The summer touring season may be over, but there are plenty of great shows happening in San Francisco during the month of September. The second annual On Land Festival celebrates the many facets of experimental rock and drone with diverse lineups and intriguing headliners. Oakland’s Bare Wires are Seeking Love via fuzzy power pop gems. And Danish band Efterklang returns to the Bay Area with their intricate and captivating chamber pop.
The On Land Festival returns to Cafe Du Nord and the Swedish American Hall for a second weekend of experimental bands of all shapes and sizes. Each day’s lineup is lengthy and diverse, with Friday and Saturday night headliners Oneohtrix Point Never and The Alps, two acts of particular note. The former is the electronic project of Brooklyn’s Daniel Lopatin, whose Returnal, out earlier this year, finds him mixing layers of Tangerine Dream-style arpeggiated synth lines and noisier, more bewildering effects. The Alps are a San Francisco trio that compose gorgeous rock soundtrack music. Le Voyage is the band’s new album, and it’s a real genre-blender that luxuriates in imaginative psychedelia. Plenty of other good bands populate On Land’s ranks, including Portland’s hazy and haunting Grouper and local drone rock band Common Eider King Eider. The festival runs from September 2 through 5, 2010.
Ben Van Houten is the Programming Director for The Bay Bridged.
