Photos and review by Sophia Risin.
On a rainy April night, The Fillmore was backed full in anticipation for the sold out Winnetka Bowling League, LOVELESS, and Waterparks show. I was not the most familiar with the band, but left their short set as a huge fan. Their set was short but sweet with an audience that was dancing and singing along to their show. Winnetka Bowling League is furnished with an indie rock sound, a bit of a change from the sound so closely associated with Waterparks and their more emo-leaning sound.
Winnetka Bowling League is a three piece group consisting of Matthew Koma on guitar and vocals, Kris Mazzarisi on drums and Sam Beresford on keys. With an indie rock sound reminiscent of summer nights spent listening to crickets and hanging out with friends. I expect that they will be a band to follow and will be on everyone’s radar soon enough.
Following their set was LOVELESS which delivered a less-than-stellar performance due to Julian’s recent sickness, but the energy of the show was palpable, and Waterparks stole the show with an energetic show with a giant pit, with the audience sitting in the center of the pit rowing, crowd surfers abound, and bass so boomy that I could feel it through my bones. Waterparks, known as parx to their fandom, called for everyone to jump for the Filmore’s ornate chandeliers, leaving the ground shaking and the crowd screaming enough to be deafening through the earplugs.
I do wish they had more time for their set, as their entire show lasted only 20 minutes. For anyone looking for a new indie rock band to obsess over, Winnetka Bowling League is one to follow. The show was on the day of their most recent release, the track Handsome, which is a pop-rock anthem for the ages. They will be taking the stage next in SF at Cafe du Nord on June 28th to scratch everyone’s brain itch for pop ballads and a return to a new era of pop music.
Slow Hollows is Alive and Well
Photos and Review by Gaby Smith.
If you’ve listened to Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy or Frank Ocean’s Blonde, you may be familiar with Austin Feinstein, longtime collaborator of the two artists and the lead vocalist of the Los Angeles band Slow Hollows. Formed in 2013, the band released three albums before amicably disbanding in 2020. Four years later came the revival of Slow Hollows as Feinstein’s solo project with the release of his fourth album Bullhead and its supporting US tour.
On the night of March 26th, eager teens and twenty-somethings in Doc Martens and denim jackets slowly descended the neon-lit stairs from the street and filled the dimly lit Cafe Du Nord, a historic San Francisco speakeasy-turned-concert venue, in anticipation of Slow Hollows’ return. I had seen the band’s original lineup perform on that same stage almost exactly four years prior (mine and my boyfriend’s first date, coincidentally — a fond memory of mine) and was excited to see how their sound had changed with time and a new direction. As I looked around at the crowd, their shag mullets and vape clouds illuminated by the blue and red stage lights, a wave of bittersweet nostalgia came over me — this was so high school.
Supporting Slow Hollows was New Zealand-based artist P.H.F. (Joe Locke), who delivered an explosive, high-energy performance to hype up the sleepy crowd. As breakbeat chops and heavy electronic beats played on his laptop, Locke hopped offstage and performed passionately among the crowd. Even as someone entirely unfamiliar with his music, it was difficult to keep from bobbing along to the booming drum beats and grinning at the artist’s lively performance just a few feet away from me.
Shortly after P.H.F. finished his last song, Slow Hollows took the stage. By this point, the room was filled almost to the back, and rows of people eagerly anticipated the band’s first show back in the city in four years. Wasting no time, Feinstein immediately began with a fan favorite, “Spirit Week,” from Slow Hollows’ 2016 album Romantic. The crowd lit up, recording shaky, hyper-saturated videos on their phones as they bounced along. Catchy guitar riffs reverberated through the room, with Feinstein’s ghoulish vocals just floating above the punchy instrumentals.
One might describe the show as “no-frills,” with setlists scrawled hastily on coffee filters and half-full cans of Modelo among long cords and pedal boards littering the stage. All attention was on the band — Feinstein’s impassioned vocals and plucky electric guitar, the steady beats of the drum, the quartet’s cool Californian affect. A highlight was the band’s performance of “Tired,” one of the band’s few love songs, off Bullhead. Atop sparse guitar strums, Feinstein moodily sings, “I wish I knew you every step of the way / I’m tired of everybody but you.” At this point, all the couples within my line of sight started gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes and making out, so I stopped looking around and focused my attention back to the stage.
