San Fran Voice

Rob Owen released his new CD, Barefoot in the Rain, a few months back and San Fran Voice paid attention. He told us a bit about that CD in his initial interview with us, giving us insight into its uplifting qualities and its “organic minimalism” approach to sound. I explored that further in my music review which was on the site about a month after the interview. And then things fell kind of quiet around here as far as Rob was concerned because he was busy play around the Bay Area but wasn’t here in the city. Well, that city hiatus is coming to an end. Rob Owen will be performing live at The Red Victorian in The Haight tonight, Friday November 2, starting at 7:30 p.m. He’ll be followed by singer-songwriters Ronnie Cato, Ryan David Orr and Star Lebetter and Ryan Salet (what is this, the night of the guys whose names start with R?!) The venue is casual and fun and the event should be a good time.

There are two great local musicians who are teaming up to bring you over three hours of live music once every month starting this coming Saturday night. Micah Anderson is a San Jose musician who plays a version of acoustic rock that is earthy and touching. Drew Thomas has a mesmerizing voice and engaging lyrics. The two are going to be coming together to show off their skills on the last Saturday of every month. The location is the SNOB Wine Bar - if you don’t know it, it’s worth checking out. Show starts at eight.

There’s a fundraiser event over at 111 Minna tomorrow night. I normally don’t recommend fundraiser events because they’re expensive and let’s face it, they’re often just a little on the dull side. But Beats4Boobs, which raises money for breast cancer awareness, is one of those events that hip and cool and filled with fun even though it’s about the fundraising. It’s got art and fashion, food and music and it’s only $20 to get in which isn’t bad for 7 hours of action (from 7 p.m. - 2 a.m.) And Minna’s a cool spot so you can check that out in the process if you’ve never been there.

Micah Anderson is a San Jose musician who is bringing his sounds to the city tonight. His version of acoustic rock is earthy and enjoyable and fits in well with The Haight which is where tonight’s performance will be held. The show is at The Red Vic and begins at eight tonight. Make sure to check out his San Fran Voice CD Review published last month!

If you’re going to be hanging out in the East Bay this weekend, or don’t mind heading over there, you should check out The Battle of the Bands that’s happening over at Oakland Metro tomorrow. More specifically, you should check out some of the people playing at this event that San Fran Voice has supported in the past. For example, there is Aoede who you know from our interview as well as our CD review. Band battles are always a good time - you get to get involved in the music in a big way - and this is a chance to see local artists in action. It’s $10 and you can buy tickets at the door (201 Broadway in Oakland).

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the music by local singer-songwriter Shane Papatolicas. He’s got lyrics that reference my favorite city in the world (San Francisco, of course) and a voice that’s like cloudless shelter from the foggy San Francisco chill. So it’s no surprise that I like the newest song (Slow Down, Hold Out) that Shane posted on his site. He downplays it by reminding listeners that it’s just a rough cut demo he put out there for some feedback, but the truth is that it’s already a pretty solid piece. You can hear it by following the mp3 link above or by checking out Shane’s site which has some of his other songs in mp3 format as well.

Maybe Shane’ll play it this week when he performs live at Grant & Green Saloon. The North Beach show is free and Grant & Green is always a fun casual venue. It’s on Thursday evening (the 13th). Shane starts around 7 and is followed by Fred O’Dell and Fancy Dan. Learn more about Shane from his interview with San Fran Voice and my CD review.

Last week, San Fran Voice was lucky enough to publish an interview with Marlina Teich, a local jazz musician who has been adding her voice to the San Francisco music scene for a number of years. Next week we’ll also be publishing a review of her music. In the meantime, you can check her out yourself live this Friday afternoon. She will be playing with her full band (Junius Simmons on guitar, Eugene Warren on bass and Vince Lateano on drums) for one hour starting at noon. The show is at 1390 1/2 Turk Street (just off of Fillmore).

4 bands for $10 is never a bad deal, even if you have to go over to The East Bay to get it. The event is “Bringing Back The Rock”, the location is Blake’s on Telegraph (Berkeley) and the date is tomorrow, Saturday August 18th. And there’s incentive to go because the bands are hosting a contest so you can benefit, get details here.

But who are the bands?

- Privies, a band you already know from their interview here on San Fran Voice.

- Two Sticks, described in a recent press release as having a sound that blends Weezer, The Vines, The Strokes, and The White Stripes, sprinkled with some East Indian hypnotic elements”.

- Anthem, a live-music band described as “a wall of modern and contemporary noise, sound, and attitude”.

- Atomic Love Bombs, a band that plays “a blend of melody and noise reminiscent of bands like The Velvet Underground, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and, more recently, Pavement and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.”

There are two great singers both putting on performances tomorrow and I recommend that you check at least one of them out. If you can hop from place to place, even better. But, if not, find the neighborhood that you’re closest to (North Beach or Mission) and make your way to see either Tiffany Joy or Kate Isenberg.

Tiffany Joy is a beautiful bilingual singer who is going to be having her CD Release party tomorrow at The Purple Onion in North Beach. Doors open at eight. The music starts at nine and goes for two hours, after which the bar will be open for dancing to a DJ. The cost is $10. You can learn more about Tiffany Joy from her San Fran Voice interview.

If you’re closer to The Mission tomorrow night, you should check out Kate Isenberg. This local singer-songwriter has just released her new CD which you can read about on our review. We’ll also be posting an interview with Kate on the site next Friday so check her out and then come back to learn even more about her. She’s playing tomorrow at El Rio for $7. Show starts at 8:30, Kate goes on about an hour later.

I received a message about a show this weekend and it immediately caught my attention because the first line of the invite is: “All-you-can-eat BBQ, drink specials and 3 sexy men, all in their own special ways.” That definitely works for me. The three men who are performing are Fred Odell, Ian Shaul, and Glen Earl Brown, Jr.

Ian’s the one that I got the invite from, and the one whose music I already know. (It’s an indie/folksy sound; you can check it out yourself on his MySpace page.) He’s a funny guy … his self-description in the message says: “Ian Shaul, whose calloused hands and Old Spice scent remind you of the father you’ve tried so hard to replace”.

The details that you need to know to check these guys out live this weekend:

Where: Thee Parkside
Where’s that? 1600 17th St. (at Wisconsin at the foot of Potrero Hill)
When: Sunday, August 5th @ 5 p.m.
Cost: FREE!!!!!