Cafe Eleven

Lee Boys

Saturday - Dec. 1st, 2007 - $12

Lee Boys - Live at the Kennedy Center

One California Day

Thursday & Friday - Nov. 1st & 2nd, 2007 - $7

One California Day - behind the scenes

Jeff Coffin

Thursday - Nov. 15th, 2007 - $15

Jeff Coffin Mu’tet live performance 08-06

Triclops

Thursday October 25th, 2007 - $8
w/ Tubers
Greeness
Alligator

Sometime in 2005, driven by inactivity in their current bands and a number of drug-fueled, late-night phone conversations, Xtian from SF’s Bottles and Skulls and Johnny from Oakland’s Fleshies began collaborating on some new music. Undaunted at first by the lack of a rhythm section, the duo amassed a bulk of pretty/ugly Tenderloin-district acid rock recorded on an obsolete Tascam 4-track over the course of several months. After finishing a tape with echo-laden-yet-visceral guitars/drums, vocals through half-broken solid state amps with phaser explosion, and both dudes attacking noise pedals/tape loops/randomly modified guitars, they began to realize the band was more than a little bit limited by the lack of a rhythm section. Having little luck in plying their native punk scene for people who could stomach the racket they had developed, they randomly responded to a Craigslist ad and struck unlikely gold in a spastic drummer named Phil from SF’s Lower Forty-Eight. Soon after, in Jan. ‘06, they called out to megaveteran bass player Larry of Victim’s Family/Hellworms/Saturn’s Flea Collar fame and Triclops! was born.

Triclops

David Dondero

Sunday October 7th, 2007 - $7

Few songwriters have experienced and expressed the sinking depths and uplifting optimism of humanity like David Dondero, and his ability to shine a light on the human condition (his own included) is inspiring. Dondero is best known for his narrative tales of America. Having spent most of his life on the roadm Dave uses his staggering lyrical talent to paint tales of life in the US of A through clever word play and sarcastic humor (as represented in the album title) about some of life’s most sensitive subjects. “Simple Love” is a poignant collection of songs woven with sentimentality, contempt, humor, and lust.

“One of the best singer-songwriter’s I’ve ever heard.” - NPR - All Songs Considered Host Bob Boilen

David Dondero Live

Dr. Dog

Tuesday October 30th, 2007 - $10
w/ Delta Spirit
Emily Lacy

Dr. Dog is a musical band from the greater West Philadelphia area. We are interested in three-part harmoNies, the out-of-doors, soya roti’s, baking bread and diminished chords.

Dr. Dog Live on David Letterman

Nada Surf

Saturday October 27th, 2007 - $12
w/ Sea Wolf

If you know your stuff, you know the story. If you dont, here it is: We begin where all good things outside of Seattle do in NYC. Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca meet in high school and play around the city in a few short-lived bands, eventually forming a trio they call Nada Surf. Ira Elliot (Fuzztones legend) came in a little later, and in 1995 the band teamed with Elektra and later Ric Ocasek, who produced their debut LP, High/Low. The album sold nicely because of a little song called Popular that became a hit on MTV. Nada Surf toured a bunch and in 1998 recorded The Proximity Effect, the release of which was delayed due to a protracted rights battle with Elektra. Finally. after enjoying much critical acclaim overseas, the album came out stateside amid a throng of late-century cynics, skeptical of a band known primarily for a novelty single. And while reviews were generally positive, the album was sadly overlooked. Time passed during which the band continued to enjoy a rabid fan base in Europe, while stateside many believed Nada Surf had dwindled off into relative obscurity. But that wasnt the case. The band came out of nowhere and shocked everyone with 2003s critically-lauded masterpiece, Let Go (an excellent rainy-afternoon album, full of gentle and melancholic beauty Nada Surf show enough panache to leave most of their Nineties-rock peers eating hot dust.” Rolling Stone). Having had their fill of major label semantics, the band chose Seattles Barsuk Records to release the album a pitch-perfect collection of rock songs that charmed music-lovers and critics the world over with its candor and revelry, and gave Nada Surf a new life and new home in the doting arms of contemporary indie rock (”A moody rock lullaby and further proof that most bands hit their stride long after MTV stops paying attention.” GQ). Now, even after touring behind Let Go for almost two years with no further releases, they can still fill a room and a mighty big one at that in many countries, securing their place in the canon alongside folks like Spoon, The Shins and Death Cab for Cutie.

Nada Surf Music Video

John Gorka

Saturday - October 13th, 2007 - $18

“I consider myself to be an aspiring folk singer, not an accomplished one. I think of modern folk music to be more of an attitude or an approach than a musical style. Folk music is music that makes a difference in people’s lives and one that finds a useful place. And there is more than one way to get there. To make music that makes a difference is the ideal. I guess that is my mission statement, my musical manifesto.”

Despite all the packaging done today by record companies and the hype associated with popular music, John has chosen a different path and in the process has found an audience that appreciates his inclination to “move along when the crowd is right, stand alone when the crowd is wrong.” We don’t often hear folk music on the radio and may have to dig deep in the bins to find it at the record stores, but his music, folk music, is out there.

John Gorka Live Video for “Mean Streets”