San Francisco Music Blog

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To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the groundgreaking sixties concert out east, Golden Gate Park traveled back in time last weekend to host our own Woodstook, West Fest.

Forty-two bands on three stages payed homage to the era's music, while tie-dye clad crowds tuned in, turned off and dropped out.

SF Weekly hit the park with a camera: check out our slideshow of all the new and old school hippies who hit the green for the afternoon.

It takes an iron will and a penchant for risk to submit to the risky calculus of the day-long music festival. In the weeks leading up to the Treasure Island Music Festival, there was no doubt that the lineup would yield something for just about any modern music fan from dreaded dubstep nodders to house bangers to junglists to those with a love of guitars and human voices and all points on the music appreciation spectrum in between.

With a Saturday lineup that featured MGMT, Crown City Rockers, Murs, Federico Aubele, Passion Pit, DJ Krush, Dan Deacon, The Streets, MSTRKRFT, LTJ Bukem, and Brazilian Girls, there was a little something for everyone. But still, prospective festival goers had to ask themselves if they were prepared to surrender control of their personal transportation, make the trek to Lot A at Pac Bell Park, board a shuttle bus, remain conscious through more than ten hours of live sound and Port-A-Potty use and have it be a worthwhile, pleasant experience.

Christopher Victorio

​If you summoned your inner Shackleton, made the leap, and set sail on a shuttle bus for Treasure Island Saturday, you were rewarded with a tableau that included a Ferris Wheel, sick skyline views, two stages filled with nonstop funk to keep your ass moving, food vendors galore offering fare more than a few notches above soft pretzels and churros, double dutch jump-roping hipsters, and the rare chance to sit down and have a face to face Qi Gong session with Te'Devan Kurzweil.

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The party in the park is, quite possibly, hip-hop's most singularly enduring tradition. Saturday's Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle honored that tradition - and then some. Held in conjunction with the Living Word Festival, the National Poetry Slam, Hood Games and Life Is Living.org's Life is Living Festival, the event took over deFremery Park, which was buzzing with vibrant energy. In addition to live graffiti painting (this year's theme word was "grow"), there were b-boy battles, live performances by poets and musicians, eco-sustainable booths, and much more. Visceral activity was just about everywhere, and not a single one of hip-hop's foundational elements was overlooked--if anything they were added to.

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Oh, No: Pharaohe Monch

​ Oakland's own Vogue TDK took home the top prize for his piece, a 3-D calligraphic masterpiece which used bamboo symbolism to convey the idea of verdant, active plantlife. Life performers included Marc Bamuthi Jacobs, Linda Tillery & the Cultural Heritage Ensemble--who performed folk songs from the Underground Railroad era--the Kev Choice Ensemble, and Pharaohe Monch, who rapped with such intensity, he bloodied his lip. All in all, it was an extremely good look for hip-hop, reminding people that there is no substitute for organic community-building.

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2,3 Break: B-boys in a cipher

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Michael Flack

Night Moves: These Are Powers

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We've almost reached the end of festival season. After this weekend's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, there's just one more big outdoor event looming on the horizon: the Treasure Island Music Festival. This year's lineup, which veers from the mainstream/frat-rock tinge of Outside Lands into more underground/indie/electronic/urban territories, looks promising.

And just like with Outside Lands, TIMF promoters have announced several "night shows" which keep the music going well into the evening hours. Appearing at the Independent are Pretty Lights and DJ Rootz on Thursday, October 15; A Place to Bury Strangers, These Are Powers, All the Saints and geographer Saturday, October 17; and Mike Posner with Big Sean Sunday, October 18. Also on Sunday, Mezzanine hosts Dan Deacon, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, BLK JKS, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain, Nuclear Power Pants, and DJ sets by Bob Mould and Aaron Axelsen. Tickets for the festival are available here . And night show tix can be had here and here .

Jennie Warren

Magic Lantern

​Fans of psychedelics and the music made to go with them should be pleased to hear that the one-day bash of stoner tunes returns for a second year to Thee Parkside next month. On Saturday, Oct. 10, Frisco Freakout celebrates spaced out sonics with a dance party comprising "good trips, organic eats, and the best in California psychedelic."

