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

The Return of Swearin'

SWEARIN'

MIKE KROL

UPSET

HIGHLAND PARK EBELL CLUB

HIGHLAND PARK, CA

02 AUGUST, 2018

It's been not quite 5 years since we last crossed paths with Swearin', a night to remember at the Center For the Arts in Eagle Rock, and since then they put the band to rest, Allison Crutchfield released a solo EP and a full-length album on Merge Records, and suddenly, we're back in business with Swearin', not only touring, but with a brand new LP Fall Into The Sun, due out October 5th.

This year seems to be devoted to discovering new venues, and we'll check Highland Park Ebell Club off the list. Kicking off the evening, Upset has gelled into its classic lineup, at the very least its longest serving, and in what could be their last show for awhile, treated the audience to a set of almost all new songs, from a forthcoming LP that's still in the planning stages. Needless to say, it rocked hard as always, and no matter how many times we see them, (and it's double digits at this point), there's always something new.

Held off on listening to Mike Krol until the show, sometimes it's fun to go in blind. Let the record show that Mike Krol does not fuck around. That people still believe in this day and age in the unending power of rock and roll is an unceasing wonder to me, and when they back that up with a set girded with passion, it can't help but connect. The crowd was receptive, to say the least, and not many songs elapsed before Krol was off the stage and out amongst them. Occupying the intersection between power pop and garage rock, their first show in hometown LA in two years could only be called a rousing success, and given their tightness, I was very surprised to hear Krol introduce his compatriots as a new band. To celebrate the tour, Krol has released a brand new single, "An Ambulance" b/w "Never Know".

Swearin' wasn't shy with the new stuff, kicking off with an unheard tune, and peppering the set with others, including the single "Grow Into A Ghost". "Kenosha" appearing early in the set boded well, and from there it moved from high point to higher, including a towering "Here To Hear", and ended with a raucous "Movie Star".  The core trio of Allison Crutchfield, Kyle Gilbride, and Jeff Bolt regrouped for a string of East Coast shows in April, borrowing All Dogs bassist Amanda Bartley to fill out the lineup. Combining bittersweet ballads and 'blowing the doors off power', Swearin' keeps you on the hook, and by the end, i was a sweaty, ecstatic mess.

SWEARIN'

MIKE KROL

UPSET