The show crescendoed with an edgy, fast-tempo performance of “Dark Comedy,” from their first album Atelophobia (2015). Feinstein solos with the electric guitar before the bass and drums join in, and the crowd goes wild. The song is a stark contrast to the previously played, introspective and subtle songs off Bullhead; it’s more teenager-y – loud, in-your-face, unapologetic. It’s safe to say that Slow Hollows’ sound has changed dramatically since its genesis, a product of Feinstein growing up.
Feinstein and the band bid farewell to the crowd, but, like always, acquiesced to their chants of “one more song!”. The band schlepped back onto the stage, poorly concealing their smirks and picking up their instruments for a final song. “This is a song we haven’t played in a while, because… well, we just haven’t. But we’re going to play it now,” says Feinstein before playing the riff of “The Art School Kids / The Political Kids,” another Atelophobia song. This song is even punchier than the previous, with fierce riffs and a drum beat that make your head buzz, but quiets down after the eruptive intro to accommodate Feinstein’s nonchalant vocals. Nonchalance is Slow Hollows’ M.O., evident with a final “thank you, get home safe” nicety before exiting the stage for the night at 9:45pm. The quick show was a blessing in disguise, because I got dinner at Denny’s and still made the bus back to Berkeley before midnight.
Arlo Parks shines at the Fox Theater
Photos by Nadine Ordaz. Review by Sophia Risin & Kelsey McIvor
On the night of March 5th at the Fox Theater, Arlo Parks took the stage, and transformed it into an explosive expression of hope and community. The London-based artist is constantly pushing the bounds of genre, with a musical sound that can only be described as R&B with rock guitars.
Captivating an international audience with her first soft bedroom pop EP, Super Sad Generation, in 2019, Parks’ candor and rawness continues to shine in her newest 2023 album, My Soft Machine. Parks has an uncanny ability to completely enrapture an audience, and even in dark serious confessional moments about her struggles with mental health, creating a space for collective contemplation that leaves one with a sense of awe and gratitude.
Opening on this tour was Chloe George, an Oakland-based musician pushing the bounds of pop music in a direction that we are more than excited to see the genre venture into. With a fairly paired down band of only George and a multi-instrumentalist playing both guitar and keys, the performance still took on a life of its own, and the entire crowd got into it, swaying and dancing together.
After her stellar performance, whispers soared through the crowd speculating about Parks and the upcoming performance. All worries were completely surrendered once she emerged on stage, leaving us with a sense that truly this is Arlo Parks’ world, and we all just have the pleasure of living in it.
Parks’ quiet intensity unwaveringly shined from the beginning to end of the show. Opening with “Bruiseless”, the starting track of her sophomore album, Parks’ diaristic approach to bedroom pop was immediately established with the song’s spoken-word first line: “I wish I was bruiseless / Almost everyone that I love has been abused / And I am included.” This level of vulnerability is the foundation of Parks’ exquisite lyricism, a myriad of acute observations and parallels to create true poetry.
Although her iconic red-shaded close cut and baggy clothes remained the same, it was clear Parks had found a whole new energy of calm yet cathartic self-reflection. Her hits “Caroline” and “Eugene” let the audience carry the choruses as Parks screamed for us to “blow the roof off the place.”
Parks’ “Dog Rose,” an ode to Parks’ first time (and love) in New York City, depicts the lustful obsession of a crush “and wanting to know all of them.” Parks again demonstrated her ability of lulling the crowd into a meditative state before swelling into an energized instrumental break for textural contrast with the words: “I wanna belong to you.”
Parks kept the energy with a surprisingly lively rendition of “Pegasus,” the delicate acoustic song featuring Phoebe Bridgers on her sophomore album turned rock pop live. With spatial harmony and beautiful soft lighting, she finished with “Cause I need love like a body needs sugar / I need love.” Parks’ band was given the space in this track to truly demonstrate their versatility as they layered the electronic elements of the original with live percussive elements to mirror Parks’ dubbed harmonies.
“Too Good,” which Parks called “the most danceable of the Arlo Parks’ catalog — which isn’t saying much”, was my personal favorite performance of the night. Supported by prerecorded harmonies, Parks beautifully engaged with the packed Fox theater, constantly running from side to side to ensure she could serenade each member at the barricade as the entire theater sang “I’m too good to you” with her.
“Black Dog” and “Hope” kept the romance alive but not for a person — for herself.
