Before things turned all jingle bells, though, a group of us headed south down to Big Sur on one of the last gorgeous fall weekends in November. We hit the Fernwood, a mellow little lodge/campground/motel in the middle of the redwoods for the 2 Days of Autumn fest.

Even though the guy who puts on cool music events here (Britt Govea) goes under the production name (((folkYEAH!))), he doesn't only put together folksy shows. Sweden's Witchcraft played the Fernwood with one of my favorite localish stoner metal acts, Mammatus, and indie favorite Bonnie "Prince" Billy's hit the stage here as well. The weekend we were in town there were something like two dozen acts that took the stage, including Court and Spark and Fecal Face star Dodo Bird. Check out the crazy quilt that was commissioned for the show hanging at the back of the stage (it was three wolves howling crazy quilts into the ceiling).

Court and Spark

I took a couple trips to music festivals this fall but this one in Big Sur felt the most relaxed and casual, like a real vacation. It was pretty much like going to the woods for a party with good friends (or just good people from S.F. and L.A.) and a great soundtrack. My buddies Jesse...

and Shawn...

and Robin Miller... (who plays as Big Eagle with Bart Davenport (who played solo that weekend but who also plays around town with indie funksters Honeycut.

During the day we went to nearby Pfeiffer Beach, where the sand is purple for inexplicable reasons it was a beautiful 70 degrees outside. Definitely an incredible way to spend your time before a night full of music.

The music started in the late afternoon.... lots of folksy sorta stuff early on, and you could watch the bands, sit on the porches around the Fernwood (the back porch was surrounded by huge redwoods), or try really hard to find the meteor shower that supposedly started at 8:30 p.m. that night. I didn't see that many shooting stars, but I did see Jenny Lewis, who was a surprise guest (fY! folks leave room in the lineups to slide the occasional talented straggler interested in taking the stage). Jenny Lewis used to be in Rilo Kiley and her voice is pure honey in every sense -- rich, golden, and very sweet).

Jenny Lewis and her buddy/my buddy Jed

One of the main reasons I went to Big Sur was to see Vetiver - who live in S.F. but who I'd never seen live before, despite being a big fan of their music. They play I guess what you'd call cosmic country -- lots of acoustic instruments and vocals that sound warmed by a campfire and made for romantic times under the stars. If you've yet to hear them, hit their MySpace page and listen to "Been So Long." I was sad they didn't play that particular song that weekend but damn if that track isn't a heartbreaker even blasting from the tinny speakers of my little laptop.

One of the Vetiver dudes...

Frontman Andy Cabic of Vetiver is an incredible talent...he used to play in Tussle but in recent times works with both Vetiver and buddy Devendra Banhart. Can't wait for the next Vetiver record.

More Vetiver

Dave from Birdman Records, home to great tunes by Howlin Rain, Gris Gris, Greg Ashley, the Cuts, and more.

In the end, I'd highly recommend a trip down to the Fernwood for some sort of (((folkYEAH!))) show - you can't beat such an easy excuse to hear great music in a place where all the stars (shooting or not) hang above the front porch and everyone gets real friendly for a couple days. Britt supposedly has some big deal plans for New Years, but I'm still waiting to get all the details on that one. Check out his site to get announcements for upcoming shows.

Back in the city, though, I've kinda slowed down the show-going a bit. Last weekend I hit two fun little gigs, though. One was at the Knockout, which I'm embarrassed to say I hadn't been to since it changed from the Odeon (I just moved back to S.F. this spring). That place was a blast that night, even for the long of hair.

The bands of course helped the fun along, though. Headlining was Total B.S. (Bob Seger cover band with members of Colossal Yes -- who also played that night -- and members of Harold Ray, Saviours, and Drunk Horse). Colossal Yes started things off.

CY is the drummer of Comets on Fire's other project, a really pretty little piano-based trio with sweet songs sung in Utrillo's featherweight falsetto. The other dudes in the band are from the Cuts and Drunk Horse.

Fun crowd that night too. This first guy, Nick, owns Jackpine Social Club , which put out great records by Kelley Stoltz and Parchman Farm, among others.

It was also a makeshift birthday party for Chris Owen, one of the head honchos of the big ol' garage rock marathon Budget Rock.

Normally I'm not a big cover band connoisseur. Aside from say the Dirtbombs and their catalog of non-originals, there are few acts I'd want to see play songs I've heard a million times already. But Total B.S. is a different breed - they've got the lovely ladies of the Husbands backing them, and when you hear them play you find a new kinda garage-y sentiment in ye olde classic rock fare like "Hollywood Nights." The whole damn crowd was singing along.

The following night Tussle played Café du Nord. I like their new downtown funk/sci fi free jazz record, but I have to say they're a band that's even better live. I'm really getting into these beat-based acts that aren't about sitting around thwapping on a laptop - these dudes get movement started using live instruments, including a lot of percussion - and really make you want to dance. They're not some fashion act throwing in synthesizers to earn favor with the DJ crowd - but they're also not, thank god, a hacky sac jam band either. Somewhere in the middle is a group that can, say, have half dozen drummers on stage and get everyone involved moving their hands, their hips, and their heads.

In an extended finale, Tussle handed out lots of percussion instruments to the crowd and everyone was banging away on some kind of noisemaker. It was really infectious. And kinda funny. The drummer in the photo above walked by me and said, "Man, it's kind of like Golden Gate Park in here now, isn't it?" True, but it smelled a lot better and no one brought their dogs on hemp ropes. (Plus no one was carrying around a 40, which seems to be the beverage of choice in my upper Haight hood.)

Different night, different vibe: John Waters may not be the first person you think of when you think of the holidays, but he released a pretty sweet collection of Christmas tracks last year that included such treasures as "Here Comes Fatty Claus," "Fat Daddy," and "Santa Claus is a Black Man." He did a comedy show at the Swedish American Hall that was the typical crass laughs and obscure cultural references you'd expect from the pencil thin-mustachioed director. Good times. But he also brought along a wisecracking opening act, Wanda Jackson, the first lady of rockabilly. I'll admit I'm really not one for rockabilly, what with all the outfits and the hairdos and, well, the music, but when it's sung by a spitfire of a senior citizen who talks about learning guitar from (and then dating) Elvis, I'll be sure to change my mind for the night. Jackson's the original deal. She was really charming and funny, not to mention talented - and wearing a whole lotta bling.

And yeah, sorry, that's all I've got this time. So I'll leave you with a lot at the art I walk by every day on the way to the Muni... I like how it's pasted all over this abandoned apartment.

Upcoming Shows Worth Checking Out:

• Comets on Fire/Crime in Choir (12 Galaxies, 12/16)
• Thee Oh Sees (Make-Out Room, 12/28); Diplo (Mezzanine; 12/29)
• Saviours (Hemlock, 12/29)
• Trans Am/Tussle (Mezzanine, 12/30)
• Drunk Horse/Ezee Tiger (12 Galaxies, NYE)
• Indian Jewelry (12/5, Hemlock)
• Black Lips/Gris Gris*** (1/16, 12 Galaxies)

*What shows do you plan on checking out this week?

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