The Moonlight Orchestra
facebook.com/TheMoonlightOrchestra
8pm
The Moonlight Orchestra orbits around a multifaceted array of musical influences that spring from a blues inferno within a psychedelic cascade and on to the chaotic senses of experimentalism and a bit of frenzy. Their music doesn’t fit a mold or heed itself to any convention but of their own that reflects a homage to their colorful musical backgrounds.

It is a pop explosion reminiscent in “Beatle-esque” lyrical sentimentality and a musical sensibility of the 90′s recessing in dreamlike sultriness that is laced in bluesy and psychedelic guitars, climactic and loud romping rhythms, paired with rich melodic piano and a folky feelin’ violin.

The band members are brothers Mehdi and Hadi on guitars and vocals, Roman on the bass and keyboards, Suchi on violin, Shana on Cello, and their newest addition TG on drums.

Birdmonster
facebook.com/birdmonster
8:40pm
San Francisco quartet Birdmonster are kind of like a Bay Area version of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, except that where Leo and his group have an undying devotion to first-wave new wave and ska groups like the Jam and the Specials, Birdmonster spike their Fugazi-like indie rock tunes with nods to American Beauty-era Grateful Dead and early Bruce Springsteen. Revved-up and punky rockers share space with country-inflected tunes, with singer/songwriter and guitarist Peter Arcuni’s lived-in vocals the primary point of connection. Arcuni, a native of Connecticut, formed Birdmonster in 2004 with three fellow musicians who lived in his San Francisco neighborhood: bassist Justin Tenuto, guitarist David Klein, and drummer Zach Winter. Determined to maintain complete D.I.Y. control over their band, Birdmonster released their self-titled debut EP on their own and used the proceeds both to tour the nation and to fund sessions for their full-length debut with the well-known producer Bradley Cook, who had previously worked with Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. Although the band originally self-released 2006′s No Midnight as well, the increasingly positive buzz around Birdmonster led them to sign a distribution deal with noted indie SpinArt Records, which re-released the album in August 2006. For 2008′s Americana-tinged From the Mountain to the Sea, the band switched to the Fader label this time with Tom Schick, known for his work with Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright, at the producing helm. The band supported the album on the road and released Blood Memory, also produced by Schick, the following year. The band is currently working on new material and will be dropping a single they self produced and recorded on a reel-to-reel 8-track machine this month. The song, Living, will premiere at their upcoming hometown show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.

Kids on a Crime Spree
facebook.com/kidsonacrimespree
9:20pm
About a decade ago, Californian Mario Hernandez (of Ciao Bella and From Bubblegum to Sky) was sitting on a Stockholm couch, casually drinking a really good cup of coffee when a friend put on the Back to Mono box set and Hernandez’s life was forever changed. He was instantly drawn in by the excellent songwriting and lush instrumental arrangements; and what started out as an innocent side trip into the Phil Spector back catalog soon became a longtime fascination with the Brill Building and Spector’s fabled wall of sound. As time passed, he kept coming back to the idea of a simple pop song that wasn’t really that simple—a happy melody with a dark underpinning in the lyrics—and he knew that it wasn’t enough to just listen. He had to make his own version of this great stuff. Kids on a Crime Spree is the result of this obsession.

Suggies
8pm
The Suggies are a two piece indie rock project from SF. They pack a lot of high energy songs into a short, sweet set. They like to play music. They like to party. They like to play music and party.

Terry Malts
8:40pm
facebook.com/terrymalts
After careful, weeklong consideration, San Francisco trio Terry Malts went forth to record a debut LP as per the request of Slumberland Records. Displaying a slick, intelligent take on modern chainsaw pop, Killing Time certainly lives up to its name! Who are Terry Malts? A Yellow Pages private dick has gleaned the following: Corey Cunningham (guitar, backing vox), of Dickson, Tennessee-by-way-of-a-cardboard-box-in-Toronto, was asked to housesit in Fresno, CA. Duties fulfilled, he shot north on a graffiti trip to 924 Gilman Street and immediately bonded with fellow men’s room “artists” Phil Benson (bass guitar, lead vox) and the unfortunately named Nathan Sweatt (drums, backing vox). Hands shook, vibes exchanged; the trio felt compelled to distill their energy into a unified voice. The Terrys’ gospel is succinct, direct, sincere and timed expertly with next year’s looming apocalypse: life is hopeless, enjoy!  With a live reputation that bleeds funky “punk” attitude, the trio crammed this urgency into the Terry Malts studio edition. Recorded by a machine, then expertly mixed by human being Monte Vallier (Swell, Half Church), Killing Time may compel you to type the following buzzwords into your blog (which, I love, by the way!): catchy, husky, hunky, sharp, blue-collar, rocking, hockey-rock, working-class, perfect, near-perfect, not-half-bad, and / or not-bad. It’s an album, it’s a lifestyle, it’s a 34-minute hour of pure, unadulterated Malts… all right?

