The Den

I don't go out to shows as often as I might like - maybe I'm not enough of a music fiend or perhaps I'm too much of a homebody and I should break myself of that. But I do enjoy most of the shows I go to, and in the last month I've gone to three shows over in San Francisco.

The first one was a band I was totally unfamiliar with. My friend Ken who lives in my neighborhood asked if I'd like to go see his favorite band Over the Rhine  when they played at Cafe du Nord recently. I hopped over to the band's website and listened to some tracks from their latest album, "The Trumpet Child". I liked most of what I heard and was intrigued and curious about how they'd be live. They were great!  Their style is sort of a blend of blues, jazz, country, and even a little funk, the vocalist is amazing, and the whole band was spot on for their show. 

Then two weeks later I went back to Cafe du Nord with Jeremiah (who's back from Spain for a few months) to hear artists Manual and Ulrich Schnaus , both of whom create a range of electronic styles from  downtempo and ambient to driving and full-bodied. I was familiar with their work already (some of which is available on eMusic) and it was great to hear them live.

And last week I went to The Filmore to see one of the few HipHop artists that I really enjoy, Aesop Rock . This was the 4th time I've seen him live (second at The Filmore) and we arrived just in time for the start of his act.  If you ever read or listen to his lyrics (he raps pretty fast, so its easier to read them ) you'll see just how well-read and interesting he can be, with tracks like "Bring back Pluto".

So, if you're lookin for someone to go to a show with, let me know! You can find my show calendar and "favorite artists" list on SonicLiving .