LIVE REVIEW: The Sea And Cake @ GAMH, SF 12/5/11

December 09. 2011 | By Sara Appelbaum

A quick cunty comment about the opener, LIAICES (or LIA ICES, or L.I.A Ices, which is a duo, trio, or quartet depending on who you talk to) because who would I be if I wasn’t cunty with my comments? There were times when she got me a little, what with her adorable keyboard/synth apparatus and her Brooklyn hipster guitarist. Her voice was something to behold, for sure; a sweet, clear Cat Power-ish lilt with an edge. However… I find it funny that she identifies her sound as “experimental pop” unless she defines “experimental pop” as “let’s see how much I can experiment with Tori Amos‘ style without getting sued while staying far away from anything catchy.” Drop the guitarist, get a cellist, and you might have something totally cool, girl.

On to The Sea and Cake! They were stellar. I promised myself I would not bring age up in the review, but lord help me there is something so sexy about a practiced, precise older man’s hands all over a vintage guitar (I’m looking at you, Archer Prewitt). They were pitch perfect, humble, relaxed, and there to rock out their loyal fans who crowded the stage to gape up at them. A notable track off of their new album The Moonlight Butterfly was “Up on the North Shore” which has the indie surf pop/Hawaiian jazz richness of vintage Sea and Cake sound coupled with a faster tempo and longer song length. Definitely check out their new album if you are interested in a “set-it-and-forget it” classic you can let play beginning to end anywhere at any time.

My only complaint is not about them, it’s about the sound tech at GAMH. Anyone who has listened to The Sea and Cake knows that vocalist Sam Prekop has a soft, breathy croon. It would have been nice to hear him clearly over the bass and drums. I think my friend Paul, who was dying to see this band perform live for over a decade, speaks for most of the fan base in attendance when he claimed to be crushed when he was not able to understand “Afternoon Speaker.” You get one star, GAMH, despite your beautiful decor.

For more photos of The Sea And Cake click HERE!

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