It’s not easy being the frontman of a Celtic punk band. Shane MacGowan of the Pogues was once so drunk he knocked himself out falling down in the middle of the street—and his teeth actually looked better afterward. Al Barr of the Dropkick Murphys is going to have to sing “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” at every show for the rest of his life.

And then there’s Paul McKenzie of the Scot-inspired Real McKenzies. He knows when people are looking at him on stage, they’re only thinking one thing: What’s under the kilt? All too often, they’re not shy about finding out for themselves.

“I’ve had many hands up the kilt while doing shows,” he admits. “If I were to do that to someone, I’d be in jail. But we prefer not to press charges.”

Those who choose to slide up his cultural pride will quickly discover the answer to the age-old question is what they suspected all along: nothing. As he likes to tell them, “That’s not a microphone, you know, but speak into it if you like.”

The Real McKenzies have one of the strangest stories in punk rock. A Canadian band blending traditional Scottish music and hardcore, they put out their first record in 1995, and found a bigger audience for 1998’s Clash of the Tartans, thanks to its single “Mainland.” They were then signed to Honest Don’s, the subsidiary that popular punk label Fat Wreck Chords reserved for bands that didn’t fit into their trademark sound. When Honest Don’s folded, they were one of the only bands moved to Fat, for 2005’s 10,000 Shots. Their new record, Westwinds, is their eighth.

It’s unbelievable how far the band has come in two decades. Keep in mind, McKenzie’s original idea was to dress a cute punk girl in a kilt and have her sing Suzi Quatro covers for a band called Tart ‘n’ Haggis. But he couldn’t find the right girl, and everyone wanted to spell it “Tartan Haggis,” ruining the criminal joy that can only come with a truly bad pun.

Then one day, while listening to early-20th-century Scottish entertainer Harry Lauder, it all came together.

“I was playing Sir Harry Lauder, and a roommate was playing Sex Pistols, and another roommate was playing Public Enemy,” he remembers. “For a brief moment, it all melded, and I had an epiphany. And here we are today.”

Not that he had any idea he would be. “When we first started the band, we didn’t really take it seriously. We did one record at IFA in Seattle, just to document it, because we knew that no one would believe we had actually existed. That record took off, and that was the beginning of it. And it just never stopped,” he says.

You might believe the Dum Dum Girls to be coy, which they are. And you might believe them to be precious, or ditzy, or immature about their craft—which they most certainly are not. On their second album Only in Dreams, the band has grown considerably, bucking accusations of triviality and affectation.

But is a yen for the past an annoying quirk when you were never part of it to begin with? Let’s not bother calling the Girls “retro” then. The first album was naïve, raw and we were grateful because yes, it reminded us of something. A reminder is inanimate, but what you put into it is alive and full of projections—yours, not theirs.

That doesn’t mean that the band is without comparison. Lead singer Dee Dee, whose name is a knowing wink at the candy punk of The Ramones, only sometimes broods betwixt the chasms of reverb and lingering refrains that beg comparison against the Mazzy Star and Jesus & Mary Chain of 20 years ago. Mostly she serenades and quivers without maudlin or obnoxious spectacle. It’s a nerve exposed, still thriving, in full bloom.

When the mood turns a shade melodramatic or insipid, which will occur on an album rife with lines about “teardrops on my pillow” or how we “abuse the ones who love you,” you surrender to the classicism of the form—teenage love, and how it grows and withers. There’s a wide range of ways to express this and on the album, they fall somewhere between surf guitar and dream pop. On the songs that sway, they sway charmingly and bright. It’s not exactly bubblegum, but coarse, like all good pop music about love is. Picture a very specific sort of girl drifting with it, her shiny bob obscuring the eyebrows that would betray away an emotion or three. There’s a heart somewhere on those full sleeves.

At one point, you get to hear how far that heart carried the Dum Dum Girls on “Coming Down,” the most aching and lovely song on the album. This is a love that came from humble origins and then went celestial, like an astronaut. But it crashed.

Still there’s no space left for cloudless self-pity with the Dum Dum Girls. The songs are brimming with life, whatever the implications, and wherever they roam, they expand up and onward.

The Dum Dum Girls play at the Blank Club on Monday, May 21st. Tickets are $12 in advance. Doors open at 8 pm.

