Viva la Noise Pop!
We sat down with Noise Pop music festival founder Kevin Arnold to discuss the San Francisco-based music series that has taken the Bay Area by storm.
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Great Albums with John Vanderslice
Singer-songwriter and indie rock philanthropist, John Vanderslice discusses a few of his favorite albums. Continue
It's funny how one night can change a person's life, or in this case, an entire city. Back in 1993, a young and vibrant chap named Kevin Arnold answered the call to book a night at a San Francisco nightclub. Rather than just slapping a few bands on a bill and calling it a night, the entrepreneurial Arnold decided to create an event celebrating the then-new sounds emerging from the Bay Area. The night was so successful that Kevin Arnold decided to do it again the following year, and the year after that, and so on. Since then, Noise Pop has swelled to a seven-night music series, attracting some of the biggest names in indie rock, and as of this year, the festival will be honored with its own official week by San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom.
Over the past 14 years, Noise Pop has showcased not only some of the best in San Francisco and Bay Area music, but also some of the best and brightest from the alternative-rock landscape. This includes Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, The Flaming Lips, Beulah, Coachwhips, Bob Mould, Mission of Burma, Comets on Fire, and hundreds more.
This year's festival promises the high-quality acts that people have come to expect--and then some. All the way from Australia have come The Grates and the phenomenal proto-rock revivalist Wolfmother. In addition, Brooklyn's We Are Scientists will be unleashing their addictive high-brow pop. Feist will deliver a rousing set of gorgeous expatriate tunes with a soft-rock twist, while The Dirtbombs kick out their fractured soul jams.
Of course, no Noise Pop would be complete without homegrown San Francisco music, and this year supplies some of the best around. Kid 606 will be damaging eardrums and psyches alike with their bombastic glitchcore, with other highlights including synth post-punk geniuses Xiu Xiu; The Herms; the sweeping folk pop of Vetiver; Two Gallants; Rogue Wave; mainstay John Vanderslice; Chow Nasty; The Cuts; Hey Willpower; and many more.
This year also marks the return of The Flaming Lips and Death Cab for Cutie, plus the last-minute addition of Elvis Costello.
Unfortunately, the music concert series is already underway, but since it runs from Monday, March 27 until Sunday, April 2, there is still time to book a flight--or rent a car--and get to San Francisco for Noise Pop. Who knows, it could provide you with that one night that could change your life.
