Nikki Lane @ Social Hall SF 3/23/2017

I wasn't too sure what I was walking into as I headed to Social Hall SF for the Nikki Lane show last Thursday: I had read that she canceled her Amoeba appearance on Haight Street earlier that evening, to rest up and the two openers for her headlining gig were replaced super last minute.
The venue, which is tucked on a corner off Van Ness, has hosted a lot of electronic artists and indie acts since it opened two years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear country twang coming from the stage when I walked in that night!

Nikki Lane @ Social Hall SF 3/23/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Nikki Lane @ Social Hall SF 3/23/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Jonathan Tyler, one of the openers who unfortunately had to cancel, helped produce Highway Queen, the third album from the South Carolina native. Critically acclaimed in such a short time since it's February 17th release date, the now Nashville rebel is emerging as one of country music's most gifted songwriters as she tours in support of her new album.

Nikki Lane @ Social Hall SF 3/23/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Nikki Lane @ Social Hall SF 3/23/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

In a wide brim hat, braided pigtails, a southern drawl and her guitar in hand, Nikki Lane gave a solid and sincere performance full of hearty banter.
Her old-soul country sound resonated  superbly in the quaint venue, better than any other show I've ever seen there. Good ol' Americana country was a great fit within the classic moulded walls and low ceilings, compared to the usual electro DJ acts and indie bands.
It was by far, the best show I've been to at Social Hall SF to date! 

Nikki Lane @ Social Hall SF 3/23/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

The SF date was the only one that Jonathan Tyler and Robert Ellis had to drop out of. They'll both be opening for Nikki Lane until the end of her North America run May 19th in Nashville Tennessee. After that, the Highway Queen is bringing her country rock to Germany, Spain, the UK, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway! 

MØ @ The Warfield 3/19/2017

It's still un-known as to why Danish starlet MØ canceled her show at The Warfield on November 19th last year but it was quickly rescheduled at the same venue on March 19th, 2017! 

Low ticket sales? Impending new music? Four months is kind of a while to wait but what ever the reasoning was, original ticket holders were honored at the show last Sunday night and tickets were available at the door, too!

The artist-studded, catchy Moombahton-pop song "Lean On" blew up in the Sumer 2015, becoming the most listened to single (over 540 million "spins") and one of the most listened to songs of all time on Spotify! The Major Lazer song featuring MØ's distinctive vocals, catapulted the 28 singer/song-writer from underground, on-line indie darling to one of today's most saught after artists to collaborate with. 

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Copenhagen's Karen Marie Aagaard Ørsted Andersen AKA MØ (which means "maiden" or "virgin" in her native Danish language) hasn't dropped an album since her 2014 debut,  No Mythologies To Follow. That doesn't mean that the petite indie-pop artist with a bratty street vibe hasn't been busy though!






Collaborating with the likes of Iggy Azalea ("Beg For It" in 2014), Major Lazer and Justin Bieber ("Cold Water" in 2015), Major Lazer with DJ Snake and Diplo ("Lean On" in 2015)  Snakeships ("Don't Leave" in 2017) and Charlie XCX ("3AM in 2017),  releasing a new single of her own, "Drum", she also co-wrote Major Lazer's "All My Love" feat. Ariana Grande and touring pretty heavily on the 2015 festival circuit before launching her headlining tour,  MØ has worked hard to make a name for herself.

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Her growly electro-pop draws a millennial following but showgoers weren't as young as I would have expected and 20-30 something ladies widely out numbered guys. The crowd wasn't nearly as thick as it has been in the past at the downtown SF venue, giving us ample wiggle room for the dance party that was sure to start as soon as main act graced the stage!

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Cool indigos and pulsing strobs lit the stage while her genuine, firey energy got her fans lit, bringing them up to her party level with her unpredictable movements.  The sweet tomboy was all over the place: jumping, rolling and generally flailing all about the stage when she wasn't leaning into the crowd to sing face to face with fans. She couldn't keep from getting people engaged by surrounding herself with adoring, picture taking, video filming, live streaming fans.