On tap to perform this year: Liquorball, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, Wooden Shjips, Magic Lantern, Citay, Barn Owl, Lumerians, 3 Leafs, and more will fill the Portero Hill dive with 10 hours of heavy rock.

 

At the Bridge: Fleet Foxes

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The annual Bridge School Benefit lineup, which happens October 24 & 25 at the Shoreline Ampitheater, has been announced. In addition to mainstay and organizer Neil Young, this year's talent list includes Coldplay's Chris Martin, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Monsters of Folk, Gavin Rossdale, Fleet Foxes, and Wolfmother. In addition, Jimmy Buffett plays Saturday, while Adam Sandler plays Sunday. Music Editor Jennifer Maerz gushes she's particularly stoked about Fleet Foxes. A link to the official Bridge site is here .

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Michael Franti and Spearhead

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The 11th Annual Power to the Peaceful Festival began with a thunderclap and ended with an affirmation of love. The season's first storm hit in the wee hours, bringing warm, tropical showers - but no lightning. Most of the rain had passed over Golden Gate Park by the time the music started, at noon, although sprinkles permeated the morning yoga jam--featuring hundreds of downward dog-leaning folks--a ritualistic blessing symbolizing the purification of the earth by the heavens. That was it for the actual rain, but a fine mist lingered in the air for the rest of the day.

EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved

Sly Dunbar of Sly + Robbie

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This year's lineup was one of the best-ever, talent-wise. After short sets by conscious rappers Sellassie and Truth Universal, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Toure continued the tribal theme with an electric take on traditional African blues. But things really got going with an extended set of live dub reggae by the legendary Jamaican duo Sly + Robbie, who brought on vocalist Cherine Anderson to sing two Bob Marley songs near the end of their performance.

EKAphotography copyright 2009. all rights reserved

Alanis Morissette

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By then, the crowd had swelled to about 70,000 folks, who extended from the Speedway Meadow stage all the way back to the DJ stage at the festival entrance. After all the heat generated by Sly + Robbie's classic riddims, Alanis Morissette cooled things down a bit with an acoustic set which featured chilled renditions of her hits "Thank You" and "You Oughtta Know." After yet another blessing, by Tibetan lama Namkha Rinpoche (who told the crowd there was a possibility of bringing the Dalai Lama to the event in 2010), headliners Michael Franti and Spearhead appeared almost immediately afterwards. Franti's set was upbeat, highlighted by collaborations with both Sly + Robbie and Cherine Anderson and joyous renditions of "Yell Fire" and "Say Hey (I Love You)". After it was all said and done, it seemed the show's organizers packed a week's worth of activity into one day. The sun never quite made it out that day, yet there was plenty of sunshine in the hearts of festival-goers, as they gradually trudged out of the meadow. Indeed, a peaceful yet rockin' time was had by all.

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Vinyl Vamp: Zap Mama

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Fickle weather and last-minute headliner replacements aside, Outside Lands was a success, by most yard sticks. Here's what folks are saying about the three-day extravaganza, which drew more than 100,000 people to Golden Gate Park:

Local reaction:

The Chron's Aidin Vaziri noted the lack of "urgency in the air" for big-ticket headliners, but added that the event itself was the event: "unlike last time, when people stampeded for hot commodities like Radiohead and Wilco, this year it felt like they were there simply soak it all in - the sun, the spectacle, the food, the alcohol and, hey, maybe some music from a lineup that was decidedly diffuse."

7x7 posted a video compilation of some of the performers, including M.I.A., Silversun Pickups, Bat For Lashes, Zion-I, Portugal. The Man, the Dead Weather, and John Vanderslice.

SFist's Day Three coverage gushed over Bettye LaVette: "the best performance of the day, if we had to choose, came from recently re-issued soul singer Bettye LaVette, who sang a doozy of a number called 'Let Me Down Easy' and also covered Sam Cooke's 'Change is Gonna Come,' which she sang at President Obama's inauguration." SFist's Day One and Two photo galleries and commentary is here and here .

Bay Area News Group's Jim Harrington announced, "the event was definitely better organized, with the promoters (Berkeley-based Another Planet Entertainment working with a pair of national presenters) having ironed out many of the issues that dogged the 2008 affair. Notably, the traffic control -- in terms of both foot traffic inside the park and the public transportation serving the event -- went smoothly. Also, the bathroom and concession lines weren't as intimidating as last year."