Kill Moi
facebook.com/killmoi
9:20pm
Kill Moi is an indie-rock band based in San Francisco that was described by one local reviewer as “The Strokes meet Neil Diamond at a New Orleans funeral while reading a Murakami novel and drinking too much bourbon”. Their first full length album, “Hold Me, Motherfucker” was released on August 6th, 2011 to rave reviews. Their songs weave tales of world-weary wit mixed with infectious pop
melodies, rolling vintage rhythms, Graham Coxon via Wilco guitars, and a beautiful cushion of horns. Members are Ryan Lambert (vox, guitar), Andrew Burmester (lead guitar), Daniel Settle (bass), Aaron Hazen (drums), Laura Carpenter (trumpet), and Oz Beckers (trombone), whose collective other endeavors have included such acts as Elephone, Madelia, The Paradise Boys, Extra Action Marching Band and the Audrye Sessions. Their public performances over the last year have included appearances at Bottom of the Hill, the Red Devil Lounge, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Milk Bar with such acts as Geographer, Sioux City Kid, the Soft White Sixties, the Heavenly States, and the Silent Comedy.

Marginal Prophets
marginalprophets.com
8:00pm
The Marginal Prophets are a 5-piece Hip-Hop/Garage band from San Francisco that cleverly combine odd samples, funk/rock riffs, and decidedly non-traditional b-boy lyrics into a smart-alecky punk/rap mix that appeals to anyone who came of age back in the day when college radio actually mattered.

The group, comprised of vocalists Keith Knight (the Black one) and the Noble Def G (the Jewish one), bass player Adam Lodge, drummer Adam Lipsky, and guitarist Jeff Ranney, has taken their show up and down the West Coast, garnering opening slots for Spearhead, Black Eyed Peas, Fishbone, G Love & Special Sauce, Insolence, and De La Soul.

Prize
facebook.com/prizemusic
8:25pm
Sophia Santulli is electro-rock frontwoman and composer Prize. Shortly after earning her Master of Music at San Francisco Conservatory, she released The Split EP under this simple, irreverent moniker. Prize composes lush electro and string arrangements and in the next breath evokes the mosh pits of her youth with raucous guitars and drums. Whether traversing ethereal heights or unleashing an earthly growl, her raw, operatic voice is technically sparkling and her “emotional urgency makes for a thrilling live show” (Jon Bennett, MVRemix). Prize arranges her brand of electro-orchestral folkpunk for violin, cello, synth, drums, and guitar, and her live shows are theatrical and moody, replete with custom made black-and-white costumes and special effects.

Hot Fog
hotfog.net
8:45pm
Hot Fog is a San Francisco Hard Rock and Heavy Metal band born from the ashes of a slew of SF bands spanning the 90′s through the 00′s including Oranger, Film School, Hammerdown Turpentine, Pinq, Carlos!, and Preston School of Industry. This rag-tag group band of SF-rock veterans decided to get back to their roots — all they way back to their days of prepubescent bedroom rocking. They bring forth a thundering sound akin to a convergence of the “NWoBHM” sound of Iron Maiden and Priest with the speed and attitude of proto-thrash of the early 80′s a la early Metallica. Nodding to the past while rocking into the future, they deliver monster riffs, ripping leads, soaring vocals, and utterly ridiculous song titles. They bring it un-ironically and with a focus on quality song-writing and metal-rific lyrics that would make any 13 year old D&D dork beam with delight. Their live shows are sweat-soaked full-on, frontal assaults, complete with fog machines, lasers, back to back harmony guitar solos, and fans thrusting devil horns in the air as participants. They eschew the current trend of beards, tattoos, and Kyuss-tinged sludge-metal, and instead, they walk that razors edge of sincerity and fun like not many bands can.

Party Owl
partyowl.bandcamp.com
9:20pm
Party Owl likes to party. The San Francisco band’s live shows make drunk old ladies and hip kids alike loose their minds with their short compact songs of fuzzed out poppiness. You can hear the influence of early 90′s indie rock and 50′s rock-n-roll here imediately. Bassist Alexi Belchere holds down the minimalist rhythm, only two notes sometimes, while drummer Melissa Funk creates a Cramps-like backbeat that is infectiously danceable and surprisingly heavy. Singer/guitarist Kris Zouzoulas uses the space between these two to craft lyrics and melody lines that are at the same time sarcastic and genuine. Party Owl are currently recording new tracks for their debut L.P. which will be out in early 2012.