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong

She went into the thick of crowd over and over and even made a surprise appearance up in the balcony just a few songs into the set! Her crowd interaction was cheerfully sincere: shouting thank you after every song, her chattiness was light and friendly like  small talk between acquaintances.

MØ at Treasure Island Music Fest 2014
photo by Marc Fong 

Reminiscing about the first time/the last time she played in the Bay (literally) at Treasure Island Music Fest in 2014 when she had an eye infection and rocked an eye patch she really strengthened her connection with the crowd because even if you weren't there for it, chances are you heard about the girl at T.I.M.F with an eye patch that year!














Driven by synth beats,  her live show pleasantly blurs the lines of her alternative electro-pop sound with sparkly guitar hooks and easy drums giving it that indie feel.
MØ's show in SF was the epitome of up-close and personal! Full of energetic spunk, she delivered favorites, some more dancey than others, with a couple covers thrown in and it was so fun being a part of all the fun!
There's no doubt about it, MØ made up for having to reschedule her show months ago fo sho!

MØ at The Warfield 3/19/2017
photo by Marc Fong

3/19/2017 set-list 

1. Don't Wanna Dance 

2. Waste of Time

3. Slow Love 

4. Kamikaze 

5. Riot Girl 

6. All I Do

7. One Love (Elliphant cover) 

8. Dust Is Gone

9. Madien

10. Piligram 

11. Drum 

12. Cold Water (Major Lazer cover) 

13. True Romance 

14. Glass

15. Final Song 

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017

Milky Chance saw  huge success with their 2013 debut album, Sadneccasary. Fours years later the German alternative folk-tronica group is gearing for the release of the anticipated follow up, Blossom on March 17th!

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong

The last time they were in SF, Milky Chance played The Regency Ballroom in April 2015 and a few months later they played the Sutro Stage at Outside Lands. The now three-piece band sold-out their much more intimate show at The Independent in SF last Friday, March 10th, one week before the release of their sophomore album!

People were still finding their way inside well past 7:30pm, when doors opened and fans who made their way to the front of the stage were inconsiderate considering the close quarters of their surroundings. Unnessicarily loud and overtly pushy, they made it pretty clear that they don't go to too many shows the way they carried on. And if they do, then thankfully, I don't frequent the kinds of shows they go to. 

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

A young Noah Kahan hit the fully back-lined stage about half an hour later than scheduled but never the less, to a roaring response. With only a guitar and a microphone, he powerfully serenaded the crowd over their loud convos which didn't yield at all once the music started.






I was led to believe that up and coming artist must have had friends in the audience the way people kept shouting his name and shrieking when he started songs. Disruptively excited to see their friend performing at a well known music venue in the city and opening for Milky Chance no less, they definitely took something away from Noah's big night with their immature antics.


The rest of the show was pretty much on track with Noah Kahan wrapping up on time and Milky Chance hitting the stage only a few minutes "late" right before 9:30. I was impressed that the headliner wasn't pushed back since the 8:00pm show didn't get under way until 8:30pm!


Lead singer Clemens Rehbein, DJ/percussionist Phillip Dausch and guitarist/bassist/harmonicanist Antonio Greger were joined by a fourth tour member who fit right in on drums. A perfect addition to their live show, driving home the band's chill yet complex sound.

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

The stage arrangement was really aesthetically pleasing: instead of the typical stage right and stage left placement of guitarists/bassists and/or synth player with the drummer tucked in the back, Milky Chance members were staggered across the stage with Rehbein front and center. This fairly uncommon set-up allowed you to easily see the whole band through out the night!

They were off to a modest and comparably quiet start as fans' boisterous cheers rose then faded into synchronized singing along. Playing title track "Blossom" between both of the new singles "Ego" and "Doing Good" one after another at the top of the set seemed like a daring move . When Rehbein announced they'd be playing a bunch of new stuff, then it made more sense: easing fans into the introduction of brand new songs with ones that had a little familiarity.

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Color changing, cascading lights and the occasional bright white light/backlighting served as an enhancement to the mystique of their music. While the unique lighting accentuated their stoney vibe, drawing a trance-fixed attention throughout the crowd, the otherwise reserved frontman's personable crowd engagement really highlighted how down to earth the band really is. Through a humble, gracious smile, he softly thanked everyone for making it out in the city he and his bandmates love so much.

