keep paying for the music that their community was compiling into playlists.