A past his prime photographer heads out on a road trip across the American Southwest to recapture the magic and success of his previous work. Instead, he finds himself thrust into the dark and chaotic underbelly of America and unwittingly drags his wife and a shady private detective down into this nightmare world with him.

In Disney's beguiling animated romp, rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel (Ron Clements) is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

Made just a few years after the death of Francisco Franco, this cult film epitomized La Movida Madrileña, the creative and hedonistic response to almost forty years of fascism that challenged the rules of government and religion and pushed the boundaries of sexuality. The story originated from a raunchy comic that Almodóvar wrote for the underground zine El Vibora called "General Erections" that satirized Spain’s 1977 general election, and indeed, the erection contest sequence is one of the high points of the film. (Watch for a memorable cameo by Almodóvar as M.C.)

As the founding film of a countercultural movement and indicative of Almodóvar’s cinema to come, Pepi, Luci, Bom more than makes up for its flaws. But the real joy of of the film comes from watching the delightfully deviant threesome (Carmen Maura, Olvido Gara, and Eva Siva) who demonstrate that when women get together they can become more self-assured, terrorize men, and find new meaning in life. They do things with impunity that most women can only dream about (Grow their own marijuana plants! Plot revenge against a rapist policeman! Play in a punk band! Pee on each other!) and they act on their own volition instead of conforming to any expectations of proper female behavior. Pepi is the standout, who is so adorable in her transgressiveness that one can’t help but root for her. (Her brilliant feminist inventions, from a doll that menstruates to “slut” panties that transform fart odors into perfume, also deserve V.C. funding from Judy Chicago and John Waters.) One can easily see how the character of Pepi morphs into Pepa of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and how Maura became Almodóvar’s paradigmatic female lead. But Pepi, Luci, Bom is an ensemble effort, and together, these ladies are some of Almodóvar’s nastiest women to grace the screen. —Screen Slate

Bart & the Bedazzled

Bart Davenport might be a multitude of things, depending on whom you ask. He’s been a mod, a blues singer, and a softrock troubadour. He’s an eclectic singer songwriter with the timeless voice of a real crooner. He lives and creates music in Los Angeles. Smooth and yet curiously pointed, his work transports us to an imagined past or present filled with romantic odes and enigmatic characters. Davenport’s stories are often a reflection of now, taking place in a fantasy world but conveying personal and universal truths. Returning to acoustic guitars and 60s baroque pop tones, Davenport recently tracked twelve new songs in his home studio. The resulting ‘Episodes’ marks his eighth proper album.

A native of Oakland, California, Bart Davenport’s roots are in the 90s garage and blues scenes. His first band, The Loved Ones performed a rawkus style of r&b, opening for the likes of Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker. In the 00s, Davenport went solo, embracing a quieter indie esthetic. Kings of Convenience singer, Erlend Øye, has called him the “best one-guy-and-guitar performer there is.” Touring alone often makes pragmatic sense, and Davenport’s solo performances are in some ways his purest. Still, his studio recordings often reflect his taste for collaboration and ensemble band arrangements.

Released in 2002, Bart’s self-titled solo debut was an indie pop layer cake filled with drums, organs, and vocal harmonies. He quickly followed that in 2003 with the Laurel Canyon styled ‘Game Preserve’ on Antenna Farm Records. Next came ‘Maroon Cocoon’ in 2005, a carefully honed lo/hi-fi record. In 2007, a funk inspired side project called Honeycut released ‘The Day I Turned To Glass’ on Quannum Projects. Their tune, ‘Exodus Honey,’ was featured on an iMac ad campaign as well as the installation disc for Mac OS Leopard and Snow Leopard. Bart Davenport returned in 2008 with his fourth solo album, ‘Palaces.’ Featuring production help from psychedelic main man Kelley Stoltz, the album would be referred to by Sylvie Simmons of MOJO as “a fine example of San Fran’s vinyl and thrift shop culture, turning stuff people throw out into something new.”

Between 2010 and 2011, Davenport released three European records and spent much of his time touring the continent. There was a covers album, ‘Searching For Bart Davenport’ (Tapete, Germany), and two from side projects; ‘With All Due Respect’ by Incarnations (Lovemonk, Spain) and ‘Comedians’ by Honeycut (Discograph, France). In 2012, Bart Davenport’s ‘Someone2Dance’ b/w ‘Cheap Words’ saw the return of longtime compatriot Sam Flax as Producer. The Flax production opened a new chapter in the Davenport saga, with synthesizers reminiscent of 80s new wave. Following that, Davenport relocated to Los Angeles, where he gathered together the band that would eventually record ‘Physical World,’ released in March 2014 to some critical acclaim. Indeed, Pitchfork described it as “sophisticated and cheap-sounding at once, it’s likable within five seconds of hitting your ears.”

By 2018 the LA lineup featuring Jessica Espeleta (bass), Andres Renteria (drums), and Wayne Faler (lead guitar) were working under the band name, ‘Bart & The Bedazzled.’ They recorded a follow-up album titled ‘Blue Motel’ produced by Aaron M. Olson, whose signature sounds give the album a darker, cinematic atmosphere. The group reconvened in 2021 for their most collaborative effort to date, a danceable pair of electro world pop singles. Produced by Nic Hessler (Catwalk), ‘People Person’ and ‘Cardboard Man’ (featuring Earth Girl Helen Brown) are scheduled for release in 2022 on Lovemonk. Meanwhile, Davenport’s 2022 solo album ‘Episodes’ (Tapete) features avant-baroque string arrangements from violist Dina Maccabee along with an array of acoustic sounds, 12-string riffs, and an overall return to 60s pop and indie lo-fi esthetics.

Bandcamp | IG

Ryli

(Record Release Show)

Bay Area indie group Ryli’s new album, Come and Get Me, is fueled by friendship and a love of classic pop songwriting. Led by vocalist Yea-Ming Chen (Yea-Ming and The Rumours) and guitarist Rob Good (The Goods), and buoyed by the rhythm section of Luke Robbins (Yea-Ming and The Rumours, R.E. Seraphin) and Ian McBrayer (ex-Healing Potpourri), Ryli has earned a reputation as a formidable live act. On Come and Get Me, however, they prove they are just as comfortable flexing their skills in the studio.

Engineered and produced by Good at his Oakland studio, Come and Get Me came together swiftly and organically. “From the start, everything fell together really naturally,” Good says of the creative process. Ryli started as a one-off recording project between Chen and Good, but quickly turned into a full-fledged band when Robbins and McBrayer joined. The group immediately recognized their natural chemistry and capitalized on the opportunity, tracking the album within a few months.

Following close on the heels of their 2024 single, “I Think I Need You Around,” Ryli delivers a fully-formed pop record that touches on the familiar but goes beyond pastiche. So, while they cite “early McCartney, The Smiths, Camera Obscura, and Belle & Sebastian” as sources of inspiration, Chen and Good are veteran songwriters who can synthesize their influences and create a sound unmistakably their own.

That doesn’t mean Ryli is the Chen and Good show. “The collaborative effort is very much felt,” says Chen, who adds that all arrangements are done by committee. Of particular note are the contributions by Robbins and McBrayer, who add nervy, post-punk rhythms that challenge yet complement Chen and Good’s pop songwriting inclinations.

Lead single “Medicine Speed” is signature Ryli, featuring sunshiney melodies and jangly guitars, with a galloping rhythm section that belies the trepidation in the lyrics. According to Chen, “Medicine Speed” was written “in a moment of insomnia at 3am when it felt as if there was a scary thing around every corner of my room.” Meanwhile, “Break” is a propulsive minor key rocker showcasing Good’s blistering guitar work and hymn-like harmonies. But Chen’s contralto vocals give the song its gravity. “If I asked you to, would you break me out of here?” she asks mournfully on the chorus, but the question is purely rhetorical. She sings fully aware no one is coming to her rescue.

This high-wire balancing act between musical brightness and lyrical darkness, between effervescent melodies and muscular rhythms, makes Come and Get Me seem more like the work of a band in its prime than the debut of a group barely a year into its existence. But the album wouldn’t work if it was built simply on technical ability - Ryli are clearly a band relishing their time together and making the most of it. Despite the popular belief that misery makes great art, Ryli makes a convincing case that the joy of creating is crucial to the joy of listening.

