Mission Mission

Norma Miller speaking at Savannah Jazz Club 2/10/10

This is pretty rad. 90-year-old Norma Miller (aka “the Queen of Swing”) is a pioneer and creator of the Lindy Hop, by far the most popular form of swing dance today. She was featured in movies such as 1941′s “Hellzapoppin” (proving that “hella” was used, in a more primitive form, 70 years ago), and also worked with a lot of the big names back in the day. You know, like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson… no big deal.

She used to hang at the Savoy in Harlem during it’s prime, the site of some of the first integrated music/dance events in American history.

Last night local dance promoter Chris Lee showed her around the mission, starting at Amnesia, where traditional jazz outfit Gaucho plays every week, then to Savannah Jazz Club on Mission and 25th, where she did a guest lecture.

My buddy Nathan A. had the scoop:

When they introduced her, she bounced up on the stage with more spring in her step than a woman less than half her age. I couldn’t get over how sharp she was – how animated. She had mind like a steel trap! She had us all on the edge of our seats while recalling the “good old days”. She told us how moved she was to see all these young people carrying on the the original American dance form – and a tradition she helped establish. She was hilarious, crude, and sentimental. She worked with Red Fox, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby doing a bit of comedy after her legs started to give out eventually.

Check out this clip of her with Frankie Manning (RIP) tearing it up… WILD!

A reason to visit the Elbo Room tonight (unlike other nights when it’s a Marina weekend or transplanted tourist destination) featuring CLAWS and TITS, as well as MissionMission favorite Eats Tapes, among others.

Come out and do a little bit more for Haiti, because honestly, it’s been kinda pathetic lately.  And like we’ve said before, texting 90999 doesn’t count when your mom pays your celly bill.

Rolling Stone‘s Rock and Roll Daily reports that She & Him, Fiona Apple and Jon Brion, Tim and Eric and others will perform songs written by 826LA students for an upcoming record called Chickens in Love. Read the story here. Preorder the disc here.

Sooo, how long ’til we get Girls and Deerhoof to perform on an album of songs by 826 Valencia kids?

Photo of She & Him at Oysterfest 2008 by artolog.

The world-renowned Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is performing at Coda Lounge (you know, that place Stevie Wonder sometimes hangs out) on Mission and Duboce this Friday 2/12. They are a super-fresh modern jazz group out of Oklahoma that now features an instrument you don’t usually see in this genre: lap steel guitar. Check out the video below for a sample.

These guys don’t just pound out standards, they write a lot of original music and their sound is really unique, blending rock, middle-eastern, hip-hop, country, and experimental influences. It’s modern, yet still rockin’ and accessible. No diss to lots of other modern/experimental jazz stuff, but I don’t always like to hear squeaking saxophones and see dudes hunched over effects pedals.

That and any band who uses a Spinal Tap reference in their name is fine by me.

They start at 10pm and the show is $15.

Free post-punk at the Knockout with some great local bands.  Airfix Kits sounds like GANG OF FOUR having a party with THE MINUTEMEN, and they even have an English-accent-sounding singer for authenticity’s sake.  Also, they’re one of Allan’s favorite SF bands (probably because they also have an Allan in the band).

Rank/Xerox is one of those bands that you can legitimately describe as “early JOY DIVISION” without getting laughed out of the room.  And of course La Corde is opening everything up with their WIPER-influenced raw sound.

The FREE SHOW starts at 9pm.  Tell the rain to fuck off and come out!

Previously: Airfix Kits at Pissed-Off Pete’s in Excelsior

Chasing the Moon is a great video podcast that highlights local bay area bands. The performances are filmed in HD and recorded in a professional studio one block away from the best Vietnamese sandwiches in town. I’m serious about the quality of these productions; they make Nirvana: Unplugged In NY look like it was filmed in Super 8. Ok maybe not, but that shit looks good considering their budget of no budget.

In the pagan tradition, the podcast is posted every full moon, which works out to just about every 28 days.

This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to sit in during their session with the Nice Guy Trio, a very unique jazz group on the Mission’s own Porto Franco Records.

The Nice Guy Trio in action. I had little reason not to believe that they are actually nice.

