Jeffrey Lewis and his various bandmates have perfected a scuzzy, urban style of indie-folk, developing from late-90s New York City bedroom tapes into a mighty 21st Century mash-up of folksy spiel and artsy garage, like Pete Seeger meeting Sonic Youth. Jeffrey is also an illustrator, and has written/drawn 13 issues of a comic book series called Fuff.
On Friday, July 26th @ 11am, Mr. Green Genes catches up with Jeffrey ahead of his upcoming show in SF at The Chapel on Saturday, July 27th, when Lewis plays with Pacific Northwest duo, Quasi.
Jeffrey Lewis and his band tour the world, mixing folk with noise and sharing stages with the likes of Stephen Malkmus, The Mountain Goats, Daniel Johnston, and many others. Jeffrey has albums out on Rough Trade, Moshi Moshi and Don GIovanni Records, and has been featured by NPR, The History Channel, and The NY Times.
Live gigs continue to incorporate Jeffrey’s narrative folk acoustics and garage indie-pop wig-outs, as well as the occasional inclusion of Jeffrey’s multimedia full-color illustrated/sung histories and fantasies.
Celebrate Summer At Explorer’s Cove
Summertime is in full bloom…time to relax with your favorite libation and soak in the tropical sounds of surf, Hawaiian slack key, lounge, calypso, cumbia, highlife, samba and so much more.
Join your travel guides in paradise, Poindexter and ((echoplex)) as they navigate the beach, jungle, sea, and sky for their annual Explorer’s Cove special on Sunday, July 28th @ 12pm until 3pm.
Wisp Interview
Tune in on Monday July 22nd @ 10am to hear softcore’s recent conversation with Natalie Lu, known as San Francisco native Shoegaze artist, Wisp.
Inspired by the likes of Whirr and My Bloody Valentine, Lu has released four singles — the first of which, ‘Your face,’ having now generated over 45m streams on Spotify since its April release.
Proficient at numerous instruments including violin, guitar, and piano, Wisp has quickly become the fastest growing Shoegaze artist in the streaming era and was recently named a Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music Artist To Watch in the year ahead.
Lu released her debut EP, Pandora, in April of this year — in conjunction with her debut US headline tour. Catch Wisp at this year’s Outside Lands Festival in SF on August 9th.
somesurprises Interview
On Wednesday, July 17th @ 8pm, Seattle based band, somesurprises, drops by the KALX studios to speak with Carnacki before their show at The Golden Bull in Oakland on Saturday, July 20th.
somesurprises is the brainchild of Seattle-based songwriter and guitarist Natasha El-Sergany. Once a bedroom project focused on spectral balladry and late-night exploration, somesurprises is now a dynamic four-piece live band. Motorik beats, reverb-drenched vocals, washes of fingerpicked guitars, and hazy synths expand El-Sergany’s delicate and blissful songwriting.
The return of somesurprises takes the form of Perseids, a full length LP, and their first new music in 5 years. More than just a memorable record, it is unquestionably the band’s finest moment. Perseids is not a reinvention of the group’s sound, it is the perfecting of it.
35th Anniversary Re-Broadcast of Green Day Interview & Performance
35 years ago, Last Will hung out with an up and coming local band that would forever leave their mark on the Bay Area music scene and the rest of the world.
Tune in on Monday, July 22nd @ 10pm to hear his conversation with Green Day before they hit the stage at the Berkeley Square way back on Saturday – July 22nd – 1989. It was the first radio interview Green Day ever did.
Jas Stade Performance & Interview
Tune in on Monday, July 15th @ 6pm when Cuppa Joe hosts Oakland guitarist, composer, and educator, Jas Stade, for a live in-studio performance and interview.
Stade will play the KALX Co-Announce show at The Chapel on July 25th with Chris Cohen, April Magazine, and DJ set by Andy Cabic (of Vetiver).
Jas cultivated a love for guitar at a young age – playing in classical guitar ensembles, DIY generator shows, and musical theater productions, growing an appreciation for the versatility of the instrument.
Stade currently composes and performs with Gumby’s Junk, an art-punk project based in Oakland. Gumby’s has performed extensively throughout the Bay Area, crafting oblique & fantastical sounds.
Photo: Addie Briggs