Tuesday
Grandma’s Boyfriend, Pink Films, The Broonies | Hemlock Tavern, 9pm

Wednesday
The Raincoats, Grass Widow | Great American Music Hall, 9pm
The Tambo Rays, Cool Ghouls, Poor Sons | Brick and Mortar Music Hall, 9pm

Thursday
Gavilan, Knifes, The Niners | Sub-Mission, 9pm

Friday
Pow!, Spencey Dude and the Doodles, Violent Change | The Stork Club, 9pm
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, PreTeen, Re-Volts | Thee Parkside, 9pm

Saturday
Terry Malts, Kids on a Crime Spree, Manatee | 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, 7pm

Sunday
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, Black Cobra, Pins of Light | Thee Parkside, 9pm

Gorilla vs Bear just premiered the ripping new single from Grass Widow‘s 7″ split with Nature, out next month on M’lady’s Records:

“Disappearing Industries” is one of the best things the band’s ever done, elevated by the girls’ signature bright, exuberant 3-part harmonies and their deceptive, winding, always super catchy melodies.

One of our pieces I’m most proud of was our interview with the trio back in July. Check it out here. Watch Hannah and crew perform “Milo Minute” for a bunch of gorillas here.

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Grass Widow plays a free show tonight at the Uptown in Oakland that everyone should be going to, with Culture Kids, Churches, and Wave Array. RSVP here.

Monday
King Lollipop, Peach Kelli Pop, Swiftumz @ 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, 7pm

Tuesday
Iggy and the Stooges @ Warfield, 8pm
Broken Cities, Moonbell, Atlas @ Elbo Room, 8:30pm

Wednesday
Jonathan Richman @ Great American Music Hall, 8pm
Thee Oh Sees, Twin Steps, Cool Ghouls @ The Depot, 6:30pm [free sfsu show]

Thursday
Ganglians, Young Prisms @ Milk Bar, 8pm
The Fleshtones, Dukes of Hamburg, Teutonics @ The Knockout, 9pm [night one of two]

Friday
The Donkeys, Lilac, Buxton @ Bottom of the Hill, 9:30pm [co-headliners]
The Fleshtones, Top Ten, Chuckleberries @ The Knockout, 9pm [night two of two]

Saturday
Music for Animals, Kishi Bashi @ Engine Works, 9pm [+ special guest]
Tennis, Miniature Tigers, Devon Williams @ Bottom of the Hill, 10pm
Twin Steps, TRMRS, Uzi Rash, Yi @ Sugar Mountain, 8pm [TS record-release]
Nectarine Pie, The Love Dimension, Primitive Hearts @ 924 Gilman, 9pm [east bay psychedelic disaster]

Sunday
Shannon and the Clams, Buffalo Tooth, Primitive Hearts @ ATA, 3pm [ATA fundraiser/winter beach formal]
Grass Widow, Erase Errata @924 Gilman [girls rock camp showcase]

[Grass Widow @ Yard Show]

Tuesday
Outdoorsmen, Los Headaches, The Shrouds @ Hemlock Tavern, 9pm

Wednesday
Los Headaches, Midnite Snaxxx, Wrong Words @ 1-2-3-4 Go! Records, 7pm

Thursday
Grass Widow, T.I.T.S, Erase Errata @ Public Works, 9pm
Magic Trick, Devon Williams, Wet Illustrated @ Amnesia, 9pm
The Spyrals, Michael Beach, Hypatia Lake @ Hemlock Tavern, 9pm
Brightlighters, Moonlight Orchestra, Plastic Villains @ Kimo’s, 9pm
Nectarine Pie, Meat Market, Pool Honeys, Death Lens @ Eli’s Mile High Club, 7pm

Friday
Grandma’s Boyfriend @ Brainwash Cafe, 8pm

Saturday
Melted Toys, PreTeen, Tint @ El Rio, 2pm [benefit show/early afternoon]
Mark Sultan, King Lollipop, Lovely Bad Things @ Hemlock Tavern, 9:30pm
Violent Change, Dreamdate, LA Drugz, Croissants @ Thee Parkside, 9pm

Sunday
Mirah @ The New Parish, 9pm

[Davilla 666 by Steve Cross]

Tuesday
The Mummies, Hondettes // The Knockout, 10pm $SOLD OUT
Grass Widow, The Mantles, Sand City // El Rio, 7pm $7

Wednesday
Jim Jones Revue, The Sandwitches // The Independent, 8pm $13/$15
Glitter Wizard, Strangers Family Band, Outlaw, Lotus Moons // The Uptown (Oakland), 9pm $FREE

