DJ Shadow, Girl Talk on tap for Independent…
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DJ Shadow, Girl Talk on tap for Independent 10th anniversary celebration
The San Francisco duo Two Gallants will be part of the Independent's 10th anniversary celebration. Another Plantet Entertainment.
By Jim Harrington | jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: February 7, 2014 at 3:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 9:53 a.m.
The Independent has quickly become a Bay Area institution.
That's what happens when a venue regularly books some of the hottest bands in the entire music business. Since opening in 2004, the San Francisco club has hosted such acts as Green Day, the Black Eyed Peas, Vampire Weekend, The xx, Phoenix, LCD Soundsystem, fun., Miguel, Foster the People, Bon Iver, The National, Jimmy Cliff, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
I could go on and on, really.
Now, the Divisadero Street club is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary — and, not surprisingly, it's doing so in high style. Plans call for a weeklong run of special concerts in recognition of the milestone occasion. The lineup includes some big-name artists, who could fill places much larger than the 500-capacity Independent.
The festivities kick off in fine fashion on Wednesday with acclaimed soul singer Allen Stone, who's opened for the Dave Matthews Band and performed at many marquee festivals.
Here's a look at the rest of the anniversary lineup:
John Butler Trio (Feb. 20; $35)
Beats Antique (Feb. 21; $30)
DJ Shadow (Feb. 22; $35)
Two Gallants (Feb. 23; $25)
Rebelution (Feb. 25; $35)
Girl Talk (Feb. 26; $49.50)
I expect all of these shows will sell out — most already have. Never fear, however, since there's never a shortage of worthy upcoming shows to catch at the Independent. My personal picks include the Wailers (March 21-22), London Grammar (March 27), Rocket From the Crypt (March 28), Chromeo (April 12) and, best of all, the Dandy Warhols (April 23).
For more information, go to www.theindependentsf.com.
Rain songs
Want more rain? I'm here to help — at least in musical fashion. Here are my top 20 rain songs. Go to www.mercurynews.com/music, where you can listen to all of them.
Top 20 rain songs:
"I Wish It Would Rain," the Temptations. This is a crushingly beautiful song. Wow, I love the Temps.
"Box of Rain," Grateful Dead. A song that people — even those not wearing tie-dye — will be singing 100 years from now.
"It's Raining Men," the Weather Girls. Sounds dangerous, actually.
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," Bob Dylan. Music Critic Rule No. 786 states that all lists must include at least one Bob tune.
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" Creedence Clearwater Revival. I think I can recall what it looks like. It's wet, right?
"No Rain," Blind Melon. Bonus points if you can name another Blind Melon tune.
"Rain Over Me," Pitbull with Marc Anthony. I simply can't play this song loud enough. But I'll keep trying.
"Singin' in the Rain," Gene Kelly. Any song list about rain would just look weird without this one.
"Blues Eyes Crying in the Rain," Willie Nelson. Yup, this one's a first-tier tear-jerker. Nelson recorded it for "Red Headed Stranger," which, as you all know, is the greatest country music album of all time.
"I Wish It Would Rain," Nanci Griffith. What a voice. She could sing the want ads, and I'd pay to listen.
"Rainfall," A Flock of Seagulls. How'd this one get on the list? Sorry.
"Crying in the Rain," Tammy Wynette. Can't get enough of this country legend.
"A Rainy Day Refrain," the Andrews Sisters. Before the Spice Girls, there were the Andrews Sisters.
"Dry the Rain," the Beta Band. The best song on this list? Maybe.
"November Rain," Guns N' Roses. Slash has delivered some of the best guitar parts in rock history — and this ranks as one.
"Here Comes the Rain Again," Eurythmics. I love Annie Lennox's voice on this. It sounds kind of synthetic but not in a bad way.
"Like the Rain," Clint Black. I keep forgetting how good Black once was.
"Only Happy When It Rains," Garbage. Well, then you'd be really unhappy in California.
"Rain, Rain, Rain," Roxy Music. Yes, I will take any opportunity to mention my favorite band.
"Purple Rain," Prince. Bet you didn't see this one coming.
Beat goes on
I love the English Beat. And, really, what's not to love? The British 2 Tone ska revival band, which got its start in 1978, just has so many great songs. Topping the list, of course, would be such immortal cuts as "Twist and Crawl," "I Confess," "Stand Down Margaret" and — oh, yes — "Mirror in the Bathroom." Plus, Dave Wakeling and crew also deliver a fun, energetic show.
The English Beat perform Sunday at Don Quixote's International Music Hall in lovely downtown Felton. Showtime is 7 p.m., and tickets are $20-$25; www.donquixotesmusic.info.
Follow Jim Harrington at Twitter.com/jimthecritic, Facebook.com/jim.bayareanews and blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/category/concerts.
Jim Harrington | Pop music writer
Jim Harrington is the Bay Area News Group's pop music critic for The Mercury News and the East Bay Times. He began writing about the Bay Area music scene in 1992 and became the full-time pop music critic for the organization's Oakland Tribune in 2006. He is a South Bay native who graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Liberal Studies. He also received an MBA degree from Santa Clara University.
jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com
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