Bandcamp | IG

Mister Baby

Mister Baby is Katiana Mashikian. If Kati’s not making 4-track cassette recordings, she’s playing bass and singing in San Francisco’s April Magazine, (the live band for) Glenn Donaldson’s The Reds, Pinks, & Purples, and more recently, the one-off Flowertown livestream. She’s really at the core of the SF indie/pop scene.

Bandcamp | IG

with DJ Frankie

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

In Disney's beguiling animated romp, rebellious 16-year-old mermaid Ariel (Ron Clements) is fascinated with life on land. On one of her visits to the surface, which are forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton, she falls for a human prince.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED is a wildly entertaining and fittingly unconventional documentary about convention-defying singer, songwriter and record producer Jerry Williams, aka Swamp Dogg, one of the great cult figures of 20th-century American music whose singular voice and ideas have shaped the history not merely of soul music, but of country, hip-hop and a dozen other genres. In the film, the titular artist and his “bachelor pad of aging musicians”, including the charming Guitar Shorty and lovably quirky Moogstar, navigate the tumultuous music industry, transform their home into an artistic playground and invite fellow musicians like Jenny Lewis and John Prine and superfans Mike Judge, Johnny Knoxville and Tom Kenny to play in their unique musical sandbox…and paint Swamp Dogg’s pool. Bursting with infectious personality and stoner energy, SWAMP DOGG GETS HIS POOL PAINTED is a music documentary unlike any other.

Made just a few years after the death of Francisco Franco, this cult film epitomized La Movida Madrileña, the creative and hedonistic response to almost forty years of fascism that challenged the rules of government and religion and pushed the boundaries of sexuality. The story originated from a raunchy comic that Almodóvar wrote for the underground zine El Vibora called "General Erections" that satirized Spain’s 1977 general election, and indeed, the erection contest sequence is one of the high points of the film. (Watch for a memorable cameo by Almodóvar as M.C.)

As the founding film of a countercultural movement and indicative of Almodóvar’s cinema to come, Pepi, Luci, Bom more than makes up for its flaws. But the real joy of of the film comes from watching the delightfully deviant threesome (Carmen Maura, Olvido Gara, and Eva Siva) who demonstrate that when women get together they can become more self-assured, terrorize men, and find new meaning in life. They do things with impunity that most women can only dream about (Grow their own marijuana plants! Plot revenge against a rapist policeman! Play in a punk band! Pee on each other!) and they act on their own volition instead of conforming to any expectations of proper female behavior. Pepi is the standout, who is so adorable in her transgressiveness that one can’t help but root for her. (Her brilliant feminist inventions, from a doll that menstruates to “slut” panties that transform fart odors into perfume, also deserve V.C. funding from Judy Chicago and John Waters.) One can easily see how the character of Pepi morphs into Pepa of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and how Maura became Almodóvar’s paradigmatic female lead. But Pepi, Luci, Bom is an ensemble effort, and together, these ladies are some of Almodóvar’s nastiest women to grace the screen. —Screen Slate

A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

Now

Now is Hannah, Oli, and Will. Official crash course for the ravers.

Bandcamp | IG

Tom Henry Band

red headed rocker. From Chicago to Los Angeles and-frequently-back. Lover of all things with character. Rock n Roll will never die. Peace and love.

Bandcamp | IG

Good Dog Nigel

Good Dog Nigel is the stage name of Parker Emeigh (pronounced “Amy”), a 23-year old college drop and self-proclaimed hopeless romantic who devoutly follows the philosophy that “life is too precious to not do what makes you and others happy.”

In the song “Strawberries,” Parker sings about the precious moments in life where you're aware of your own existence, but not thinking about sharing it on social media: It’s only a passing wind / Briefly felt just once before it’s gone / Hold it in your hands and then just move on.

"Sometimes certain moments in life are so beautiful and surreal, yet so brief and overlooked," Parker says. "If one allows themself the space to find and realize these moments, they will begin to do the same to you. Don’t hesitate!"

With a strong feeling of not fitting in, Parker dropped out of college at 20 years old supported by a mixture of his parents’ radical optimism and the belief that you can truly do whatever you want, which it turned out for Parker was to entertain. He didn’t even know how to play the guitar at this point but once he dropped out and started writing songs, he knew he’d found his vehicle.

The first step was a six-track sampler he uploaded to BandCamp followed by an optimistic first performance – optimistic because at this point he could barely play guitar. With a strong focus on showmanship, video projections, and flamboyant clothes, it was only when he climbed on stage that he realized you need a guitar strap while standing and performing. But the show went on, guitar tucked under one arm, and people had a good time just as intended. He wasn’t thinking about where this would all take him, even telling himself not to worry about the future and to just enjoy it because he's found what he loves to do.

Hours and hours of emailing and cold calling venues, touring artists, and their managers, led to supporting slots with Nude Party, Shy Boys, Jackie Cohen, Sleepwalkers, Kate Bollinger and Dr Danny. With Good Dog Nigel almost fully formed, Parker recorded a new set of songs with band member Thomas Dean in his kitchen on a tape machine, which would form the EP, The Implied Sunrise. Dean shared Parker's own energy and desire for the band, so much so that they ordered 300 copies of the new music on vinyl before even thinking about putting it on online first. In true Good Dog Nigel fashion, through pure character and positive energy, they were able to sell all 300 records directly to record stores and at shows in the space of just three months.

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. Ticket links are below for later screenings of the film that day. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and the alien.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. Ticket links are below for later screenings of the film that day. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. He settles in along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and his son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who is plagued by psychic premonitions. As Jack's writing goes nowhere and Danny's visions become more disturbing, Jack discovers the hotel's dark secrets and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac hell-bent on terrorizing his family.

A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

FOGCUTTER FILM SERIES 11

(Hosted by Robert Mailer Anderson)

Whiplash (2014) featuring special guest: Obed Calvaire signing his critically acclaimed album 150 Million Gold Francs (Ropeadope Records) with Q&A.

Fogcutter Film Series hosted by Robert Mailer Anderson

6:00 PM -  Gramophone Concert: DJ GrampaPhone spins 78 shellacs on his 1906 gramophone, including rare jazz tracks with drummers Art Blakey, Chick Webb, Max Roach, Papa Jo Jones, Gene Krupa, and more! Drummer Obed Calvaire will sign his album 150 Million Gold Francs and add expert insight and commentary on the music. FREE Smogcutter Rye and red wine while supplies last!

7:00 PM: Q&A with Obed Calvaire and musical performance

7:30 PM:  Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land) and winner of three 2015 Academy Awards (nominated for five, including Best Picture) for Film Editing (Tom Cross), Sound Mixing, and Best Supporting Actor (JK Simmons) is the intense, high-tempo story of an ambitious jazz drummer (heartthrob Miles Teller - Divergent, Top Gun Maverick) and his obsession at a cut-throat music conservatory who aspires to a career of musical greatness and is mentored by an psychologically abusive instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential. Will either achieve their goal by using the other’s talents? And what price will they pay? 

OBED CALVAIRE: A Miami native of Haitian descent, Calvaire is a graduate with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Seal, Eddie Palmieri, Vanessa Williams, SFJazz Collective, Stefon Harris, Mary J. Blige, The Clayton Brothers Quintet, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Joshua Redman among many others.

Currently, Obed Calvaire can be found playing with the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Dave Holland, Monty Alexander, Sean Jones, among others. 150 Million Gold Francs (Ropeadope Records) "a masterful blend of Haitian music and contemporary jazz, offering a profound sonic exploration of Haiti’s cultural and historical legacy” (The Rhythm Of Study) is his first release as a bandleader.

ROBERT MAILER ANDERSON:  A native San Franciscan and 9th generation Californian, writer, producer, filmmaker, and activist, author of the bestselling novel Boonville and nominated for 3 Grammys as a music producer, Anderson's most recent work is the graphic novel My Fairy Godfather (Fantagraphics) - dedicated to The Castro Theater. He is also known as "DJ GrampaPhone” - spinning 78 records on his 110 year old gramophone.

The Revelator

(Sunbeam Music Video Release)

San Francisco’s indie-rock soothsayers
No one leaves disappointed.
All will be revealed.

