Salami Rose Joe Louis, Mejiwahn, and James Wavey (DJ) performing at our first live music showcase at Public Works
Welcome Strawberry brings back classic shoegaze; Frak and Jada Imani team up on "Gelato"; two new instrumental hip hop albums from Brycon and Chris Keys
Well holy wow if this ain’t a dream come true.
tl;dr White Crate just announced its first-ever live music showcase at Public Works! We’re proud to be presenting Salami Rose Joe Louis and Mejiwahn, both East Bay experimental, psychedelic sonic masterminds that know how to get a groove going, and both have put out some amazing records recently. Get tickets here.
ts;wm (too short; wanted more)
2011 was a pivotal year for me, both in terms of my relationship to music and the Bay Area. It was the year I moved into my first SF apartment, and it was the year I read Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk, a book by Dan Sicko detailing the early history of techno (and hence all modern dance), starting with the originators—the Belleville Three from Detroit, aka Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. It was also in November and December of that year when I looked up at the marquee and saw that those same three legends were playing shows in SF.
The venue? Public Works.
Back in those younger years, when my friends and I pretended to be 24 hour party people, I used to call Public Works my “church.” Because it was so close to where I lived. Because I used to go so regularly. Because it felt like community. And because dance is spiritual, period. So when the venue recently expressed interest in working with White Crate on a local live music showcase, I honestly got butterflies.
Much has changed over the past decade in the Bay Area, in music, in the world. But in spite of everything there are still people here who care about creating community and reaching higher heights through music. And none of it happens without the artists. So thank you to Salami Rose Joe Louis and Mejiwahn (and James Wavey on the decks!) for joining us at this event. And thank you for your presence and support.
Here’s that ticket link again. We hope to see you there :)
Peace,
ronny
SHOEGAZE LIVES
“Maybe songs grow like flowers. You water them or let them wilt. Eventually you will have enough to pick and make a bouquet, ugly and thorny or not.”
When a great new shoegaze band seemingly comes out of nowhere, you pay attention. Welcome Strawberry just released their glazy, raucous debut self-titled album on Cherub Dream Records, and it’s a treat for the ears. The Oakland-based project summons visions of classic shoegaze through all the expected traits of the genre—sedate singing, tantric drumming, and, of course, swirling, ethereal guitar parts without number. Even better: It’s brilliantly recorded, mixed, and mastered, so it sounds fantastic on a pair of headphones—a lovely little thing for a midnight reverie. See Welcome Strawberry play their record release party at the Golden Bull tonight alongside Nothing Natural, Niki FM, and April Magazine.
CREAMY SWEET, ICE COLD
Need to cool off this weekend? Frak and Jada Imani have just the thing: “Gelato” is a such a sensually smooth and sweet blend of hip hop and r&b that you probably won’t be able to stop at just one scoop. Cream on the inside. Cream on the outside. Ice cold.
MORE SELECTIONS
Can’t Say Words All the Time, the instrumental companion album to the 2022 Star Bakery/Solidarity Records release Can't Stay Perched All the Time by Equipto & Brycon
instrumental hip hop, beats, San Francisco
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Super Trouble by Chris Keys
instrumental hip hop, beats, Oakland
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CRIMES OF OPTIMISM by JUANNY DEPP
dembow, reggaeton, house, San Francisco
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Cats from Venus by Maya Songbird on Psychic Eye
punk, coldwave, electronic, Oakland
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Big Deal by Richie Cunning
hip hop, rap, San Francisco
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Terra Preta by Skyminds
ambient, devotional, Oakland
LIVE
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[rock] Nothing Natural, Niki FM, April Magazine, Welcome Strawberry — Sep 2 at the Golden Bull
[club] Squish ft. Aurora Halal, rRoxymore, Comua, Fog City — Sep 2 at Monarch
[rock] Juicebumps, Big Fun, LoserLees — Sep 3 at Rickshaw Stop
[hip hop] Hiero Day ft. J. Stalin, LaRussell, and Drew Banga — Sep 5 at Jack London Square
[dub] Jumpin’ Toads — Sep 5 at Paradise, West Oakland
[rock] MELVINS, We Are The Asteroid, Taipei Houston — Sep 5 at the Great American Music Hall
[rock] Bush Tetras, The Umbrellas, Med Scool — Sep 5 at Rickshaw Stop
[rock] Osees, Automatic, Bronze — Sep 5-7 at the Chapel
[rock] Flasher, Blues Lawyer — Sep 7 at the Knockout
[rock] April Magazine, Blue Ocean, Smile Too Much, Black Thumb — Sep 8 at the Starline Social Club Crystal Cavern