The improved logistics made a huge difference from the previous year, others agreed. "I was really impressed with the infrastructure," said Power to the Peaceful's Gina Gallo.

"I don't feel comfortable at a lot of festivals," Boots Riley confessed, adding that this one was different, since it was in his home region, and he knew more people.

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​Outside Lands Day 2: Street Sweeper Social Club, Trombone Shorty, Black Eyed Peas, The Mars Volta, & more, Saturday, August 20, 2009.

Better Than: sitting in the park, waiting for you.

The first day of Outside Lands was a huge freakin' success, especially if you stayed at the Twin Peaks stage (like I did). The opening night salvo of Zap Mama-Midnite-Q.Tip-Thievery Corporation was a potent one, to be sure. But how would Day Two line up? First of all, unlike the first day, there was no 'groovy bloc' of artists all lined up at a particular stage, all day long. This encouraged wandering. Besides Twin Peaks, there were several other stages, and with the talent level spread out fairly evenly among them, it only made sense to check them all out.

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Street Sweeper Social Club

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Arriving at just after 2 p.m., I was sorry to find out I missed both Albino! and Zion-I. Too bad these local acts couldn't have been scheduled for later in the day, but that's how it goes. Still, I did manage to see the Street Sweeper Social Club, which I had earmarked before the festival as one of my must-see bands. Tom Morello and Boots Riley did not disappoint. Their set of revolutionary rap-metal had Molotov intensity, although it did kind of sound like an aggregate of Rage against the Machine and the Coup (which, to a certain extent, it was). Still, I dug their "SSSC" uniforms (which evoked both classic Soviet Communism and the Beatles, circa Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). Boots' famed Afro stood tall, and Morello's rock star-riffage was on point.

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SSSC's Boots Riley

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Zap Mama

​ The headliners for this weekend's Outside Lands festival--Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band, Black Eyed Peas, Thievery Corporation, Tenacious D, and M.I.A.--need little introduction. But what about the undercard?

One of the coolest things about this event is the sheer number of acts playing, not to mention the tremendous range and diversity of style. Since it's impossible for any one person to know everything about every act playing, we thought we'd give ya a little trivia quiz to help you bone up on the lineup.

Match the letters column with the numbers column (after the break).

A. The Onion called them "two radical firebrand tastes that taste great together."

B. This Brazilian band, known for fusing Tropicalia and psychedelic rock, reunited in 2006.

C. This Belgian-Congolese singer known for her vocalese has recorded with the Roots and Ekyah Badu.

D. Before being "rediscovered" by Gilles Peterson and Ubiquity Records, This Bay Area soul singer recorded three classic 45s while moonlighting from his day job as a pimp.

E. This three-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter's 2008 album was called Little Honey.

F. This retro soul singer, whose real name is Charlie Ray Wiggins, has produced songs for Lucy Pearl, D'Angelo, and Joss Stone, in addition to his own solo material.

G. This Arizona-based rock outfit mixes country-rock with Tejano and mariachi music.

H.In addition to collaborating with David Bowie and members of Antibalas, this popular New York-based band has remixed Beck, Lee Scratch Perry, Fischerspooner, the Knife, and Nine Inch Nails.

I. This Bay Area band's tagline is "heavy heavy Afrobeat."

J. He told Lady Miss Kier, "baby, just sing about the groove."

EKAphotography copyright 2007. all rights reserved

Hatin' on the D: M.I.A.

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Courtesy of Perez Hilton via Prefix magazine, SriLankan/UK rebel rapper M.I.A. has dropped the Twitter equivalent of a stink bomb on her fellow Outside Lands performers Tenacious D, who had the misfortune to replace the ever-popular Beastie Boys at this weekend's massive San Francisco music festival. "IM TAKIN BIRD FLU OUT OF THE SET ! JUS TO MAKE A POINT," M.I.A. Tweeted in all-caps, showing her apparent anger at preceding the "School of Rock" star and his overweight yet rockin' buddy.

WTF, M.I.A.? Okay, you love the Beasties, we love the Beasties too. But why hate on the D? They're nice enough guys trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation, and who knows? They might just be able to pull off the biggest show of their entire careers without a hitch or hiccup (anyone got a spare Pick of Destiny?). Why not show encouragement toward your fellow musicians?

