Some of My Favorite San Francisco Bands
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007I love the San Francisco music scene. I think that it’s filled with creative people who are open-minded in their approach to making art. And I also think that it’s filled with support from local venues and people who are truly interested in being part of a community that welcomes different types of music. I’m familiar with a number of local bands because of my work with San Fran Voice, through which I review and interview San Francisco’s music makers.
It’s hard to narrow down my list of favorites because there are just so many of them. This list just barely skims the surface. I kept it to just bands – I’ll tell you about my favorite singer-songwriters in a future post. And I’ll probably tell you about more bands in the future too since there are just so many good ones here. For now, listen to this:
- Scarab. This quintet doesn’t limit their music to any particular genre which is what makes it such a San Francisco band. They play music for the sake of music, instead of for the purpose of fitting inside of some neat little box, much like the majority of people who live here in the city.
- Bag of Toys. This is my favorite San Francisco band that I just happened to stumble upon randomly in a bar one night. They play a kind of surf reggae rock that’s catchy and fun to dance along with.
- Dolorata. This is an all-female band and they rock out like only grrrls can do. It’s their constant energy and enthusiasm that makes me love their music.
- Project Greenfield. This is a jam band but they don’t sound like they just throw their stuff together. Their funk-infused rock feels polished, even when you can tell it’s coming out of the creative air around them.
- Chinatown Bakeries. This was one of the first San Francisco bands that I learned about and still one I like. They’ve got a changing cast of characters so there’s a fluidity in their music that kind of summarizes the fluidity of life in an urban, transient area.
- Spazmatics. This is my favorite band to see live in the city. They put on the most high-energy show I’ve ever seen. They’re motto is “nerds who rock” and they dress like it while playing hits from the ’80’s that are best experienced in condensed form in packed bars.
