Noelle & the Deserters cover John Prine in a rip-roaring time at Lower Grand Radio
Music video premiere of "Bonecollector" by Slake on Cherub Dream Records, the enigmatic "File: #16" by SF veteran Earth Jerks, and our weekly show recs
“For fans of classic country like early 70s Loretta Lynn or Glen Campbell tackling woes both modern and timeless, Noelle & the Deserters has you covered.”
— Ben Einstein
One of our favorite artists from the Speakeasy Studios SF roster, Noelle & the Deserters treated us to their glorious classic country sound live at Lower Grand Radio!
This was the band’s first time performing as a trio, and it was White Crate’s first time hosting a literal upright bass in the tiny Oakland studio. In addition to performing a handful of songs in this intimate setting (including a cover of John Prine), Noelle and the band joined us for an interview where we explore their country music-making journey, the discussion over whether the Bay Area is in its country era, and the virtues of celebrating Steve Winwood Day.
See Noelle & the Deserters open up for The Handsome Family at the Chapel tonight!
— White Crate
LESBIAN DOOM FOLK
“Were you looking for me this whole time or did I send for you?”
This week White Crate premiered the music video for the folksy, sensual “Bonecollector”, the first single from Slake’s debut album Let’s Get Married, slated to be released by local label Cherub Dream Records on June 20. Slake is the latest project by Mary Claire, who previously self-recorded and performed as a solo indie artist under their own name.
Beginning delicate and light, the song ambles along to the sound of Mary Claire’s sweet, clear voice backed by seraphic background vocals that glimmer in and out. At the song’s climax, their voice turns downward in tone and the strummed guitar evolves into something heavier and more distorted. It’s the ideal first single to demonstrate what they’re calling a “lesbian doom folk” sound, and it makes sense they’ve landed on Cherub Dream, which has carved out a space as one of the best independent labels in SF for bands stretching out in the shoegaze/punk spectrum.
The video is largely set at local beloved venue Kilowatt, juxtaposing images of colorful spandex workouts with an older man in flannel singing passionately to the nearly-empty bar. In the cover art for the single, Mary Claire hugs a scythe, all of which suggests a conversation with youth, aging, life, and death.
Read our interview with Mary Claire →
— Ronny Kerr
JUST PLAIN STONED?
“EartH Jerks is niche public service
Ambient polyphonic sensory absence, heavy on the abeyances,
Grit and torsion,
Rubrick futurism,and rule manipulation,big smart alec credentials abound..”
If these are “disposable jams”—as the artist’s enigmatic Bandcamp page describes—then what would jams of the indispensable kind sound like? Is there even such a thing?
Questions abound, but answers are hard to come by in the time-bending drone soundscape of File: #16, the latest full-length album by Earth Jerks. The artist behind this “band” has been making music in SF for nearly three decades and collaborates with Phil Manley, whose experimental rock work in local band Terry Gross we enjoy greatly (most recently on the 2024 album Huge Improvement).
On File #16, Earth Jerks makes full use of time-bending studio play, ambient organ moodiness, and crunchy guitar effects to the moon and back to methodically weave a satisfyingly rich tapestry of hum. Often it’s just texture and fuzzy bliss or some electrified strumming simply set in reverse, but sometimes even the merest of distinctive melodies reverberates out of the wash (as on “Importance of Exportant”). Good drone, whether deep in meditation or just plain stoned.
— Ronny Kerr
SHOW RECS
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[americana] The Handsome Family, Noelle & The Deserters — March 13 at the Chapel
[club] Louie El Ser, Tricky FM, Discnogirl, Lu's Room — March 13 at El Rio
[rock] Drunk Horse, The Ugly (recerd release), Hot Laundry — March 14 at Thee Stork Club
[punk] Marbled Eye, Street Eaters, Trough, The Heart Wants — March 14 at the Knockout
[club] PROGRAM (FINAL RESIDENCY NIGHT AT ARCANA) ft. erika (fka b0nitababy) b2b sfcowboy — March 14 at Arcana
[hip hop] Monk HTS (album release), Professa Gabel — March 15 at Neck of the Woods
[rock] Mommy Mommy, Vivian Panache, Malaphor — March 15 at Kilowatt
[club] VITAMIN1000 x3butterfly, 1OO1O, Clearcast, CYBER1A (Vertigo x bad juuju), Moonpie, Skiis, xxveneco — March 15 at F8
[club] LOWER GRAND RADIO SUPER FUNDRAISER ft. Bored Lord, Moth, Reddens, ChickP — March 15 at Thee Stork Club
[metal] Oxide, Kinghorn, Grimoires — March 16 at the Knockout
[rock] The Rubinoos, Chime School — March 17 at Makeout Room
[experimental] 55CASTLES, Mind Mirage, Chuck Johnson, r. beny — March 18 at Thee Stork Club
[experimental] Tessellations, Flung, Zero Charisma — March 19 at Little Hill Lounge
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