Music to my ears...

Emerald Triangle

When you live in San Francisco, there seems to always be something going on. If you ask anyone that knows me, they will tell you that I never stay home. How could I with Basketball season starting and all the great local musicians that have recently been playing out? Last week I had the opportunity to see Sean Hayes (not of Will & Grace) play twice. First time was at the Independent, where I got the VIP treatment thanks to a bud. That allowed us to go upstairs in the club and have select viewing above the floor and overlooking the stage. Sean is one of those musicians that easily makes you groove and sway to his sweet funky vibrations. He has released 5 albums to date with a new one on the slate to be released shortly. My favorite songs stem from Alabama Chicken, Big Black Hole & Little Baby Star, and Flowering Spade. Rattlesnake Charm aka the remixed Dream Machine on Mark Farina's Air Farina was the closing number that night. It blew my friend, who graced me with the royal treatment, out-of-the-water.

It was easy to convince our friends to join us for his 2nd appearance this past Sunday at a smaller venue in the Mission called Amnesia. There, he was a 2 piece for several numbers and evolved into 3 piece for some of his upcoming new tracks. Amnesia was a lot more intimate and I got great pleasure bringing the boys from the Eagle over to mix with all the Hip Chicks on Valencia Street. It was quite the dichotomy.

Wouldn't you know I was back at the Independent on Monday to catch Emerald Triangle. They really lived up to their myspace page and "melted my face off." I mean, Andy Cabic, from Vetiver, whose most recent record Tight Knit, is the soundtrack of 2009. This is an album that I can listen to over and over. He was joined by legendary producer/ solo artist Jonathan Wilson, who has worked with Black Crowes, Jonathan Rice from Jenny Lewis' most recent band, Neal Casal, who has played with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals and Farmer Dave Scher of such outfits as Beachwood Sparks and Interpol. With this lineup, I was in the clouds, floating in the air. Especially hearing Cabic's tracks from Tight Knit. The group also played songs from each of the players catalogues. The surprise for me, were the songs organizer, Farmer Dave, brought out. I also got to rub elbows with one of my favorite local musicians Bart Davenport and his wonderful lady. I have to thank my buddy Steve for the invitation to this incredible night.

And I did by showing up to Steve's solo gig last night at ATA. It was A Night of Acoustic Song and Improvised Film called Silhouettes and Serenades and Steve Taylor was the opener. He played a lot of new material along with some of his friends and collaborators. He was followed by Foxtails Brigade and the wonderful Emily Jane White was the headliner. I had brought my own 27 oz. Bud light to the show and watched these great musicians do their stuff.

Alas, I am up early summarizing the weeks' events with a huge smile on my face. I hope you enjoy the videos and can relate to some of this musical brilliance.