Mission Mission

Our pal Pavla made us VIPs for this showcase in which Carson Daly was gonna be introducing Thee Oh Sees. I don’t go to many official showcases, but Carson Daly introducing Thee Oh Sees? C’mon. So we get there and he introduces them and it’s awesome, and then they place and it’s awesome — and THEN, for their traditional closer “Dead Energy,” for which they sometimes invite up a guest drummer (such as Nick from White Fence or someting), they invited up Carson himself. I thought it was a joke but it was not. I almost died. Best night ever! Oh Sees rule!

Our colleagues over at Rolling Stone were in the house as well (albeit they didn’t manage to get as close as us) and managed to shoot some video. Watch it here.

There will be more thorough video on Carson’s NBC show next week.

[Photo by Lizbones] [Thanks, Pavla! Thanks, Sony Music Unlimited!]

Porto Franco Records hipped us to this video of the Rob Reich Trio looking sharp and performing Puttin’ on the Ritz. It was shot in that weird store that sells a bunch of neat expensive old stuff (AKA Viracocha).

Be sure to watch for the drum solo at the end. Drummer Beth Goodfellow kills me every time. She reminds me of Sonny Payne on some of that killer small combo Count Basie stuff on youtube.

You can catch Rob and Beth at Amnesia every Wednesday 8-10pm as part of Gaucho.

[A little birdie happened to mention hearing something about DJ Purple starting up a new party at Showdown on 6th Street, so we got in touch with the man himself in order to get the real facts. Incidentally, the birdie looked a lot like Ryan Gosling.]

I hear there are some changes coming to the DJ Purple Karaoke Dance Party Schedule. What’s happening exactly?

Lots of changes. I’m switching from weekly to monthly at Jack’s. After four years – we’re celebrating our 4 year anniversary in April – it’s time for a change.

Karaoke at Jack’s will still continue every week. I’ll be there the first Thursday of the month, the incomparable Glenny Kravitz will be there 2nd and 4th Thursdays, and we’re still looking for the perfect KJ for 3rd Thursdays.

So April 5th will be my last weekly Thursday at Jack’s, and we’ll also be celebrating 4 years of Purple at Jack’s that night, so come join us!

Meanwhile, starting Thursday, April 19th, I’ll be launching a new monthly show at the Showdown in SOMA! That will be on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Come check it out!

Also, starting April 9th, I’ll be adding a second monthly show at the Make-Out Room! So I’ll be there on the 2nd and 4th Mondays every month.

I think that covers it. I’m also looking for new places to try out, plus the pink books are coming…

This is all so exciting! Did the move away from Jack’s have anything to do with people being bummed about the $4 cover?

Well, I don’t want to try to analyze all the factors involved – the recent vacation I took gave me a chance for some bigger perspective, and it just felt like I needed to make something new happen with my gigs in the city.

What can people expect from Glenny’s show? How is it different?

Glenny Kravitz is the official 2010 Best KJ in SF (SF Weekly) and one of my role models for karaoke. The words “wild & wacky” come to mind, or I could quote from the SF Weekly:

“He cues it up, calls your name, and rocks out next to you, often soulfully harmonizing with even the most off-key performers. He’s like a nurse on the front lines; a saint among the lepers.”

Can’t wait! Are there specific things you’re looking forward to regarding Showdown? I know they have some great whiskey specials, and you can have food delivered from Show Dogs around the corner — karaoke and sausage, oh yeah!

Number one, I’m most excited just about playing at a new venue! I haven’t launched a new show for over a year, when we started at the Make-Out Room! It’s always fun transforming a new place into karaoke heaven…

Thanks for reminding me about some of the specialties at Showdown. The thing that most struck me about it so far is how positive people are about the place, the staff, and the owner, Johnny Venetti.

Just looking at the Yelp reviews, the enthusiasm comes through. Also, while most nightclubs average 3 stars, Showdown averages 4 stars…

Can you tell us anymore about the pink books?

