The thing about the montage is, you've gotta have a great song to back it up. Rocky had Gonna Fly Now (the given name of Rocky's iconic theme song). Karate Kid had Joe Esposito's classic You're The Best Around. Footloose had Footloose. But, when it came time for us to cut together a montage of our Pathfinder finalists' epic ascent to glory and greatness, Kenny Loggins just wouldn't return our calls. Same deal with Esposito. So we did the next best thing. We called out to a couple of really great young bands who haven't yet had a huge inspirational movie's success go to their heads.
Providing the soundtrack to Kim and Chana's epic adventures was San Francisco's Roy G. Biv and the Mnemonic Devices. Originally a two piece consisting of Dan Paggi and Ben Lang, the group has recently solidified its status as a quartet and is now taking to the Bay Area stage like Rocky Balboa took to those stairs. Their debut album, "The Blue Orange," is a roots-rockin' collection of catchy ruminations on the simple joys and workaday struggles of ordinary life, from punching the time-clock to hanging out with the cat, hitting the open road to being left all alone. The songwriting manages the impressive feat of fusing such unassailable touchstones as The Kingston Trio, The Band, and Simon and Garfunkel with contemporary artists like The Magnetic Fields and Built to Spill, while maintaining a unique voice that never descends into mere pastiche. It's a truly fantastic record front to back, full of soaring multi-part harmonies, infectious melodies, and enough ooohs and ahhhs to fill a 60s surf record. Give a listen to a few of our favorites, but keep this moment in mind two days from now when you just can't figure out what that song is that's still stuck in your head...
Download "Lucy" Eureka at Dawn (From The Blue Orange)
The backbeat to Tim, Scott, Margie and Rodelio's
journey came courtesy of The Amblers, an up-and-coming band formed by four veterans of Chico, CA's vibrant music scene. As catchy and approachable as their songs are, the band seems to take a certain pleasure in playing a game of cat and mouse with anyone unwise enough to try to classify their sound. They lay the bait with a sweet and twangy alt-country undercurrent that runs throughout. It's just enough of a through line to let you get comfortable; to think you've got them all figured out. But then, between whiskey-soaked breaths, they unveil a dense wall of fuzz, a fleeting wisp of jazz guitar or abrupt tempo change, before launching into an icy a cappella anthem or barn-burnin' hootenanny. Next thing you know, you're floating along with a twilight take on the Beach Boys' summer surf sound before the harmonicas break out and you're back home in Whiskeytown. Luckily, The Amblers are as much a joy to listen to as they are impossible to peg, with rock-solid songwriting chops and an abundance of juicy, "haven't I heard this before?" hooks. You haven't. They're really just that good. They recently logged some hours in San Francisco's venerable Tiny Telephone studios and have plans to release their newest album, "Pattern Parts," in mid-April. To learn more, check out thesehere articles from Chico's local press and give a listen to these splendid jams.
Download "Not as Good, But Easier" What a Joy (advance mix from the upcoming Pattern Parts)
So Long (From The Ottoman Empire)
P.S. We never actually called Kenny Loggins or Joe Esposito. That was a complete fabrication. Sorry.
It definitely pays to wander up and down the streets of San Francisco's Chinatown. In the very heart of the district you may find yourself drawn down a narrow alley by the sweet scent of baked vanilla cookies. The trail of wafers wafting in the air will likely lead you straight to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, a tiny operation nestled in the middle of Ross Alley. This factory has been supplying fortune cookies to Chinatown and around the world since 1962. Don't let the word factory fool you. One tiny room houses the entire operation, with a conveyor belt right in the middle, surrounded by barrels of finished cookies, a couple of fortune cookie production pros and the owner's desk, piled high with papers and whatnot. The ancient machine cranks out small discs of dough, where pre-printed fortunes are inserted by hand and folded into perfect crescents at a wicked pace. Although "admission" to the business is free, a .50 fee for photos is sort-of-strictly enforced. You can purchase bags of freshly baked fortune cookies directly from the shop, or take it a step further with a customized order. How cool is this: you can have your own message printed and inserted into a personalized batch. What a fantastic party favor!
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