Tony Molina in "Don't Come Back"

Bay Area native Tony Molina is unabashedly fond of confessional pop, brooding hardcore, and Taco Bell. As principle songwriter of prolific San Francisco group Ovens, he recorded hundreds of poignant, brief pop songs with thick guitar riffs and blistering leads. But Molina simultaneously fronted a number of ferocious hardcore bands like Lifetime Problems and, currently, Caged Animal. "Don't Come Back" is the lead single from his solo debut LP, Dissed and Dismissed, which continues Ovens' basic, hook-laden guitar pop. But the acoustic intro heard in this video is actually a separate, 12-second track on the album entitled "Sick Ass Riff." The video is directed by Hannah Lew from San Francisco post-punk trio Grass Widow, whose resume also includes videos for the Mallard and Wax Idols.

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Swingin' Utters

We're excited to premiere "Stuck in a Circle," a new song off Poorly Formed, the forthcoming album from S.F. punks Swingin' Utters, out Feb. 19 on Fat Wreck Chords. Written by vocalist/guitarist Darius Koski, "Stuck in a Circle" is a wistful, reflective tune that leaps from acoustic choruses into bristling, racing verses. Its mood is a striking contrast with "The Librarians Are Hiding Something," the soaring first single off Poorly Formed, which was co-written by the vocalists and guitarists Johnny Bonnel and Jack Dalrymple. We recently got in touch with Bonnel and Koski to talk about the new album and the run of Northern California shows Swingin' Utters will be playing in celebration of the new record, which includes a stop at Slim's on Feb. 24. Check out our conversation -- and hear "Stuck in a Circle" -- right here:

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After a breakout year in which Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers got lots of attention online, played a monthlong residency at the Rickshaw Stop, and toured seemingly nonstop, the S.F. folk-rock singer and her band are back with a new single, "Little Too Late." We're thrilled to premiere "Ravenous," the second song of the new release, right here on All Shook Down. Built on a pulsing bassline and an eerie, repeating organ riff, "Ravenous" showcases the warm power of Bluhm's voice, sounding like some long-lost Fleetwood Mac hit. The digital single sees official release tomorrow, Jan. 15. Check it out here:

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Dark-hued S.F. electro-rockers Maus Haus are back with Light Noise, a brand-new record on brand-new local indie-electronic imprint Lavis Habits. And today we're premiering the song "Hey Jean," a slow-boil of monolithic bass, streaking guitar lines, and Maus Haus' eerie multitracked vocals. Oh, and tambourine. Tambourine is key.

See also:
* Om Records Celebrates New Lavish Habits Imprint with Maus Haus and Blackbird Blackbird

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Dropping in October, new mixtape Darkest Before Dawn will see a fresh line-up of Bay Area rappers hopping on tracks crafted by Atlanta production unit S.M.K.A. As a teaser for the project, which will include input from Roach Gigz, Mistah F.A.B., and DaVinci, All Shook Down is proud to present the premiere of "Greatness," a slick and slinky future anthem that features Shady Blaze and Young Gully flowing over a hypnotically breezy production. To complete the listening experience, we also checked in with Shady Blaze and S.M.K.A.'s Mike Walbert to get their own thoughts on the song.

How did the Darkest Before Dawn project come about?
Mike Walbert: We reached out to a popular blog in the Bay Area [Thizzler On The Roof] that covers the music and asked about sorting out this project. We're from Atlanta but we've always been fans of Bay Area music.
Shady Blaze: Matt Werner [from the blog] hit me on Twitter saying he wanted me and Young Gully to collab. That's it right there.

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40Love lookin'... wild.

The hip-hop troupe 40Love is currently in possession of the most famous animal masks in modern Bay Area music history. Having made their debut in the video for Wallpaper's "#Stupidfacedd," the plastic faces are now being sported by three-quarters of the group in promotional pictures for upcoming album Dreams Don't Sleep. It's a project which Miss Haze, the non-masked member of the group, promises will be hooked around the relationship between dreams, reality, and the power of "raw spiritual energy."

