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Interviews with Bay Area up-and-coming bands
Guest DJ Vandella and Interview with Sunbeam Rd
April 4, 2013 8:00pm

 

Baghdad by the Bay
Guest DJ Vandella and Interview with Sunbeam Rd
Vandella
vandellasound.com
Vandella draws their music from Motown, classic rock, Southern rock, folk-rock, blues, and modern-day sounds of indie pop/rock. It’s like if Ryan Adams was backed by The Band, or Jenny Lewis took over for Jay Farrah and Jeff Tweedy in Uncle Tupelo. It’s 1970s rock via 1990. Hailing from San Francisco, their music takes listeners from the gulches of swampy, guitar-driven rock and the dusty twang of Americana to the amber honey of roots ‘n soul. In their three years together, the tight-knit group has come a long way with old-fashioned hard work and hustle: the 2009 release of their initial offering, the V EP, saw the band move 2,000 copies without distribution or label representation, earning them bills at San Francisco staples such as Great American Music Hall, Bottom of the Hill, Rickshaw Stop, and Café du Nord, to name a few. Two West Coast tours and spots on coveted bills and festivals with nationally-touring acts followed. In May 2012, they self-released their debut full-length album, Fire in the Desert. Mixed and mastered at Marcata Studios in New York by Kevin McMahon (whose past discography includes The Walkmen, Ha Ha Tonka, The Felice Brothers, and Swans), Fire in the Desert showcases the rich lyrical landscape, convivial songs, and solid musicianship that has endeared them to their fans.


Sunbeam Rd
sunbeamrd.com
Sunbeam Rd., a Bay Area four piece, craft a tense and expansive sound via psychedelic guitars, purposeful melodies, and restraint. Willing to fall apart completely exploring the margins of harmonic rock, their live shows can toe the edge of cacophony. At their best they reach into hook-laden, fuzz-saturated trance states.


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