Thursday
Born Gold, Part Time, Religious Girls // The Knockout, 9pm $6
Davila 666, Cheap Time, Wax Idols, Touch-Me-Nots // Bottom of the Hill, 9pm $10/$12
Peter Daltrey, Kelley Stoltz, Bart Davenport, Asterold #4 // Cafe Du Nord, 8pm $12/$15
Uzi Rash, Cyclops, Whoosie What’s It’s // White Horse Inn (6551 Telegraph Ave., Oakland), 9pm $5

Friday
Lilac, Lenz, The Golden Ghosts, California Sunshine // The Knockout, 9pm $7
The Gems, Tambo Rays, Mick Leonardi, Alleged Masterminds // Kimo’s, 9pm

Saturday
P.S. I Love You, Balkans, Bad Bibles // Hemlock Tavern, 9:30pm $10
Cocktails, Huffstuff Magazine, Younger Lovers, Dirty Cupcakes // The Knockout, 9pm $7
Spindrift, Sam Flax & Higher Color, Actually, The She’s, Skystone, Carletta Sue Kay // McLaren Park, 11:30am-8pm $FREE

Sunday
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Ferocious Few, Tiny Television // Bottom of the Hill, 9pm $12

Anything else?

-

[Bare Wires at Public Works]

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Tuesday
Audacity // Hemlock Tavern, 9pm $7
Real Estate, Melted Toys, Dominant Legs // The Independent, 8pm $15
The She’s, The Fling, The Street and Babe Shadow // Cafe Du Nord, 8:30pm $10

Wednesday
Midnite Snaxxx, Veronica, Dreamdate // Hemlock Tavern, 9pm $5
Plantain, Soft Science, The Lost Library, Oddly Even // Make-Out Room, 8pm $8

Thursday
Grass Widow, Broken Water, GGreen, Uzi Rash // Sugar Mountain (2515 San Pablo, Oakland), 9pm $6

Friday
TMRS, Twin Steps, Blasted Canyons // Engine Works (190 Capp St.), 9:30pm $5
Speculator, Terry Malts, Young Prisms, TBA Special Guest // The Cave (3201 3rd St.), 11:30pm $5
Broken Men, Adelitas, Broken Water, Dimples // Thrillhouse Records (3422 Mission St.), ?pm $FREE

Saturday
Terry Malts, Crazy Band // RVCA, 7pm $?
Wet Illustrated, Angora Debs, Dimples // Hemlock Tavern, 9:30pm $6
Royal Baths, WHITE CLOUD, Little Wings, Sea of Bees // Verdi Club, 7pm $10-$20
Bare Wires, The Groggs, Nectarine Pie & more // Thee Parkside, 2pm (San Frandelic Summer Fest) $12

Sunday
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Anything else?

-

As always, make sure to check out our Facebook page for additional content that does not appear on the blog.

[thanks, Alex Coulter]

more photos over on our facebook

Some of our favorite records (full-lengths and otherwise) and songs at the mid point of 2011, most of which we have written about before. If we missed anything, let us know.

1) Blasted Canyons // Blasted Canyons

mp3:
Blasted Canyons // “Death and a Half”
Blasted Canyons // “Ice Cream Man”

2) Part Time // What Would You Say?

mp3:
Part Time // “I Wanna Take You Out”
Part Time // “In This Filthy City”

3) Ty Segall // Goodbye Bread

mp3:
Ty Segall // “You Make the Sun Fry”
Ty Segall // “Goodbye Bread”

4) White Fence // Is Growing Faith

mp3:
White Fence // “Sticky Fruitman has Faith”
White Fence // “Lillian (Wont You Play Drums?)”

5) Thee Oh Sees // Castlemania

mp3:
Thee Oh Sees // “I Need Seed”
Thee Oh Sees // “If I Stay Too Long”

6) Fresh and Onlys // Secret Walls

mp3:
The Fresh and Onlys // “Do you Believe in Destiny?”

7) Permanent Collection // Delirium

mp3:
Permanent Collection // “Let it Go”

8) Art Museums // Dancing With A Hole In Your Heart

mp3:
Art Museums // “Dancing with a Hole in Your Heart”

9) Grass Widow // Milo Minute

mp3:
Grass Widow // “Mannequin”

10) Sonny and the Sunsets // Hit After Hit

mp3:
Sonny and the Sunsets // “Teen Age Thugs”

[Thee Oh Sees in Brussels]

Monday
Project Film, moonbell, Horsefly // Kimo’s, 9pm
Fucked Up, Trash Talk // The Independent, 9pm $15
Cults, Guards, Writer // Bottom of the Hill, 9pm $SOLD OUT
Cold Cave, Austra, Prurient // Great American Music Hall, 8pm $16s
Thurston Moore, Kurt Vile & The Violators // The New Parish, 9pm $20/$25

