Thursday June 11th, The Deli SF proudly presents:
Grand Lake
Beatbeat Whisper
The Heated
at
El Rio
Thursday June 11th 9pm
$5
Named after the legendary Grand Lake Theatre, in the Lake Merrit
district of Oakland, California, Grand Lake is the music of Caleb
Nichols (ex-Port O'Brien, vocals, bass), Jameson Swanagon (a graduate
of the New England Conservatory of music in Boston,guitar), Erika
Pipkin (a graduate of the composition program at Mills College in
Oakland, vocals, keys) and Ryan Parks (singer-songwriter of local
mainstay No'S, drums). Grand Lake blends the traditional indie canon of
the 00's with such disparate influences as Mark Ribot, ESG, the Pixies,
Blind Willie Johnson, Moe Tucker, Jon Brion, and Ella Fitzgerald.
This convergence of personalities and influences comes together to
create a sound that is distinctly Grand Lake - minimalist arrangements
of catchy pop tunes, paired with a sensibility that smacks of both the
conservatory and the garage.
Begun among the oak trees and upright pianos of Sonoma County,
Beatbeat Whisper is the project of siblings Davyd and Ayla Nereo, now
based in Oakland, California. They have released two full-length albums, Beatbeat Whisper (2007) and Wonder Continental (2008). Their songs have been in films, compilations, and across the nation's airwaves. Beatbeat Whisper has also been featured in Daytrotter, The Bay Bridged, East Bay Express, Pacific Noise, and among the pages (and February CD sampler) of Paste Magazine.
Cristina Espinosa, front-woman of The Heated is anxious. She has always
been anxious. The best way she has found to ward off these synaptic
misfires is through the repetitious nature of music. Singing it.
Playing the same riff for hours on end. Agonizing over guitar pick
methods. For her, music is not a hobby. It's a coping mechanism.
Anchored by Gina Petrone's stripped down percussion flourishes, The
Heated's endearing lo-fi yet accomplished indie folk manages to
surprise. One bar breaks thrown into the center of songs, off kilter
rhythms and unexpected melodies dot the musical landscape. These little
surprises pull you in.
See you there!
-Nicole
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