Naked Fiction
nakedfictionmusic.com
8pm
Naked Fiction is a 7 piece San Francisco based chamber-rock band.   The group makes music that is sassy and sophisticated without preciousness or pretense; organic and natural yet polished and urbane. Think clever, artfully-arranged, hook-driven pop tunes, shaped and driven by a power trio of drums (Derrik Sakima), bass (Bob Todd), and guitar (Thomas Kenny); colored with a broad palette of violin (Yuri Kye), viola (Ivy Zenobi), and piano (Daniel Highman); and breathed into life through the seductive voice of a fetching femme-fatale (Carmen King).  The separate parts combine to paint vivid pictures.  The music is unequivocally sexy, dangerously so.  Think Portishead, but less depressing, Andrew Bird, but with more estrogen,  or Mad Men, but with less nicotine.

Lady Lazarus
ladylazarus.net
8pm
Lady Lazarus is the solo project of Melissa Ann Sweat, a writer and artist from California, who started making music for the first time in 2008. What’s followed has been a wild and often wondrous trip.

Taken from the Sylvia Plath poem of the same name, Lady Lazarus began when Melissa started teaching herself keyboard, and writing and recording songs while living in San Francisco around March of ’08. About a year later she self-released her Home Recordings EP, and was motivated by the positive feedback and some press she received to continue making music. She played her first live shows in the summer of 2009, and began to play more and tour in the greater region.

Victor Krummenacher
victorkrummenacher.com
8:40pm
Victor Krummenacher is an American musician and bass guitarist who is a founding member of alternative rock band Camper Van Beethoven. He also helped form CVB offshoots Monks of Doom and Camper Van Chadbourne and has pursued a solo career as a singer-songwriter. As a recording artist, Krummenacher has been active for more than 20 years and has appeared with numerous projects including Cracker, Fifth Business and A Great Laugh. His latest musical project is McCabe and Mrs. Miller, a new band with Alison Faith Levy, formed in 2008. 2011 saw Krummenacher continuing to work with Levy, performing a curated tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska entitled “Debts No Honest Man Can Pay”, a solo album of covers called “I Was A Nightmare But I Don’t Want To Go There” and work on the first new Camper Van Beethoven recording since 2004. Victor Krummenacher was Art Director of the San Francisco Bay Guardian and is currently a page designer for Wired Magazine as well as doing freelance design work for the likes of national clients including Platon’s “Power”, a book of portraits of world leaders photographed at the general assembly of the United Nations in 2007.

Glider
Facebook
9:20pm
Featuring Jim Bogios, David Immergluck, Yoshi Sako, and Dan Eisenberg. Glider is the brainstorm of longtime friends and musical compadres Jim Bogios (drums-Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow, Ben Folds) and David Immergluck (guitar-Counting Crows, John Hia)

Silver Swans
facebook.com/silverswans
8pm
Silver Swans take their name from the group of super-villains in the Wonder Woman comic book series. The evil Swans have the ability to create a powerful “swan song” of sound waves using their voices that is capable of devouring a small area of land with its destructive force. By creating a low-level humming, the Silver Swan can also form a protective shield around herself to deflect bullets and other projectiles. The musical counterpart Silver Swans, however, are far from the evil and destruction of their namesake. The electro dream-pop project captures the haunting dramatics and the pure beauty of life and dreams to build a dynamic, exultant sound all their own.

They formed from the collaboration of DJ producer Jon Waters and songwriter Ann Yu. Both artists also have prolific backgrounds. Ann Yu has been in bands that have shared the stage with acts such as The Radio Dept, La Roux, Black Kids, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, Mates of State, Jose Gonzales and many more. Jon has produced and DJ’d all over the world. But with all of the experience the duo decided to take a different route when it comes to creating music together. Silver Swans puts a special meaning to the idea of bedroom recordings. All tracks were recorded in late night sessions hidden under covers, in their bathrooms, and right before bed. The songs you hear are a reflection of the dreams they’ve uncovered and hope to discover.

Bad BIbles
soundcloud.com/badbibles
8:40pm
Bad Bibles emerged as a fully formed post-punk / left-field garage rock unit in March 2011. Less than a year into their musical life, Bad Bibles are generating word-of-mouth buzz for their dynamic, physical stage shows and weirdly memorable songs. Bad Bibles will be releasing their official debut EP of new material in early 2012.

The Aerosols
Facebook
9:20pm
The Aerosols are a San Francisco music group who play hard candy pop for bent melody enthusiasts. When they plug in their instruments you might at first think you were hit by soft space junk, but that’s just the sound check. They delight in whooshing the audience away with their catching songs that will take you through some unexpected turns before setting you back down on your feet. The four-piece sings songs about being made in China, fake mirrors, a girl so far gone she might be back, and space-travel via chewing gum. These are ballad boppers for people who want to get up and get out. Also for those who like to smile and nod. Whoosh!