M.I.A. promises, "WE HAVE TO GO HARD!!!" and invites everyone on stage with her "FROM THE GET GO," but it's difficult to understand why she's kvetching so loudly. She's lucky enough to be playing the festival in the first place, especially on the main stage, and if she disagrees with the headliner, why not just commit all that fire to a blazing-hot cover of a classic Beasties song, like "High Plains Drifter," "So Whatcha Want?" or "She's Crafty"?

NIMBY Targets: Black Eyed Peas

​In a clear case of covering all one's bases, the SF Chronicle has managed to both support this weekend's massive Outside Lands festival and criticize it. This past Sunday, the three-day extravaganza garnered lots of Pink section coverage, with a Joel Selvin feature whose headline declared "Outside Lands gets ready to rock." The Datebook cover package also included an Aidin Vaziri Pop Quiz with Jack Black & Kyle Gass of Tenacious D, and a list of bands and set times  for those attending the festival.

Sunday Datebook editor Sue Adolphson called the festival a "megamusic event" and compared it to Woodstock, while Selvin's article, which included an interview with Another Planet Entertainment impresario Gregg Perloff, noted "the festival does not lack for star power. But the real pleasures of Outside Lands will be found scattered on all eight stages across the Polo Field, Speedway and Lindley Meadow."

Yet just one day later, in Monday's SFGate, blogger Michelle Richmond took up C.W. Nevius' NIMBY torch with a post highly critical of the festival. Unfortunately, Richmond failed to do even basic research which might have informed her viewpoint. The ticket prices were an easy target for Richmond's ire: "If I want to take my preschooler to the meadows this weekend, it will cost us $89.50 (per person) for the day, $225 (per person) for three days. In this economy, those ticket prices aren't exactly appealing to the masses."

Too Expensive? Tom Jones

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Ok Michelle, we understand that that's a wee bit more than you might expect to pay for two tickets to see Tom Jones  (who appears at OL) at the Starlight Room--although you'd probably want to get a babysitter (in case you feel the need to toss your granny panties at Mr. "What's New, Pussycat"), so you'd probably break even on that one, all told.

And, we have to wonder: is your preschooler a Pearl Jam, Black Eyed Peas or Dave Matthews Band fan? Does your tot rock out with his wee-wee out to Os Mutantes, Atmosphere, Zion-I, Zap Mama, Raphael Saadiq, Lila Downs, Incubus, or Street Sweeper Social Club?

If so, $90 for a full day of incredibly diverse music doesn't seem so exorbitant; lots of folks are paying those prices (which amounts to approximately $4 per band), and as the Chron itself noted back in January, the festival is expected to raise as much as $ 1.7M  ($950,000 of which is guaranteed) for the cash-strapped SF Parks & Rec Dept.

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Michael Franti at 2008's PTTP

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Watch out, Outside Lands and TIMF! Power to the Peaceful--Michael Franti's annual free party in Golden Gate Park--has announced the lineup for this year's throwdown, which is expected to bring between 50 and 75 thousand people. The featured artists this year are not only one of the strongest PttP bills to date, but stack up well against the big-time acts at the other, non-free, music festivals happening later this fall in San Francisco.

In addition to headliners Franti and Spearhead, confirmed artists for the Sept. 12 event include Alanis Morissette, Sly & Robbie (!) with Cherine Anderson, and Vieux Farka Toure. The opening slot was snagged by SF conscious MC Sellassie, and in addition to the main stage, there is a morning yoga practice, "1,000 Yogis for Peace"; a keynote speech by Tibetan Buddhist Namkha Rimpoche, and a DJ tent with Miguel Migs, Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist, and others. More info is here.

Franti has also announced an after-party at the Fillmore, featuring the "Rocking Heads," an ensemble of artists performing at PttP, playing Talking Heads covers. That show, unfortunately, is not free, but sounds like it might be worth the ducats.

Ramblin' Man: Ramblin' Jack Elliot

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Before there was freak-folk and alt.country, there was Freight & Salvage. The venerable Berkeley folk music venue and coffeeshop has been around since the days when bluegrass was just "grass," and jug bands were the order of the day--41 years, to be exact.

