Lovers of vinyl will go to bed tonight with visions of sugar-plums dancing in their heads, as Record Store Day – the high holiday for audiophiles around the world – returns tomorrow, and more than 25 Bay Area independent record shops are participating in the madness. This year's event (the seventh official RSD) features not only its usual array of special releases from high profile musicians, but a handful of local acts are jumping into the fray, dropping limited edition wax that will no doubt delight many scenesters from the Bay and beyond. [...]
by Bill Pearis As mentioned , Sonny & the Sunsets were one of the many just-announced additions to this year's Northside Festival line-up. His show happens on Friday, June 14 at Knitting Factory and is an early one (7:30 PM set time). Tickets are on sale now, or you can use your Northside badge. The show is part of a growing tour and all known dates are listed below. The show happens the [...]
Poster Design: Philip Pascuzzo The Roxie Theater , the Mission's last remaining independent movie theater, is putting on a benefit concert at Verdi Club tonight, with all proceeds going to support the theater's campaign to renovate and upgrade their smaller sister theater, the Little Roxie . The neighborhood cinematic institution recruited "four of San Francisco’s finest lo-fi/garage bands" for the event: headlining are the seemingly ubiquitous Thee Oh Sees , with fellow locals Sonny [...]
Go to shows! Everybody go to shows! Thursday, April 4th San Cisco, Chaos Chaos at Rickshaw Stop Ever hear those amazing stories about seeing Pulp play their first American shows at an instore? Or seeing The Killers at Popscene? Well, this is Australia's San Cisco's big moment. It's their first show in the Bay Area, [...] The post Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/4/13-4/3/13 appeared first on Spinning Platters .
Live This Month: April 2013 — an audio guide through SF concerts this month (Podcast #303) In Live This Month , we sample some of the great local and out-of-town bands performing in the coming month in the San Francisco Bay Area. We're due for an onslaught of anticipated new albums from Bay Area bands, and that outpouring begins this month with a number of the local artists we've included in this mix. Both Life Coach and Tartufi [...]
1. Caveman - Over My Head.mp3 2. Yellowbirds - Young Men Of Promise.mp3 3. Smith Westerns - Varsity.mp3 4. Free Time - Nothin But Nice.mp3 5. Mikal Cronin - Weight.mp3 6. Julian Lynch - Gloves.mp3 7. Port St. Willow - Soft Light Rush.mp3 SIDE B 1. Way Yes - Colerain.mp3 2. Pure X - Someone Else.mp3 3. [...]
Hot off the conclusion of his 100 Records music project, Sonny Smith has reunited with the Sunsets, and the band is set to release Antenna to the Afterworld , their latest record as Sonny & the Sunsets, on June 11th via Polyvinyl Records. They recently released the first single from the album called "Dark Corners," and it is a typically quirky slice of melodic surf rock-though they do throw in some Jesus and Mary Chain dark jangle pop aesthetics for good measure. Listen to the track below.
The murder of a close friend of the band led Sonny Smith to think a lot about death and life after death. Shortly after, a visit to a medium brought Smith into contact with another friend who had died. It was this encounter with the afterworld that inspired many of the lyrics on Sonny & the Sunsets' new record, Antenna to the Afterworld . And the topics on the record? Death of course, the afterworld of course. But also android lovers dying in the streets bleeding green blood, homeless girls, dogs stranded here from other [...]
R ockers Sonny & The Sunsets have nestled into a really wonderful niche, that seems to allow them to churn out album after album after album, of this wonderful garage rock / psych pop pastiche. Surprisingly, they are releasing their fourth album in as many years. The album, Antenna to the Afterworld is a concept album based on aliens, but definitely does seem to be on the darker side of gloomy. Antenna to the Afterworld, available June 11th. Pre-order CD, LP, cassette here: www.polyvinylrecords.com/anten na
I don't think anyone in the world works as hard as Sonny Smith, except for maybe Ty Segall . It seems like Sonny always has something in the works, be it his solo work or his band Sonny & the Sunsets . He just released a new single that will be featured on his upcoming effort with his band; the record is called Antenna to the Afterworld and will be released by Polyvinyl Records on June 11th. Interestingly, this song has less [...]