As if it wasn’t hard enough getting a new summer music festival off the ground, the I Love This City festival scheduled to debut May 25 and 26 has apparently run into what are being called “production challenges” at The Lot at AT&T Park, and has been moved to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. The move brings a few changes for the neon-and-glitter-ready raver’s paradise, as the festival attempts to bring together some of the big names in the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) craze.

Afrojack and Sebastian Ingrosso have been added to the Friday line-up, which also features James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, as well as Duck Sauce, Steve Aoki, Datsik, the Crystal Method, Cut Chemist, Dirtyphonics, Holy Ghost!, AraabMuzik, Borgore, Cookie Monsta and more.

Saturday’s roster is still topped by Tiesto, David Guetta and Laidback Luke. Doctor P., Excision, Feed Me, Apparat, Kill the Noise, Felix Cartal, Jaguar Skills, Miles the DJ and others will also perform.

The location change also means that the festival can be extended to 11:30pm each night. There will be three stages, and the event is now open to 16 and over.

San Francisco ticketholders can catch a free charter bus from AT&T Park to Shoreline and back throughout the day (go here for the reservation service.

Festivalgoers who bought a ticket for the show at The Lot will be given a special wristband at Shoreline that gets them in to reserved seating.

Single day tickets are $50 for Friday, $60 for Saturday; two-day admission is $99.

Sigur Rós’s second album, Agætis byrjun (1999) was awarded Iceland’s best album of the century. Yes, that is a real award. And that’s saying a lot considering Iceland gave the world Bjork, not that Bjork isn’t adored in Iceland. There’s just something about the gorgeous, atmospheric slow-buildups of Sigur Rós songs that drive Icelanders crazy.

Streetlight is hosting a sneak peek at the latest Sigur Rós record, Valtari, on May 17, almost two weeks before its scheduled May 29 release. Plus, those who attend will be entered in a drawing to win a test pressing of the album on vinyl.

This listening session is part of an international promotion that will be occurring at different record stores and specially chosen sites all over the world. Each participating location will stream the album in their respective time zones and one person from each location will leave with a test pressing of the album on vinyl.

Valtari is the first album from the band in four years. Since the late 90s, Sigur Rós have challenged listeners with 10-minute long songs that move at a snail’s pace and are highlighted with Jónsi Birgisson’s unusual falsetto voice. With influences ranging from Radiohead to classical music, Sigur Rós have made an unlikely impact on the states, not to mention the world, especially considering that they are a non-English band. Will Valtari be voted best Icelandic album this century? We’ll find out in another 88 years.

For more information, check out Streetlight’s Facebook event site.

Corpus Callosum always wanted to go on tour, but that is easier said than done. With seven members, multiple instruments and loads of theatrical props, a mini-van just won’t cut it. That’s why they are putting together a kickstarter fundraiser to help get them on the road for their first ever nation-wide tour.

Corpus Callosum have been performing together for ten years, and have accomplished quite a bit in that time. They’ve produced innovative, artistic music videos; performed in art museums; curated their own series of music and theatrical shows at the AD Gallery and they always make a big splash at Sub Zero Festival every year. Though they have traveled up and down the West Coast, they hope to take their act to the next level by going on a legit national tour. If all goes well, the fundraiser will set them up to tour in subsequent years.

Considering how serious and prolific Corpus Callosum are, it’s strange that they haven’t hit the road after a decade of performing, but they aren’t really a “band” per say. They are more of a musical theatrical troupe. They put a lot of work into each of their performances, which are a mixture of indie-folk music, visual arts, theater performance and puppetry. Their shows usually begin with something truly fantastic like having the entire troupe enter the stage alongside a life-size eight-foot-plus tall puppet. It is a visual-auditory spectacle.

In order to be able to finance this tour, Corpus Callosum estimate that they’ll need at least $13,000. They are asking people to help them reach a minimum of $5,500.

Their kickstarter campaign will remain active until May 21. If they make their goal, they will announce tour dates in June. More details HERE.

The DMC Championships, which has has helped launch the careers some of the most famous DJs in world over the past 20 years, is offering DJs around the world a chance to attend the DMC World Finals in London through an online voting process. San Jose’s own DJ Ichy the Killer is currently in the top five of the second round and has one more round to go before making the finals.

