"It seems the only person who dances at shows anymore is the blazed guy up front. The thing about Bay Area-based Man/Miracle's new song from their first full-length album, The Shape of Things, though, is that it makes me want to shelve my Puritan ways, join said guy, and flail my hands around." -Pitchfork
“The Shape of Things is an infectious collection of nervy songs recommended especially for fans of Talking Heads, The Feelies, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.” -The Bay Bridged
"Oakland's Man/Miracle caught us by surprise late last year with their stunning debut LP, The Shape of Things. With ten infectiously catchy tracks in under thirty minutes, The Shape of Things is that rare all-meat, no-filler album that you will find yourself playing on repeat throughout the day, subconsciously awaiting that self-satisfying moment where the last track ends and you get to start the whole affair over again. -7x7 Magazine
"As Baths, Chatsworth, Calif.'s Will Wiesenfeld connects the dots between the sun-drenched haze of glo-fi torchbearers (Washed Out, Toro Y Moi) and the woozy beat math that lights the spliffs of Los Angeles' Brainfeeder collective (Flying Lotus, the Gaslamp Killer)." -Pitchfork
"If Toro Y Moi had the chops of Matmos and the beat savoir-faire of FlyLo, it might sound something like "Maximalist." -XLR8R
The Splinters (Double Negative) - http://www.myspace.com/thesplintersband
"Four women from the Bay Area chirpily asserting their vision of garage-pop: less hazy than Vivian Girls, less vintage than Dum Dum Girls, less stoned than Best Coast. Just unclutttered, punky, and fun." -RCRDLBL
“Girl-group sounds-meets-90s punk attitude.” – Gorilla Vs. Bear
“They perfectly channel the devil-may-care, DIY, girls-in-the-garage sense.” – The Fader
"The band makes gorgeous, ghostly tunes that blur the line between lo-fi electronics (drum machines, synths) and rich analog atmospherics (organ tones, human voice)." -LA Weekly
epicsauce.com is pleased to bring you Man/Miracle, Butterfly Bones, Red Blue Yellow and Beehive Spirit this Thursday (4/1) at Milk (1840 Haight St). We are doing this as a free show, but strongly encourage you to RSVP on facebook for priority entrance.
The night is a celebration of Butterfly Bones and Man/Miracles split 7", which Oakland's Third Culture Records is set to release the same day. This is an extremely limited run record, so be sure to grab one while you can.
Man/Miracle - http://www.myspace.com/manmiracle
"Oakland's Man/Miracle caught us by surprise late last year with their stunning debut LP, The Shape of Things. With ten infectiously catchy tracks in under thirty minutes, The Shape of Things is that rare all-meat, no-filler album that you will find yourself playing on repeat throughout the day, subconsciously awaiting that self-satisfying moment where the last track ends and you get to start the whole affair over again. The Talking Heads comparison can hardly be overlooked here -- the quartet are clearly children of both David Byrne's unapologetic vocal styling and the group's legendary afrobeat inspired rhythm section, proof that the unique style has hardly lost its relevancy after all these years. There is little doubt that these guys are going to find commercial success in 2010, so you might want to start name dropping them to your non-SF friends now." (epicsauce.com for 7x7 Magazine)
"It seems the only person who dances at shows anymore is the blazed guy up front. The thing about Bay Area-based Man/Miracle's new song from their first full-length album, The Shape of Things, though, is that it makes me want to shelve my Puritan ways, join said guy, and flail my hands around." (pitchfork.com)
“The Shape of Things is an infectious collection of nervy songs recommended especially for fans of Talking Heads, The Feelies, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah." (thebaybridged.com)
"Definitely not easing up on the hooks or looped beats are SF quartet Butterfly Bones. Blending live instruments with laptop and synth sounds, the group brings in a more relaxed vibe, giving listeners the option to either dance around or simply sit back and have a fun time. Their first EP, Pretty Feelings, which features the break out single “XOXO,” illustrates that the band is in the business of making music that shows off the laid-back California vibe that has inspired songwriters for years." (noisepop.com)
"Insanely fun, insanely awesome -- poised to be one of the bigger bands to emerge out of San Francisco in recent memory." (epicsauce.com)
"The band crafts synth heavy indie pop songs that are so easy to fall for. Lyrically they remind me a bit of Magnetic Fields but do not sound quite as heavy as a Stephin Merritt project… Bones is of a much lighter fare. And while they don’t have much in common with MGMT, Butterfly Bones leaves you with a similar feel good feeling." (Bigstereo.com)
"For some, this is the sound of sunshine: gleeful synths, featherlight melodies, no-fuss rhythms, and laidback tempos for dancing when it's too hot to dance. More specifically, it's all about the attitude of those ubiquitous electronics - smooth, smiling, just happy to be there. In five songs and 22 minutes, Bay Area newcomers Butterfly Bones drop the soundtrack to your Indian summer." (East Bay Express)
Red Blue Yellow - http://redblueyellow.com/
"Still just a year into the project, San Francisco's Red Blue Yellow has already played high profile shows with the likes of Sleepy Sun, Frank Black and epicsauce.com favorite French Miami. Their live show is a geek's dream -- microphones on the kick drum and snare launch a constant stream of live visuals behind the band, which the audience than manipulates via a custom made iPhone application.. If demo tracks 'Some People' and 'And when I Walk into the Ocean' are any indication, we can expect huge things from these guys over the course of the next year." (epicsauce.com)
"We first caught local quintet Beehive Spirit when they opened for LA's Happy Hollows late last year, and were thoroughly impressed by the band's unique take on indie pop. After a few shuffles in their lineup, the group has really set into a groove -- we look forward to their debut LP, which is due out later this year." (epicsauce.com)
"As for The Beehive Spirit, lets just say it rocked hard enough to make me forget where I parked my car. And I'm pretty sure the only other time that has happened was after Coachella." (wherewolves.net)
I thought it was really great. They set up two stages at opposite ends of the block, so as soon as one band's set was over the next band would start on the opposite side. Good for the vendors too, since you then would walk by their booths and tables on your way to the other stage every 30 minutes or so. Overall it had a very local, friendly mission feel and was a huge contrast to the giant overcrowded tragedy of the commons festival feeling I got from Outside Lands on Friday. An artist in one of the adjoining studios was having an open studio and giving out free beer. I definitely recommend seeing it the next time they have one.