Noise Pop ‘05
February 6, 2005
It’s
that time of year again when San Francisco becomes the center of the
“indie hipster” world. This years line up of performers at the 2005 Noise Pop festival reads
like a playlist on a mixtape you would have made for that special
someone you wanted to think you were cool. Bands like The Walkmen, Mission of Burma, Polyphonic Spree, Mates of State, Joanna
Newsom will certainly make this an expensive venture for folks that
want to catch all the acts. I’m interested in checking out The
Walkmen
just to see what all the fuss is about (actually, I want to see if they
can pull their sound off live–isn’t that why we go to shows?).
One show I’m excited about is the Two Gallants. They’re playing at the Independent on Friday February 25th (guess I’ll have to miss Joanna Newsom at the Swedish American Hall). At first I was a
bit skeptical about a duet featuring a drummer and guitarist thinking
“oh that’s been tried many times” only to end in a remake of every
other drum and guitar duo, but I hope I’m wrong. The Two Gallants
approach song crafting like centuries old bards or troubadours, telling stories and
feeling woefully estranged from modernity or, to say it again, “indie
hip-dom” (to understand why I’ve over used this phrase check out how
Neko Case put it according to 3Hive).
They’ll be playing to a hometown crowd of San Franciscans that prove
their loyalty as a fan base by attending shows in herds. The Two
Gallants are a bit Cat Stevens, a bit Bob Dylan, and a sprinkle of a
Tortoise/Mogwai instrumentation. Listen for yourself:
Two Gallants : nothing to you
Two Gallants : train that stole my man
