Hanging on a Star
A tribute to Nick Drake
Kelley Stoltz
The Court and Spark
Judith & Holofernes
Lia Rose (minipop)
Dazzling Strangers
20 Minute Loop
Christian Kiefer
Mandrake
June 19, 2005
Café DuNord
$10 • 9m
Join Playing in Fog and Cafe Du Nord for the third annual "HANGING ON A STAR: A TRIBUTE TO NICK DRAKE."
HANGING ON A STAR is a unique, once a year opportunity for PIF to revive the timeless songs of Nick Drake while acknowledging the incredible talent of the SF local music. Toward that end, Playing in Fog strongly encourages bands to play one of their own songs in addition to their choice of Drake tunes. Each act will be given 15 minutes to perform three songs, with the exception of Kelley Stoltz, who will play a longer closing set.
Kelley Stoltz's stellar debut, The Past Was Faster, was recorded at home on a four-track, with Stoltz playing just about every note on the record. The modus operandi for Antique Glow is still the same, but the results are even better. He traded in his four-track for an eight-track, so the production values are a good bit higher. In addition, while many of the tunes on The Past Was Faster sounded like homages to Stoltz's many influences (Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett, Nick Drake), those influences are much more thoroughly assimilated on Antique Glow. Not that the songs sound similar to each other, it's that the different styles now all reflect Stoltz as much or more than the inspiration, giving the album a better flow and Stoltz a more personalized sound. And what a wonderful sound it is. A lazy, folky psychedelia, similar to Syd Barrett, but with homemade Wall of Sound production. Even upon first listen, these songs have such a familiar quality; you'll think you've been hearing them for years. Stoltz has a great knack for wordplay, and can turn out some wonderful and strange lyrics. There's a lot going on in some of the tracks (guitars, bells, theremins, double-tracked vocals, who knows what else), but the music never sounds cluttered; Stoltz really has mastered the art of self-recording, supplying tons of detail in the music but never stepping on himself. He likes to record as he's writing, and doesn't do a lot of takes on anything. This freshness comes through on the album, along with a sense that this all comes easily to Stoltz; the songs are well-crafted but retain a certain loose feel, which can be a difficult balancing act. Antique Glow puts Kelley Stoltz's talents into even sharper focus than his debut, not only as a composer/performer but as producer/engineer as well. As the major labels clamor to sign (and probably drop) the next Dave Matthews Band knockoff, let's hope Kelley Stoltz stays at home, kicking out the homemade jams without regard for the outside world. Recommended. - All Music.com
www.electriccity.org
Judith and Holofernes started in 2002 after Mark (bass), Stitches (6-string guitar), Dos (12-string guitarra and vocals) and Tracy (vocals) had been playing together for several years, in a variety of different bands. Somewhere between the Central Valley and San Francisco, they decided to create a style of music that blended their indie rock roots and Portuguese fado. The word "Fado Core" started as a tongue in cheek phrase but was the only word to describe what they do. One trip to Lisbon and a few months later, the band was up and running, playing shows up and down the west coast, giving something new to local music, and breathing life back into fado.
www.fadocore.com
Dazzling Strangers leader, Chris Streng has been called everything from a “dreamboat” to a “pretentious whiner”. His music strives for primitive simplicity and emotional resonance. He utilizes minimalism, traditional song structures and inventive arrangements to create the music that he wants to hear. He presently plays bass with SF shoegazers, LSD & the Search for God, as well as guitar in the Virgin Killers (a Scorpions tribute band). His favorite food is pizza.
20 Minute Loop: Greg Giles is a magnificently off-kilter songwriter, both musically and lyrically; he traffics in abrupt shifts, enigmatic abstractions and observational snapshots. Like Stephen Malkmus, he is a peculiar spokesman for an endlessly curious world, one who prods listeners to bust out of their tired indie-rock complacency. And then there’s Kelly Atkins. The specters of death and lost love skulk around in her songs and, fittingly, she can sing as though her life hangs in the balance. There¹s a soothing sweetness to her harmonies, making it all the more powerful when she unleashes and wails. Clearly, the definitive piece of 20 Minute Loop’s sound is the interplay between Giles and Atkins. While sharing lead vocals across gender lines has become commonplace, it¹s rare for the voices to be both so complementary and so idiosyncratic. Despite some weighty subject matter, these are never ponderous songs. In fact, the band has never sounded so accessible. -Artists Direct
www.20minuteloop.com
Chritian Kiefer: Growing up in Auburn, just northeast of Sacramento, and wandering fields of rusting mining equipment. Hence rust in the heart. And blood. History permeates everything--from the way we think to the way we write our songs. And you. Now in suburbs with corporate coffee and sport-utility vehicles. It's a life, but not the one that was dreamed. Still, there's music: acoustic-based post-folk songs mostly. Weedy stuff. Grainy. And occasional improvised freak-outs and minimalist compositions. Ambience. More weeds and grain. Completing fourth full-length CD with help from Garth Hudson of the Band, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker from Low, and a few others of note. It's good and you should hear it. Always at www.christiankiefer.com in case of. Crack band here: Jason Roberts (guitar) and Matthew Gerkin (bass) of acoustic math rockers Nice Monster, Chip Conrad (drums) and Simon Ennis (accordion, both of St. Simon 3). Nick Drake is listening to you right now.
www.christiankiefer.com
Mandrake is an acoustic rock quartet playing a variety of instruments and well-crafted songs. From straight acoustic rock to foot-stomping banjo and acapella to classically influenced folk pieces, Mandrake has a style that difficult to pin down, but incredible to hear.
www.mandrakeband.com/
---
www.playinginfog.com
A tribute to Nick Drake
Kelley Stoltz
The Court and Spark
Judith & Holofernes
Lia Rose (minipop)
Dazzling Strangers
20 Minute Loop
Christian Kiefer
Mandrake
June 19, 2005
Café DuNord
$10 • 9m
Join Playing in Fog and Cafe Du Nord for the third annual "HANGING ON A STAR: A TRIBUTE TO NICK DRAKE."