Tuesday
Symbolick Jews, Baby Talk, The Gems // El Rio, 7pm $5
Ghost Animals, Kids on a Crime Spree, Permanent Collection // The Hemlock, 9pm $7
Thurston Moore, Kurt Vile & The Violators, Hush Arbors // Great American Music Hall, 8pm $SOLD OUT

Wednesday
Audacity, Culture Kids, Hysterians // The Knockout, 9pm $5
Dunes, Grass Widow, Cold Showers, The Petals // Thee Parkside, 8pm $8

Thursday
Eat Skull, Unnatural Helpers, Uzi Rash, Street Eaters // The Hemlock, 9pm $7
Thee Oh Sees, Royal Baths, Mike Donovan, Blasted Canyons // The Uptown (Oakland), 9pm $10/$12
Sleepy Sun, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, w/ Secret Guest TBA // Engine Works (17th x Capp), 9pm $5

Friday
Woods, The Fresh and Onlys, Mantles // The Independent, 9pm $16

Saturday
Those Darlins, White Arrows, Motopony // Bottom of the Hill, 10pm $12
South Bay Surfers, Okmoniks, The Shruggs, Night Howls, S’Lobsters // Thee Parkside, 2pm $8
The Spits, The Black Jaspers, Personal and the Pizzas, Therapists, Apache // Thee Parkside, 9pm $15
Brilliant Colors, Pamela, Swiftumz, Dream Homes // Dreamers and Make Believers Salon (487 14th St. x Guerrero), 9pm $5

Sunday

Anything else?

—

[image]

After chugging through their set at San Francisco’s Verdi Club for the Milo Minute release show several weeks ago, a somewhat bleary-eyed Lillian Maring looked down from her drumset into the crowd and half-heartedly entreated the audience for a ride back to the East Bay. This was Grass Widow — lauded by The New Yorker, recruited by Kill Rock Stars, booked to open for the likes of Sonic Youth - coming home and willing to chum up to cruise across the Bay back home, a small but telling indicator of the band’s legendary DIY ethic. After an extensive European tour and months of recording and self-releasing the 7″ on their new label, HLR, we found time to talk to Lillian, bassist Hannah Lew and guitarist Raven Mahon about pajama yuppies and stonercam.

Welcome back — any highlights from Europe?
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RM: We had a really good time. It was our first time to Europe (not considering three shows we played there last fall), so we kind of had an idea of what to expect, but I was really blown away by the hospitality. It’s amazing that Europe has this built-in infrastructure for providing touring bands with places to stay and home-cooked meals no matter what kind of band you are or what sort of show it is. We really lack that in the United States. Right after we got home we played a record release show for the 7″ we just put out and were really inspired by the Euro hospitality so we bought everyone burritos.

HL: We had dinner with Anna De Silva and her partner Shirley. It was amazing to meet her and talk “shop.” We got to play in some pretty amazing legalized squats in Europe. Many of the places we played had flats designated for the touring bands. There’s so little funding for the arts in the U.S. and in general touring as an American band you get used to traveling pretty roughly, so it was refreshing to tour in a hospitable place . I could have stayed longer!

You got along so well with touring buds/blind dates Trash Kit that you recorded a joint music video - are they any other bands you were introduced to out there that we should listen to?

RM: Yeah, definitely. There is another incarnation of Trash Kit and Wet Dog happening in London right now which is called Cover Girl. Also, Rachel, the drummer from Trash Kit has another project called Halo Halo. We played with a band in Vienna that we all really liked called Plaided. Two ladies — they were rad.

HL: We played with a great band called Thee Irma and Louise in Zurich as well. Also a band called Silver Fox in London. I really liked them!

Oaklanders Nectarine Pie just put out a video shot with a Super 8 with the help of Southpaw label-head Rob Fales (read our interview with him here). When it comes to Grass Widow’s own videos, what’s the appeal of shooting with an older film camera? Is it purely aesthetic — or is there a subtext of conscious luddism, something you have talked about in past interviews?

HL: Shooting on Super 8 is the cheapest way to shoot with actual film. You can’t just turn on the camcorder and hit stonercam. Each cartridge is 3 minutes long and when you shoot you really have to plan. I have shot with Super 8 for a long time and I actually think in the color scheme of the film stock at this point. When they discontinued Kodachrome I thought I would just stop making films, but then Kodak made a new Ektachrome film stock with nice colors so I’m back in the saddle.
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This might be totally incriminating…but a big reason I initially got into shooting with Super 8 was because Kodak had this old deal with Cala Foods (a local grocery store that is now out of business) where you could drop rolls of Super 8 to get processed along with the 35mm still pictures in a slot in the grocery store. It cost $3.00 to process a roll there-which is really cheap!