Producer Brian Berberich and recording engineer Scott McDowell do all of this work out of the goodness of their music-lovin’ hearts. They see is as an opportunity to keep their industry chops up and promote the awesome local music that’s going on.

The atmosphere at the session was really professional and they seemed to have things streamlined well. If they were stressed out, they hid it well. Once things got rolling the whole filming and performance took less than an hour.

Spectators sat in a corner of the studio on comfy cushions from the couch and were asked to stay quiet during recording. Restraining applause until "CUT!" was actually really difficult and awkward.

Chasing the Moon is expanding to do monthly premiere events with live performances at the newly opened Viracocha on 21st and Valencia. Their first was on Jan. 29 and you can expect to see more soon. The Nice Guy Trio premiere will be in 2 or 3 months.

Thanks to Brian, Scott, and the Chasing the Moon team for hosting and chatting with me! More pictures after the jump.

Update: Brian had this to add:

Elijiah Pahati is actually the biggest reason Chasing the Moon is so great.  He is the Director, Director of Photography, and Editor, and is why everything looks good.  He is also our partner, every bit the owner Scott and I are.

So yeah, props are due to the Directory Elijiah Pahati! Sorry for leaving him out.

(more…)

About a year ago, Mission Mission published THIS EPIC PROFILE of this band the Limousines. In it, we learn about our generation’s lousy work ethic, and how the band accidentally wrote THE TUMBLR ANTHEM and just might be the voice of this very busy generation.

Since then, the Limousines have risen to fame and conquered Treasure Island (pictured), and later this month they’re playing Noise Pop — and we’re giving away a pair of FREE TICKETS! They’re playing Friday, February 26, at Slim’s, with Wallpaper, Butterfly Bones and Battlehooch.

To enter, leave a comment below that makes substantive reference to the aforementioned EPIC PROFILE. Winner will be decided randomly or perhaps based on merit. Contest ends one week from right now.

(And yes I’m still watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; I mean, did you guys see the Hot Chip performance last week!?)

Photo by Kristin.

I don’t care for all the foul language, but I kind of like this guy’s attitude.

The best part is when your girlfriend’s ass turns out to be his ass. That was an Avatar-level special effect if ever I saw one.

Also, who doesn’t love a good Beat Happening gag?

And stay for the last 10 seconds.

[via Radballs]

I have mixed feelings about Nap’s 3 karaoke night, which takes place on Fridays and Saturdays.

"When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love; love to explore that world up above? Out of the sea; Wish I could be; Part of that world"

On the one hand, the bar has a refreshing clientele of alcoholic old-timers who aren’t too proud to high-five the oddly-dressed young folks who happen into the place. Rarely was there more than a 3-song wait before your time to shine. Also, the exceedingly jolly KJ has a kick-ass raspy, soulful croon.

No, really. How deep is it?

On the other hand, their book is rife with glaring song duplicates and some surprising omissions. No Huey Lewis And The News or Boyz II Men? Every Tom Jones song except for “What’s New Pussycat” and “It’s Not Unusual”? I can think of 20 Nirvana songs I’d want to sing before their only suggestion: “All Apologies”. I didn’t check if they had Sinatra’s “My Way”, but maybe that’s best left unknown. Furthermore, the bar had a baffling “no beer, just $7 cocktails” last call policy.

So what’s the best place for karaoke in the Mission? Good karaoke spots are a delicate balance of a good song book, stiff drinks, not too many intimidatingly talented regulars (e.g. the Mel-o-dee, El Cerrito), and not too popular so you can actually get some songs in.

My vote might have to go to Amnesia’s Tuesday Rock-Out! Karaoke with Glenny Kravitz. I went a couple of months ago and have never seen so much spontaneous broomstick-air-guitar in my life. Although, who knows if the lines are still short.

You guys! California Sunshine is the best! Each song is catchier than the last, bandleader Aaron looks great in cutoffs, and his band is a ghetto blaster! What more could you ask for?

Well, how about a song that Aaron informs us is about San Francisco and is I think called “Vampires” and which starts out, “SUCK ON ME WHILE I SUCK ON YOU,” as the finale? How’d that be?

It was really good. See California Sunshine next time you get a chance.