Nearly a year and a half ago, I had the opportunity to see Gabriel Gárzon-Montano perform in an intimate venue here in San Francisco. The crowd was small but the atmosphere was deferential to the rising R&B star. Reserved, soulful artistry was the theme of that show, held shortly after the release of Gárzon-Montano’s sophomore album Jardín.
This week, Gárzon-Montano played a much different show at the Warfield in San Francisco. Larger venue, larger crowd; an eager yet uninitiated group more rabidly interested in the headliner of the night, Kali Uchis. Nevertheless, Gabriel Gárzon-Montano put on an intense spectacle. The performance featured interpretive dancing, multiple costume changes, and even a shirtless stint. The set was condensed to include just his most popular songs, like “6 8”, which kick-started his rise in popularity. Gárzon-Montano did his best to match the energy and performance style of the evening’s fiery headliner, but did so in his own way. It was an interesting experience to see transformation of his performing style, reflective of his growth and flexibility as a performing artist.
The audience seemed quite appreciative and genial to Gabriel Gárzon-Montano, but the main draw of the evening was undoubtedly Kali Uchis. Between sets, the all-ages crowd was chanting her name in anticipation. During some songs, Kali only had to hit the accents and runs; enthusiastic fans sang all her lines for her. One of the highlights of her set was an electrifying cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”, a late 70’s jam that surely everyone has heard at some point in their life. Throughout the night, Kali wooed the audience with her singing chops, seductive dancing, and charismatic likeability.
If you’re a fan of either artist, check out their upcoming tour dates here. More shots from the evening below:
Music and travel have always been two hugely-important, intertwined pieces of my live. They’ve both served as sources of personal enrichment through discovery– whether it’s through the discovery of a cool new song, or through experiencing the world through different perspectives. I’ve always derived such joy in the new and unexplored, and I’ve found that music and world travel are both equally expansive and bountiful reservoirs in this regard.
Sharing new music with those from another part of the world is basically double-dipping when it comes to these pleasures. In this vein, I had the chance to catch up with French artist Møme about his recent project, Møments I. This latest project from the French multi-instrumentalist and producer derives its inspiration from the lush volcanic landscapes of Bali. Møments I magically encapsulates the ambient, serene nature of the tropical island. With polished guitar licks and soulful lyrical infusions, Møme creates a special vibe that’ll have you wishing you were in Bali right this moment. In Møme I saw a kindred spirit, inspired by the beauty and vibrance of the sunny surf town I had visited just over a year ago. Møments I is a two-single mini-EP, comprised of the tracks “Canggu” and “When We Ride”.
The project comes with some stunning visuals; a live performance filmed in the shadow of the mighty volcano Mount Batur. You can give it a watch below, and learn more about the man and the process behind Møments I after the jump.
TMN: So travel seems to be a source of inspiration for you when it comes to creating music. What is it that first made you want to start traveling the world?
Møme: Well I guess that I was living in the same town, with the same people for too long and needed a big change in my life. Traveling is going out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself, meeting new people, sometimes speaking another language. There is excitement, fear and I wanted to experience all of that. It also a great thing to get inspiration and then compose. And I started traveling at the same time as writing my first album “Panorama”.
TMN: Seeing new parts of the world has always sort of kept me grounded. Learning from new cultures has been an enlightening and rewarding experience. It’s also made me more appreciative of home, here in San Francisco. What’s your own personal relationship with travel? What has it done for your music?
Møme: Haha yes, I totally understand the “home feeling”. When I started traveling, it was more “personal”, for myself, like a desire for new experiences, a desire to discover. Now I travel for shows and to share my music. I go overseas every month, it’s exciting but I don’t have the same time for personal trips. It’s way more intensive and I also appreciate coming back home. I live in the South of France, where everything is quiet and where sun shines all year long. I need a peaceful lifestyle when I’m not on tour. And for music, traveling offered me the possibilities to discover talents, featurings that I’m now working with. I’ve composed more for international vocalists than for French ones!
TMN: Travel aside, where do you call home these days?
Møme: The French Riviera is home but Indonesia has been like a “home away from home” the past 6 months. It has the weather that I love, good surf, good food, extremely nice people and I have often said to myself “should I move there for real?”.
TMN: I also had the pleasure of visiting Canggu last year; what an amazing town. Idyllic paradise full of amazing people and good vibes. What’d you think of Canggu and Bali?
Møme: I only discovered Bali last year. It was for my honeymoon and the trip we planned was supposed to be very chill. But I don’t know what happened there, I immediately started to compose! I was so inspired by the local sounds, instruments, by everything that was surrounding us! I was supposed to visit Bali from North to South and East to West but last October, we received messages from our embassy because of a volcano threat and had to shorten our trip. Canggu is where we spent most of our time. It is very quiet, the food can be very authentic as well as super healthy and the surf is good! It is where I stayed last month to finalize my two tracks from Møment I (Canggu and When We Ride) and film a video clip.
TMN: So thisMøments project is going to be a three-part project, with the first highlighting your experiences in Bali. What can we expect from Møments II and III?
Møme: It will be very spontaneous! I’m now in South America and will be visiting again soon the USA and Canada. It may be possible that one of these destinations will be the inspirations for Møment II. And for Møment III, it will be a bit later, probably end of this year. I’m still hesitating in between a hot or cold destination for this one!