On August 27, as the Chron recently noted, the long-awaited Grand Opening of the Freight's new downtown Berkeley venue at 2020 Addison happens, commencing a week of celebrations and musical performances, including the 21st Annual Freight Fiddle Summit with Alasdair Fraser, Liz Carroll, and Darol Anger's Monster Quintet, the David Grisman Quintet, Greg Liszt & the Deadly Gentlemen, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and a Bluegrass Blowout, featuring Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, Bluegrass Intentions, the Kathy Kallick Band, High Country, and Jim Nunally & Keith Little.

The concerts highlight the Downtown Berkeley MusicFest (Aug 27-30), which features more than 40 events at fourteen venues. And, the Freight curates "Moved by Tradition," a music-focused art exhibit at the Addison Street Gallery.

Community members, folksters, and Americana fans are also invited to attend August 29's open house from 12 noon-5 p.m., featuring 52 workshops, eight performances, and tours of the new facility. And finally, on August 29, from 10 a.m.-noon, the nationally-syndicated radio show, West Coast Live, hosted by Sedge Thompson and featuring Laurie Lewis, will be broadcast live from the Freight's new building. More info on the whole shebang is here.

You Know You Want This, Oakland: Shawn Colvin

​Earlier this week I wrote about discovering that Oakland's Art & Soul Festival--which happens August 15 & 16--had managed to almost completely ignore the youthful 16-35 demographic with its bookings for this year. There's no live hip-hop, indie, or alternative rock, easily the most popular genres for teenagers and young adults. It seemed only right to follow up that post and ask the people behind the festival why that is.

According to Samee Roberts, a Manager in the Cultural Arts & Marketing Department of the Community & Economic Development Agency for the City of Oakland, there was no concerted attempt to alienate any demographic, especially young people. It just happened that way.

"Due to budget constraints, we rotate musical styles from year to year," Roberts says. "We have featured hip-hop in the past and definitely will again, but due to losing nearly $200K in funding, we could not afford to do it all in one festival. [It's] Important to note that there is no World, Reggae or Alternative Rock this year either."

Duly noted. But aren't jazz, blues. and gospel featured every year? And isn't it a fact that last year, the Hieroglyphics were the first hip-hop act ever to be featured at A&S during its eight-year tenure? I posed these follow-up questions to Roberts but didn't receive a direct response.

​Tenacious D have been announced as the Sunday night replacement act for the Outside Lands festival.

The final spot for the August 30 concert was supposed to go to the Beastie Boys--but, as many of you'll recall, that group had to cancel all shows when Adam "MCA" Yauch was diagnosed with cancer a couple weeks back. (According to Rolling Stone, MCA has since undergone surgery, and is now recooperating at home.)

On an Outside Lands conference call this afternoon, Jack Black warned that dogs might be barking all day Sunday because canines know when there's a "gigantic rock storm coming."

What do you guys think? How do these replacement headliners hold up?

Little Wings

​Summer's the time to hit the road for a little R&R: rest & relaxation (& rock & roll). Big Sur and the Brookdale Lodge are going off down south, but there's also a beachy festival coming up further north, featuring a number of Bay Area acts.

 On September 5 & 6, head up to Mendocino for Invisible Ocean, a Labor Day weekend of film, music, and camping. The lineup includes sets by Tussle, the Sarees, Helene Renaut,  and Jel, along with folks from the more northern bits of the West Coast (Little Wings among them).

Full lineup--including info on screenings for a surf film and a Sandy Bull doc directed by his daugther--here.

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Overlooked: The Real Tom Thunder

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Yesterday, ASD reported that Oakland's venerable Art & Soul festival, which offers two days of musical performances from gospel, Latin, R&B, blues and jazz artists--many of them local--had somehow neglected to book any live hip-hop acts. Apparently, that's not the only oversight. A&S also has a "World Class Rock" stage presented by KFOG, which features folk-rocker Shawn Colvin and roots-rockers the BoDeans. No disrespect to either the South Dakota-born Colvin, nor the Wisconsin-based BoDeans, but neither of them are from Oakland. And neither of them have much appeal to rock's primary demographic, young people under 35.

