Meet Allan Rayman , a multi-talented MYSTERIOUS MUSE (recently dubbed “the most mysterious man in music”) who DOES it all (writer/producer/singer/after/filmmaker) without needing to ADVERTISE it all. An R&B soul singer with raspy, soul-spearing vocals that singer child down the spine, Allan proves that you don’t need marketing or active social media accounts reel in fans. Without interviews or videos online, he has already rallied 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. For fans of Alex Vargas, Jack Garratt , SOHN , RY X , Caught A Ghost , Chet Faker, let this RAYman shine his ray down on you. The emotionally-charged, elusive storyteller that is Mr. Roadhouse himself was extra animated at The Rickshaw Stop last night. A much more uninhibited, intimate experience on the tiny stage of the Rickshaw Stop compared to his earlier appearance at The UC Theater when opening forJames Vincent McMorrow. I will definitely be keeping Allan on my radar.
Vancouver Sleep Clinic‘s first show in SF at the Rickshaw Stop back in December had us begging for their return, especially with the release of their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Revival.’ A revival is surely what they spurred on last night at Bottom of the Hill. I could not help but watch everyone on the audience be lifted up by Tim’s angelic vocals and haunting howls as they stared up at him with eager eyes. Star struck by his fine, fierce falsetto, there was a sense of disbelief shared by the entire room. It’s hard to believe that he wrote his first song (‘Vapour‘) when he was only 17 yrs old, a song about realizing how short life is and how “you must find light and joy in the situations we’re put in.” Well we certainly find light and joy in the musical medicine he revives us with, one “rebirth” at a time. Tracks that had every hair raised on my body were Flaws, Lung, Living Water, Killing me to love you, and Someone to Stay, which was written about homelessness and homesickness when temporarily living in LA:
“You were alone, left out in the cold Clinging to the ruin of your broken home Too lost and hurting to carry your load We all need someone to hold” (SLAYED).
By the time the epic encore of Empire came around, I was completely lathered in chills. Empire stood alone with definitive power and command, keeping us on our toes as the capricious crescendos amplified our attention and wet our appetites. I’m already hungry for more and can’t wait until they return for summer festivals (best way to avoid winter in OZ!) All I know is that Vancouver Sleep Clinic won’t be frequenting small stages much longer. Recently on tour with the delightful Daughter, they are making a global footprint and hailing new fans far and wide. In fact, the kid standing next to me had flown all of the way from Phoenix just for the show! It won’t be long before this Aussie quintet will be headlining the legendary Fillmore. SF wants you back!
So happy to have met Tim Bettinson of Vancouver Sleep Clinic this week at the Rickshaw Stop. After wrapping up tour with Daughter the night before in Vancouver (yes, he says it’s everything he’s dreamed it to be), these Aussies (Brisbane) decided to sneak a two extra shows in SF and LA before heading out (and boy are we thankful for!). I remember first seeing Vancouver Sleep Clinic at Green Man music festival (Wales, UK) in 2014 and being completely taken back by their beauty and talent. For those lovers of Bon Iver, Volcano Choir, James Vincent McMorrow (who he’s a I’ve fan of and whom he saw for the first time in LA 3 years ago), RYX, Matt Corby, Sohn, Youth Lagoon, Alex Vargas, and Jack Garratt, Tim is your man!
“I want to write music that is so good, it reaches as many human beings as possible, which is quite a feat when you think about how different people are. There’s a magic in that and I want to create that. I selfishly want to be the harbinger of that magic.” – Mike Deni of Geographer Luckily, I have felt that magic. 🙂
Having recently returned from a trip to Asia and India, Mike Deni told the crowd the was was “so happy to be back” and playing music for us (first show of 2017). He said that POPSCENEnight at the Rickshaw Stop was one of the first ever places he played – fast forward 10 years and he is now back where it all began. Mike gave a special shout-out to Aaron Axelson for curating Popscene (the “coolest place to be on a Friday night) and giving him a platform to bring his music out into the world. My 8th time seeing Geographer and I can confidently say that they are STILL my favorite SF band. We were SO LUCKY to hear them test drive their FIRST NEW TRACK of 2017 (‘Read my mind‘) and new, recently released track called ‘I Want It All.’ SO FREAKING GOOD! Mike said he’s been working hard on the new album but has been slow to release tracks because he wants them to be really good. CAN’T WAIT! In honor of ‘Animal Shapes‘ finally becoming available on vinyl after high demand, Geographer treated us to a full live performance of this epic EP, start to finish (the last and first songs being my favorites). And EVEN MORE OF A TREAT was when Mike decided to get down and dirty with the crowd, dancing alongside us (especially during ‘I’m Ready‘). I was basically DEAD when he swing his guitar right up in my face. THESE ARE THE MOMENTS WILL LIVE FOR!!
ALSO, as if I couldn’t be more of Geographer fan, I find out that Mike decided to cover Sia‘s ‘Chandelier‘ in honor of International Women’s Day. “Here’s to a time where we no longer need a special day in the year to remember how important more than half the population of the planet is.” –Mike Deni ❤
Fresh new, VERY UPBEAT playlist inspired by my TOP DISCOVERIES at this year’s NoisePop festival in San Francisco: Day Wave, Harriet, and HEARTWATCH. These three bands are all local, and their catchy, vibrant tracks capture the essence of sunny California quite perfectly. The playlist was also influenced by other bands in town – Joe Purdy, Milo Greene (Jukely event), Penny and Sparrow (soon to write a review), Elle King, Jamie Lawson, and Soren Bryce (reminds me of Daughter) – as well as recent album releases from Ra Ra Riot and Hey Marseilles (who I’ll both be seeing in March) and a new single release from Augustines‘ HIGHLY ANTICIPATED new album. Not only is Augustinesone of my FAVORITE BANDS OF ALL TIME, but this new song (Are We Alive) has FIRED ME UP moving into the new year (RISE: The Story of Augustines)- I can’t WAIT till they are back touring over here in the states – the UK has had them for long enough! Other inspiration comes from new discoveries – Funeral Advantage(thanks to my German roadtrippin’ buddies that I met at Penguin Prison last month), Tom Rosenthal (thanks to my London music guru buddy), Baby Brave and Joel Arthur Russel(NoiseTrade). ENJOY!
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Here’s the playlist on Spotify:
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You can download all of the songs (out of order) from my link on Box.com
Irish Margaritas- Harriet
Total Zombie- Day Wave
Are We Alive- Augustines
Foreign Lovers- Ra Ra Riot
Get Louder- Caught A Ghost
Eyes On You- Hey Marseilles
Nothing At All- Day Wave
Inheritance- Harriet
Lie To Me- Milo Greene
Faultlines- HEARTWATCH
Bread and Bleeding- Penny and Sparrow
Ten Steps- Harriet
Perfect Ok- Hey Marseilles
Chariot- Soren Bryce
Drag- Day Wave
America’s Sweetheart- Elle King
Burbank- Harriet
Broken Bones- HEARTWATCH
My Heart- Hey Marseilles
Gardensong- Funeral Advantage
Absolutely- Ra Ra Riot
See You Around- Joel Adam Russell
Sirens- Soren Bryce
Wasn’t Expecting That- Jamie Lawson
Never Let You Go- HEARTWATCH
Non-Verbal Communication- Tom Rosenthal
Newport- Soren Bryce
Plastic Skateboard- Brave Baby
