Good news for fans of noise and the shrill! Later this month railcars will be releasing an EP with a number of equally talented noise artists’ remixes of the title track, from their latest album, "Cathedral With No Eyes". San Francisco’s own (or at least formerly so) Xiu Xiu  is providing one of the remixes, making a lovely scrambled version of an already chaotic song, with Portland’s White Rainbow and Massachusetts’ Truman Peyote also contributing their own versions. Other's promised to appear on the EP include Lucky Dragon and Neon Navajo with more still to be announced.  While the Truman Peyote version can be heard here and the White Rainbow remix can be previewed over at XLR8R, the patient will get to hear the Xiu Xiu adaptation, as well as the others, when the EP is released for free from Aria’s website.

In the meantime, as railcars finish up their European tour, Aria has been soliciting donations through Kickstarter so that he can do a full cover of the Kate Bush album Hounds of Love. So, if you’re curious to see how Aria Jalali’s imagination will render this album, drop him a few dimes and wait for the copy he will send. For a hint of how he might be inclined to interpret it check out his cover of the Cranberries' song “Linger” here.

-Ada Lann

The Deli SF's Best Emerging Artist of 2008, Maus Haus, will release a new 7" single "Winter"/"Zig Zag" at their Noise Pop 2010 show. This is Maus Haus's first release since 2008's Lark Marvels and includes an additional digital only 4 track EP Sea-Sides.

The February 27th show at the Mezzanine features My First Earthquake, Sugar & Gold, Maus Haus and Brooklyn's !!! - a lineup that promises a lot of energy and a lot of dancing. It will undoubtedly be one of the many highlights of the festival.

-Nicole Leigh

If, in the coming months, you realize that the availible selections on your ipod have become cumbersome or uninteresting, consider giving some of the artists from the upcoming 3rd annual Switchboard Music Festival a listen. Since 2007, the Switchboard Music Festival has aimed to create a "marathon concert featuring artists, primarily from the San Francisco Bay Area, whose music challenges traditional genre distinctions."  At this years 8 hour marathon concert you'll experience such Bay Area artists as the black metal bossa nova fusion band Thorny Brocky, the experimental cello arrangements of Zoe Keating [above], and the prog rock classical thrash metal of miRthkon.

If you can find a Bay Area music festival with a more eccentric lineup, tell me about it and I'll give you $5 dollars from my own pocket*.

The Switchboard Music Festival takes place on March 28th and tickets range from $10-40.

-Nicole Leigh
photo by Lane Hartwell

*5 (five) United States Dollars will be awarded to 1 (one), only 1 (one) winner who can give me the name of a Bay Area music festival with a lineup in greater anomalus nature to the Switchboard Music Festival. This contest is in no way sponsored by the Switchboard Music Festival and is void where prohibited by law. Ps, the $5 bill I just pulled out of my wallet and set aside for this contest reads "I love you Jesus!! Thank you for provisions!!" - consider that a bonus.

As if they haven't given enough reason to draw worship to their alter, it seems the ever fantastic and often dangerous (at least financially) Amoeba Music has taken it upon themselves to become part of the fast growing list of organizations raising money for relief in Haiti. Amoeba will match dollar for dollar and contribute all the proceeds garnered through a special online store to the organization Doctors with out Boarders, currently providing much needed medical care in Haiti.  If you haven't picked up your copy of the Girls self titled album (The Deli SF's CD of the month) or would like to pick up a fancy new Blu Ray copy of the wonderful Talking Heads tour film Stop Making Sense, the click on over to their website and snatch yourself one.

Of course if you can't find what you'd like on the site, apparently Amoeba will also be collecting donations in their stores coinciding perfectly with this weekends pet adoption day at the San Francisco location. Music, homes for pets, humanitarian aid - surely Amoeba you have performed enough miracles in your lifetime to warrant becoming the first inanimate saint. So this weekend throw caution to the wind and hop down to the store knowing that you may leave sans your next months rent, but at least you'll have supported a worth while cause... and of course boosted your record collection.

-Ada Lann

After having gone into a brief period of dormancy, the Deli SF will be resurrecting it's weekly recommendations of happenings around the Bay Area so you can plan your time accordingly. With that in mind we encourage bands to post their shows on our DIY Live Show Listings as you never know if yours could be the one featured.

Though surely many people's plans this weekend involve evenings by candlelight and something lacy from Good Vibrations, for those who dare to break the mold and treat their date to a different hot and sweaty environment, or just don't give a rat's arse about Hallmark holidays, here are a few show highlights for this weekend.

For a down-tempo night out Il Gato are giving a folky kick off to the weekend at The Blue Macaw in the Mission this Thursday the 11th at 8:30.

On Friday night Grand Lake (who took second place in the reader's poll this year for the Deli's best emerging artist) are opening for Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands a Say Yeah) at Cafe Du Nord.

If an excuse to have a goofy dance party is the impetus you need to get out Saturday night Super Adventure Club will be performing the second show of their four week residency at the Hotel Utah. One the other hand if your looking for something a bit rockier, Paranoids and Tokyo Raid will be playing on the other side of town at Kimo's somewhere around 10pm.

That's all for this week. Remember to keep us updated on the calender and we'll do our best to disseminate the word.

-Ada Lann