No Vacation live at SloDoCo

NO VACATION

SLODOCO

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

04 JUNE, 2017

Every once in a while, the Venue Gods will smile, and on this Sunday night, no less, we found it fit to tuck into the cozy confines of SloDoCo, AKA the San Luis Obispo Donut Company. Mmmm...donuts. San Francisco's No Vacation was our actual reason for being there. The dream-pop five piece is in the midst of a West Coast tour, both alone and with The Bilinda Butchers. Having spent the afternoon at KCPR, the local campus station, they were immediately on the road to San Diego afterward. The run up to the release of their new EP, (on San Diego's Top Shelf Records), is picking up steam, backed by the pair of singles released so far. First single "Mind Fields", buried late in their set, was a definite high point, with the band's penchant for fake endings giving way to a rocking coda. The back room was filled up for the all-ages gig, and the quintet barely fit the small stage, with range of motion not being up for discussion. They funneled it back into the music, and were sharp all the way through.  In more ways than one, a band to keep an eye on. (simple Bavarian Cream, thanks for asking, and it was delicious...)

 

No Age Hits The Trail

NO AGE

DRUG APTS

BEARCATS

WAREHOUSE ON MARS

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

25 JANUARY, 2017

Amidst a blitz up and down California, we caught up with LA punk duo No Age in the middle of the state, at a warehouse in San Luis Obispo, whose nondescript entrance, giving only notice of a nearby auto body shop, held wonders within. The Warehouse On Mars, as we came to know it, was a sawed off space with a stage facing a small floor ending at walls ringed with vintage arcade games. As the night progressed and the place packed out, the lack of heat became less noticeable. Alternating Sleater-Kinney's The Woods and Curtis Mayfield's Superfly as between-set music sealed the deal. This joint was very quickly home.

Being the first show of the new year, any worries about setting the tone were laid aside quickly by a clutch of strong openers, kicking off with Arroyo Grande's Bearcats. The bass and drums duo tore through their set, winning the crowd over quickly. Similar to their set opening for Sex Stains in San Luis Obispo last year, they didn't play long, but burned brightly, celebrating their newest EP, Break Up Stories. Drug Apartments, from Sacramento, worked the middle spot, and proved a revelation. Frontperson Whitney was a detonation waiting to happen, and the band was savagely tight, their vibe veering from Patti Smith to Perfect Pussy and back again. Definitely one to keep an eye on when they reach your neck of the woods.

Hard to believe it's been four years since An Object, No Age's last LP. Their new single, "Separation" b/w "Serf To Serf" was just the tip of the iceberg in a set jam packed with new tunes, whetting one's appetite for an LP projected for release this year. The venue sound mix was perfectly balanced to capture their dynamics, and when the band dropped into one of their older numbers, the crowd reaction qualified them as another member of the group. For No Age's Dean Spunt and Randy Randall, it's always been: of the people, by the people, and for the people.

(Editor's note: If you are taking advantage of the Bandcamp links above and want to increase your impact, be advised that on Friday, 03 February, Bandcamp will be donating 100% of their proceeds from any sales to the ACLU)

NO AGE

DRUG APTS

BEARCATS

Chasms/Them Are Us Too

THEM ARE US TOO

CHASMS

(house party) 

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA

12 SEPTEMBER, 2015

It was a rare treat to have a short drive up the coast to catch up with Chasms outside of their native San Francisco habitat, and the pleasure was doubled up with catching co-headliners Them Are Us Too for the first time. The venue was a non-descript house in the shadow of the 101, off campus, and with the most tolerant of neighbors. Chasms previewed songs from an upcoming project, hopefully to be released in the spring, and Them Are Us Too, the Bay Area duo of Kennedy and Cash, finished the night off with a heavy dose of dark noise.

CHASMS

 

THEM ARE US TOO