Bob Mould, Port O’Brien
February 26th at the Old Mint, SF

Wolfgang’s Vault (the fine folks that put on this Crawdaddy! show, not to mention a few other delicious rock ‘n’ roll pies they have baking) threw a Noise Pop-related happy hour party between 5:30 and 7:30pm in an amazing space known as the Old Mint in downtown San Francisco, now defunct as a mint but turned into a rather brilliant event/gallery space. Isn’t it awesome how many drinks one can throw down their gullet in a short amount of time when that shit’s free? And yet, while the free booze and food was keeping spirits and the schmoozin’ afloat, it was the music, memorabilia, and video put forth that created something most special… a little private show gathering all of our music-lovin’ compatriots. Here’s what fellow Crawdaddy! writer Brian Brown emailed to me about it the following day:

hey jocelyn,

thanks again for the invite that was really fun i got way drunk, saw bob mould, tallked to a security guard from ghana (plays drums for afro rock band, saw pink floyd and hendrix), ate mad sandwiches and watched the sex pistols final concert video….yes!

Port O’Brien brought the house down with their brand of shit-kickin’, boot stomping, raucous folk-rock. I don’t know their songs or anything, it was my first time seeing them after all, but it was easy to get down with such an impassioned bunch. At one point they were rockin’ so hard that two band members lost the hats off their heads at the same time. Mr. Michael Harkin filled me in with the fact that they’ve just recently finished an extended European tour, and it was obvious that they simply have their shit down. Next, a lone Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü, Sugar) took to the stage, and a collective respect hung in the air as he bestowed upon us a collection of his solo material. Seriously, I took a glance around and the look in people’s eyes was one of adoration and/or sheer happiness for being in such a cool space with such an influential musician. Shame on me for not being more aware of his solo material, but much of it sounded like a singer-songwriter’s extension of his earlier works, and also a bit like John Frusciante. He went electric after awhile and ended his set by inviting a fan onstage with him to sing the lyrics for “Celebrated Summer.” So great. – Jocelyn Hoppa

Watch: Bob Mould [at youtube.com]

Thee Oh Sees, Tyvek, the Unnatural Helpers, the Fresh and Onlys
February 26th at Café du Nord

Thursday night at Café du Nord offered up a much different set of pleasures than the other Noise Pop gigs on tap this week, pairing a couple of stellar local garage-pop bands with two terrific out-of-town thud outfits. The first set of locals, the Fresh and Onlys, cranked out some unbelievable psych-garage jams: “Fog Machine” had a looping guitar riff I wished would never end, and “Elevator”—oh man. Between their frontman’s lightly reverbed tenor and the two female backup singers’ lovely voices, the Age of Aquarius felt nigh.

The Unnatural Helpers (who, along with tourmates Tyvek, are both part of Sub Pop’s Singles Club this year), ventured down to Noise Pop from Seattle and were the most pummelin’ act of the evening. Kimberly Morrison, the “Dutchess” of the Dutchess and the Duke, plays bass for the group, who whirled through some considerable skull-shakers, which were especially great when the drummer sang.

Tyvek’s earnest, scrappy pummel was K-rad with a capital ‘K.’ Their line-up seems to shapeshift quite a bit, but after some recent three-piece shows, they managed to bring fourth member Heath along to play guitar on their scratchy, infectious tunes. Starting with “Air Conditioner”, they cranked through all four of the tunes from the Summer Burns double seven-inch set, as well as some terrific-sounding new ones, finishing on three minutes of haphazard noodling that, while a little baffling giving the immediacy up to that point, felt like an appropriate end to the affair.

Finally, our SF homeboys in Thee Oh Sees kicked up Tyvek’s Detroit dust to a chugging, hypnotic high. These days, the band is a bass-less four-piece that, thanks to John Dwyer’s guitar-playing, still sports plenty of low end. They were selling their new, rainbow and bat-adorned Help LP, from which they played a couple of tunes. One of them was “Destroyed Fortress Reappears”, which raved and deeply grooved, snatches of their dronier tendencies popping up in the latter half to delirious effect. As the new record’s title hints, there were some Beatles-y melodies to be heard too—heavy, poppy, foggy, awesome. They’re one of “thee” best at what they’re doing! – Michael Harkin

Watch: Thee Oh Sees [at youtube.com]

