San Francisco label Secret Seven Records recently released In a Cloud, a compilation of 14 unreleased tracks from some of SF’s best up-and-coming talent. The compilation with mastered by Paul Oldham, brother and occasional bandmate of Will Oldham.
The catch? It’s a limited vinyl release with only 500 copies. But something tells us this thing will [...]

Wish you were in New Zealand for the first gig of Pavement’s 2010 reunion tour? So do we. Thanks to the internets there’s all sorts of video coverage being posted to YouTube.
Check out the their tour schedule on Matador. Although most dates are overseas, there are stops at Coachella, Sasquatch, four days in Central Park [...]

San Francisco’s Honeycomb is an eight-piece ensemble led by Emily Ritz and featuring members of Geographer, Stitchcraft, The Dirty Snacks Ensemble. This beautiful live video was put together by One Night Music, a collective of volunteers who film intimate live performances of independent songwriters and bands in the Bay Area.
You can soak up some more [...]

This amazing video features San Francisco’s The Morning Benders performing “Excuses” with The Big Echo Orchestra. Yup, that’s John Vanderslice, Christopher Owens of Girls, and many others. Their anticipated release, Big Echo, is due out March 9th.

The Morning Benders – “Promises”
“Promises” is the lead single off of the Morning Benders’ forthcoming release, Big Echo. The Berkeley crew co-produced the album with Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, so I have a feeling its going to be nothing short of amazing. Thanks to True Panther and Rough Trade for putting out the [...]

Great news for those of you who “go to concerts to relax.” Purchase your tickets at their official site.

Vermont’s Grace Potter and the Nocturnals brought their brand of high-octane retro-rock to the Fillmore last night. Given their obvious ’60s influences, the historic Fillmore stage served as a perfect setting. Judging by the platoon of videographers filming a live DVD, the band clearly also thought the setting a good fit.
Potter’s career has been an [...]

Thanks, Pitchfork. You win this round. The initial lineup for the 2010 Noise Pop Festival is now out in the open: the Magnetic Fields, Atlas Sound, Rogue Wave, Four Tet, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, Mark Kozelek, John Vanderslice (who helped out last year as a bartender at Noise Pop 2009’s Mountain Goats show), Foreign [...]

Video games can do more than monopolize many (very entertaining) hours of any given day. In the case of Child’s Play Charity, video gamers on an international level do much more than swing controllers. The Penny Arcade-founded charity strives to improve the lives of sick children by donating toys, games, books, and cash to over [...]

Stranger Dance is proud to present a badass lineup at the Rickshaw Stop. This Sunday, November 29th, Vancouver’s JAPANDROIDS will rock the stage along with Florida’s Surfer Blood and San Francisco’s own The Downer Party.
The show starts at 7:00, costs $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and all ages are welcome. Buy your [...]