Bandcamp | IG

Michael Michael Motorcycle

Since 2017, Michael Michael Motorcycle has been releasing a steady stream of Bay area ear worm weirdness out into the world. The San Francisco guitar duo of Michael Pannone and Jesse Cobb combos with the mighty rhythm section of Marin County’s Jono Clay and Greg Moye to deliver a unique brand of harmony focused, guitar driven music that draws from indie rock, folk, americana, dream pop, and rock and roll.

Bandcamp | IG

Tin Can Talker

alt-rock band from San Francisco

IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route.

In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. Ticket links are below for the later screenings of this film for this day. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route.

In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. Ticket links are below for the later screenings of this film on this day. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

The Hoover family -- a man (Greg Kinnear), his wife (Toni Collette), an uncle (Steve Carell), a brother (Paul Dano) and a grandfather (Alan Arkin) -- puts the fun back in dysfunctional by piling into a VW bus and heading to California to support a daughter (Abigail Breslin) in her bid to win the Little Miss Sunshine Contest. The sanity of everyone involved is stretched to the limit as the group's quirks cause epic problems as they travel along their interstate route.

LOCAL CRITIQUE

Local Critique is a free, community event with an open format that brings together a diverse group - of artists, researchers, writers, musicians, farmers, scientists - to show a work in progress. Work can be in very early stages or in a more mature stage. The goal is to create an intimate, community-driven setting for real sharing.

CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE EVENT

Curious about hosting your own private event with us? Contact and more details can be found here.

An Evening with:

Double Helix Peace Treaty

Double Helix Peace Treaty draws from the vast well of inspiration in their surroundings to produce a sound that’s wholly their own. From the mystical landscapes of West Marin County to the industrial wastelands at the City’s edge, their music cultivates a sense of place that few bands today accomplish. Here, they belong to a long lineage of California art – the writings of Philip K. Dick, for example, have a strong presence in the band’s lyrics, and their jammy Americana at times gestures towards the Grateful Dead. But the band’s cohesive blend of folk-punk-psychedelia never turns overly nostalgic, always pushing boundaries and experimenting with new forms.

DHPT’s latest EP, “Circles/Deer Hunter Xtreme,” recorded in Long Beach under the production auspices of Dutch Interior’s Connor Reeves, takes the Double Helix live sound in new directions, without sacrificing their inventive style and composition. Out now on American Death Records.

Bandcamp | IG

plus additional entertainment from Nathan Kruse, Reid Deveraux & the Circus Monday Clown Troupe

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

In the fairy-tale land of Andalasia, pretty young Giselle frolics with her woodland pals, and falls in love with the handsome Prince Edward, but when Giselle arrives at the castle to marry her Prince Charming, his evil stepmother sends the princess-to-be to a place where there are `no happy ever afters': New York City. Cynical divorce lawyer Robert comes to her rescue, but can Giselle find her way back to her true love?

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), greeting-card writer and hopeless romantic, is caught completely off-guard when his girlfriend, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), suddenly dumps him. He reflects on their 500 days together to try to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in doing so, Tom rediscovers his true passions in life.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples

The Reds, Pinks & Purples is a San Francisco post-indie band led by Glenn Donaldson, who releases songs like monthly postcards to a loyal following. After many years on the fringe of acceptability, he decided to try making actual pop music that might move people. Since 2019, he has written over 200 songs and released 8 vinyl LPs on Slumberland (USA) and Tough Love (UK). In 2025, he signed with Fire Records to release a series of new and archival albums. From humble beginnings as a home recording project, The Reds, Pinks and Purples has blossomed into an affecting 5-piece live unit with tours on both sides of the Atlantic and appearances at Pitchfork Fest London and Woodsist Fest as well as support slots for indie legends such as Guided By Voices, The Feelies, Destroyer and The Bevis Frond.

Bandcamp | IG

HITS

Hits is the ongoing project of Oakland-based songwriter Jen Weisberg, accompanied and produced by Brian Tester and other friends for over a decade. Originally a solo recording project inspired by frustration and curiosity, Weisberg's experimental pop songs have mutated into more of a call-and-response between Weisberg and Tester's guitars from a place of structured freedom, with various other musicians supporting and adding to the mezcla.

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

In the fairy-tale land of Andalasia, pretty young Giselle frolics with her woodland pals, and falls in love with the handsome Prince Edward, but when Giselle arrives at the castle to marry her Prince Charming, his evil stepmother sends the princess-to-be to a place where there are `no happy ever afters': New York City. Cynical divorce lawyer Robert comes to her rescue, but can Giselle find her way back to her true love?

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), greeting-card writer and hopeless romantic, is caught completely off-guard when his girlfriend, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), suddenly dumps him. He reflects on their 500 days together to try to figure out where their love affair went sour, and in doing so, Tom rediscovers his true passions in life.

SORCERESS II: THE TEMPTRESS

When a schlubby man is offered a high-paying job, he packs up and moves to a town full of powerful, seductive business women… only to learn that they’re actually a coven of evil witches out to steal his very soul! This erotic thriller is lathered with scintillating softcore salaciousness sure to arouse our hetero and lesbian-leaning audience members, while keeping the gays giggling at more than a healthy dose of spooky camp!

MEDIA MELTDOWN MOVIE MADHOUSE

Gender jesters Piranha Psychotronica and Kafka  X bring you a new experience in cinematic depravity… Media Meltdown Movie Madhouse! Prepare yourself to enter into a world of face-flaying  forgotten and forsaken films… Made-for-TV, Direct-to-Video, VCR games, underground cinema,  and more wiley weirdness than your minds can handle! In a world dominated by AI, CGI, mega streaming platforms, and cinematic universes, Media Meltdown celebrates the amateur, the low-budget, the handmade, the experimental, and the weird! Commit yourself every 3rd Sunday to … MEDIA MELTDOWN MOVIE MADHOUSE!

Mia Joy

Mia Joy has had music in her bones her entire life. Raised in a spiritual home to Musician and Poet parents, Mia has been singing since she was a baby and joined the Chicago Children’s Choir at a young age. Mia’s brand of ethereal pop is equally indebted to 90s R&B Icons such as Sade to the ethereal ambient compositions of Grouper. “I bought my loop pedal because it's the same loop pedal that Liz Harris of Grouper had. I just spent my college check on it.” Spirit Tamer, Mia’s debut record out on Fire Talk on April 30th 2021, draws influences from both: emotive synth pop (“Haha”, “See Us”) and yearning meditative interludes that trace the peripheral edges between tracks. The album title comes from a poem Joy wrote long ago (“writing was my first love”), and the melding of her creative upbringing interweaves a sonic history that unfolds as Joy herself attempts to piece together the fractured pieces that shape growing up and growing into your own skin.

The artwork for lead single “Haha” prominently features a sword, and Joy explains that "the sword and my body is just a shield of protection. Spirit Tamer and the sword are a whole metaphor for protecting yourself and shielding yourself from outside forces.” Although it may take repeated listens to unpeel all the intricate layers that form an atmospheric spell around Joy’s music, her clear willingness to be vulnerable still strikingly shines through. She’s an avid practitioner of astrology (her first EP was the aptly titled ‘Gemini Moon’), and the instinctual tread of devotional harmonies and melancholic undertones transcribe the tender feeling that comes with believing in your own intuition through it all. There’s a deliberate juxtaposition in light and dark, and throughout the waxing and waning textures that shift like the periods of the moon, there remains a call for strength and reckoning throughout the passage of time. For the first time, Joy is inviting you inside her own universe, a call with intent that carries its own weight. The last track on Spirit Tamer is a cover of Arthur Russell’s “Our Last Night Together”, a bare-bones , piano-led hymn that’s a fitting soundtrack to the end of a long evening, and the journey yet to come. It’s music that holds a candle to whatever needs to heal, twelve tracks that are most precious in their intimacy, the sound of the light coming in.

Bandcamp | IG

Slake

Like a sword pulled from the sea, Slake’s front person Mary Claire has a voice and song that exists in the realm of ancient lore, forbidden love, and quenched thirst. This bay-area-based artist moves and performs along the water’s edge, creating a melodic sense of belonging in the transient nature of each story crafted.

The current iteration of their tune has grown from Mary Claire’s self-titled singer-songwriter days. After tracking their upcoming record during a hot hot summer in the Hudson Valley, Slake’s debut album Let’s Get Married has distilled the sonic quality of their performance to carve out and embody a genre that can only be defined as lesbian doom-folk.