In fact, looking at the A&S lineup, with the exception of the "World Dance Hip-Hop Infusion" stage (which offers Hip Hop Praise Dance, among other things), and the kid-oriented "Family" stage (with Abby & the Pipsqueaks and Jump Street), the A&S lineup skews on the gray hair side of 35 overall. R&B singer Bobby Caldwell is best known for the 1978 song "What You Won't do For Love," which was already long in the teeth when it was sampled by the Luniz on "Playa Hata" back in 1995--fourteen years ago. Smooth jazz vocalist Will Downing is likewise unknown to young people, having peaked back in 1993 with his album Love's the Place to Be. Though artists like Zakiya Hooker, Frankie Lee and Teddy "Blues Master" Watson are continuing the Bay's storied blues tradition, no one under 40 listens to blues, period. Similarly, the gospel lineup, which includes Walter Hawkins & the Love Center Choir, Edwin Hawkins, and Terrence Kelly & Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, is unlikely to be much of a draw for youngsters, except perhaps those attending with their families.

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Missing in Action: the Kev Choice Ensemble

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The big news with Oakland's annual Art & Soul festival this year is that it's now two days, instead of three, and the date has been moved up to August 15 and 16, instead of the traditional Labor Day. A&S has a bunch of ads giving the Top Ten reasons the festival was moved, i.e. "bay bridge closing," which doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion, given that the festival is accessible by BART anyway. But whatever.

A&S is always a fun, family-oriented event, but it's missing some urban edge. Specifically, live hip-hop. Despite the genre's major contribution to "the Oakland sound" over the past 25 years, A&S has always been more than a little gun-shy when it comes to rap music. Technically, there is some hip-hop on this year's bill--which includes Latin, gospel, jazz, R&B and blues showcases--but only in the form of dance crews. What's up with that?

I could understand festival producers being concerned about including a hyphy local artist like J Stalin, Beeda Weeda, or Keak Da Sneak, which could result in rowdy crowds, yadidahmean? However, Oakland is also home to plenty of hip-hop artists who don't make music celebrating sideshows, gun violence, and drugs, such as Hieroglyphics and the Kev Choice Ensemble--both of whom performed at last weekend's Lakefest (Full disclosure: I was the official Lakefest photographer, and also wrote press releases for the event, which was super-cool).

This may go without saying, but there were no ugly incidents during either Hiero's or the KCE's performances, and both groups--who specialize in conscious, cultural lyrics--were well-received by the diverse crowd, which included people of all races, ethnicities, and ages. It's hard to believe that the omission of live hip-hop at A&S was an unintentional oversight, so, again, what's up with that?

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Get Well Soon, Mike

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to musician Michael Franti, who was hospitalized last week for a ruptured appendix and had to undergo emergency surgery. The timing was especially poor, as it forced Franti's band Spearhead to bow out of four scheduled concert appearances, including the Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe and the Greek Theatre in Berkeley.

In a press statement, Franti said "It's with deep emotion that I will not be able to perform over the next week or so, especially in places like Calgary, Vegas, Tahoe and Berkeley, where I've been fortunate enough to share my music with so many people over the years. I'm sorry to disappoint, but I will be back as soon as possible. Big love."

Franti is reportedly recovering from the procedure and in good spirits. He's hoping to get back on the road by July 31st for a scheduled concert appearance in Tulsa, OK. Speahead's next Bay Area date is September 12, when they headline the Power to the Peaceful Festival. By the way, according to a source at Franti's management company, Guerilla Management, this year's PTTP will feature Jamaican legends Sly +Robbie, with a certain female Canadian singer-songwriter known for a big hit which rhymes with "Glue Outta Snow" "90% confirmed."

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Collar-Poppin' time: Lyrics Born

​It's probably safe to say that in its 72-year history of free concerts, no one has ever 'popped their collar' onstage at Sigmund Stern Grove. Score another milestone for Lyrics Born.

Now that the Beastie Boys have pulled out of Outside Lands, announcing the bad news that MCA has to undergo treatment for cancer of the parotid (salivary) gland, the festival has turned to the public to ask what artists should be considered as replacements for Sunday night's big finale.

Outside Lands' Twitter feed posed the question, "Ranger Dave is diligently working to replace the Beastie Boys. Any suggestions?" Got some ideas? Tweet back--and make sure they're not the same acts performing at Treasure Island.