Psychedelic, industrial and garage rock merge into an alien form on the spacey "Dark Corners" by Sonny & The Sunsets . "I can't wait to find my little place in your weird world," sings lead singer Sonny Smith, which is about as appropriate as it gets for this one. Hear more on Antenna To The Afterworld – the Cali band's new one coming in June.
Sonny Smith's endlessly prolific San Francisco psych-pop band Sonny And The Sunsets crank out loopy, fun, lo-fi tunes at scary rates, and their new album Antenna To The Afterworld is a concept album about aliens. But this one isn't all raygun jokes; it was inspired by the murder of one of Smith's friends, and you can hear a bit of that sadness-fog in the new song "Dark Corners." Listen to it below. Read More...
The L.A. songwriter Sonny Smith and his band the Sunsets have had a prolific, diverse career so far - their last record, Longtime Companion , had an endearing alt-country tinge, while "Dark Corners," the first single from their upcoming release Antenna to the Afterworld , is a pretty different beast. The catchiest bassline ever (seriously) and a lulling organ drone knit together underneath simple guitar strumming and Smith's tender vocals: "I can't wait to find my little place in your weird world;" the whole thing is a sweet, charming, and pretty instantly endearing track [...]
![Sonny & the Sunsets - 'Dark Corners' [Listen]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4842999_lg.jpg)
Sonny & the Sunsets move away from the country leanings of last year's Longtime Companion with their latest track, 'Dark Corners', a tasty slab of hazy garage rock, accompanied by some blissed out lo-fi synth playing. Sonny's characteristic drawl still has some country charm to bring to the track. The track is a preview of their upcoming album, Antenna to the Afterworld , which is available for pre-order through Polyvinyl Records on June 11th. View the album trailer below.
by Bill Pearis Sonny & the Sunsets are veering into new wave territory on Antenna to the Afterworld , due out June 11 on Polyvinyl. The murder of a friend and a subsequent visit to a psychic inspired the lyrics on the new album which Sonny imagines himself as a visitor from another planet. We all feel like an alien sometimes. The somewhat fantastical lyrics then inspired the new musical direction. You can stream LP track "Dark Corners" and watch a trailer for [...]
Polyvinyl just offered up this teaser of "Dark Corners," the first track on Sonny & the Sunsets ' new album, Antenna to the Afterworld . The album comes out on June 11th, and that's all the information we have right now. In case you missed it, here also is Sonny and his band's cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," coming out on a 73 on Record Store Day. Related Posts: Review & Photos: Sonny & the Sunsets, Magic Trick, Cool Ghouls, and Dune [...]
Sonny Smith is a tough man to pigeon hole. Just when you think you've got him figured, he turns the equation on its head. Smith has kept busy since leaving Fat Possum for Polyvinyl last year. In the wake of his divorce, Smith & the Sunsets released the best break-up record of 2012 in Longtime Companion . Earlier this year, he debuted the third (and strongest) installment in his 100 Records series, showcasing his range by bouncing from reggae to instrumental folk to jangly garage rock with ease. [...]
Sonny & the Sunsets headlined a night of surf-pop goodness at Bottom of the Hill last Saturday night.
Noise Pop 2013 - Sonny & the Sunsets @ Bottom of the Hill 3/2/13 - photo by Jackie Andrews I was excited to check out Dune Rats , who came all the way out here from Australia to melt ears with their slacker rock, but a single-tracking BART train from the East Bay made me late. Luckily I was able to catch the last half of their set. Self-described as a “budstep” band, they do a pretty good job of channeling the early 90s aesthetic of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Nirvana, Wayne’s World [...]
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