TMN: I’m a big fun of the funky guitar grooves on “When we Ride”. It seems like that retro, dance-y feel is really big in the French music scene these days. Who would you call your biggest musical influences?
Møme: Yes it is! French are a bit retro sometimes 😉 Wow, my influences are not all electronic actually. I’m a huge fan of Tom Misch from the UK, and I’ve been a huge fan of Flume few years ago. Now I like a lot r’n’b songs and voices like Jorja Smith for instance.
TMN: If you could perform with any other artist (historic or current), who would it be?
Møme: Probably Mura Masa! I’ve been listening to him for a while but he is getting more and more attention in France now! We played at the same festival in Paris last week.
TMN: Where is next on your list of travel destinations?
Møme: Today I’m in México, flying to Cancun then back in France for two shows. I’ll go back home beginning of July for literally two days and then, I’ll be flying to Canada (Montreal and Quebec) for festivals. Finally I go back to Los Angeles, my second home away from home after Bali! And after all of these trips I have Belgium, New Caledonia, probably again Mexico and Belize this year. Some are for fun, some are for work!
I have to say I really have been enjoying the music coming out of France these days. As touched upon in the interview, the French these days have been adeptly bringing back retro-chic elements, interlacing them flawlessly with soul, funk, and modern electronic influences. Between artists like Møme, Jean Tonique, Polo & Pan, and FKJ (who also created a track inspired by paradisiacal Canggu), there’s a lot to be gained by opening up your musical tastes to that part of the world.
Three funky Frenchmen took over San Francisco’s The Independent on Wednesday night. Polo & Pan made their long awaited San Francisco debut, playing to a sold out crowd. Jean Tonique was added in support as a last-minute announcement, further whipping up San Francisco’s frenzy for these groove architects from France. In fact, demand for tickets for this show on resell/music groups was some of the highest I’d ever seen, especially for a weeknight show.
Jean Tonique set the tone for the night.
Those of lucky enough to be in attendance took in quite the show. Jean Tonique started off the night with his old-school funk inspired beats, getting the audience ready to dance. Tonique looped all of his beats and guitar riffs live, showing sleek and polished craftsmanship. Drinking gin and tonics to the tune of Jean Tonique was an absolute vibe. Continue reading →
Chicago natives Saba and Joseph Chilliams came through San Francisco this past Thursday night as a stop in Saba’s Care for Me tour. The two co-founders of Pivot Gang, an independent music collective, delivered electric performances in front of an all-ages audience from all over the Bay Area. The show marked Saba’s first return to San Francisco since his Bucket List tour in early 2017. Concertgoers that had attended the 2017 show remarked upon the noticeable improvement in his stage presence and live chops.
Saba reppin for San Francisco
Early opening support for the show came from Chicago compatriot Jean Deaux (check out that wordplay), who later returned to perform the track “Photosynthesis”, a track on which she features. Joseph Chilliams, who happens to be Saba’s brother, took over soon after. Chilliams presented tracks from his debut album Henry Church, named solely for the English translation of Enrique Iglesias’ name. The rest of Chiliams’ set was similarly “tongue-in-cheek”, with plenty of references to eating “groceries”. Chilliams’ set could best be described as a celebration of self and sex. His upbeat attitude and stage presence reflected those of an artist with much to celebrate– expect to be hearing much more from this guy in the near future.
Joseph Chilliams, Pivot Gang cofounder
Donning a topically conscious Kaepernick jersey in San Francisco, Saba blessed us with a relevant display of passion and emotion, drawn from his youth in westside Chicago. The 23 year-old showed why he’s the unofficial frontman of Pivot Gang by captivating the audience with a solid hour’s worth of bars. He let on some signs of an artist that’s still really coming into his own, occasionally seeming surprised at the audience’s familiarity with his discography. Attendees responded with reckless enthusiasm for older tracks like “World in my Hands” and “Westside Bound”, while “LIFE” off of his most recent album Care for Me was undoubtedly the floor-shaking highlight of the night. After two solid album releases in Bucket List and Care for Me and resounding live performances such as Thursday night’s, you can’t help but be excited for things to come from Saba.
Don’t miss out on the chance to see Saba live. You can find the rest of his tour dates here.
Following the release of his debut full-length album Jardín (see our review here) in January, it was only a matter of time before Gabriel Garzón-Montano shared his creation with fans in person. After kicking off his tour to start the month of May, Garzón-Montano introduced himself to San Francisco’s music scene at the Rickshaw Stop this past Saturday. The sold-out crowd enjoyed 75 minutes of passionate soul-baring as Gabriel gave the crowd his all.
With the help of drummer David Frazier, Gabriel Garzón-Montano delivered an incredible musical experience in the intimate, hazy ambiance of the Rickshaw Stop. Highlights included GGM’s sensual crooning on “Six-Eight”, and the funky vibes of popular song “Crawl”. He relied heavily upon a participatory audience during the show, one that was very excited to engage in clapping, snapping, and singing along to Gabriel’s call-and-responses. Furthermore attendees were delightfully treated to a bilingual set. After interlacing a song or two in Spanish throughout his repertoire, Gabriel’s encore was nearly entirely in Spanish with the exception of first track “Bombo Fabrika”.
Garzón-Montano took us through a musical journey of his entire discography, and then some. With his masterfully-crafted music and soulful approach to showmanship, we continue to have high expectations for this artist in the future.
Future tour dates can be found here— don’t miss a chance to see Gabriel Garzón-Montano live!Continue reading →
