Hump Day Inspiration:

almost as random as Kitten Wednesday.

Why Not Plaid Friday?

It's a little known fact that the sombre hue associated with the day after Thanksgiving is unrelated to those dour hordes and militant moods outside many a WalMart or Best Buy. Black Friday actually refers to retail accounting. Generally, the first day of official Christmas shopping is often the first day of the year that retailers are showing a profit or 'in the black'. Thank you, business degree!

Anyways, Black Friday doesn't necessarily have to be black. Instead of black, why not plaid? Local businesses have banded together to support Plaid Friday. Shoppers wearing plaid - be it buffalo or pinstripe - will have access to special Plaid Friday deals. For more info on the program and participating vendors, click here friends. One of our favorites is WE Artspace. And not just because they feature work by BAB buddy, Chris Vogel.

Other local vendors with kick-ass holiday sales include Cara Lyndon (40% off everything with the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY40) and Cary Lane (40% off new arrivals and accessories).

Gift Idea: Sweaters

"Sweaters and Ciders"
photos via Kevlar

Just kidding, sweaters are a very personal thing. Sweater parties, however, are an amazing idea for the holidays. Check out the whole set, including the winner of the Best Sweater contest.

Happy Housewarming, Meghan!

Housewarming Mix, November 09:

Heart Grows Old- Future Islands, Wave Like Home
Swing Tree- Discovery, LP
Lust For Life- Girls, Album
History Ft. Talib Kweli- Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Make Your Mind Up- Chairlift, Does You Inspire You
Happy Up Here- Röyksopp, Junior
Mirando (Yacht remix)- Ratatat, Mirando
Heads Will Roll- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
Chelsea, Let's Go Join the Circus- Agent Ribbons, On Time Travel and Romance
Two Weeks- Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest
Shady Lane- Pavement, Brighten the Corners
Dead End- The Whitest Boy Alive, Rules
Knotty Pine- Dirty Projectors + David Byrne, Dark Was The Night
Tourist- Julian Casablancas, Phrazes for the Young
Small Deaths-The Dodos, Time To Die
Trick Or Treat- Peaches, I Feel Cream
Radio Dials Die- Maus Haus, Lark Marvels
Got Nuffin- Spoon, Got Nuffin
Muscle 'n' Flow- Menomena, Friend and Foe
Are Friends Electric?- The Dead Weather, Horehound
Stadium Love- Metric, Fantasies
The Concubine- Beirut, Realpeople Holland

HCFM: PB+J!

I like to think it's no happy coincidence that one of my favorite bands shares its acronym with one of my favorite sandwiches. Of course, the peanut butter and jelly sammies in Peter, Bjorn + John's hometown are more likely to be smeared with lingonberry than strawberry. All the better. It's a well-documented fact that Swedes are incredible music-makers and pretty damn sexy, to boot.

Maris and I got the lucky chance to catch PB+J at Coachella this year and after their set, I had this song (which Lykke Li helped perform!) stuck in my head for days. PB+J make music that is as simply delightful as the non-correlated sandwich which I've chosen to associate them with. No guile, just sunny songs about everyday life whether you happen to be a pub-crawler or a Picasso painting.

Catch the second of two Peter, Bjorn and John sets at the Great American tonight with El Perro del Mar. Show at 9 pm. Tickets are $21. All ages.

I AAAMMMMM SMILING

I'm so looking forward to seeing this Saturday night. Want more info? Just click on the photo.
Don't know what I'm talking about? Behold:

Hump Day Inspiration: Beck w/ Charlotte Gainsbourg

Heaven Can Wait:



via For Me, For You

ps- Charlotte Gainsbourg, j'taime.

Time to Tighten the Ol' Belt

So might as well start looking around.

diggin' this buckle from local San Franciscans Fluffyco.

Linkage Love

via marispacifica

A great feature over at poppytalk on BAB-loved store Gravel and Gold

Looking forward to Plaid Friday and visiting the upcoming Holidayland (*shop local*)

Did you miss the Perseid Meteor Shower? Then catch the Leonid Meteor Shower... tonight!

Wishing I was comfortable enough to be photographed without smiling, like this handsomely stoic SF guy

To Do ASAP: hit up Annie's Social Club in SF before it's too late.

Some great hosiery, but alas- none like these. I'm going to take matters into my own hands, stay tuned.

Photo Recap: Farmer's Market

harvest time, baby.

Oaklandish

Gift Idea + Style Your Wild Thing

Karen O + the Kids- Where the Wild Things Are OST

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Dave Eggers - The Wild Things

A confession: I was mad about Where the Wild Things Are. I've seen it twice. I plan to see it again. I cried. Both times. However, this isn't a movie review.

'The Wild Things', Dave Egger's latest, was published on McSweeney's and is a spin off of the work he did with Maurice Sendak and Spike Jonze. It's purported to hold all the chaos, anxiety and charm of young Max. And of course, who says no to Karen O?

If you're lucky enough to already own one of the special edition copies of 'The Wild Things', you should probably at least consider entering this rad contest at McSweeney's.

HCFM: Persephone's Bees

Three words to describe Persephone's Bees: charming, retro, Russian. The quartet lay down solid and catchy pop songs with a throw-back vibe on their full length albums "City of Love" and "Notes from the Underworld". And Angelina's vocals laid down with that inflection that is at once brusk and sugary sweet will catch you off guard.

Catch Persephone's Bees with Sonny & the Sunsets, the Stilts and Thorny Brocky at the Knockout tonight. Tickets are $7, 21+.

Meghan's Famous...

...kinda! Is it possible to be both bougey and broke at the same? Yes. Yes it is. And Meghan sheds some light on just how easy it can be- She got featured as the honorary Broke-Ass of the Week over at neighbor Stuart's website, and y'all should check it out.

BTTR Gourmet

As with gifts in the past, I wanted to wait until after it was given to write about it- I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise that is Shrooms in a Bag! That's what I'm lovingly dubbing the 'dirtbag' that I gave to my mama for her birthday yesterday (Hi Mom!)

What do you get for someone who has everything? Totally uninspired by go-to gifts like soap, stationary, and booze... I was suddenly awestruck by the sight pictured above while perusing the wonderful wares of Oakland's Grand Lake Farmers Market.

BTTR Ventures sells these bags for $20 that are filled with Peet's coffee grounds and this strange white spongy stuff... then apparently all you have to do is slit a hole in the bag, water, and voila! A big bunch of gorgeous, healthy, delicious Oyster Mushrooms "bursts from the bag."

Part science project, part foodie heaven- this would certainly make a great gift for pretty much anyone who's down with eating funghi. I'll try to take some pictures next time I'm home to monitor the little guys' progress- hear that mama? You better start watering!

PS- if you're not quite sure what to do with Oyster Mushrooms, here's some good ideas.

The Raveonettes say it with their guitars / Bimbos 365

[View the whole set on Flickr.]

On the way to the Raveonette's show Monday night, I was lamenting to Maris how the indie rock scene can sometimes feel a little bit repetitive. The exact words out of my mouth were "I mean, how many things can you really do with two guitars, a bass and a drum kit?" To say that I was eating my words minutes later was an understatement. In fact, I was astounded by the minimal amount of outward efforts put into creating the wall of noise and subtle emotions of the Raveonettes.

The sets visual interests were few but exhilirating: Sharin's two handed slide during a rippin' rendition of 'Lust', Sune's plaintive solo version of 'Wine' directly followed by Sharin's equally sombre cut 'Oh, I Buried You Today'.

Of course, the aural delights were many. The raucous and bouncy 'Bang!' proceeding the two most emotionally raw tracks of the night ('Wine' and 'Oh, I Buried You Today') was an almost jarring musical change-up but also the kind that makes you feel alive and remember what you love about live music.

One of my favorite aspects of the Raveonette's music - the incredibly dark lyrics backed by the most bubble-gum of pop hooks - was in full force Monday. 'Last Dance' would make a perfect backing for any high-school prom montage if it weren't about breaking up with a drug addict. 'Boys Who Rape' (which is, quite literally, about rapists) is vessel to some of the most playful and cheerfully delivered vocals on the album and in their set.

On top of all this, I was absolutely thrilled with the encore. While Maris and I were weighing the pros and cons of leaving (we do have day jobs, you know) the opening screech of 'Attack of the Ghost Riders' rang through Bimbo's. 'Attack' was followed shortly by the single biggest hit of the band, 'That Great Love Sound'. Don't you just love a band that saves their best for last?

TBB's Ferris Wheel Confessions

Treasure Island Music Festival: Ferris Wheel Confesions - Day 1 from The Bay Bridged on Vimeo.

Relive the magic of Treasure Island Music Festival via The Bay Bridged. See the video for the second day right here!

Listen for some interesting 'musical secrets' -and keep an eye out for our own miss Megs :)

Gift Idea!

Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears

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Awesome Gift

Last Thursday night we had the chance to attend the book launch for A Heartbeat and A Guitar, as you may remember reading last week, and I was this close to getting a book for myself when I decided to hold off.

It just so happens that not only are the holidays around the corner, but all my family's birthdays are as well.

Which means that I am the last person I should be thinking about right now...
but that doesn't mean I can't put the word out that a book about my hero Johnny and his protest album together would make an exceptionally cool gift... right?

Broadcast and Atlas Sound / GAMH

photos via sixties_girl

At the Broadcast/Atlas Sound show at the Great American on Tuesday night, no one got what they expected. At least, not from the UK contingent.

Broadcast started their set with a 20 minute video/audio "experiment" that at times was just odd and at others evoked that gnarly trip from SLC Punk. Yeah, that trip. While the GAMH staff had cleared their tables and chairs in favor of a clear dance floor, presumably for dancing, the audience was mostly stunned into silent stillness.

In general, Broadcasts set was without frills. Trish and James were generally bent over their guitars, samplers, and various other instruments; Trish leaving her seat occasionally to contribute vocals during the latter half of their set. Their music was other-wordly and at times overpowering; the echo, reverb and distortion washing over the bewildered or just bemused crowd.

Atlas Sound rounded out the evening with some fairly straight forward indie rokk and adorably sheepish stage banter. The first half of the set - the half that my date and I were present for - was mostly devoid of the ethereal and semi-rhythmic whispers omnipresent on 'Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel' but that is not to say it was unenjoyable. In fact, watching Bradford Cox play his guitar simply and encourage an audience member to play back up tambourine was quite charming.

HCFM: Raveonettes + Still Flyin'

Both of these bands have had shout outs on BAB but what can we say? They're just that good.

The Raveonettes are doing new and interesting things with the idea of noisy fuzz pop on their recent album, In and Out of Control. Everything is helplessly catchy but never overly saccharin. These are the kind of songs that could be stuck in your head for days without ever irritating you. The kind of songs to listen to on roller coasters.

The Raveonettes will be headlining Bimbo's 365 on 11/9. Tickets are $25; show is 18+.

Still Flyin', as previously mentioned, is a jam band without the cheesy prog-rock subtext. They're also a supergroup who manage to avoid the unfortunate Velvet Revolver/Zwan comparisons (sorry, Corgan fans). This band is here to have fun! Hand-claps, harmonies, horns and that one dancing guy help them achieve that goal.

Still Flyin' will be playing at Cafe du Nord along with Yellow Fever and Nodzzz on Saturday. Show at 10:30. Tickets are $10, 21+.

Mission Street Art + De Young Event + FREE = Broke Ass Wet Dream

TOMORROW NIGHT, 5:30 - 8:45
FREE event at the De Young Museum

Book Launch of Mission Muralismo

live music, projections, talks from the creators, art activities

So yeah, I could post my usual monthly announcement about Art Murmur tomorrow night, but I'm posting about this instead ...for all you who possibly can't hack going over a bridge and through a tunnel tomorrow night. Y'all can get to bed early, burrito safely in hand.

Another Reason Why San Francisco Rocks: Jim Marshall

Going off of Meghan's post yesterday for A Heartbeat and A Guitar, have you seen the work of Jim Marshall? This guy is a local BAD ASS veteran of rock photography... and he'll be gracing the Make Out Room with his presence tonight.

Marshall's responsible for some of the most iconic shots in history- Janis, Johnny, Jimi, and Bob.... drop a name, this guy's seen 'em all. Wow. I plan on probably feeling too starstruck to throw myself at his feet with exclamations of "I'm not worthy!"

So even if you can't make it out tonight, be sure to check out Marshall's collection online- the Bay Area should know and take pride in one of its talented residents. And not only are his photos epic, but his accompanying explanations are fascinating. I especially love the set dedicated to San Francisco Bands.

Again, just Wow.