Picture Atlantic

On Saturday night (4/24/10) San Jose-based Picture Atlantic and Bay Area natives Bird by Bird and Please Do Not Fight rocked Bottom of the Hill.

Very slowly, Picture Atlantic has been leaking tracks off their new EP Dulce Et Decorum Est (Latin for “It is sweet and right”) on their Pledge music page. As always, it was such a pleasure to see them perform because they combine tremendous musicianship with well-written songs. Onstage front-man (Nik) will keep you wondering where he gets the energy to make those facial expressions. Seriously, go check them out, if only for his expressions.

Playing songs off their prior full album, Kleos, combined with their new tunes, they kept an almost packed house at Bottom of the Hill fully satisfied and wanting more and more. If you missed it, check here for more tour dates.

Bird by Bird

If Berkeley band Bird by Bird were properly named, they would call themselves Vests by Vests (see above), as 2 guitarists and 1 bass player all wore matching – uh –  vests. They opened with an amazing song, but it was the rest of their set that threw me for a loop, as it seemed experimental across all sorts of genres. Is the band good? Yes. Especially guitarist-lead man Jonathan Devoto, whom absolutely shreds. No wonder, the Alternative Press voted him one of the top 3 guitarists in 2008.

And, I’d love to say that I caught Please Do Not Fight but alas, a 30-minute MUNI delay actually curbed me. So to them, I apologize. I walked in on their last song “Up UP UP.”

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