If we had our fantasy picks? Hmmm...let's see... My Bloody Valentine? Blur? Wu-Tang Clan? De La Soul? What if hometown heroes Green Day saved the day? Whoever is chosen, the group has to be able to go on after M.I.A., not the easiest act to follow. (Let's just hope it's not Moby who slides into that slot).
 

Bad news from the Beastie Boys camp this morning. Adam "MCA" Yauch has been diagnosed with cancer--he has a tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. The good news is doctors found the cancerous tumor early, it doesn't sound to have spread to other parts of his body, and surgeons and are prepared to operate (without affecting his vocal chords) on Yauch next week. He'll go through radiation treatment as well.

The group has decided to put its focus on Yauch's recovery, canceling all tour dates (including Outside Lands) and postponing the release of the upcoming album, Hot Sauce Committee. This means they will not be headlining Outside Lands, where the band was one of the main attractions for Sunday night of the big August weekend.

In a press statement,  Yauch said, "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows. It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because i was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later." He gives a longer explanation here:

No word yet on if there's a replacement act planned for Outside Lands. As soon as we get word from the festival's HQ, we'll let you know.

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Room with a Vieux: Vieux Farka Toure

In this economy, who has the means to travel internationally anymore? Luckily, with all the world music acts coming through the Bay Area of late, you don't have to have a passport, visa, hotel, and plane ticket to catch some of the most scintillating global groovesters around. For example, last week I went to France, and this past weekend, I traveled to Mexico, Mali, and Brazil (twice). And I didn't even have to leave the 7x7 square miles of the 415, nor stock up on malaria pills and postcards.

Saturday night's world tour began with CeU's sold-out show at the Herbst Theatre. The hall's acoustics seemed perfectly matched to the Brazilian vocalist's elastic voice, allowing its timbre to resonate. Backed by a turntablist/effects programmer, an acoustic drummer, a bassist, and a keyboard player, the band functioned as a quintet - CeU's vocals were like an instrument in and of itself. Running through selections from her self-titled debut and her more recent album Vagarosa, CeU flawlessly executed bossa nova and tropicalismo-inflected tunes, along with more adventurous numbers which evoked spaghetti Westerns, Jamaican dubfests, and neo-soul throwdowns reminiscent of a South American Sade.

Monophonics

When the weather's nice and sunny, Pier 23 is one of my favorite spots to kick it in The City. The ocean views, relaxed atmosphere, food menu and full bar are enticing enough on their own, but when you add ten hours of live music into the mix, that's a whole lot of extra incentive.

This Saturday, Pier 23 hosts Bay Vibes 2, a mini-music festival featuring an all-local lineup, covering a wide, groovy spectrum from jazz to funk to soul to reggae to hip-hop to Latintronica : Afrolicious, Native Elements, Jethro Jeremiah Band , Spaceheater , Izabella, Pat Jordan Band , Kev Choice Ensemble , Monophonics , Dogman Joe, and Kapakahi.

Tickets are just $15, which is cheap, considering the cost-benefit ratio. So there's no excuse not to go for even your broke ass.  More info can be found here.

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One Pho tha Show: Lyrics Born

If Lyrics Born ever gets tired of rapping, he could easily be a comedian. The opening skit from his new mixtape, The Lyrics Born Variety Show Season Pho, in which LB goes to a Vietnamese restaurant and tries to order some soup ("Pho"--get it?), is LMFAO funny. LB's obviously got a sense of humor, but he conceals it well with his deadpan tone. The mixtape proper is a bit more serious, collecting some of LB's recent appearances, like J-Boogie's "Revolution," and the Mighty Underdogs' "Ill Vacation"; new material like "Stay Professional," "Pop Campaign," and "Block Bots" (featuring Clyde Carson); exclusive remixes; mashups; sneak peeks from LB's next full length As You Were; and more hilarious skits.

Speaking of LB, he and his "Re-View" appear at the Stern Grove Festival July 26, along with The Mighty Underdogs--which may well turn out to be a watershed moment for homegrown hip-hop.