Tidelands
http://www.tidelandsmusic.com/
8:00pm
Tidelands is the duo of San Francisco’s Gabriel Montana Leis(Guitar, Flugelhorn, Vocals) and Mie Araki (Drums, Keyboards, Vocals). Sharp, poignant, poetic lyrics are uniquely arranged with looped guitars, Moog bass and beautiful harmonies on the duo’s debut album, If…, to be released July 26th, 2011. Taking cues from their combined multi-cultural backgrounds, Leis and Araki have created a texturally rich record that speaks to their collectively deep and unique life experiences.

Gypsy Moonlight
http://www.reverbnation.com/thegypsymoonlightband
8:40
Gypsy Moonlight Band was formed in San Francisco in late 2009 around the songwriting of singer/guitar player Jeremy Lyn Kimzey.  Starting out as a mainly acoustic band, it quickly transformed over the course of  a couple of lineup changes and the addition of lead guitar player/singer/songwriter Chris Guthridge, into a much fuller electric band. They joined together with drummer Shea Roberts and bass player Walker Phillips and the core lineup solidified. The addition of Eli Pearl on pedal steel, Rachel Hoiem on keys, and Tex Dworkin singing co-lead, brought all the sweetness and authenticity one needs. Together they have created a soulful, rocking, Southern-flavored sound with a vibe that is 100% California.

Slow Trucks
http://www.slowtrucks.bandcamp.com/
9:20
Does “Gimme Indie Rock” by Sebadoh make you smile? If it does (and it should), then consider Slow Trucks the next generation, rolling with this old school shit, making it their own, and ultimately making indie rock fun again. When did things get so serious? Yeah, there’s room for bands with 2/3 time-signatures, French horns and yelpy vocals, but sometimes a hook cranked through a big muff pedal, liquid bass lines and a pummeling backbeat just sounds right. Energetic, uncomplicated and infectious, Slow Trucks are musical comfort food, perfect for those of us who still occasionally break out that Treepeople CD or fantasize about an Archers of Loaf reunion.

Waiting Room
http://soundcloud.com/waitingroom37
8pm
Waiting Room is a three-piece chick band, coming from the native hills of San Francisco, consisting of SF natives Lauren Alves, Veronica Bush and Rose Sullivan. An indie folk rock trio that draws from the blues, punk, and jazz; the girls met through local friends, Trainwreck Riders and The Dead Westerns. Lauren Alves has been playing paradiddles on her Dad’s drum set since she was five years old, and has been playing bass for some 15 plus years. She has also worked as a pit musician, and plays bass, guitar, and vocals in the band. Veronica Bush plays rhythmic banjo and vocals, and Rose Sullivan plays lo-fi drums. Both Alves and Bush write songs, making their music very collaborative and heartfelt. Some of their influences include Mazzy Star, Modest Mouse, Neil Young, Neutral Milk Hotel, Abner Jay, and Otis Redding.

The SHE’S
Sonicbids
9:20pm
The SHE’S are four natives of San Francisco who grew up as best friends in a city brimming with music. Inspired by their surroundings, each other, boredom and surfer boys, they began writing and performing their own brand of west-coast-garage-pop. They have played with touring bands such as GIRLS, The Morning Benders, Magic Kids, and Dominant Legs.

I, The Mighty
Facebook
8:30pm
Since their 2007 inception, I The Mighty has melded together effortlessly and has already compiled an impressive following of support on the west coast, seeing regular rotation on local modern rock station Live 105 and sharing stages with the likes of Hawthorne Heights, There For Tomorrow, Deftones and more. Listeners will certainly feel the intense emotions of the ambitious and captivating EP, which was produced by Erik Ron [Panic! At The Disco, VersaEmerge, Foxy Shazam]. The album features six sweeping tracks filled with soaring vocals, catchy hooks, charging guitars and an explosive instrumentations that make for a mesmerizing whirlwind of cinematic soundscapes.

Dear Indugu
dearindugu.com
9:10pm
The four piece acoustic/electric indie-rock band, Dear Indugu, began in 2005 as the solo project of singer-songwriter Jesse Strickman. While playing in two punk bands at the time, he launched the new acoustic project with the aim of giving his previously private acoustic songs the spotlight he felt they deserved. The name, Dear Indugu, is inspired by the film ‘About Schmidt’ and is a metaphor for the communication of one’s innermost feelings to complete strangers. The Group performs frequently in the Bay Area and has toured California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada, playing everywhere from intimate nightclubs and coffee shops to college campuses and outdoor music festivals. Their music ranges from intimate folk solo songs to powerful full band indie rock. With thoughtful lyrics, versatile instrumentation, and a firm commitment to originality and musicianship, the Bay Area based band creates a unique and dynamic sound that continues to inspire listeners. They are currently recording their debut album.