Boy & Bear at the Bottom of the Hill – A Concert Review

     Bottom line concert review – Boy & Bear are as solid in performance as they are in studio; Wildlife is more descriptive of the band than the animal containment policy in their native Canada; and Scary Little Friends is the best kept secret in the San Francisco music scene, and that needs to change.

    This is the first of three consecutive days of concert attendance, which means that either the reviews must remain short or we start a sleep deprivation experiment. We elect short.

     Boy & Bear visited from Sydney, Australia and were well received. Other than a knock down fight (yes, literally) between two women a mere three feet from the stage, the band maintained the attention of the sellout crowd. Lead singer Dave Hosking rolled through the short confrontation, as if it were a normal occurrence in the Australian concert community.


"Southern Sun" by Boy & Bear

     "Milk & Sticks" by Boy & Bear

      Boy & Bear interview and performance prior to the their show at the Bottom of the Hill. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boyandbear

Website: http://boyandbear.com/

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      Admittedly, there was some concern when Wildlife started their setlist with our favorite, “Born to Ruin,” and didn’t show the vocal dexterity that exists in the recorded version. However, the band continued to gain momentum with almost every song. Our new favorite is “Two Hearts Race.” In addition to being a strong anthem-wielding, guitar-driven band, the conclusion was that these Canadians can hold their own in a party environment.  

     "Two Hearts Race" by Wildlife

     "Born to Ruin" by Wildlife

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wearewildlife

Website: http://wildlifemusic.ca/

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     Scary Little Friends was a treat. We have no explanation as to why they weren’t on our radar prior to the show, other than to say that it’s a band that is much better in concert than might be apparent from their released material. It has been almost a year since the album “From the Beginning” dropped. Scary Little Friends is vocally strong and instrumentally tight. The lineup for the San Francisco festival (Outside Lands) was announced yesterday, but there are always some additions after the first announcement. We nominate Scary Little Friends.

     Quoting the band:

“Scary Little Friends is the brainchild of Chris Jones with Charlie Knote on drums and Jon Payne on bass. Chris built his own studio in the Mission especially for this project, which features lilting vocals, ala Jeff Buckley, and surfs-up psychedelic guitars, which are a trademark of the "San Francisco Sound". Strong songwriting is really the bread and butter of this band.”
"City at Night" by Scary Little Friends

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScaryLittleFriends

Website: http://scarylittlefriends.com/