Tag Archives: the new kinetics

Owl and Bear’s Best Albums of 2011

2011 was a mixed bag. Established acts like Radiohead and The Strokes dropped duds on trusting fans, while middle-of-the-road acts like The Drums and Hunx and His Punx raised the bar with surprising sophomore efforts. Floundering bands like Iron & Wine and The Dodos made welcome returns to glory, while others merely treaded water (see She and Him’s Christmas album or MGMT’s “mix tape.”) Continue reading…

Live Photos: The New Kinetics at the Whistlestop, December 9, 2011

Photos by Chris Maroulakos

San Diego’s The New Kinetics brought their blistering brand of rock and roll to the Whistlestop on Friday night. Following an affable performance by fellow locals The Mashtis — who were celebrating the release of their new 7-inch A Canopy of Sundays — The New Kinetics’ rough-and-tumble set went off like a pipe bomb. Frontwoman Birdy Bardot cooed and wailed her way through tracks like “Riffle Raff” and “Cha Cha,” her careening vocals slicing through the surging guitars and crackling drums like they were butter. For their final feat, the band capped the night with an ambitious cover of “Johnny B. Goode” that would have stopped Chuck Berry in his tracks. Hot damn. Check out the pictures…