Temperatures around the Bay have been dropping, but plenty of good shows in October make it worth venturing out into the cold. Some sneak peeks below:
AMY MILLAN
As a member of Stars and Broken Social Scene, Amy Millan created some future-classic indie pop, so it was a bit of surprise to find her leaving those sounds on her solo debut, 2006’s Honey from the Tombs. Millan still has great pop hooks, but she’s traded in the synths and the uptempo tracks for country-inspired ballads and slide guitars. 2009’s Masters of the Burial is a wonderful album that’s even better than her solo debut. On Masters, Millan delivers heartfelt originals and moving renditions of songs by Death Cab for Cutie and Richard Hawley that are simply entrancing. Amy Millan will be performing at Cafe Du Nord on Wednesday, October 28th, with Bahamas.
THE RAINCOATS
Before LA post-punk champions Part Time Punks host their second annual festival in Los Angeles on October 11th, they’re bringing a mini-fest of sorts to The Mezzanine on Friday, October 11th. The show nicely blends post-punk past and present, headlined by The Raincoats playing the West Coast for the first time ever. The all-female post-punk band’s self-titled debut has become one of the genre’s classics, and is now being rereleased on Kill Rock Stars. Kurt Cobain championed the group, and invited them to open for Nirvana on the 1994 UK tour that was canceled following his passing.
Beyond the historically significant headliners and a formidable lineup of DJs (including members of Gang of Four!), a number of great local bands are performing too. From Magic Bullets‘ British retro-pop to the avant-skronk of Death Sentence: Panda, it’s a diverse show with a lot to offer.