The pink books are going to take the “Karaoke Dance Party” to a new level. My books are already very dance oriented, but the new books are going to take it even farther…

We did an experiment a few years ago with similar books at the Zen Lounge in Mountain View, and the results were amazing. Imagine karaoke at a real dance club, with the dance floor packed the whole night…

Wow.

[Thanks, Jon!] [Photo by Lizzy!]

It’s not bad. Watch it here (because Ah fuck is a Tumblr, and you can’t embed videos people post on Tumblr).

Pillowfight, the new Dan the Automator project, not the generic fight with pillows. Mr. The Automator, a music producer, may be known to you from such gems as Dr. Octagon, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Deltron 3030, Gorillaz, etc. Seriously, amazing body of work. Tomorrow, 3/11, he will be performing with Kid Koala, Micro mtns and alongside Emily Wells as Pillowfight.

The Make-Out Room is at 3225 22nd Street, between Mission and Bartlett. Doors open at 7pm.

Check out the Pillowfight preview, featuring art by Facebook quintillionaire David Choe.

Here’s the deal on Foreign Cinema:

With a flicker of an 8mm reel, Foreign Cinema has created an audio
visual soundtrack–

Hey wait this sounds just like the restaurant! Sorry, please continue:

–with influences cross pollinating elements of shoegaze, trip hop, and dub. The band’s noir sound balances light and dark, with ethereal warmth and interjected groove to create a romantically dark world guided by interpretive lyrics about the human condition.  Founded in 2008, the symbiotic core is comprised of Astral singer/guitarist, Dave Han of San Francisco and bass courtesy of Natty D from Goiania, Brazil.

They perform tonight at Brick & Mortar, and you can win tickets by telling us your best anecdote regarding Foreign Cinema the band, Foreign Cinema the restaurant, OR foreign cinema the type of cinema. Contest ends at 2pm today. Winners will be selected based on merit.

They’re called Haçeteria and here they are running the show at American Tripps a couple weeks back. This Saturday night, like every first Saturday, they’ll be running the show at Deco Lounge over in the Tenderloin. It is my favorite party.

And yes, it’s true:

Convinced? RSVP and invite your friends! Now here’s somethin’ new for y’all:

http://youtu.be/AwZvqyMGZ7s

DJ Purple (and Candy and Jamie) bring the party to the Make-Out Room’s big stage tonight (like they do every fourth Monday). Don’t miss out!

RSVP and invite your friends!

Firstly, Matthew Dear rules. Just listen to this song — probably one of the best of all time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ3JnGqYuXA

And I can attest to that his live show is great too. Just gothy enough without being annoying. Danceable music made by a live band with a stoic but incredibly charismatic frontman. Kind of David Bowie-like maybe? And it’s not sold out yet! Tickets and info here.

Secondly, there’s also a movie on tonight that looks pretty good, about the life and times of Mark Sandman, the deceased frontman from Morphine, that band with the saxophone-driven mid-’90s hit “Honey White” that we all saw on MTV a million times. Here’s the trailer:

Tickets and info here.

Last night my friend Jess wanted to see Cursive with me at the Great American, but it (like so much of Noise Pop 2012) was sold out when we got there. We went around the corner for a beer at Edinburgh Castle, and then walked back so she could pick up her bike and just maybe get a ticket from someone once more people had arrived.

Cursive were standing on the street, in front of the O’Farrell Theatre, and we joked about asking them to get her in. Instead she decided to head home and I went inside.

Five minutes later, there she was! While she was unlocking her bike, some guy came up to her and asked if she needed a ticket:

Guy with ticket: Hey, do you need a ticket?
Jess: Yeah! But my friend just went inside with the money!
Guy with ticket: Oh that’s okay, my friends already paid me and anyway I can just get it from you at Mission Cliffs.

And Jess had no idea who he was. People in San Francisco really are nice!

If you missed Cursive, or otherwise haven’t had your fill of the emo on offer at this year’s festival, Christie Front Drive is playing Saturday at Café du Nord. Tickets and details here.