CITY guide
san francisco
california
Once the American hotbed for artistic freedom and bohemian
politics, San Francisco is now the most expensive city in the
US, for the most part due to its booming tech industry. Despite
Twitter and Facebook being neighbors and Google buses
rolling the streets of The Mission, the City by the Bay is still
undeniably churning out some of the coolest bands, artists, and
culinary experiments. Perhaps it’s the smorgasbord of techies
and creatives that makes the city so special. At the end of the
day look past all the new industry and marvel at some of the
prettiest 7x7 square miles in the country.
Geographer
Formed in 2007 by Michael Deni,
Geographer takes you on a dream
pop journey verging on a cinematic
experience with their layered
electro soundscapes and indie rock
songwriting. Ghost Modern arrives
March 24.
Sonny and the Sunsets
Psych-pop band Sonny and the
Sunsets hail from the west coast
drawing upon the beach rock tradition
with their use of playful lyrics, found
sounds, and lo fi production. Their
latest album, Talent Night At The
Ashram, is out now on Polyvinyl.
GRMLN
Yoodoo Park AKA GRMLN has come
a long way from his chill and clean
sounding 2010 EP Explore. 2014’s
Soon Away has taken a turn towards a
post-punk vibe with a more aggressive
and catchy sound than any of his
previous releases.
Andrew St. James
Singer/songwriter Andrew St. James
embodies the millennial voice, drawing
on his memories and observations
of the biggest political moments of
the last decade and a half. His debut
album Doldrums was released in
January 2014.
Erase Errata
It’s been almost a decade since Erase
Errata put out their last album, but
the post-punk band is back with a
vengeance. The ir latest release Lost
Weekend still holds on to that riot
grrrl tradition but the overall feel is
mellower and more deliberate.
36 . TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
Best Music Venue
Giraffage
Giraffage is the stage name of
electronic musician and producer
Charlie Yin. Yin gained significant
attention for his popular remixes of
various R&B tracks and collaborations
with artists such as XXYYXX. In May
2011, he released an EP Pretty Things
followed by debut album Comfort. His
latest EP No Reason is out now.
Hidden in the Sun
Although the latest album from this
five-piece band is rooted in Americana
tradition, it’s pretty clear that the band
has an eclectic taste. From blues to
electronic and rock, Hidden in the Sun
weaves genres and styles together with
a strong emotional thread. Their fulllength debut album Seven Seasons was
released in January 2015.
James Vernon
Member and producer of band Li Xi,
James Vernon has gone solo to create a
beautiful and lush sound with his latest
electro psych pop album Owatonna,
released October 2014.
Painted Palms
It wouldn’t be totally accurate to
describe indie pop duo Painted Palms,
as purely San Francisco based. The
two cousins spent the start of their
collaboration across the country from
each other, sending bits and pieces
of material via email. Perhaps their
genre-spanning psychedelic collage of
a sound is rooted in the early stages of
collaboration. Their debut EP Forever
was released in January 2014.
Vetiver
Formed in 2002, American folk band
Vetiver released their debut album
in 2004 and has since then toured
extensively with the likes of Devendra
Banhart, Joanna Newsom, and Fleet
Foxes. Vetiver’s sixth album Complete
Strangers arrives late March.
Andrew St. James: Either The Great
American Music Hall or Bottom Of The
Hill. Totally different vibes but both are
great. The smaller venues I'm excited
about are the re-opened Lost Church
on Capp St. & the newly re-done Doc
Ricketts (previously the Purple Onion) in
North Beach. Rad spots all around.
Erase Errata: The Chapel [former church
with 40-foot arched ceiling]
Geographer: That's hard to pick! But my
favorite is probably The Rickshaw Stop.
Maybe because most of my big landmark
shows were there when Geographer was
starting out, but also because it just hits
the nail on the head.
Giraffage: The Independent is cool and
sounds very nice.
GRMLN: I personally like The Chapel
the best out of all of the SF venues.
The sound is great but as a musician,
whenever we played there, the
management was really nice and looked
out a lot for the bands.
Hidden in the Sun: Great American
Music Hall
James Vernon: Right now I love seeing
shows at The Chapel. But you can't
go wrong checking out a show at the
Rickshaw, Bottom of the Hill, Great
American Music Hall, or heading out
to Oakland to hit up The Night Light
[cozy dancehall with old-fashioned
furnishings].
Painted Palms: The Independent is one
of the best venue's we've been to in the
country. Vacation [vintage clothing store
in Tenderloin] puts on amazing basement
shows.
Sonny and the Sunsets: The Night Light
Vetiver: Great American Music Hall and
The Chapel.
Great American Music Hall: 859 O'Farrell St;
Bottom of the Hill: 1233 17th St.; Lost Church: 65
Capp St.; Doc Ricketts: 124 Columbus Ave; The
Chapel: 777 Valencia St; The Rickshaw Stop: 155
Fell St; The Independent: 628 Divisadero St; The
Night Light: 311 Broadway, Oakland; Vacation: 651
Larkin St
Andrew St. James / Emma Schacter; Erase Errata / Luiza Sá Davis; Geographer / courtesy of artist; Giraffage / courtesy of artist; GRMLN / courtesy of artist;
Hidden in the Sun / Scott Rouse; James Vernon / courtesy of artist; Painted Palms / Molly DeCoudreaux; Sonny and the Sunsets / Alice Shaw; Vetiver / Alissa Anderson
Dolores Park / Jeff Wolfe