24 Reasons Why

By Susan Gerhard

The name of the Mission Creek Music Festival refers to a body of water you didn’t realize you weren’t standing on when you walk down the Mission’s sidewalks. Its opening night event, “The West May Save Us Yet,” refers to a body of music videos you may not have realized you weren’t seeing as you surfed cable from your couch. Assembled by New York artist and AV Curator Nick Hallett, the program of 24 DIY music shorts serves as a new canon of West Coast indie undergrounders who are relaunching this particular AV art form back into countercultural orbit. MCMF opens its nine days of music, film, and literary events with the program, a bookend Hallett’s “23 Reasons to Spare New York” last fall. This week’s list offers a taste of the raucous collection in the minis’ names and titles — 24 Reasons Why to find yourself in the Mission this Sunday and the rest of the week for the 10th annual music and arts festival.

1. Deerhoof: “Wrong Time Capsule” (Martha Colburn)

2. Black Mountain: “Druganaut” (Heather Trawick)

3. Ariel Pink: “Life in LA” (Nicolas Amato)

4. BARR: “Lights Out” (Donovan/Vim Crony)

5. Mae Shi: “Chop 2” (David Park)

6. Numbers: “Fuck You Garage” (Eric Landmark)

7. Dynasty Handbag: “I Can’t Wait” (Jibz Cameron, Sue Costibile and Indra Dunis)

8. Tussle: “Entre Chien et Loup” (Alison Childs)

9. Crime in Choir: “The Hoop” (Tim Miller)

10. Ariel Pink: “Bloody Bagonias” (Nicolas Amato)

11. Eats Tapes: “Pteryd” (Nate Boyce)

12. Sexy Midi: “Wizards” (Kelly Sears)

13. “Push {H}it (Abe’s the S Stands for Suppa Glitch Out for all You Sukkas! Mix)” from Universal Acid (Marisa Olson and Abe Linkoln)

14. Phase Chancellor: excerpt from live performance (Phase Chancellor)

15. Starter Set: “In Can Can Descent: (Lindsay Beamish)

16. Matt Reilly, Japanther: “Punk House”

17. Ariel Pink: “Loverboy” (Nicolas Amato)

18. White Rainbow: “Full Spectrum Healing Center” (Adam Forkner)

19. Bonus: “Tone Trad” (Jamie Potter)

20. Comets on Fire: “Beneath the Ice Age” (Elise Irving)

21. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone: “The Subway Home” (David Enos, Paul Stepahin)

22. Bobby Birdman: “Steal Yr Face” (Jona Bechtolt)

23. Ariel Pink: “Beverly Kills” (Nicolas Amato)

24. The Gossip: “Standing in the Way of Control” (Wyld File)

05.11.2006