Colossal Yes

Tonight, the Mission Creek Music Festival hosts four different shows in the Mission. The Double U, headlining the Argus, wouldn't be out of place on the Ipecac label, with the band's monster math rock soundtracks for (as one Portland Mercury critic astutely hints), menacing movies. The Lab hosts experimental leaning acts with the "drones [and] doomy laments" of darwinsbitch, who perform with Swedish act Nim, whose interesting audio visual approach comprises syncing found super 8 footage with sounds emitted by cassette walkmans.  Meanwhile Colossal Yes gets its Harry Nillson on with romantic piano jams at El Rio, and Sonny and the Sunsets blanket the Knockout with sunny folk pop.

Rocky Schenck

Ann Magnuson

The benefit shows started a little early, but the official Mission Creek Music Festival kicks off tomorrow through July 24. And on their 13th year, the promoters have really gone the extra mile to insure both sides of the Bay are seeded with excellent local and international talent.

The extensive list includes a mix of big names (Ann Magnuson, Dead Meadow, a film about Faust), local bigwigs (Kelley Stoltz, Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps, Fresh & Onlys, Ty Segall, Emily Jane White, Greg Ashley, Bronze, Triclops!, Hunk and His Punx) and bands worthy of possible bigwigness down the line (The Downer Party among them). Artists hail from around the world (Sweden, Mexico, Spain, and beyond) and play everything from indie pop to metal to the more experimental side of things (check out the Collision wing at the Lab). There are films, DJ nights, band showcases, and more all tagged to a music fest championing independent music.

We have a couple previews for Mission Creek in the paper, but we'll be doing more previews here at All Shook Down, letting you know our nightly picks for your musical fixes.

Two events that should go on the calendar now (because they're free) go down this weekend. On Saturday, there's a big ol' concert in McLaren Park from noon until 8 p.m. Then on Sunday, Mission Creek moves to the Phoenix for a pool party that starts at 4 p.m. and includes music by Spanish troubador Xoel Lopez. Full Mission Creek lineup here.

The Flaming Lips

Yeah, the folks behind the Treasure Island Music Festival have pulled off another excellent lineup for this year's scenic San Francisco music event. Concertgoers can watch the following indie/electro acts from the Ferris wheel or the front lawn during the height of Indian Summer (Oct. 17-18).

Here's the official lineup for Saturday: MGMT, MSTKKRFT, Girl Talk, Brazilian Girls, The Streets, Passion Pit, LTK Bukem feat. MC Conrad, DJ Krush, Federico Aubele, Dan Deacon, Murs, Crown City Rockers, and the Limousines.

Sunday is all about the indie: The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, Beirut, Grizzly Bear, Yo La Tengo, the Walkmen, Bob Mould, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Vetiver, Spiral Stairs (of Pavement), Sleepy Sun, Tommy Guerrero, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.

From my end, I'd say this is a pretty great spread of the old school (Flaming Lips, DJ Krush) and the heavy new(er)comers (MGMT, Grizzly Bear, Beirut).

My criticisms are for the smaller end of the lineup: there could be more locals playing the festival (especially on the electronic side, and especially with our dancefloor-focused culture) and some of the sleepier live acts (the Walkmen, the Streets) could be replaced by artists that are on the rise. 

Overall, though, there are plenty of reasons to hit the Island again this year--Flaming Lips and MGMT being two big ones. 

Rebirth Brass Band

Citing economic difficulties due to increased costs, Sunset Promotions, the organizers of the North Beach Jazz Festival have announced this year's event--scheduled to be the fifteenth annual--has been postponed until 2010.

"This is gonna be a big deal for a lot of people," said Sunset's Robbie Kowal. Though he would have been happy to break even, last year's festival lost money, he said, and this year, the prognosis looked even grimmer. Sunset had hoped that corporate sponsors would come to the rescue, and city officials did everything they could to match up NBJF with a willing suitor but, alas, there was no knight in a shiny three-piece Brioni willing to take the plunge in this current economic downturn. "There is no Getty batphone," Kowal admits. The bottom line, he says, is, "we couldn't afford it."

In a statement scheduled to be released to the press later today, Sunset's John Miles said, "We looked at this from every angle and met with all stakeholders, including the Mayor's office, Supervisor Chiu's office, the SFPD and the Rec. and Park Department... Despite everyone's good-faith efforts, the numbers simply didn't add up. We need to go back to the drawing board."