The last time I saw Mario Hernandez, the primary songwriter and frontperson of the indie noise-pop band Kids on a Crime Spree, was four years ago at the Oakland Weekender. He was dancing and two-stepping outside the Golden Bull Bar in Oakland, fully immersed in the joy of the gathering. Today, some things have changed. Others remain somewhat similar.
This August, the Oakland Weekender collaborated with local labels Speakeasy Studios and Slumberland Records to launch SF Bay Popfest. The 16-band lineup performed over four days at Bottom of the Hill, from August 20 to 23, with vinyl DJs playing every night from around the country.
Yes, some things have changed over the years. Muni no longer provides paper transfers, and Black people can now flag a cab. (It’s become a bit easier.) Additionally, people who play in one or several bands still need to have four or five jobs that require them to say “please” and “thank you” ad infinitum as part of their daily work mantra.
Retail, customer service, selling books, records, or kombucha—any job that involves a 9-to-5, noon-to-8, or 2-to-close shift can fit the bill. Musicians will still try to secure a once-or-twice-a-month DJ residency at a bar or intimate club—a little cash and free or cheap drinks help ease the day job stress. Such is the San Francisco hustle for artists who don’t work in the tech industry.
Speakeasy Studios and Slumberland Records, like other mindful regional indie labels, choose to represent local artists. They showcase street art, bar convos, garage rehearsal jams, performances in small venues, and everything else that permeates the city’s collective zeitgeist.
Over the past five to seven years, Oakland and San Francisco bands have presented a diverse range of music, from indie-jangle to shoegaze. Regionalism fuels their artistic output, and savvy indie labels recognize the value of releasing and promoting records by bands with their own punch and sound.
At their Friday, August 21’s Oaklander performance, legendary Slumberland Records pop maestros The Aislers Set delivered a blistering, heartfelt, and comical set. Just as I was about to duck into a booth, a man with a mustache approached me. It was my friend Phil Benson, who had come to the show specifically to see the band on stage.
Back when he was a teenager growing up in the suburbs, Phil was an early attender of the Epicenter Zone, a volunteer-run Mission district nonprofit DIY space. Other show attendees, sheepishly hiding their male pattern baldness, carried their young children on their shoulders, hoping to get their young ones a better view of The Aislers Set.
When I first stepped into the venue, Mario and his Kids on a Crime Spree band were belting out “When Can I See You Again” to a thunderous beat that had fans of all ages nodding and shaking to the rhythm. Like the previous Weekenders, the four-day festival also saw artists in the audience, supporting their fellow musicians. For instance, Morgan Stanley, a member of the indie-pop/jangle bands The Kitchenettes, The Umbrellas, and The Telephone Numbers, was in the crowd swaying and dancing along to the music, looking for all the world like just another attendee.
As ticket holders discussed set lists and combed over merch, DJ Jessica B took to the booth in between live performances, playing records that lured vinyl enthusiasts towards the DJ coffin. Certainly, I couldn’t resist asking about the music she was playing—and thanks to her, I discovered some new Primal Scream tracks that I hadn’t heard before.
This evergreen venue, nearing its final couple of months before closing, still displays numerous concert posters made by the deceased artist Frank Kozik advertising classic Thee Hypnotics, Vanilla Trainwreck, and Brian Jonestown Massacre shows. History lives.
It will only be nestled into Potrero Hill for just a few more months, but Bottom of the Hill has been a cultural hub since 1991. It’s scheduled to close permanently on December 31 after a remarkable 35-year run. While it’s challenging to envision our musical future, SF Bay Popfest certainly had us all thinking about what won’t be with us.
