Two big shows for lovers of folk singer-songwriters this week, with contenders from both genders: Alela Diane with Marissa Nadler Tuesday at the Rickshaw Stop (8pm, $12), and next Sean Hayes at the Independent Wednesday with Kilbossa (8pm, $16). Diane currently claims residency in both Northern California (Nevada City) and Portland, but has hardly been able to call either home in the last year of extensive touring. Now she's off on a national tour supporting Nadler. Alela Diane & [...]
It is Fall in the Bay Area, and like most other places on the West coast, that means it gets dark earlier in the evenings, stays dark longer in the mornings, and we are already seeing some monsoon-like rains that will be more and more frequent in the coming months. And although there is nothing wrong with throwing on The Morning Benders' excellent Bedroom Covers album or the Papercuts' fantastic You Can Have What You Want and pulling out a bottle of red wine and choosing to accept and deal with the weather (great albums for [...]
[Locals Only is a regular feature where the Stranger Dance staff focus on the best and brightest of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. Feel free to hit us up with any information on local bands, musicians, shows, and other music-related events and projects.] This week boasts several unique events: Mark Eitzel performing American Music Club at the Red Devil Lounge, a BYOB rock show at Flux53 in Oakland (presented by our buds over at Kata Rokkar), the Proclaimers (!) at Bottom of [...]

Silian Rail - "Tituba" The longest running experimental women's film festival in the US returns to El Rio on Wednesday, September 16th for a kickoff event featuring some great indie bands. The Thirteenth Annual MadCat Women's International Film Festival kickoff event will feature some of the films playing during this year's festival with live musical accompaniment by Silian Rail and Tartufi . After the kickoff, Madcat heads out on a tour around the country, and [...]
Nostalgic albums - they cause the ear to tingle upon the first note of the first song and once soundtracked every moment of a period of your life. Call them crazy, but a group of local talent had the valiant idea of giving Weezer's Pinkerton a public genuflect at Bottom of the Hill tomorrow night with two more Bay Area acts: Wendy Darling and The Definite Articles (9pm, $10). If half-Japanese girls are your thing or maybe you're just tired of sex altogether, there's at least one song for you. The headliners will perform [...]

The Bay Bridged, Tartufi , Whizbang Fabrics, and Noise Pop Present: The Second Annual Rock Make Street Festival The Rock Make Street Festival is this Sunday, August 23rd, from 11am to 7pm! The free all ages event takes place on Treat Avenue between 17th St and 18th St in the Mission. Come check out what Flavorpill, the Chronicle and more are calling a must-attend free day of great local music and [...]

[Locals Only is a regular feature where the Stranger Dance staff focus on the best and brightest of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. Feel free to hit us up with any information on local bands, musicians, shows, and other music-related events and projects.] The 2009 Rock Make Street Festival takes DIY to a new level, bringing music and art away from the exclusionary and back to the grassroots. Presented by the Bay Bridged , Tartufi , Whizbang Fabrics , and Noise Pop , the [...]

Judging from their album title, ...and I You, to Pieces , I figured duo Robin Landy and Eric Kuhn, under the name Silian Rail , would sound something more likelier to Gregor Samsa (perhaps coined as the hopeless romantics of post-rock?). But of course, when it comes to instrumental music-and post-rock in particular-it's a rule to never judge an album by its title. This album is full of surprises. The thought of a post-rock band being a two-piece and sounding like a full band is rather hard to believe. Although most tracks never features anything more [...]

As a committed omnivore, I'm very skeptical of meals that don't include meat or fish. That is not to say I completely eschew vegetarian meals, just that I approach these meals with lowered expectations unless there are mushrooms involved (I love mushrooms like nobody's business). The same is true for instrumental bands. I certainly don't dislike instrumental music (in fact, most of the best jazz and electronica is instrumental), but instrumental rock music is a tough sell for me. In other words, I approach any instrumental rock band (especially a two-piece) with the same skepticism I [...]