The presence of their live set has transformed over the years into something more clairvoyant, something with a crunch, something soft with teeth - like a walk through fall leaves with a long-distance lover. Slake performs like how you've always dreamt that first kiss might feel.

Bandcamp | IG

Plum

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Unmarried yuppies Patty (Melanie Griffith) and Drake (Matthew Modine) move into an expensive dream home in a high-end neighborhood in San Francisco. As they renovate the house, they look for a tenant for the first floor of their house. Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) seems like a great fit at first, but it transpires that he is a con artist who plans to swindle them out of their real estate. As Hayes tries to drive them out of their own home, the couple must take drastic measures to fight back.

The Basement is an art collective with one of the largest VHS archives in the Bay Area. Every week, they screen a movie in their basement in the Mission. On this night, they will be taking their series to the 4-Star!

VHS preshow also curated by The Basement.

Grooblen

Channeling experimental psychedelic cabaret dreampunk into her performance alter-ego, Grooblen, San Francisco's Ellie Stokes’ healing work braids themes that are reflective, surreal, pensive, and whimsical. Inspired by musical artists Queens Of The Stone Age, Fiona Apple, Frank Zappa, Jeff Buckley, and XTC, critics have described as "a playful and genre-diverse style of art pop, pulling from psychedelic cabaret arrangements, jazz pop, and surreal rock stylings.” (Under the Radar Mag)

Grooblen is a community-oriented band described by Psychedelic Scene as the “originators” of “psychedelic-cabaret-dream-pop-punk,”- continues to shine with the members’ individual talents: Drummer Sean Aaron and guitarist Spencer Lay spring out with intricate rhythms and melodies, joining the orchestral swell of Alejandro Lara-Agraz on bass, Eva Alejandra contributing vocals, Jack Lillian mixing in flute, guest bass and vocals, and Stokes’ lead vocal slashing through with equal parts power and delicate sadness.

Bandcamp | IG

SWISS.

San Francisco, CA-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Christine McCann had just finished her last album as part of the shoegaze rock band Columba Livia, and she was going through it. “I was beaten up, very depressed and feeling catharsis with heavy music all because of a stupid ol’ break up… I wanted to switch it up as I was getting out of that funk and create music that you could dance to, music with a touch of pop. 

What resulted is SWISS.: a guitar-driven sonic pivot born from pop sensibilities and pulsing with fresh energy. SWISS. gleams with an eclectic sound that pulls from the swagger of early Arctic Monkeys, the confessional sprawl of Angel Olsen or Courtney Barnett, and the cheeky, left-field spirit of Caroline Rose. And while McCann’s heavy-rock past lingers in the occasional haze of distortion, SWISS. leans into movement—a shift from the heavy-hearted to the dancefloor-ready.

McCann began composing songs from the first moment she picked up a guitar. While working in a pizza shop with a collection of artists in Los Angeles, the spark to create hit her all at once. “We would play guitar on my rooftop in Venice,” she recalls. “I knew a couple chords but I just immediately started writing songs everyday. It poured out, and it was relatively easy and I didn’t want it to stop.”

Hundreds of miles and a handful of years later McCann as SWISS. has played notable San Francisco venues such as Great American Music Hall, Bottom of the Hill, and The Independent, opening for bands such as Les Savy Fav, A Beacon School, and Foxtails Brigade. After working with co-producer and engineer Isaac Civitello, SWISS. plans to release their debut EP in Summer 2025. Be on the lookout for the EP and catch SWISS. at a concert near you.

Spotify | IG

Rumble Pak

funk punk from the bay area:

an arrangement concocted in order to perform a single show

and then it was too much fun

and then we wrote a lot more music

now our first album is available

playing as much as we can

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Fake Fruit

Fake Fruit’s visceral indie rock operates so firmly in the present that it’s transportive and unmooring. The Oakland trio’s songs careen with volatile energy and lead singer Ham D’Amato’s lyrics are enveloped with acerbic humor and resonant perceptiveness. Though their new LP Mucho Mistrust is a sly reference to a beloved Blondie lyric, the title encapsulates both the anxieties of daily life, a bloodless music industry, and global capitalism as well as the clear-eyed skepticism needed to rebel against it. Across 12 propulsively unpredictable tracks, the album is both their most collaborative and most immediate yet. 

Following the 2021 release of Fake Fruit’s self-titled debut LP, the band’s personal lives hit a turbulent and transformational period. “There were big life changes and I was so close to boiling over,” says D’Amato. “I left a bad relationship, entered a more stable and loving one, got diagnosed with alopecia, and I’m turning 30 soon too.” This personal upheaval was channeled into the explosive lead single “Mucho Mistrust.” The track is simultaneously disorienting and direct, with clanging guitars from Alex Post, off-kilter drums from Miles MacDiarmid, and D’Amato snarling, “How you gonna blame me / when you could’ve done something about it / it’s not right / How you gonna marinate me / in shitty things overnight.” She explains, “This song was a snapshot of how I got through a difficult year.” 

Recorded live at the Bay Area’s Atomic Garden studio with producer Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Home Is Where), the band’s palpable ferocity shines throughout the record. Single “Más o Menos” is searing punk, with buzzsaw guitars and surging bass. It’s a clenched-fist song, one where D’Amato sings, “I decided to assert myself / After I lost all my sense of self.” Later in the track, D’Amato, who is Chicana, sings in Spanish, “¡No me hables! / ¡No escuchare!” While some of these songs deal in heartbreak, they are charged with way bigger themes. “There’s also wanting to break up with capitalism and feeling upset about things politically,” says D’Amato. 

For the band, these themes are personal. “I’m managing us while I’m in between changing diapers in my day job as a nanny,” says D’Amato. “Everyone in the band still believes in it and is motivated to keep wading through the bullshit.” On this album, they had no choice but to bet on themselves and each other. No track broadcasts their evolution better than the single “Cause of Death,” which morphs from a gorgeous sax-laden banger to something cathartic and anthemic. 

As adventurous and righteous as Mucho Mistrust gets, there’s still an inviting core that never takes itself too seriously. From the ripping “Cause of Death,” which self-deprecatingly takes aim at anxiety and indecision, to the searing title track, Fake Fruit imbue their songs with humor and heart. “Our band is fun,” says D’Amato. “My number one coping mechanism for all of life is to joke about it. Even when the album talks about serious things, I am proud of how funny it can be.”

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Po might just be the laziest, clumsiest panda in the Valley of Peace, but he secretly dreams of becoming a kung fu legend. When the villainous snow leopard Tai Lung threatens Po's homeland, the hapless panda is chosen to fulfil an ancient prophecy and defend the Valley from attack. Training under Master Shifu, Po embarks on an epic high-kicking adventure as he sets out to thwart Tai Lung's evil plans. A DreamWorks animation.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

In this adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play, young socialite Catherine Holly (Elizabeth Taylor) is traumatized and committed after witnessing her cousin's violent death on a trip to Europe. Her aunt, Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn), wants to hide the events of her son's death and attempts to bribe young surgeon Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift) to perform a lobotomy on Catherine. But John vows to find out the truth about Catherine's state before taking any action.

Writer / director Robert Altman claimed this impressionistic film came to him in a dream. Millie Lammoreaux (Shelley Duvall) considers herself irresistible to men, though in fact men have little trouble resisting her. Mysterious teenager Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek), Millie's fellow physical therapist at a desert spa who becomes her roommate at a singles-only apartment building, at first appears worshipful of Millie's self-confidence but soon seems to be taking over aspects of her personality.

Nada Sound and Tunnel Records Present

Adam Miller

Adam Miller is the founder of the acclaimed electronic pop group Chromatics, as well as one of the band’s primary songwriters, lyricists, and visual artists. In 2022 Miller released an album of instrumental ambient guitar meditations titled Gateway, and began performing live both as a solo artist and with his project Inner Magic. 

2023 saw the release of Miller’s Illusion Pool EP which contained collaborations with Lol Tolhurst of The Cure and Hannah Lew of Cold Beat.

In 2025 Miller reunited with his former Chromatics bandmates Ruth Radelet and Nat Walker to craft songs for the soundtrack of the video game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.

Over the course of his career in music, Miller’s songs have been used in a variety of film, television, fashion shows, and sporting events including Twin Peaks, Mr. Robot, Riverdale, American Horror Stories, Chanel, Gucci, Jil Sander, & the NBA.

Bandcamp | IG

Jeff Schroeder

Jeff Schroeder is a musician living in Los Angeles, CA. From 2007 to 2023, Jeff was a member of the Smashing Pumpkins. During this period, Jeff performed on numerous recordings and traveled the world performing live with the band. In October 2023, Jeff left the Smashing Pumpkins to pursue a solo career. He released his first album, Metanoia, in August of 2024. Metanoia is a solo ambient guitar album and explores the themes of loss, fragmentation and spiritual transformation.

Website | IG

Loveshadow

Bay Area DIY pop duo Loveshadow join up with Dark Entries to release II, their sophomore LP. Anya Prisk and Izaak Schlossman met in Oakland in 2016, bonded over their love of ‘80s sounds and immediately began building their musical world with lush synths, funky basslines, and irresistible hooks. The past is always in their palette, but Loveshadow’s nostalgia doesn’t trace to any single locus; it’s more like a cloud, and it’s through this haze that they breathe new life into the music they love. Their debut album was released in 2021 on Music from Memory to acclaim. II presents a more subtle and refined statement from the band – laser-focused on the vaporous expanse. Album opener “Last Room” saunters with the confidence of Sade, while “Earthen Track” feels like Kate Bush covering a forgotten city pop anthem. The album is largely focused on club-friendly material, but mellower pieces like “Winter’s Door” and “Mirage” are sophisticated stand-outs that would make Ryuchi Sakamoto proud. Italo funk groover “Power Melts Away” closes out the album by upping the energy into fist-pumping territory. Anya’s lyrics on II use the unreality of dreams as a lens to examine the realities of change and personal growth; illusions made material. Loveshadow elegantly smear the lines between past and present, pop and avant, immanent and transcendent.

Bandcamp | IG

DJ Silver Raven | Visuals by Camera Oscura (Bobby Cosmos)

DOORS at 7:30PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Po might just be the laziest, clumsiest panda in the Valley of Peace, but he secretly dreams of becoming a kung fu legend. When the villainous snow leopard Tai Lung threatens Po's homeland, the hapless panda is chosen to fulfil an ancient prophecy and defend the Valley from attack. Training under Master Shifu, Po embarks on an epic high-kicking adventure as he sets out to thwart Tai Lung's evil plans. A DreamWorks animation.

CinemaSF is proud to announce that our Saturday & Sunday morning POPCORN PALACE movie screenings at the 4 STAR will be presented FREE OF CHARGE in 2025!

Thanks to an incredibly generous grant we will be showing you fantastic family-friendly movies every weekend at 10:00 AM! Perfect for everything from birthday get-togethers to casual stop-ins, so bring the whole family over to the 4 STAR THEATER for community movies together.

Reservations will be first-come-first-serve when the box office opens thirty minutes before the screening on the day of the show. We look forward to seeing you at the movies!

In this adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play, young socialite Catherine Holly (Elizabeth Taylor) is traumatized and committed after witnessing her cousin's violent death on a trip to Europe. Her aunt, Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn), wants to hide the events of her son's death and attempts to bribe young surgeon Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift) to perform a lobotomy on Catherine. But John vows to find out the truth about Catherine's state before taking any action.

Writer / director Robert Altman claimed this impressionistic film came to him in a dream. Millie Lammoreaux (Shelley Duvall) considers herself irresistible to men, though in fact men have little trouble resisting her. Mysterious teenager Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek), Millie's fellow physical therapist at a desert spa who becomes her roommate at a singles-only apartment building, at first appears worshipful of Millie's self-confidence but soon seems to be taking over aspects of her personality.

Danny Paul Grody Duo

Danny Paul Grody is a self taught guitarist and founding member of San Francisco-based bands Tarentel and The Drift. The melodies at the core of Danny’s songwriting bring to mind his love of non-Western traditional music, Takoma-style fingerpicking and all things minimal, repetitive & hypnotic.

His debut album “Fountain” (Root Strata, 2010) laid the foundation for a steady stream of solo releases under his own name on labels including Students of Decay, Three Lobed Recordings, Geographic North, and Australia’s Longform Editions.

On his 2023 album “Arc Of Day” Danny gathered an ensemble of musicians and gave us compositions that conjured not just bird-like flights but the supportive skeleton of a bird itself - intricate, delicate, but able to carry a body (or a listener) through bright, airy spaces. That same ensemble, since renamed the Danny Paul Grody Duo, now bring us "Arc Of Night" - a sister collection to "Arc Of Day", shaped from core collaborations between Grody and percussionist/drummer Rich Douthit along with additions on select tracks from Trevor Montgomery on electric bass and Chuck Johnson on pedal steel guitar.

Bandcamp | IG

Tara Jane O’Neil

Tara Jane O’Neil is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and visual artist. She composes and performs under her own name and in collaboration with other musicians, artists, dancers, and filmmakers. As a solo artist he has released ten full-length albums..  

O’Neil was a founding member of Rodan, the Sonora Pine and several other bands. She has collaborated on recordings and stages with Papa M,  Steve Gunn, Hand Habits, Lower Dens, Michael Hurley, Little Wings, Marisa Anderson, Catherine Irwin, Mirah, Mount Eerie,  and many others.

Since 1992 has performed at clubs, galleries, and DIY spaces around the world and venues such as the Centre de Pompdou, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hammer and the Broad.  She starred in the cult classic film Half-Cocked and scored feature films including His Lost Name, Great Speeches From a Dying World  and others. Her visual art work has been shown in cities including London, Tokyo, LA, New York and Portland and has been published in three monographs.

Bandcamp | IG

Tessellations

Tessellations, a new band from Oakland featuring members of Dire Wolves, Agnes Martian, and Suver, is a collaboration born of a shared appreciation for the ecstatic possibilities of free psych and the exploration of uncharted sonic territory.   The band paints vibrating sonic moiré patterns that evince wide ranging musical interests–from the wide open expanses of Kosmische to the more lysergic fringes of the experimental and avant-garde–all the while moored by the gravitational pull of melody and song. 

Bandcamp | IG

The event will also feature a selection of film works from Ian Albert.

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Writer / director Robert Altman claimed this impressionistic film came to him in a dream. Millie Lammoreaux (Shelley Duvall) considers herself irresistible to men, though in fact men have little trouble resisting her. Mysterious teenager Pinky Rose (Sissy Spacek), Millie's fellow physical therapist at a desert spa who becomes her roommate at a singles-only apartment building, at first appears worshipful of Millie's self-confidence but soon seems to be taking over aspects of her personality.

Milk Krayt

Hailing from Tacoma, WA, Milk Krayt is a stout mix of incredible guitar riffs, huge drums, strong vocals, and band-written lyrics strung out across an array of styles. They combine their unique background to create a distinctive blend of hard rock, with a dash of grunge that holds true to their roots. 

Milk Krayt was formed by family in 2019, and lost no time exploding onto the Seattle music scene. They have since carved out a small space of their own, focused entirely on energetic performances and small-venue crowd interaction. They have written and self-produced two albums, and their third, “A Space Between”, was released to high anticipation in the fall of 2024.

For Milk Krayt, “A Space Between” marks the start of a brand new chapter. The band has stepped away from the helm of production, focusing instead on further developing their sound and direction. This focus has given them the room to craft their most authentic material to date.

Newly aided by the guidance of producer Rhys May, the 4-piece has finally found their sound, marking the arrival of something truly one-of-a-kind.

Website | IG

Yorn’s Apostles

Heavy-Groovy-Trippy-Punk-Rock from Stinson Beach, California.

Let the festivities begin…

Bandcamp | IG

Total Dysfunction

Founded on a mutual love for energetic riffs, infectious melodies, and a rebellious spirit, Total Dysfunction emerged from the vibrant underground music scene with a mission to inject raw passion back into pop punk. Formed in 2023, the band members Lucas, Valentino, and Mathew quickly bonded over their shared experiences and eclectic musical influences.

Total Dysfunction's sound is a blend of anthemic choruses, gritty guitar hooks, and lyrics that capture the highs and lows of navigating life's chaos. Drawing inspiration from bands like Blink-182, Green Day, and Motley Crue, they bring a fresh, yet nostalgic, vibe to their music.

Having honed their skills through countless late-night jam sessions and spirited live performances, Total Dysfunction is poised to make waves in the pop punk scene.

Stay tuned as Total Dysfunction gears up to unleash their brand of musical mayhem and remind the world that sometimes, it's okay to embrace a little dysfunction.

Website | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Thomas Dollbaum

Thomas Dollbaum is a musician and songwriter from Tampa, Florida. In 2015, Dollbaum began attending University of New Orleans for his masters in poetry—while in the city, he began writing the songs that eventually became Wellswood, his debut album. Since its release in 2022 by Fat Possum subsidiary Big Legal Mess (AllMusic said he “paints the bleakest pictures with a knowing grin, delivering lyrics of rough-living characters and their grim stories as gorgeous, softly glowing Americana”), Dollbaum has toured heavily, sharing stages with folks like Damien Jurardo, Dougie Poole, and Superwolves.

Bandcamp | IG

11111angels

11111angels (Eleven Thousand One Hundred and Eleven Angels) is the songwriting output of Desi Valdez. Starting in 2023 in the Pacific Northwest region and currently San Francisco-based, the songs are often written in a studio apartment on the fourth floor in the Richmond District, then recorded there on 4track or in a studio in his hometown in Anacortes, Washington. The set performance at the 4 Star Theater for August 8th, Two Thousand and Twenty-five will be played as a trio. “The Angels Band”

Bandcamp | Website

Additional local support TBA.

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Total Accord Agency presents:

Sharpie Smile

Sharpie Smile is the new band of Cole Berliner and Dylan Hadley who previously had the band Kamikaze Palm Tree.

As life long friends and collaborators, they’re taking an entirely new approach- using the same energy and style they had for KPT with a new pop outfit under Sharpie Smile. They are releasing their debut album in June 2025, coming out under Drag City.

Bandcamp | IG

Local support TBA

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Throwin’ Bo’s presents:

villagerrr

As villagerrr, Mark Allen Scott’s patient songs are mesmerizing and unmistakably Midwestern. The prolific Ohio artistthrives on pinpointing quiet, mundane moments and imbuing them with disarming emotional clarity. His latest LP 'Tear Your Heart Out', his fourth album, is for long drives where the light shines through the sunroof, small-town get togethers, and the times when you realize more about yourself and who you want in your life. Across 11 home-recorded songs oftasteful indie rock with understated twang, Scott solidifies himself as one of the most essential young songwriters, alongside peers he’s performed with like Merce Lemon, Greg Freeman, and Lily Seabird. It’s out on March 22 via Darling Recordings.

Scott is based in Columbus but was raised in Chillicothe, in southern Ohio alongside the Scioto River. It’s a rural town that felt small and stifling growing up but, for all its faults, now feels like home as Scott got older.“ I want to wear where I'm from and my family on my sleeve,” says Scott.“ I'm proud of the twangy influence in my music from corny country songs I'd hear on the bus rides to school. I feel like I’m reclaiming where I come from and making it my own.” He started villagerrr in early 2022 as a solo recording project and as a way to make music on his own terms by writing, recording, performing, and releasing everything himself.

2022 marked an exceptionally prolific period for Scott. He released three albums, 'Brain Pain', 'Ohioan', and 'Like Leaves' as well as an EP, 'Something or Somewhere Else'. All of these releases were quiet uploads on Bandcamp and streaming services, but as he started to perform these songs live they began to resonate beyond his circle. “After Like Leaves came out, we just started playing shows with a lot of bands that were inspiring me like Merce Lemon, feeble little horse, and Greg Freeman,” says Scott.“I just started writing more music immediately after these shows.” When he sent Lemon a new song he was working on called “Neverrr Everrr,” her enthusiastic response inspired him to push himself and grow as an artist.

“Immediately after these shows, I was writing more music,” says Scott. “I sent her “Neverrr Everrr” and she sang on it. That fired me up to hammer the rest of the songs out. Meeting artists who are a few steps ahead of you who are encouraging of your art is so validating.” ‘Tear Your Heart Out’ opens with “Neverrr Everrr,” a warm song anchored by a gentle, shuffling beat. Scott and Lemon harmonize on the chorus, “Come and look at what you've done / Let me know when it's all done.” The track serves as the north star for the other ten songs both in how itis delicately arranged and how it deals predominantly with tenuous interpersonal dynamics. It’s an album about how people can hurt each other but also how we can forgive and move on.

The title track talks about a toxic figure who has “A broken ego with a bad temperament /He'll tear your heart out and you're living again.”It paints an uncompromising portrait of someone who needs to change but Scott extends grace to the situation. “Writing these songs has helped me look back on some ofthe events that inspired some of the songs to be easier on the people involved,” says Scott. “People are all pretty similar. We all make the same mistakes or if they're not the same, we all make mistakes and things are more complicated than they seem at the surface.” 'Tear Your Heart Out' is an album about relationships, friendship, and heartbreak and how you internalize and deal with the conflicts and pain happening in your life.

villagerrr is Scott’s solo outlet but it’s evolved into a much collaborative affair with a five-piece live band. “As far as this album goes, it's probably the most collaborative I've ever been,” says Scott. “I was looking for other people to help a little more because I feel like I've been doing stuff by myself for so long. It doesn't feel as rewarding when you do it alone.”He enlisted Teethe’s Boone Petrallo and his brother Dutch, alongside Scott’s touring band bassist Cam Garshon, drummer Zayn Dweik, and guitarists Ben Malicoat and ColtonHamilton to flesh out the recordings.“ Zayn played a huge part in this record,” says Scott. “He helped me arrange "River Ain't Safe" specifically, but more generally, he’s helped me think about what the songs would sound like with a full band.” Tracks like “Barn Burnerrr” are subtly anthemic while “See” processes self-consciousness into catharsis with lines like,“Remind me /How did / we get here / It's funny but / I'll never see it.”

'Tear Your Heart Out' is the most assured and fully realized effort from Scott yet. It’s a new leap for an artist uncompromisingly doing things their way. “I've always felt a little bit like an outsider,” says Scott. “I wanted to convey the emotions and everything in a healthier way than I have in the past with recordings. It's hopeful, a little melancholic, but smoother around the edges.”

Bandcamp | IG

Pocket Full of Crumbs

Pocket Full of Crumbs is a 3 piece band based out of San Francisco. The current lineup of the group formed in 2022 with Liv Castagna, Mark Paiz and Siena LaMere. Started by Mark Paiz with solo albums, the full band has released one full length album in 2022 with a new LP coming out early June.

Bandcamp | IG

Brody Price

An assassin, reluctantly brought out of retirement by his ex-partner to save the country from a highly classified threat.

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 7:30 PM

Total Accord Agency presents:

Aluminum

The relatively short life of San Francisco’s Aluminum has so far yielded a single (Spinning Backwards, 2020) and an EP (Windowpane, 2022), but their debut LP, Fully Beat (2024), overflows with tenured confidence and a singular style that deftly comprises shoegaze, big beat, and jangle pop. With influences ranging from Orbital, to Wipers, to The Avalanches and Sly and the Family Stone, theirs is a multifaceted take on established forms, fed through fuzz and led by honeyed, dual vocal harmonies from Bay Area post-punk veterans Marc Leyda (of Wild Moth) and Ryann Gonsalves (of Torrey.)

Bandcamp | IG

Whitney’s Playland

Whitney's Playland is the pandemic-era project of Inna Showalter and George Tarlson, longtime friends and veterans of the music scene (Grandma’s Boyfriend, Blades of Joy, Modern Charms). The band expanded into a four-piece in late 2022 with the addition of Evan Showalter and Paul DeMartini.

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Welcome Strawberry

In 2022, Welcome Strawberry released their eponymous debut full-length, which bursts with vibrant, fuzzy dream pop tinged with psychedelia. Today, the Oakland band is announcing its follow-up Desperate Flower and unveiling the lead single “Memory Cube.” It might be recency bias, but “Memory Cube” reminds me of Wishy, if they were a little slower and a little trippier. On Welcome Strawberry’s Bandcamp, they wrote about the album, “scent is the most underrated artform — so much of it is entangled with emotion, mood and memory.” (Similarly, Jenny Hval just shared her scent-focused LP, Iris Silver Mist.) —Stereogum

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4 Star Theater and (((folkYEAH))) present:

Katie Malco

Katie Malco is a British indie rock singer-songwriter known for her emotionally resonant and raw musical style. Malco's work captures the intricate balance between vulnerability and strength, reflecting personal experiences with striking honesty. Her debut album 2020’s ‘Failures’, has been celebrated for its lyrical depth and evocative melodies, drawing comparisons to artists like Julia Jacklin, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker. With her distinctive voice and heartfelt storytelling, Malco continues to carve out a unique space in the indie rock landscape, releasing well-crafted music and touring in the UK, Europe and USA alongside the likes of Bob Mould, Laura Stevenson, Julien Baker, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Alvvays, SOAK, Fenne Lily, and REM’s Peter Buck. Malco now returns with new music, collaborating with Laura Stevenson, SOAK, and mui zyu on a string of singles that have received praise from NPR, Line of Best Fit, Stereogum, Paste and more, alongside plays from BBC Radio.

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mui zyu

As mui zyu, Hong Kong British artist Eva Liu searches for a portal, wandering between nothing and everything in her pursuit of peace. She constructs compositions by blending phantasmagorical strings with tape-mangled drum machines and traditional Chinese instruments to create an unnerving sonic foundation where sugary pop melodies can contrast on top creating an existential balm through music.

While her debut album, ’Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century’ delved into identity and cultural displacement, the new sophomore LP, ’nothing or something to die for’ (out May 24, 2024 via Father/Daughter) addresses the chaos of contemporary existence looking outward.

This album isn't one of despair, though; it's a poignant message of encouragement, urging listeners to find solace in connections – both with others and within themselves. With an eye to the absurd, it asks: how do we find the hole in the wall––the portal––to the path we all crave?

Now, instead of searching for answers from the inside, Liu raises her head to look at the world around her. As she attempts to understand the complexities and significance of human existence, she observes apathy alongside overwhelming chaos; the technological advancements of connection with the lack of meaningful bonds and the frustrations of upholding standards set by others. 'nothing or something to die for' tries to decipher these juxtaposing truths, holding both the weight of those trying to destroy the world with the utter futility of it all.

‘Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century’ and ’nothing or something to die for’ together stand as reflections of everyone and everything that shapes our identities and where we fit into the earthly fabric of our lives.

Spotify | IG

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Dad Bod

Dad Bod is an indie alternative band based in Salt Lake City, Utah, made up of four members. The group began with three brothers—Michael, Marcus, and Matthew Marinos—and later expanded with the addition of Russ Allphin.

Drawing inspiration from artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Elliott Smith, and Big Thief, Dad Bod blends nostalgic sounds with a raw, modern indie energy. They’ve released an EP and two full-length albums, most recently Loop de Loop Miracle Ministries Lords of Glory, released in 2024.

The band has played major festivals like the Twilight Concert Series and Kilby Block Party, and has toured extensively across the U.S. and parts of Canada, building a loyal and growing fanbase.

Currently, Dad Bod is in the studio recording a new EP and preparing for a late summer/early fall tour in support of the upcoming release.

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Local support TBA

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Throwin’ Bo’s presents:

Georgia Maq

Georgia McDonald has established herself in recent years as the singer and guitarist of Melbourne, Australia indie rock band Camp Cope, whose sophomore album How to Socialise and Make Friends (Run For Cover/Poison City Records) won widespread acclaim, topping a slew of 2018 end of year lists including NPR, Pitchfork, Billboard, Bandcamp, Stereogum, The Guardian, and Brooklyn Vegan.

The impact of the trio's music on the indie landscape has been undeniable, with McDonald emerging as a brave, resilient, and often politicized figure. Using her formidable voice to fight for the betterment of the music industry and rally against sexism, racism and all forms of structural inequality, she has never shied away from the uncomfortable and difficult topics that dominate the news cycle.

So when McDonald describes her debut solo album, Pleaser (Run For Cover/Poison City Records) as "a love album", it's immediately clear that this is a step in a different artistic direction. "I think the main theme is love, obviously, all kinds of love. Love that you walked away from so you could love yourself, unrequited love, forgiving love, love with no point to it," she explains.

The album opens strategically with "Away From Love" - the only time guitar is featured on all of Pleaser, with the rest of the album done entirely electronically. "Away From Love" and "Like A Shadow" were recorded with Darcy Baylis, while the other songs on the record were produced by Run For Cover Records labelmate Katie Dey.

Pleaser's 8 tracks shimmer and pulsate, calling to mind pop artists like Lorde, Robyn, Charli XCX and Gwen Stefani. "I took more time to record the songs and play around with them, and I liked that because I could change things and experiment more," McDonald says, continuing "I think the pressure of working with other people drove me to finish the songs, which I hated but also loved because it's nice to be challenged."

While McDonald may have felt challenged while writing Pleaser, the experience of listening to the album is anything but difficult. Its unapologetic pop sentiments shine and delight, McDonald's gorgeous alto soaring above each track. It's a record listeners will find themselves quickly falling in love with and returning to again and again - and really, in times like these, who doesn't need more love songs?

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Leng Bian

Leng Bian is a harp player, composer, songwriter & producer from San Francisco, California. She began playing the harp at age 4 after witnessing one being played for the first time and describing the experience as “love at first sight.” She grew up playing folk music from all over the world before beginning to study Classical music and Jazz as a teenager. At the age of 19, she began composing and performing her solo music to audiences in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston & New York. She has been a member of several other projects as well, such as LA-based experimental bands Sloppy Jane & Sharpie Smile. In her spare time, she serves as a mentor to LGBTQ+ high school students on the Rainbow Labs Youth Council in East LA.

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DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Tickets on sale Friday, June 20 at 10:00 AM.

Dan English

For the longing listener… The music of composer Dan English is the communing of the head and the heart sharing secrets. The songs subsume time into feelings and images of purity, sonically and spiritually, and then, somewhat masochistically, play with lyrics drawn from the dingier parts of life: love, family, and capricious head-spaces. It’s movie-music; eternal scores for an espionage film with a protagonist who’s a clandestine, time-traveling romantic tailing the spirit itself.

Born in a quiet town in Iowa, he grew up chasing invisible things: codes in books, echoes in movies, half-sentences in songs. English found himself glued to the radio from an early age and, after picking up guitar at 10, language and sound conspired. The music is part confession, part séance— lush spells where the sacred and the stained trade places. Emotions arrive in disguises: Tenderness (smoke), grief (rhythm), silence (a cathedral on the verge of collapse). 

Following a move to New York City, Dan released his first album “Fruit Boy"  in 2018 followed by 2020’s “In Grace” EP. Since, Dan has journeyed into his next body of work with the release of “Across my Jaw”: a song that trembles beneath restraint before bursting open— a shattering modern hymn.

In addition to his solo work, Dan moonlights as a guitarist for beloved NYC rock outfit Porches and is often to be found collaborating with his mysterious cousin Melody English. 

His second full-length, Sky Record, is due Summer 2025. It’s less an album, more a weather system.

Bandcamp | IG

Local support to be announced.

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Throwin’ Bo’s presents:

Calvin Love

Calvin Love is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose music lingers in the shadows of nostalgia and noir. With a signature croon and a sound that merges psych-folk, cinematic longing, and romanticism, he has built a world that feels both vintage and strangely timeless. The press has described his music as “a crestfallen soundtrack of near-escape… like Chris Isaak trapped in a David Lynch film.”

An artist of prolific output and quiet intensity, Love has carved out a singular space within the realm of outsider music—a body of work shaped by introspection, lyrical depth, and restless vision. Influenced by a DIY ethos, the pulse of rock ’n’ roll, and the bruised glamour of 1980s balladeers, he has independently built a sonic world entirely his own.

Known for live shows that blur the line between concert and dream sequence, Love approaches each song like a method actor—dissolving the boundary between persona and performance with slow-burning precision and intimate delivery. Whether standing alone, hovering above a microphone and 12-string guitar, or leading a seven-piece ensemble, his performances carry a magnetic stillness: immersive, nuanced, and emotionally resonant. With a career spanning multiple albums and international tours, Calvin Love has spent over a decade quietly shaping one of the most distinct voices on the outer edges of the indie music world.

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Cindy

Cindy released a new six song EP called Swan Lake on 4th October via Tough Love. The title isn’t a nod to the folktale or ballet in any real way, but to the fact that it all has ended up in the collective imagination as an object, vaguely recognizable, a little suggestive, and mostly blank. Karina Gill, Cindy’s songwriter, likes to make use of that kind of resonance to connect sound and experience.

