Potions, poetry, and funky blues: New music from ASTU, Sally Decker & Briana Marela, and more
Tune into Lower Grand Radio on Thu July 7 for a special conversation with Boyish co-founder ASTU; hear a legendary trombonist play on the new Funkwrench Blues single
Joining the next White Crate show on Lower Grand Radio: ASTU.
Singer, seer, multi-dimensional lover, gender-expansive world builder, ASTU is a gift to Oakland music. Aside from collaborating with other artists, writing new songs, and performing a bevy of shows across the Bay, ASTU also serves as an instructor at Boyish, the creative house, record label, and alt-art school they co-founded to provide a new space and opportunity for creatives in the community.
ASTU will join us next week to chat about their musical journey, the story behind Boyish, and more. Tune in Thursday, July 7 at 8 PM PT on Lower Grand Radio.
Peace,
ronny
UNBOTTLED LOVE POTION
“a celebratory reminder that everyday is an ode to my Black queer body, the courage i have to love uninhibitedly and the ancestors who paved the way for me to be as i am.” Produced by Isaiah Mostafa, “Potion” is a brand new, low-key dance party by ASTU. Listen to it on your favorite streaming platform, join us on Lower Grand Radio this coming Thursday at 8 PM, and then see them perform at Bandcamp HQ on July 9.
AMBIENT POETRY WRITTEN IN SKY
What is the shape of my body?
A shape wavering slowly
Small tremble in slow motion
Ambient hallucination, guided meditation, poetic pathways carved with skywriting. Small Tremble in Slow Motion by Sally Decker & Briana Marela is 15 minutes of skittering synthesizers and dreamy spoken word, mirrored by another 15 minutes of nostalgic, kaleidoscopic sonic staggering, the album’s title track. Altogether, it feels like an animated kids’ cartoon from the time of tube televisions, a VHS tape of tick-tocking ASMR, an anthropomorphic lioness with love in its mouth. (h/t Mind Mirage)
FUNKY TROMBONE HITS DIFFERENT
We haven’t shared a Funkwrench Blues track in nearly a year, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any new ones. In fact, the diligent blues rockers have made new additions to the still-going “Need to Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series” practically every couple weeks. Recorded in San Bruno, the latest entrant “Hit Me, Fred!” features Fred Wesley, the very trombonist who worked with James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, and George Clinton from the 60s through the 80s. Legendary.
MORE SELECTIONS
Beats from in the Circle by DJ FLOW
hip hop, instrumental, breaks
—
YERBZ by JUANNY DEPP
dembow, latin, reggaeton
—
Communion: Book 02 by Mani Draper on Grand Nationxl
hip hop, rap
—
Letters from the Other Side by Raaginder
hip hop, classical, pop
LIVE SHOWS
Here are some recommendations for the coming week:
[latin] Chulita Vinyl Club Happy Hour for First Friday — July 1 at Crybaby
[acoustic] Thank You Sorry: Sad Girl Song Hour ft. Florie Maschmeye, Tom Smith, Ainsley Wagoner, and Spencer Jordan — July 1 at Ivory & Vine
[rock] Mosswood Meltdown ft. Brontez Purnell, Flipper, Shannon Shaw, Pansy Division, Twompsax, plus headliners Kim Gordon and Bikini Kill — July 2-3 at Mosswood Park
[hip hop] Freedom Cookout & Day Party: A Fundraiser for Heal the Hood initiative of Freedom Community Clinic ft. Ovrkast, Aroma, Jenset, Heru, Honey Gold Jasmine, and Ricky Lake — July 2 at Crybaby
[rock] Noise Pop Sundays ft. Analog Dog, Juicebumps, Fauxes, and Business School — July 3 at Zeitgeist
[rock] Cold War Kids, Geographer, HGMNY — July 3 at Stern Grove
[reggae] Jeremy Castillo and Jumpin Toads — July 3 at Ordinaire
[poetry] Better Ancestors ft. Tj Sykes, SevanKelee Boult (bka Lucky 7), Hilary Cruz Mejía, Briana Swain, Meilani Clay, and Kevin Dublin — July 4 at Mosswood Park
[rock] Blues Lawyer, Star Party, Aluminum, Sucker — July 6 at Ivy Room
[rock] Fake Your Own Death, Nyte Skye, Strange Cities — July 7 at Amado’s
SHUFFLE ON
Here’s a massive, all-genre playlist of Bay Area music.
And here are some by genre: