September 11, 2002

By John O'Neill

I HAD THE luxury of growing up in New England, a slice of the country where seasonal change was a palpable thing – there's nothing quite like nature's death spiral for a little perspective on your place in the big picture. Leaves go brittle, grass turns from green to brown, and all the good-looking birds migrate to healthier climes. Once the holiday season hits, the elderly start heading for the Great Hereafter in squadrons, and who can blame them? Spending Thanksgiving alone is one thing; spending four months dragging your wrinkled ass through three-foot-high banks of snow for five months is another story.

The part I always loved the most, especially being from a college town, was that the fall brought with it the possibility of great music – the stuff that shaped me forever almost always took place in the fall: the first Ramones gig, last Del Fuegos gig, getting wasted with Tom Russell, buying that first Lyres album, dropping acid to the Vipers, kissing Brian Wilson's ass, meeting old guys with silly young-boy names like Angry and Mono and Kahuna.

Fall is the time when musicians working marginal jobs take their two weeks of vacation time, climb in vans, and travel America's club circuit with the intent of being heard, connecting with a handful of like-minded souls and their sofas, and (God willing) maybe breaking even when all the receipts are added up. Below is a biased if not comprehensive list of must-hear artists that are headed our way and won't set you back much. Take a chance. Pay your cover, open your heart, and try not to throw glass items under any circumstances.

Sept. 26

Dan Melchior's Broke Review For better or worse, Melchior is linked to '60s revivalist yawner Billy Childish and the so-called Medway Sound, which, when translated from Brit-speak, essentially means a for-shit guitar tone, a nasal accent, a penchant for three-chord, two-minute tunes, and a willingness to unleash any and all studio farting-about upon the dopey record-collector geeks. He marries his love of rural blues and '70s punk to the Medway chassis, and the results are usually fantastic. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. (415) 621-4455.

Sept. 28

Drive By Truckers The son of Muscle Shoals Studio session legend David Hood, Patterson Hood crafts thinking-person's Southern rock that is equal parts personal introspection, tongue-in-cheek trailer park goof, and redneck pride. It was the Truckers' third studio album, Southern Rock Opera, a thinly veiled homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd and growing up in George Wallace's Alabama under Bear Bryant, that caught the ear of Lost Highway Records (Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams). Now the fiercely DIY Truckers have an outlet to reach a large-scale audience. Fillmore, 1805 Geary, S.F. (415) 346-6000.

Oct. 4

Cari Lee and the Saddle-ites Dig the hokey name, but dig the old-school country swing more. These guys are the typical SoCal band that most local clubgoers could care less about. Their fan base is an international pocket of Western swing devotees who plan their vacation time in order to attend various festivals in places like Las Vegas. But we're all for Cari Lee and her posse because their authentic take on country music is toe-tappingly good and certainly preferable to that of the practitioners of "psychobilly," "garage-o-billy," "scareobilly," or whatever other fill-in-the-billy trends are roaming the landscape. The Saddle-ites blow the doors off joints (while the neo-guys just plain blow). Talk of the Town, 4481 International Blvd., Oakl. (510) 534-TALK.

Oct. 4-10

'BudgetRock Showcase' San Francisco has a long and embarrassing history of overlooking its rock and roll bands while they're still alive. From the Flamin' Groovies to the Flakes, the roll call of unrecognized shoulda-beens is vast and deep. Thus the BudgetRock Showcase (the title nicked as homage to the late, great Mummies) at the Parkside (where I tend bar a few nights a week), a celebration of mostly Bay Area garage-flavored bands. Three chords and a Kinks fetish is the rule of thumb here. Local hero Russell Quan will represent in three different outfits, and Boston's legendary Lyres, the still-vital flagship band of the free world's garage fleet, make their first California appearance in 15 years. Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. (415) 503-0393.