Martha Wainwright, AA Bondy, Ryan Auffenberg
February 26th at Slim’s

The sounds of Ryan Auffenberg’s folky Americana greeted me as I walked through the door of Slim’s to join the half-filled club of festival attendees enjoying an evening of singer-songwriters and rock ‘n’ rollers. Auffenberg is a Bay Area mainstay, and his brand of folk-rock could be categorized in the adult contemporary mode, rooted in light and breezy rock, à la, say, Mason Jennings. A little soft for my taste, but he’s got a great voice and has put together a very adequate backing band. Next up was A.A. Bondy, an excellent Dylan-esque songwriter from Alabama whose songs are dark and autumnal, accentuated by harmonica and the earthy plucks of an acoustic guitar… songs like “Vice Rag” (with the opening lyric “Sweet cocaine won’t you be all mine / Heart will pound, hands will shake / I’m doing mighty fine”) and the Ryan Adams-reminiscent “There’s a Reason” showcased his extraordinary ability to translate a palpable morose side into anecdotal, cathartic songs with warm twangy melodies and American-drenched vocals. Bondy, a dude who fronted the late ‘90s brash alt-rock trio Verbena, has taken the angst and frustration that propelled that group into territory shared by Nirvana (who they were often likened to) and morphed that into his searching solo compositions. Good stuff.  

I didn’t actually know much about headliner Martha Wainwright prior to this performance, but was intrigued by her story and the few songs of hers that I was familiar with. She has remarkable stage presence and a strong, lilting voice like that of Ani DiFranco’s; as my one friend so aptly put it, she’s like a medicated Ani DiFranco. Wainwright, born of a very famous musical family, oozes with talent… and also neuroses. She’s a comical, self-aware woman alright, bantering quite a bit with the audience, introducing us to her husband (one of her backing musicians), and at one point, when her theatrical vocal line didn’t quite make the mark, she stopped herself mid-song to make fun of it. She’s captivating and charismatic, her art clearly the product of some contentious relationships and deep-seated demons—her grip on her music is her own sort of personal reckoning. She was jetlagged, apparently (although my guess is that she was a bit sauced, or high on something), but her whimsical repartee was charming nonetheless. Her songs are confessional, plaintive tales of anguish and love and remorse and strength, but it’s her style that’s most striking, a definitive rock ‘n’ roll grace encased in an artist willing to bare it all for the sake of self-expression. Martha Wainwright was quite a treat… you could definitely call me a newfound fan. – Angela Zimmerman

Watch: Martha Wainwright [at youtube.com]

Thao Nguyen, David Dondero, Sean Smith, Colossal Yes
February 26th at Swedish American Music Hall

Though her set didn’t crack the hour mark, San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen’s brilliant set did not disappoint. While she is best known for her work with her brilliant group, the Get Down Stay Down, the quirky vocalist hit the stage armed only with a beautiful, full-bodied Gretsch, cowboy boots, and her prodigious talent.

While the Falls Church, Virginia native was joined by a drummer for most of her set, the only melodic instrument she had at her disposal, besides her powerful voice, was her guitar. Her ability to coax an unbelievable amount of melody out of her instrument was particularly impressive, rarely settling for the simple chord strumming that many solo artists are reduced to. Among the show’s many musical highlights was a powerful performance of “Hills”, a breathy waltz from her 2006 debut release, Like the Linen. While the song is reminiscent of Cat Power’s best work, I don’t quite get the incessant comparisons. For me, Thao’s exuberant energy and powerful spirit set her apart from her peers, many of whom are content to wallow in their own melodramatic melancholy.

Throughout her performance, her demeanor was upbeat and confident, and her undeniable passion kept the crowd firmly engaged. Whether it was her laid-back, witty banter, or her insightful, slightly self-deprecating sense of humor, Thao’s disarming charm put everyone in the building totally at ease. Her rollicking encore, a breathtaking version of “Fear and Convenience” capped an outstanding night that ended too soon. As she graciously left the stage, a captivated crowd gave her a well-deserved standing ovation.

From one Falls Church native to another, Bravo! – Daniel N. Alvarez

Watch: Thao Nguyen [at youtube.com]

Read past installments of It Shows:

Noise Pop Day 2: Stephen Malkmus, Sleepy Sun, Papercuts, and more

Noise Pop Day 1 at Mezzanine: Deerhunter

Andrew Bird: February 19th at the Fillmore