Ahead of Dreams Don't Stop's July 24 release, All Shook Down got its hands on an exclusive premiere of the new 40Love song "Tiki Tiki." A ferocious, electronic-tinged blast of Bay Area hip-hop funk, it also happens to feature a cameo from Zion I's MC Zumbi. It also seemed like a great excuse to check in with Miss Haze, G-OFF, and producer Mikos (sadly DJ Whooligan was AWOL when we tried to reach him) for a chat about ancient Chinese tales, getting remixed by Bassnectar, and the raw and undiluted power of animal masks.

What's the meaning behind the song title "Tiki Tiki"?
Miss Haze: It's a children's story set in ancient China about a kid who has too long of a name. The whole album is really a mission statement for the power of harnessing visions to transform reality. It's just a raw energy track.

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Warm Soda

Ahead of the local band showcase SF Weekly and All Shook Down are presenting this Saturday at the Independent, we're excited to bring you a brand new track from Oakland power-pop trio Warm Soda, the new project of former Bare Wires frontman Matthew Melton. Recorded at the band's Fuzz City Studios just across the bay, "Spellbound" finds Melton and Co. back in full speed-groove mode, racing along about "bright lights" and being "out all night" over a thrush of revving guitars and a dancing bassline. It's short, fast, and fun -- which seems to be the M.O. of Warm Soda. Hear and download the track after the jump, then come see Warm Soda perform with Stripmall Architecture and Will Sprott this Saturday, June 23, at the Independent.

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Maybe too funky? Look at those shorts.

"Smooth dance music with funky sensibilities" is what gets S.F. duo Tres Lingerie going, and that's exactly what the group turns out on "Tough Soul," a new track we're premiering right here on All Shook Down. Starting off with a mellow synth figure, the song slowly unfolds into an unassumingly funky hip-shaker with clear boogie and '80s funk influences. Fans of local party Sweater Funk or L.A. boogie revivalist Dam-Funk will find lots to like here, and everyone will find a mellow local beat to get down to. You can try it out live this Thursday, when Tres Lingerie performs along with Yip Deceiver, Shock, and Loose Shus at Milk Bar. But first, grab the new song after the jump.

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Lateef the Truthspeaker

Lateef the Truthspeaker is a prince of Bay Area hip-hop -- as a member of the Quannum collective, he's worked with DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and numerous other local greats. Lateef recently dropped a new album, Firewire, and we're pleased to premiere a new track off of it called "Say What You Want," with brilliant production by DJ Shadow. Over layers of jazzy drums, a warm, bendy bassline, and intermittent mumbles of guitar, Lateef issues a mellow statement about honesty and sincerity, firing up for a rap verse toward the end. It feels here like Shadow and Lateef twisted psych-funk into hip-hop, then stitched those loose threads into a simmering, whispered rebuke. Download the result after the jump.

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Who remembers the old days of Halloween in the Castro? It wasn't that many years ago -- only the mid-2000s -- that thousands of revelers of all genders, orientations, and shades of nudity would gather in the city's most fun-loving hood for a massive street party. Castro Halloween parties were huge and wild enough to go down as legendary -- they helped define the area's spirit over the years.

Then, after four stabbings one year and a massive shooting that wounded nine people another year, the big, official party died.

But S.F. singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet remembers. For his new upcoming album about San Francisco, Temple Beautiful (Out Jan. 24 on Yep Roc), Prophet wrote an ode of sorts to Castro Halloween parties the way they used to be, while sadly noting the violence that caused the city to stop the event. His first line is, "When the shots rang out/ And two men died/ You took off your mask just to see me cry."

The song itself is a gleaming, breezy rocker, anchored by Prophet's everyman voice. We're happy to premiere it this Halloween on All Shook Down -- so download the song and read Prophet's lyrics after the jump.

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