Noisepop's 20th St Block Party

NOISEPOP 20TH ST. BLOCK PARTY

MISSION DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

18 AUGUST, 2018

TOTAL BETTYS

THE SHE'S

Year #6 of Noisepop's 20th St Block Party, the Mission District music and food festival, had the weather's blessing, and a varied and engaging bill. Our highlights of the day included catching up with The She's, whose history with Noise Pop goes back a long way. Late last year saw the release of their newest full-length, all female rock and roll quartet. Having played together since the 7th grade, the SF locals qualified as veterans in the context of the lineup. We've had our eye on Total Bettys ever since their first single and debut LP, and finally made the live connection. They more than lived up to it, holding court at Do The Bay's Bandwagon stage, and showing off a clutch of promising new songs. We look forward to what's next.

Discovery of the day took the form of The Marias, who offered up a memorable set. The LA band is blowing up pretty quickly, and there's a few chances coming up to catch them, in the Bay, on their home turf, or somewhere in between.Shoutouts also due to Oakland's Small Crush, who kept the vibe happening at the Bandwagon Stage, and Broken Compass, youngsters who had the daunting task of kicking off the main stage, but already look comfortable in their surroundings.

Capping off the day, Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb The Music Industry) tore up the Main Stage with a fiery set. Currently riding high with Post-, and supported with a crack band, Rosenstock never let the energy level flag. Compacted into a couple of blocks in the Mission District, the 20th St Block Party was the perfect oasis to hide away in the middle of the city, and whoever paid off Karl The Fog to disappear for the day...it was worth it.

JEFF ROSENSTOCK

TOTAL BETTYS

THE MARIAS

THE SHE'S

SMALL CRUSH

BROKEN COMPASS

street scenes

Noise Pop '15: No Joy

NOISE POP '15

NO JOY

W/DEVON WILLIAMS, VANIISH, and CHASMS

BOTTOM OF THE HILL, SAN FRANCISCO

27 FEBRUARY, 2015
 

The Sleater-Kinney road trip put a giant hole in the month of February, selling out my traditional venture to San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival. In lieu of the whole shot, I picked one show, and it was a winner. Montreal's No Joy put together a handful of West Coast shows around this appearance, with this night featured a particularly loaded lineup. Returning to Bottom Of The Hill, a beacon amidst the warehouses of the Avenues, an early arrival was imperative, considering... Things kicked off in the most literal of ways, with the reverential noisescapes of Chasms, riding the wave of last years Subtle Bodies LP, setting up the darkwave of VANIISH, with Keven Tecon (Wax Idols) stepping out to bring his visions to life, transforming a stellar debut into something much more on stage, with the help of his intuitive band, also featuring Wax Idols' Amy Rosenoff. Having found a home on Slumberland Records,  LA's Devon Williams skewed the mood with a set heavy on the power pop goodness, but with enough rough edges to keep the crowd engaged. With a new LP on the horizon in the summer, it was back to business time for No Joy, and the quartet led by guitarists Laura Lloyd and Jasamine White-Gluz stayed true to form, unleashing melodic treats both new and old, cocooned in waves of shredded guitar. Banging through their set with little formality or pause, just pure sonic assualt, and before you knew it, they were laughing and tearing down their equipment, the job done.

NO JOY

 

DEVON WILLIAMS

VANIISH

CHASMS