The six songs on this EP continue the stripped-down habits of previous Cindy releases, while adding a few departures and left-turns. Cindy likes to work at the essentials and the elements here say exactly what’s needed. In other ways, these songs present a soft filigree that’s unusual for their recordings. Oli Lipton (Now, Violent Change) on guitar and Will Smith (Now) on bass play counterpoint melodies to Gill’s structures. Staizsh Rodrigues (Children Maybe Later, Almond Joy, Peace Frog) sings vocal harmonies that both offset and deepen Gill’s voice and delivery. There are playful drums by Mike Ramos (Tony Jay, Sad Eyed Beatniks) and coolly elaborate guitar lines from Stanley Martinez (Famous Mammals, Violent Change, Non Plus Temps).

Gill’s songs strike this balance too: almost nonchalant reporting tied up in unexpected knots. A ride in an elevator connects up with questions about peace and/or the nature of things; the title track wonders about associative thinking and associative feeling; The Bell is an account of one of those times when everything makes sense but you can’t explain it; and there’s the scene of a party viewed with admiration for how friends can love each other. As Gill herself says:

"People have told me that they can’t quite identify my influences. Me neither. The foundational layers of music of the past and my past have been metabolized like breakfast and turned into more me, sorry to say. But I experience the music of people I’m connected with and it impacts me in the moment. There’s the music I’m around – April Magazine, Sad Eyed Beatniks, Violent Change, Katsy Pline, collaborating with Mike on Flowertown – that I can feel a direct line from. Then there’s music that is being made far away but feels close, like Lewsberg, specifically, for this EP. “

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Marika Christine

Marika Christine is inspired by the power of tenderness. Her music creates a whimsical atmosphere to navigate the highs and lows of life. Sonic influences include Laurel Canyon folk, modern art rock, and the creative hum that can be heard throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Marika’s discography includes contributions from Maria Donjacour (Medscool), Adam Wilson and Fabrizio Incerti (Mild Universe), Conner McNesby, and her brother Janis Stuurman.

For a debut album, newcomers to her music will quickly realize her immense capabilities as a songwriter, vocalist, and musician. This record could have been released in the 60’s or 70’s and reached critical acclaim, but it’s being shared in 2023, and we think that same acclaim is within reach. One of the most cohesive and decade-spanning sounding records we’ve experienced all year, Marika Christine has floored us with the fresh release of Soft Like An Apricot —We Write About Music

Bandcamp | IG

DOORS at 7:00PM | MUSIC at 8:00 PM

Throwin’ Bo’s presents:

Sean Nicholas Savage

Sean Nicholas Savage is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and musical playwright. He has been described by Emilie Friedlander in an article for The Fader as "a singer-songwriter, madcap philosopher, and all-around scene-pillar in the particular freak-flag-flying sector of the Canadian music community"

Bandcamp | IG

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Eleni Drake

British/Greek singer, songwriter and producer Eleni Drake’s hauntingly beautiful sound is at once refreshing and timeless, uplifting and introspective, inspired by a deep love of music that spans from Mazzy Star and Adrienne Lenker to Mac Miller and Cleo Sol. With over 40 million streams to date and still only just getting going, 2025 promises to be Eleni’s biggest year yet with her most personal and profound music on the way.

Eleni’s celebrated 2024 EP, 'Above Deep Water'; her first release on new label MNRK, having self-released her previous projects, picking up a devoted following in the process. She’s earned fans along the way at tastemakers including The Line Of Best Fit, Consequence, The Independent, The Arts Desk, CLASH, La Blogotheque and Wonderland, and last year took her intimate live set to The Great Escape and SXSW festivals.

“Opaque R&B elements intermingle with touches of jazz, with Drake utilising warming, analogue tones throughout. A soft, supple piece of songwriting... “ - CLASH MAGAZINE

“The British singer-songwriter has successfully captured the beachy, cosmic energy the record’s name seems to indicate” - CONSEQUENCE

“A compulsive set of songs laced in spacey twang... there’s a touch of David Lynch about its zonk-blues melancholia” - THE ARTS DESK

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Throwin’ Bo’s presents:

Modern Nature

When Modern Nature toured their last album, 2023’s No Fixed Point In Space, it became apparent to Jack Cooper – the band’s main creative force – that they were already pulling away from the free, open-ended approach they had spent five years working towards; almost as if the music had become so abstract and elasticated, it now had to snap back towards something more structured. As they found themselves naturally locking into more fixed grooves, he realised a new direction had been set. Their new album – The Heat Warps – is the triumphant manifestation of where that new direction took them.

In the aftermath, Cooper’s songwriting, which had become increasingly impressionistic, found a new focus and the idea of making an album that followed a similar path to the last two increasingly seemed somewhat obtuse. The purpose was to forge a radical change. The core trio of him, Jim Wallis (drums) and Jeff Tobias (bass guitar) were augmented by a new guitarist – Tara Cunningham.

Modern Nature’s recent records have reflected an insular life. Cooper had moved out to the countryside in 2021 and had, in his words, been “hibernating” while he started a family. He felt this new band was a symbol for his reawakening and the perfect vessel for him to continue to explore themes that he’s sung about with Modern Nature – collectivism, our relationship with the natural world, the weight of consciousness – but with more directness and purpose. The key was the new dual guitar sound.

“I’ve always been drawn to bands where two guitarists work as a unit to move around and colour the rhythm section,” explains Cooper. “I’d been listening to the demos Television did with Brian Eno in the day and then that night I played with Tara for the first time at an improvised music show. We have a very similar approach to the guitar and that extends to the way we sing, so it gives the music an interesting balance.

“What we do is mirrored; a symmetry on either side of what Jim and Jeff are doing in the rhythm section. We’ve played with lots of amazing musicians who continue to orbit around what we do, but Tara joining the band felt like finding the other side to the square. Previous records have been performed by upwards of fifteen people but it was apparent the four of us could achieve something more powerful and more direct.”

In the time Modern Nature has been a band, the world has undoubtedly changed. The words Cooper had been writing previously were somewhat ambiguous but it had started to feel like he was sitting on the fence and that was something he needed to address.

“Every day we’re confronted with a confusing and scary world,” he says. “Making music and creating things can sometimes feel flippant or unnecessary, but my own world view was defined and influenced by art and artists who weren’t afraid to highlight and offer solutions: Public Enemy, The Smiths, and a wider American counterculture.”

“The community we’ve built our life around – artists, musicians and the people who gravitate to these things as way of communicating – are struggling to reconcile how they fit into an increasingly cruel world. This album, the themes and the lyrics are directed towards them because I think there are still reasons to be optimistic. There are amazing things happening all around us and it’s up to communities like ours to double down on the things we believe in. It feels as if being part of a group like Modern Nature and making an album that’s open, optimistic and ambitious is in itself part of the solution.”

As the new band started to play together more, the energy, excitement and telepathy between them gained momentum and it became clear they needed to make a record that captured that. They locked into a process where they booked a couple of shows, directly followed by four days in the studio. They’d spend two weeks living in each other’s pockets – a very condensed rush of creativity.

For all that the new album wrestles with the grimmer realities of 2025, The Heat Warps is ultimately not a record entirely consumed by anxieties. Its frequently beautiful sounds offer consolation and a wide-eyed optimism amid all the upheaval. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the transcendent album closer, Totality. As Cooper explains: “It was fascinating spending time in America as the country geared up for the 2024 solar eclipse. Everywhere I went, people were talking about the eclipse and for a few days it really seemed to capture the public’s imagination.

“The day of the eclipse I was driving through New Mexico and we stopped by the side of the road with hundreds of other people gazing up to the heavens. It felt exciting to be part of something that clearly resonated with people on such a profound level. It’s a fitting album closer and somewhere in there is a philosophy; a romantic nihilism.”

And at its heart, right there is the core of Modern Nature’s appeal. Never more so than on this new record.

Website | IG

Brigid Dawson & The Mothers Network

Tip-top of our osmosis list is the first quiver of tunes from Brigid Dawson and her newly minted Mothers Network: wise warnings dyed in dark hues, knotted and hard-won torch songs from the edge of a turbulent sea, bittersweet balladry spun in defense against evils familiar and unknown.

Bandcamp

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