The angular and synth-laden music of the self-titled debut album by San Francisco's French Miami features shout out loud vocals mingled with math-rock guitar riffs and steady, rhythmic percussion that alternates between danceable, droning and explosive. In other words, musically, their self-titled debut album flows between dense, electrifying math-rock riffs, a la Battles , to hypnotic, jazz-inspired drones, a la Tortoise , but with coherent punk-rock styled lyrics. In addition to Battles and Tortoise, the album makes me think of bands like Trans Am or Fugazi. French Miami consists of drummer Chris Crawford, and [...]

Wednesday was the Stranger Dance presented show at the Rickshaw Stop with French Miami , By Sunlight ( myspace ) and Silian Rail . With two of my favorite local bands and a third band from Seattle, I was looking forward to this show. I got there shortly before Silian Rail went on. With an amalgam of images projected on the screen behind them, Robin (guitar) and Eric (drums, guitar, bass pedals, glockenspiel) put together a compelling set of old and new songs. Trying out a lot of new [...]
Ambivalent & JPLS - Creep Ambivalent @ MySpace, JPLS @ MySpace Elizaveta - Snow In Venice Elizaveta @ MySpace Femi Kuti - Eh Oh Femi Kuti @ MySpace Pilot Speed - Put The Phone Down Pilot Speed @ MySpace Silian Rail - Tituba Silian Rail @ MySpace
A special thanks to everyone who made it out last night to the show. It was quite a successful night for Stranger Dance's second official concert event - ok, maybe the bands had a little bit to do with it. In case you missed it, our very own Laura Ciekot snapped some shots for your viewing pleasure. Check them out after the jump. Silian Rail [...]

A friendly reminder to all: tonight, June 10th, Stranger Dance presents a slew of great bands at the Rickshaw Stop . For $8, those who attend will see French Miami , By Sunlight , and Silian Rail , all starting around 8:00 p.m. If you haven't already, be sure to RSVP on Facebook . See you there!

What a week for local music! Wednesday a (primarily) local showcase at The Rickshaw (8pm, $8) will take place thanks to SF's Stranger Dance , including French Miami , By Sunlight (Seattle) and Silian Rail . French Miami - Science Fiction Don't know what you're in store for when it comes to seeing Silian Rail? Just heading back to town from a West Coast tour, the two piece instrumental packs in more volume and melody than some full bands! [...]

Wednesday, June 10th marks the date of a very special evening at the Rickshaw Stop . Stranger Dance is proud to present two of our favorite local bands, French Miami and Silian Rail , with Seattle's By Sunlight rounding out the bill. All three bands manage to create expansive sound with minimal members, challenging their contemporaries and pushing the envelope of their respective genres. This show is all ages, costs $8, and doors open at 8:00 p.m. You can RSVP [...]

Wednesday, June 10th marks the date of a very special evening at the Rickshaw Stop . Stranger Dance is proud to present two of our favorite local bands, French Miami and Silian Rail , with Seattle's By Sunlight rounding out the bill. All three bands manage to create expansive sound with minimal members, challenging their contemporaries and pushing the envelope of their respective genres. This show is all ages, costs $8, and doors open at 8:00 p.m. You can RSVP [...]

Thursday May 14: Photons, Wax Fingers, Spencey Dude and the Doodles @ Hemlock Do you like home-grown indie pop? Do you like comics? Do you like Glockenspiel? You Do? well you're in luck because this Thursday Photons are going to be celebrating their EP/Comic release at the Hemlock Tavern . Sf Weekly recently created a genre for them..... Jangle Pop. Clever. Photons - Where Were You Last Night [...]

It`s not merely a question of less is more, maybe a duo can be portrayed as the new essential wall of sound. I didn`t expect to be absorbed by Silian Rail`s instrumental tone or be wonderfully unprepared for two cleverly bonded musicians. Uncluttered and inspiring, music to watch the world go by. " Silian Rail, from San Francisco, is Robin Landy and Eric Kuhn. Their songs are constantly shifting mazes of rich melodies and narrative rhythms; equally epic, fragile, and explosively dynamic. It never ceases to astound that, as a duo, [...]
Local label 500 Records just added another fine album to their catalog, digitally releasing Silian Rail's I, You To Pieces this week. I was fortunate to catch the duo of Robin Landy and Eric Kuhn a few times last year and was immediately struck by the strong musicianship. While there is an epic quality to their instrumentals, there is also a strong pop sensibility, which qualifies Silian Rail