Thursday night in San Francisco at the Hemlock, don't sit around and let the world pass you by and be sure to make your way out to see one of the best factions of underground rock'n'roll take shape. If you're as smart as the rest of us, you already know that Snakeflower 2 are one of the Bay-Area's finest biker punk disciples, and with the nimble creativity of Matthew Melton at the helm, it's undoubtedly gonna be a vivid display of firepower with a slippery side of psychedelic ooze. If you haven't treated yourself to their debut Lp on Tic Tac Totally yet, it's time to grab one at their merch table or order a copy direct, right HERE. Next up are Seattle's Idle Times, who have only released two 7" singles so far (on HoZac and Woodsist, both sold out) but their imminent ferocity has only partially been realized since these four tracks effectively capture the highs and lows of their sound, yet a full album's worth of their material really needs to be squeezed out to realize their full potential as one of today's best bands. With a snarling guitar scree that cauterizes as well as captivates, Idle Times also tow the line perfectly with their irresistible slower, hazy-eyed songs like "Driving You Mad" and "Whatever Works For You" (both the stunning b-sides on their singles) that are not to be missed. Although you may have already lost the chance to grab these singles (check the merch table, you never know), keep an eye on Idle Times to tear it up live, and on whatever records they have in the works.
Headlining the show are the unstoppable and remarkable jangle-punk visionaries, The Fresh & Onlys, who have hit their stride so well in the last few months, it's scary as to how good they are gonna get as time passes, and more records evolve. With the deep resonating vocals that conjure up dead icons such as Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Lee Hazelwood, colliding into Echo & the Bunnymen and Terminals territory at the same time, The Fresh & Onlys are carving their own path, and righteously so. If you haven't been blindsided by them just yet, don't worry, as their songs really have an unusual effect where they seep into your soul before smashing into yur skull, and sometimes it's better that way. Jump all over their debut album on Castleface, pick up their new 7" on Dirty Knobby, and their reissued debut 7" on Chuffed (or grab them direct from the band's website HERE) in preparation for ther second album coming soon on Woodsist along with a 7" EP on Hozac, which should break the sky wide open and suck all the oxygen out of the universe, inevitably causing all of our heads to cave in. Don't be late for that one, either.
check out a video of The Fresh & Onlys playing live at SXSW this year, courtesy of fingermedia, right here:
