No doubt we can get behind something that Talking House puts together (except their super crappy website). John P. and Co. have been championing SF-based music for a minute…offering studio time and tools for bands like The Lovemakers, Loquat, and The Matches (oh, how we miss you). Catch a local centric all ages showcase at Bottom of the Hill on 10/9 featuring Scene Of Action, Felsen (CD release), Bird by Bird (featuring Jonathan Devoto, of the Matches), Kindness and Lies on us. Just tell us about a prepubescent concert experience that haunts you.

There is something about Bottom Of The Hill, most likely in large part due to the infamous booker there, Ramona Downey (and Ursula Rodriguez, of course); they are always on the cutting edge of what’s coming up in the San Francisco music scene. And perhaps that’s a requisite when you place a club in the middle of an abandoned warehouse district, you better know what you’re doing just to get bodies in the door. Case and point, September 3rd’s local alt-rock power bands Robots Of Fury, Fighting The Villain, and Scene Of Action made for a night filled to the brim with writhing guitar solos, pedal distortions, grungy female (and male!) lead vocals, and so much angst it could barely be contained in the room.

That being said, openers Robots Of Fury were not ones to be reckoned with. Their experienced sound and clean synchronicities gave them enough credit in our book to be their own headliners. Perfected guitar solos and a pedal train of distortions by guitarist Jamie Cronander launched their sound into an arena of noise, without crossing the barrier entirely, while Amir Djavaherian’s hard-hitting bass lines matched the intensity of lead singer Valerie Giuili’s deep and dark style mildly reminiscent of a rare operatic contralto. All blended together with Logan’s steady drums and Robots Of Fury have enough stage presence and depth to their material that we wouldn’t be surprised to see them come one up in the world with a little time. So for now, all we have to say is, we told you so.

The other extremely notable up-and-comers and headliners, Scene Of Action, have already been hit by Live 105 as “one of the Bay Area’s ten best new bands.” We have to admit we were skeptical at first, but one live performance later and we’re completely convinced. Celebrating their album release for 20 Minute Hourglass, Scene Of Action retained most of the crowd, if not gained some followers throughout the night. With lead singer Joel’s keyboard skills on loop on his iPod, the indie alt-rock trio charged through their set list on a mission with barely any room to breathe. It was one power nod after the next, with an effortless breeze that only comes across in extremely tight performances and well-guided musicians. Not to mention Ian is probably the best drummer we’ve ever seen live. No, seriously, this guy is that good. Their closing song “Keeping Up” was enough to make us beg for more. All in all, these guys have what it takes to make it big and we look forward to their upward climb and covering them from larger venues in the near future.