HANGING ON A STAR is a unique, once a year opportunity for PIF to revive the timeless songs of Nick Drake while acknowledging the incredible talent of the SF local music. Toward that end, Playing in Fog strongly encourages bands to play one of their own songs in addition to their choice of Drake tunes. Each act will be given 15 minutes to perform three songs, with the exception of Kelley Stoltz, who will play a longer closing set.
Kelley Stoltz's stellar debut, The Past Was Faster, was recorded at home on a four-track, with Stoltz playing just about every note on the record. The modus operandi for Antique Glow is still the same, but the results are even better. He traded in his four-track for an eight-track, so the production values are a good bit higher. In addition, while many of the tunes on The Past Was Faster sounded like homages to Stoltz's many influences (Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett, Nick Drake), those influences are much more thoroughly assimilated on Antique Glow. Not that the songs sound similar to each other, it's that the different styles now all reflect Stoltz as much or more than the inspiration, giving the album a better flow and Stoltz a more personalized sound. And what a wonderful sound it is. A lazy, folky psychedelia, similar to Syd Barrett, but with homemade Wall of Sound production. Even upon first listen, these songs have such a familiar quality; you'll think you've been hearing them for years. Stoltz has a great knack for wordplay, and can turn out some wonderful and strange lyrics. There's a lot going on in some of the tracks (guitars, bells, theremins, double-tracked vocals, who knows what else), but the music never sounds cluttered; Stoltz really has mastered the art of self-recording, supplying tons of detail in the music but never stepping on himself. He likes to record as he's writing, and doesn't do a lot of takes on anything. This freshness comes through on the album, along with a sense that this all comes easily to Stoltz; the songs are well-crafted but retain a certain loose feel, which can be a difficult balancing act. Antique Glow puts Kelley Stoltz's talents into even sharper focus than his debut, not only as a composer/performer but as producer/engineer as well. As the major labels clamor to sign (and probably drop) the next Dave Matthews Band knockoff, let's hope Kelley Stoltz stays at home, kicking out the homemade jams without regard for the outside world. Recommended. - All Music.com
www.electriccity.org
Judith and Holofernes started in 2002 after Mark (bass), Stitches (6-string guitar), Dos (12-string guitarra and vocals) and Tracy (vocals) had been playing together for several years, in a variety of different bands. Somewhere between the Central Valley and San Francisco, they decided to create a style of music that blended their indie rock roots and Portuguese fado. The word "Fado Core" started as a tongue in cheek phrase but was the only word to describe what they do. One trip to Lisbon and a few months later, the band was up and running, playing shows up and down the west coast, giving something new to local music, and breathing life back into fado.
www.fadocore.com
Dazzling Strangers leader, Chris Streng has been called everything from a “dreamboat” to a “pretentious whiner”. His music strives for primitive simplicity and emotional resonance. He utilizes minimalism, traditional song structures and inventive arrangements to create the music that he wants to hear. He presently plays bass with SF shoegazers, LSD & the Search for God, as well as guitar in the Virgin Killers (a Scorpions tribute band). His favorite food is pizza.
20 Minute Loop: Greg Giles is a magnificently off-kilter songwriter, both musically and lyrically; he traffics in abrupt shifts, enigmatic abstractions and observational snapshots. Like Stephen Malkmus, he is a peculiar spokesman for an endlessly curious world, one who prods listeners to bust out of their tired indie-rock complacency. And then there’s Kelly Atkins. The specters of death and lost love skulk around in her songs and, fittingly, she can sing as though her life hangs in the balance. There¹s a soothing sweetness to her harmonies, making it all the more powerful when she unleashes and wails. Clearly, the definitive piece of 20 Minute Loop’s sound is the interplay between Giles and Atkins. While sharing lead vocals across gender lines has become commonplace, it¹s rare for the voices to be both so complementary and so idiosyncratic. Despite some weighty subject matter, these are never ponderous songs. In fact, the band has never sounded so accessible. -Artists Direct
www.20minuteloop.com
Chritian Kiefer: Growing up in Auburn, just northeast of Sacramento, and wandering fields of rusting mining equipment. Hence rust in the heart. And blood. History permeates everything--from the way we think to the way we write our songs. And you. Now in suburbs with corporate coffee and sport-utility vehicles. It's a life, but not the one that was dreamed. Still, there's music: acoustic-based post-folk songs mostly. Weedy stuff. Grainy. And occasional improvised freak-outs and minimalist compositions. Ambience. More weeds and grain. Completing fourth full-length CD with help from Garth Hudson of the Band, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker from Low, and a few others of note. It's good and you should hear it. Always at www.christiankiefer.com in case of. Crack band here: Jason Roberts (guitar) and Matthew Gerkin (bass) of acoustic math rockers Nice Monster, Chip Conrad (drums) and Simon Ennis (accordion, both of St. Simon 3). Nick Drake is listening to you right now.
www.christiankiefer.com
Mandrake is an acoustic rock quartet playing a variety of instruments and well-crafted songs. From straight acoustic rock to foot-stomping banjo and acapella to classically influenced folk pieces, Mandrake has a style that difficult to pin down, but incredible to hear.
www.mandrakeband.com/
---
www.playinginfog.com
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