"The Bay Area's The Herms are art and indie rock at its finest, especially in a scene that is floundering with carbon copies." - The Owl Mag
"On such cuts as All the Things You Do and Get on, vocalist and axeman Matt Lutz's deadpan drawl channels equal portions Lou Reed, Jonathan Richman, and the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, while the backing instrumentation on all 15 tracks cites a goddamn truckload of classics" - SF Weekly
"The Herms sound vaguely familiar yet rather revolutionary, unstable yet comfortingly well-known, a mangling of old and odd." - Noisepop
"It sizzles, spits, boils, and burns. The Herms music is fast and schizophrenic, changing tempo within and between tracks at lightning speed. It's never the same thing twice." - San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Francisco-based The Herms create a deliriously infective brew of post-punk, art rock and garage, sounding occasionally like Swell Maps, the Fall, and the Doors, sometimes all at the same time. They've already captured local radio, with airplay on SF's Live 105, as well as the covers of local music press, including the SF Weekly and Mesh Magazine. This is their debut full-length. Lead singer/songwriter Matt Lutz and bassist Alex Tuzin form the core of the group, with bay area journeyman drummer Chris Sipe joining the current live lineup. John Hofer (Mother Hips) guests on drums on the record.
The Herms started in 2003 when Alex Tuzin and Matt Lutz were in school at Berkeley. The inspiration gained from the loan of a college classmate's Tascam 388 blossomed into a full obsession for Lutz in the short period that it took him to write and record the songs that appear on their first Jackpine Social Club full length release Record Machine. The rough-hewn quality of these early recordings remains a constant in their presentation, as well as the thrift-store instrumentation (ancient upright pianos, harmoniums, and cardboard box drums) which underlies The Herms' natural knack for songwriting. And, yes, the Tascam 388 is still in the picture, as essential a part of the sound as anything.
The Herms have shared bills with the likes of The Fiery Furnaces, Kelley Stoltz, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Noisettes, Rogue Wave and The Lovemakers. They've appeared at all the major San Francisco venues: Great American Music Hall, Slim's, Bottom of the Hill, and Caf Du Nord, as well as the city's annual Noise Pop Festival (twice). Record Machine is the sum total of these experiences, but it's also the product of fevered imaginations and a relentless drive.
You can now order both the CD and EP from Jackpine directly here -
On November 13th, PinUp Productions will be hosting the Battle of the Bands Finals at The Avalon, THE premiere live music venue in the San Jose area. The final 6 bands (started with 54) will compete for the $10,000 grand prize in what will surely be a night to remember. All ages with a full bar. Come out and support your favorite band. This event WILL sellout, so get your presales now at www.letswoosh.com or by clicking on the flier below. This will be a show talked about for years to come, hope to see you out.
ALSO HELP SAVE YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE AND SUPPORT THESE SHOWS:
"When we separate music from art we get life." - John Cage
A MUST for musicians, filmmakers, videographers, DJ's, event producers, and anyone who is or wants to be a working creative in the audio field.
Advanced/custom private instruction also offered, please inquire at: education@soundarts.org
Sound Arts is a multi-faceted recording studio, commercial audio production house and learning center. We work with artists, businesses, and students! For more info, times of classes, and to register, peep www.soundarts.org
Sound Arts Education Director Chris Willits, shot in Sound Arts' studio A
"When we separate music from art we get life." - John Cage
A MUST for musicians, filmmakers, videographers, DJ's, event producers, and anyone who is or wants to be a working creative in the audio field.
Advanced/custom private instruction also offered, please inquire at: education@soundarts.org
Sound Arts is a multi-faceted recording studio, commercial audio production house and learning center. We work with artists, businesses, and students! For more info, times of classes, and to register, peep www.soundarts.org
Sound Arts Education Director Chris Willits, shot in Sound Arts' studio A
Tom Ammaniano (state assemblyman from San Francisco) just introduced a
bill into the state assembly to tax and regulate marijuana as we do
alcohol -- i.e., it would be legalized, taxed, and regulated. Like
alcohol, sales would be limited to folks over 21, penalties would be in
place for dui, sale to minors, etc. in other words, it sounds like the
right approach. The bill's official number is AB390, and more info will probably be available soon at www. norml. org and www. mpp. org.
If you have a minute, call and/or email your state assembly person and
Senator to encourage them to support the bill. You can look up their
contact info online based on your zip code:
http://www. legislature. ca. gov/port-zipsearch. html.
Feel free to pass this along. The bill is fighting an uphill battle
against a vast legacy of misguided and uninformed policy, and it will
only have a chance of passing if people speak up in favor.
This bill will provide California with one billion dollars of revenue each year (each ounce is taxed $50)
Be a part of Bay Rising, Yonas Media's second annual battle of the bands! Join bands from all over the Bay Area to compete for bragging rights and a chance to win over $10,000. SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS JULY 15th. For more info and to download submission form, go to www. yonasmedia. com
we apologize for any issue you may have had reaching the new ProgramTheDead. com and the treasures contained therein. This is a MySpace issue and we have asked them to resolve it.
Hi Herms! We’ll be playing Slims SF April 25th Friday night! Check the video to get a glimpse of the explosive SF Bay Area lineup! CLICK HERE TO BUY TIX ONLINE !!
got plans this saturday? if not, we beseech you to come watch us share the stage with philadelphia's insanely talented PATTERN IS MOVEMENT at the BIKE KITCHEN. seriously, this show is going to be unreal.
that's:
Pattern Is Movement
Parker Street Cinema
Worker Bee
SATURDAY, MARCH 29
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THE BIKE KITCHEN
1256 Mission @ Laskie
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