Oct. 8

Dirtbombs, Detroit Cobras, KO and the Knockouts What with the reheated White Stripes copping an MTV video award and gracing the cover of October's Spin, now is the time (again) to be from Detroit. And this tour package is a pretty fair representation of what makes the Motor City go "ka-boom." The Cobras' '60s soul covers are enjoyable enough in a restrained, jukebox kinda way, and KO brings smokes just fine in smaller venues. But it's the Dirtbombs that are the wild-card act of this night. Led by scene godfather Mick Collins, the band are just as likely to produce distorted guitar scronk as they are to perform even a single song off their (amazing) disc Ultraglide in Black (In the Red). Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. (415) 474-0365.

Oct. 9

Banyan On one hand, any project Mike Watt is involved in is interesting because he can be counted on to never do the same thing twice, and it usually turns out to be pretty damn good. On the flip, Stephen Perkins is also involved, and how can you give a green light to anything related to Jane's Addiction? This gets the nod because we're fans of the upstairs bar and the relatively clean urinals. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, S.F. (415) 552-7788.

Oct. 16

Southern Culture on the Skids, Forty Fives I don't know if I can be truly impartial when it comes to the Forty Fives, who can do no wrong in my little black book. They're tight, cool, and always on target live. They have the ability to conquer any room, any time, no matter what the conditions, as if they were genetically designed to pummel. This is their third swing across country with SCOTS, who are obviously either insane or enjoy having their asses handed to them. Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. (415) 474-0365

Oct. 18

Dead Moon, Sermon, Killer's Kiss There's the whole Dead-Moon-is-one-of-the-greatest-ever-live-bands thing, a reputation that seems only to grow with every trip they make through town, which should be enough to warrant your cover charge. But this one is worth noting for the homegrown openers. Killer's Kiss have finally solidified their lineup and become 100 percent, guaranteed-not-to-rust rock and roll noise merchants (it should be noted that singer Chris Owen is also a 100 percent guaranteed-not-to-reach-his-sales-goal ad rep here at the Bay Guardian). Meanwhile the very thought of the Sermon leaves us quivering like a poleaxed Jell-O mold. They stand as one of the best new rock and roll bands in northern California. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. (415) 621-4455.

Oct. 31

Ghosts, Demonics, the Undertaker and His Pals It's Halloween. They are ghosts, demons, and undertakers by vocation and choice. Enough said. Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. (415) 503-0393.

Nov. 9

Greenhornes, Holly Golightly, Vaticans A triple shot of quality rock action from three divergent sources. Next to the never-sleeping Coachwhips, the Vaticans might be San Fran's hardest-gigging crew. Golightly is the ever morphing ex-Headcoatee, and her show reflects it. Might be pop, could be rural blues, perhaps even a torch song or two. Ohio's Greenhornes have graduated from obscure critic's picks to scenester darlings, and are coming back to town as one of the city's best-loved guests after having endured the loss of a keyboard player to marriage and a guitarist to internal tension, as well as the embarrassment of being on garage rock savior Stevie Van Zandt's hot list. Forget that recent beer commercial you heard them on. Someone will most likely be shit-canned for that little stunt; the Hornes are still the real goods. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. (415) 621-4455.

Nov. 13-16

'BayPop' Paul Kopf brings back his little festival that could for a third running, though this year's installment has been moved from summer to late fall. The beauty of BayPop was that Kopf was really nothing more than a rabid power-pop fan trying to get some of his favorite bands to come to town. This year isn't much different, though the scope of the fest is a little bigger. Ronnie Spector is slated to be there, and Bay Area legend Cyril Jordan (the Flamin' Groovies' frontal lobe) is rumored to be back in prime fighting form and looking to premiere his newest stuff. Add a cast of intergenerational popsters that includes the Shins, Jason Faulkner, Electric Prunes, and the Cuts and you have the ingredients for another fantastic weekend. www.baypop.com.

Nov. 14

Neko Case and Her Boyfriends How long will major mainstream success elude what is without question one of the top voices in contemporary country? Case was only a few years ago the drummer for Vancouver's pop-punk gals Cub; today her beautiful retro-twang warble has become as distinct a weapon as Speedy West's slide guitar playing or George Jones's personal life. Her latest disc is a massive home-run show – she is well on her way to becoming as formidable a songwriter as she is a singer. Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. (415) 474-0365.

Honorable mention