Getting Sweaty with Best Coast and Saint Motel

PUNK ROCK PRINCESS: I can gush for days about Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino. The girl’s got great style, shares my hometown, and lays claim to one of the most ubiquitous cats on the Interweb. Lady crushes aside, though, it’s Best Coast’s self-titled debut that deserves the most praise. Since hitting shelves (and downloadable sources) in July 2010, the record has gone from indie sensation to full-blown summer soundtrack and back. In turn, it’s sent Best Coast around the globe in support, and found Cosentino taking center stage at some of the country’s biggest and most reputable music festivals. (Coachella, Bonaroo, Outside Lands, we’re looking at you.)

Musically, Best Coast has mastered the art of simple power pop, with three-chord songs and easily delivered sing-song lyrics that call to mind a slightly fuzzier, stonier, female-fronted Blink 182. Or a slightly less-fuzzy, sing-songy Vivian Girls. No matter what the comparison, Cosentino and her cohorts are sure to delight, if not for their undeniably Cali-born guitar tones, then for their beyond-hip take on the summer anthem.

Best Coast plays SOhO (1221 State St.) this Sunday, July 10, at 8 p.m. Call 962-7776 or visit clubmercy.com for tickets and info.

SWEAT IT OUT: When Saint Motel took to the stage as part of last year’s New Noise music festival, they came well equipped. The Los Angeles four-piece has long been known for their live show, and it’s no wonder why. They’ve spent the past four years honing their onstage spectacle, which includes an ever-evolving light and projection display, as well as a loud and wonderfully assaulting mix of guitar, bass, and keys. This Saturday, the fellas swing back through town alongside fellow New Noise vets The Silent Comedy as part of the pair’s Summer Sweat Tour.

The bill, which traverses the Western United States through July, is already set to be one of summer’s hottest tickets, too, thanks in part to Saint Motel’s viral-and-growing new single, “Puzzle Pieces.” With the help of Hype Machine, the track has already been plugged into more summer mixtapes than even we can count, helped along by chugging guitars, rollicking piano hooks, and frontman A/J Jackson’s boyishly exuberant turns at the mike. The sweetly anthemic quality of it all calls to mind like-minded L.A. rockers like Local Natives, but with an edge that’s decidedly Saint Motel’s own.

As for their debut full-length, which rumor has it is close to complete, Jackson coyly says, “A lot of it is more extreme than [our music] was before.”

The Summer Sweat Tour rolls through town and makes a stop at Velvet Jones (423 State St.) on Saturday, July 9, at 8 p.m. For tickets, call or visit newnoisesb.com.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: As far as summer concert season goes, there’s nothing better than checking out live music outdoors, which is exactly why I’m so pumped the Presidio Motel (1620 State St.) is at it again. This Thursday, July 7, my favorite hospitality haunt is opening its patio for an evening-time double bill with Glendale’s GANGI and San Fran’s Maus Haus.

And even better than the scenery (and the wine, flowing courtesy of Municipal Winemakers)? The tunes, which promise an onslaught of mish-mashed genre goodness. GANGI is the collaborative no-wave project of Matt Gangi and Eric Chramosta, and together the pair delivers an impressively all-over-the-place mix of ’60s psychedelia, Animal Collective-style knob twiddling, and ’80s art-rock experimentalism. Meanwhile, Maus Haus is an equally analog-loving—though decidedly janglier—offering, which sounds like Kraftwerk at some points and fellow Cali oddball Ariel Pink at others.

Needless to say, this is guaranteed to be one of the more adventurous bills of the summer, well worth checking out if you’re looking for something new. Plus, there’s a free tan in it for all in attendance! The all-ages show starts at 6 p.m. and is free to the public. Visit thepresidiomotel.com/blog for info.