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Sunday’s concluding Noise Pop festivities took place at the legendary Bimbo’s 365 cafe, a complete departure from the comparatively run-down areas of ‘Frisco we’d been checking out the bands at thus far.  It was there that two completely different kinds of folk bands squared off against one another: first, the Joni Mitchell-esque Watson Twins, with their docile harmonies, tambourine taps and strummed acoustic guitars. Their rivals were headliners Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, more of a Mamas and The Papas-type of family band who drove the crowd nothing short of koo-koo, Dizzy Balloon-style except with a lot more of the unwashed masses. For those who have never been, Bimbo’s looks a lot like the Overlook Hotel from The Shining; its decadent, roaring 20’s interior boasts a grand ballroom, red velvet everything and a bar that eerily resembles the one Jack Nicholson heard voices at. So…come play with us, Danny!

It would have been better suited to the likes of The Rat Pack or Cab Calloway, but with a wide-open stage, plenty of room to dance, swing, and jump around, Edward Sharpe’s liveliness definitely seemed to win the crowd over. While The Watson Twins were a pleasure to watch just because of their laid-back stage presence, they had class but were lacking in charisma. Yes, they were sweet, charming, and with tracks like “What’ll I Do” and the bar room blues twang of “Devil in You” the had some great moments. But out came Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a riled-up band for a riled-up crowd, and the competition got a little more intense.

If you’ve never seen them live, it doesn’t really matter if you don’t like their music — Edward Sharpe and his crew are like Peter Paul and Mary meets Jefferson Airplane meets The Manson Family. And by that last bit, I mean it simply seems like they’re in a trance. Much like Nico Vega, a huge part of The Magnetic Zeros’ live show is the dynamic between the boy-girl team that lead the band, Jade Castrinos and Alex Ebert. Castrinos, with her mild and meandering stage demeanor is a perfect foil and the soothing voice of reason to Ebert’s yelling and shouting and what often amounted to jumping, flailing gesticulations in front of  a crowd that was often hypnotized by his every move.

With songs like “Up From Below” and their single “The Desert Song”, Ebert and Castrinos hovered around in circles, Ebert’s scarf flailing everywhere, as he jumped off monitors and danced around bandmates playing violin, piano, cello, and I think nearly every other conceivable instrument known to man. If you haven’t heard, Edward Sharpe is  a character created by the band, a man “sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind…but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love.” Judging by the eye contact between Castrinos and Ebert, is it possible to suggest the two might share similar affections, and therefore share similar romantic pains? Whatever the motivation, there was a lot of love and emotion behind their music, and with the soaring vocal performance between the two, the clear victor tonight had to go to Mr. Sharpe. I mean, Ebert. But make no mistake, The Watson Twins were a formidable opponent, catchy, and quite hot. Being a twin, certain images and implausible situations couldn’t help but cross my mind, which also helped. If you’re into one, chances are you’ll be at least a little into the other.

Words by Jeff Nau, Photos by Glenn Miller

 

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