Anyone with a two-minute video showcasing their skills can enter, and then it’s up to the public to to vote on who should move up in each round. Here’s Ichy’s submission:

Ichy the Killer, also known as Chris Larsen, got his start almost a decade ago with the hip hop crew Counter Productive. He continues to spin for Dirtbag Dan, also from Counter Productive, and Insolence, Language Arts Crew and various other San Jose groups. But as his online video submission demonstrates, Ichy can hold his own without anybody rapping over his beats. He’s got a strong sense of structure and a slick artistic style.

Voting for round 2 is open until May 14th. Vote for DJ Ichy the Killer HERE.

Asian Man Recording artists Andrew Jackson Jihad have always been known for fierce lyrics. They’re all about those uncomfortable blunt truths and the hyper-honest self-depreciating admissions, delivered with a lot of humor in an upbeat folk-punk style.

Up until recently they hadn’t shot a proper music video. So for their first, they chose the angry, punk rock song “The gift of the Magi 2: The return of the Magi” off of their 4th full length, Knife Man. It is likely to be just as polarizing as their lyrics.

The Arizona duo found a way to visually represent their biting, self-hating humor with such a simple yet perfect idea. In the video, they run behind a moving camera for the duration of the song along with a half dozen other random people, who toss eggs, garbage and other projectiles at them. It’s silly and stupid and of course shows that they are more than willing to take a hit for their fan’s amusement. But like their lyrics, it’s also insightful. Andrew Jackson Jihad are punk rock jesters, traveling the world serving a much needed function for thousands of people, bringing a big cathartic release to all that come to their shows.

Rock Bottom bring a taste of San Franicsco’s Mission District to the Caravan tonight (May 10th) with their brand of “sleaze rock ‘n’ roll.” We caught up with singer/guitarist Alex Kieth for an interview before the show.
According to your bio, “Rock Bottom is comprised of six mature seasoned musicians ranging from age 30 to 50.” That sounds very exciting. Could you elaborate, maybe share the names of the band members and what kind of music you play?

A: Not sure what website you are talking about, but we are a three-piece beer/skate/sleaze rock & roll band from San Francisco’s Mission District. I sing and play guitar, “Delaware” Adam Benson plays bass and sings backup, and Jack Given plays the drums like a man. As for our sound, the best one I’ve heard was from an older dude who was at one of our shows in Santa Cruz awhile back, he said “You guys have it just right, you have the Chuck Berry and the Motorhead sound but all together.” He seemed like he was on some weird Santa Cruz drugs but it was a great compliment to me.

Is this your first time playing The Caravan? How many times have you had the opportunity to party in San Jose?

This will be our first time playing the Caravan and our first time in San Jose, for that matter. We go down to skate in San Jose every once in a while because the parks are rad, and there’s backyards going sometimes, but I’ve never actually been down there just to party. I hope there’s some major babes there. We party in the Mission like Axl Rose in 1987, every day!  I hope San Jose is ready (laughs).

Some people call San Jose the Milan of the South Bay, some people call it the Las Vegas of the North Valley, others call it the Atlantis beyond the Peninsula, which one of these monikers do you agree with most and why?

I have never heard San Jose referred to as the “Milan of the South Bay,” but that’s the one that made me laugh the hardest so I’ll back that one.

Once you’ve played The Caravan, you will have played 36 percent of all live-music venues in San Jose (not including HP Pavilion). How does that make you feel?

Well, once we are finished with the Caravan, I guess the next step is to start selling out the HP Pavilion some time around Christmas, hopefully. We have a summer tour lined up called the “Rock Bottom Delusions Of Grandeur Tour” that is going to make us world famous.

Speaking of feelings, how would your ex-girlfriends describe you?

Oh god, ex-girlfriends! Well if they say I’m no good in bed they are lying, and after that it would probably be them complaining about how I didn’t like their weird friends and how they hated me only wanting to sit around and drink beer and listen to Dayglo Abortions and Motorhead all the time. They love how rough-edge I am in the beginning, but then realize that it’s all too real after a few months. Then I’m back at the bar singing about the one that got away.