Her characterization of her own “box of suffering (and) a dark space” evokes a profound sense of togetherness and warmth as she weaves together her memories of loneliness and despair into a blanket of blithe resilience to find the good in the midst of so much hardship. “Looking for light and finding a hole where there shouldn’t be one / I cannot communicate the depth of this feeling.” The strength to get through this hopelessness is one that Parks explores constantly in an attempt to not only raise awareness about the ongoing mental health crisis, but to motivate others to seek help and find ways to cope. After all, Parks stated her message of the night to be just that: hope.
“We all have scars, I know it’s hard / You’re not alone.”
Parks characterized her own relentless desire to feel better but in reality having to “pretend that I’m fine when really I’m crushed” in “Sophie.” Despite self-doubt and anxiety that affects so many, Parks emphasizes the importance of pushing through dark times and thoughts, even grabbing her guitar to jam alongside her band to invigorate the performance.
Overall, the bedroom pop soundscape was simple and relatively recursive, keeping all attention on Parks’ storytelling. The set closed with “Devotion” and “Softly,” paying tribute to her 90s rock inspirations The Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones as Parks left the theater with a “see you soon.”
In an industry that is so male dominated, having a young black queer musician take the stage and kill it is a refreshing sign about the future of music, and I cannot wait to see what is next for Parks.
Meat Cube on KALX Live! April 6th
Midnight Express: “The Idea of California”
Folk Instead of Feather Boas at the Fillmore
Review by Molly Ho, photos by Izzy Hory.
To any Harry Styles fan, the name Mitch Rowland will sound familiar. Instead of being seen supporting the ex-boy band Brit, the backup guitarist embarks on his first headlining tour, trading sold-out stadiums filled with mini-skirts and cowboy boots, for a calmer, older crowd— plus the occasional diehard Styles fan. In fact, he has 10x more Instagram followers than Spotify listeners. Despite the stark change in venue, Rowland nevertheless commanded The Fillmore on February 25th with the same calming presence as before.
To prepare the audience for his somber but spirited set, Harris Harper opened with her brother CJ Harper for an acoustic set. Her music is reminiscent of Leith Ross, with a delicacy to her voice and creating an intimate ambiance between her and the crowd. However, the delicacy of her set was matched with a bit of shyness, as she went straight into playing original songs that I did not know the titles of. That being said, this was the first show of the tour and probably one of the bigger crowds she has performed to, so I sympathize with her nerves. In Harper’s song “Make You Quit” the rawness of her voice shines through in the chorus, balanced by the subtle background piano and guitar—forging a bond with the audience, myself included. Nevertheless, her performance was apt and chill, clearly setting a calmer ambiance for the main act.
The audience itself was a bit strange, with an interesting mix of One Direction super fans at the barricade — each sharing past concert stories on how close they were to Harry Styles and their favorite “hair era” of his — to a traditional San Francisco crowd filled with 30-year-old local hipsters sipping an IPA. Yet surprisingly, everyone grooved along to his songs, relaxing instead of being pinned against a barricade with thousands of other people. I had the lucky opportunity of being in the photo pit for the beginning, and while I did overhear snarky comments about taking photos on my phone, the minute I saw Rowland and his band up close on stage along with subtle blue lighting, I immediately felt at peace and cherished the close distance to the band.
Pop frivolity is exchanged for a laid-back folksy vibe and accompanied by his wife Sarah Jones on drums (they met while on tour as part of Styles’ band). Immediately as they stepped on stage, their chemistry was palpable, occasionally making eye contact during an instrumental song break. You can tell they simply just get each other and their music, complementing each other to create a beautiful melody. His first album Come June is lyrically and astonishingly composed with a gentle harmonic undertone. His song “Blue Bells” brilliantly displays his guitar skills, as well as his not-so-well-known vocal prowess. He debuted a new song “Carry On With Your Tea,” which perhaps is an ode to his British bandmate, that he sang with such care to every lyric, that one could practically see his heart in his lyrics, adoring his wife on drums.
Beyond the couple, the band had great chemistry as a whole, sharing smiles and grooving to each others’ solos. As it was the first show, the set began a little more tense, but as each member settled into the beautiful music, each shared a lively expression and confidence through the songs. In his encore, Rowland played a touching acoustic cover of “Oh Sweet Nuthin’” — a personal favorite of mine from The Velvet Underground — ending the night with a peaceful bang!