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Their biggest hit to date, "Stolen Dance" got an energetic outpouring reaction when cued mid-set, rendering a low-key, groovy dance party that lasted for the reminder of the show!

On the surface,  their hazy rock sound is very alt-indie with an underlying guitar emphasis teetering between acoustic-ish and electric. Welding hints of Reggae and even Folk by interlacing bongos and harmonica along side Dausch's turn-table mixing, Milky Chance has an instrumentation that's unassumingly experimental. The way that they compose and play all of these different layered genres, flows naturally and their concert representation as a whole is sensorially artistic!

Milky Chance's live show will bring you to an almost hypnotic state while making you want to dance at the same time.

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Milky Chance @ The Independent 3/10/2017
photo by Marc Fong

The tour in support of their new album will have them back in The States in May and Blossom is available today!

NoisePop 2017: Desert Daze Caravan Tour feat. Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017

The last time the hard-rockin' LA based ladies of Deap Vally played The Chapel was Spring of 2015, before the release of their second album, Femejism.
The Desert Daze Caravan Tour brought them back  to the same stage last Wednesday night for the
25th Annual NoisePop Festival!

 Desert Daze Caravan is an anomaly as far as music fests go: assimilating how festivals use to be back in the days of Woodstock in 69', Desert Daze aims to illuminate the potential music festivals have. Fests bring like minded strangers together, peacefully for enjoyment and this fest really prides itself by it's measure to cultivate genuine connections between the bands that play and the audiences there to see them.








The show in San Francisco was the first of a 17 show run which will bring Temples, Night Beats, Deap Vally, Froth and JJuuJJuu around the country and even up to Canada!
Lindsey and Julie of Deap Vally are the only girls on the bill of the 5th Annual "Festival of Music"and the bonafide rockers are the only band that break the psychedelic rock mold this year!

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

After JJuuJJuu and Froth, Julie tweaked her drums herself during the change over before Deap Vally hit the stage at 9:15! With a cutting edge attitude they carry so well and looking very rock N roll in awesome tasseled body suits, they wasted no time unleashing tracks from Femejism. I don't think  show-goers who packed into the venue were quite ready for the wailing rock that ensued following the first two, somewhat subdued bands.

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong

The acoustics at The Chapel couldn't have been better, evenly disbursing galloping drum patterns and bright, ripping riffs of the bluesy duo's post grunge sound. The loudness was fierce but not overwhelming or blown out, a perfect engulfing volume to rock out to.








The sophomore album serves more layers of vocals amongst other elements that highlight the girl's musical growth and when  listening to it you may assume that they're loops of the feisty lead singer, like I did. It was an awesome  surprise to see that it's Julie, the drummer on back up vocals as she violently busts out syncopated beats! From the hauntingly-sweet, faint coos on "GonnaWanna" to harmonizing throughout "Royal Jelly" and adding shrill cries at the end of it, her soft accompanying vocals were drowned out by Lindsey's powerful belts and yells at times yet other times they shined like on the ominous echoing chorus of "Teenage Queen".

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

The half hour or so long set was almost all new songs, including some of the best from Femejism like "Smile More" and "Little Baby Beauty Queen". The one and only song they played from 2013's Sistrionix was the shameless "Walk of Shame", a fun anthem about having pride leaving the prior night's lustful conquest.

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

Their set wasn't long but it wasn't short of crisp crashing symbols, heavy whirling guitar and strong, hoarse vocals. Deap Vally was full-on pure rock N roll, easily stealing the show from the other four bands on the Desert Daze bill!
Femejism was one of my favorite albums of 2016 and seeing them bring it to life was everything I hoped it would be! They're one of those bands that start out good and keep getting better!

Deap Vally @ The Chapel 2/22/2017
photo by Marc Fong 

After the Desert Daze Tour the Deap Vally girls hit the road with the iconic Blondie and Garbage on The Rage and Rapture tour! Debbie Harry, Shirley Manson, Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards?!
Talk about girl power!