On a scale of one to infinity, how excited are you about playing in San Jose?

To tell you the truth, I’m really looking forward to playing San Jose, and were bringing our favorite band to play with (also from the Mission in SF) Vanishing Breed, the kings of power partying. On a scale of one to infinity, I would say about 9 million.

Q: Final thoughts?

Listen to Rock Bottom via it’s Bandcamp page.

It’s been almost a year since James Fenwicke and the rest of the original Mumlers lineup parted ways with singer-songwriter Will Sprott. So far, life after the Mumlers hasn’t been a bad thing for Fenwicke. It’s meant that Plantain, a side project of his since 2008, now gets his full attention.

“It’s freed up quite a bit of time. So much energy was going into the Mumlers for a while,” Fenwicke says.

Already Plantain has finished recording and mixing their debut album, Fall of a Candy Empire, something that had been on hold for years because Fenwicke’s time was so full juggling work and the Mumlers’ busy schedule.

Plantain’s album is all set to release just as soon as they duplicate it on vinyl. They launched a kickstarter campaign to raise money to fund the duplication costs and have almost reached their goal. Now there’s even talk of a Plantain tour this summer.

“I think people don’t take bands seriously till you have a recording,” Fenwicke says.

People only familiar with Fenwicke through the Mumlers might be surprised at what a departure Fall of a Candy Empire is from that band’s sound. That’s because Sprott and Fenwicke are two totally different kinds of songwriters.

“Will’s songwriting tends to draw off of more traditional blues and less from free-form experimental indie rock or experimental bands,” Fenwicke says.

Sprott’s interest in early American music is obvious in his songs, though he mixes up his influences in a totally unique, creative way. Fenwicke, on the other hand is all over the map with a much hazier combination of influences. There are elements of 60s psychedelic pop (like Zombies and Beatles), weird drug-addled rock and roll (Lou Reed), lazy ’90s DIY indie rock (Pavement), ’70s power pop (Alex Chilton) and bits of early Americana and country tossed in the mix. It’s a big blend of anything-goes rock and roll.

FM station 94.9’s Wild Jam 2012 was set for this Thursday, May 10, and featured the most interesting line-up yet for the station’s sporadic HP Pavilion megaconcerts. Nicki Minaj, E-40, Gym Class Heroes, B.O.B., Dev and Neon Hitch were set to perform, with the headliners billed as “Nicki Minaj vs. E-40.” An intriguing tease, especially considering E-40’s collaboration with headliner Drake at the 2011 Wild Jam. But a tease is all it will ever be, now that this week’s Wild Jam has been cancelled. The question is: why?

When the cancellation was first announced last week, this didn’t seem like much of a story. Big shows like this can be shut down for a lot of reasons, and when 94.9 organizers pulled the plug, they said details would be forthcoming. Listeners speculated online about what the reason might be—slow ticket sales, first among them. And yet, the station’s crew has not only not announced further details since then, they seem to be actively avoiding the question. A call to 94.9 was met with the canned reply “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Wild Jam has been cancelled.”

If those circumstances were indeed beyond the station’s control, what’s the harm in explaining them? One thing’s for sure: the questions isn’t going away. Listeners have only gotten more hostile on the topic, posting comments to the station’s Facebook page like: “So I’m wondering what is going on with Wild Jam? There is no further ‘update’ as promised…in fact any info about it at all is gone from the website. I am just wondering why it had to be cancelled. Seems like 94.9 should at least explain what happened.”

Another listener declared “Maybe instead of giving out drake tickets to new people you should give out drake tickets to the people that got screwed over for WILD JAM! Very disappointed in this station.” Yet another asked what, if anything, would be done to compensate those who had won tickets, and then accused the station of censoring comments on the topic: “And it’s weird how this post keeps removing itself.”

How this became a PR nightmare is difficult to understand. The station’s Wild Jams have never been regular events (there were two in 2008, none in 2009, two in 2010, and one last year), so rescheduling wouldn’t seem to be an issue. Some listeners seem to think that headliner Minaj pulled out, since she dropped the show from her list of tour dates, but since she could have done that after the show was cancelled, there’s no way to say for sure at this point. Minaj’s next shows are May 16 and 18 in Australia.