The Fresh & Onlys, besides presenting in name one of the best bandtonym-worthy word combinations, are without a doubt one of the most pimped-out live performers reppin the Bay Area these days. Currently on tour, and they tour a lot, The Onlys pack plenty of dirty raw party rockin' vibes into every sweaty show. I'd go so far as to say they bring a guaranteed good time to any venue; unadulterated fun at it's most arrested stage of development. What's more, the minds that inform the Fresh and Onlys' sound are like rich wells of music knowledge, deeply dug and flowing wide. I can say this with a certain degree of confidence having known and worked with three quarters of the band off and on for many, many years. That being the case, as happens with colleagues of any sort, their opinions on all things music, film, Amoeba or otherwise have abutted, aggravated, enhanced and influenced mine over time. It's one of those really good things about the working-at-Amoeba experience that I wish we could share more easily. But I suppose that territory best captured and exposed via our What's In My Bag video vignette series.

But before we get into that, get into this:

A lovely, pastoral portrait of the boys in pastels, looking petal fresh and Easter Sunday garden party pretty in contrast to the live-action, imagery of sloshed, sudorific revelry, above left. Say what you will about the Fresh & Onlys workaday aesthetic, they clean up nice. And though Fresh & Onlys frontman and guitarist Tim Cohen is caught trashing Amoeba SF's Hip Hop section in the video below (for the record: tending said section used to be his responsibility) and bassist Shayde Sartin's picks skewed towards "white guy rock" and his years spent living in Florida on the day this little scene was recorded, I cannot speak more highly about these two dudes' astronomical taste levels when it comes to music, nevermind their particular genus of dusty, road tested rocker species. BUt don't take my word for it, find out for yourself -- check out the video below:

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As you've no doubt already read, vinyl sales are up so to meet the accompanying increase in demand for turntables Amoeba Music recently began selling various turntable models. As outlined in the excellent recent Amoeblog about buying a turntable at Amoeba Music, the three Amoeba stores each have a really good selection of turntables for sale.  Recently I stopped into the Berkeley Amoeba store to talk a bit with turntable expert Brendan about the variety of turntables to choose from at the Telegraph Avenue store. Note that the San Francisco and Hollywood Amoeba stores may each have a slightly different array of turntables to chose from. Call ahead to your local Amoeba (scroll down for phone numbers) to double check on which models are available. 

As outlined by Brendan in the video interview clip above, the Audio-Technica model on display is a wonderful hands-on, easy to operate, sturdy model that comes with a good quality, built-in cartridge (so you don't have spend any extra time and money getting the needle cartridge) for only $129.98. This exact same model - including the extra feature of a USB connection that is geared for folks who, as well as listening to their records, want to dub off their vinyl into a digital format to have on the go in their iPod and other mp3 listening devices -- sells for $179.98. A great deal if you plan on doing a lot of digitizing of your vinyl collection is the Numark TTUSB model with USB compatibility, on sale for just $149.98. As Brendan says in the video clip, this belt-driven model is "a really solid design for 150 bucks!" It also comes with pitch control, which is perfect for DJs and anyone who wants to increase or decrease the speed of the record being played.

From the mezzanine level of Amoeba Music in Hollywood, one could count over 400 damp heads (it was unfairly hot in L.A. this past Saturday) eagerly awaiting a performance that could get even the most dehydrated youngster dancing. The Growlers, a band formed in Long Beach in 2006, performed a last minute in-store show after the cancellation of Sunset Junction, where they were originally scheduled to play.

Dressed in suspenders, jeans, sneakers, and oxfords, the six-piece group leaped into action and opened up with the song “Drinking the Juice Blues.” The full playlist was comprised of 11 songs that ranged across their first album, Are You In Or Out?, the 10” EP Hot Tropics, and their Record Store Day 7” Gay Thoughts. As hundreds sang along to favorites such as “Something Someone Jr.” and “Wandering Eyes,” the group matched the enthusiasm of the crowd with excellent chemistry and seamless effort.

If you were close enough to the stage, you could admire their unabashed and quirky offness: a large mass of foil draped over the drum kit, a hand-painted image on a guitar, a rustic pair of conga drums that had been spray-painted. To top it off was the charming vocalist Brooks Nielsen, dancing and swerving without shyness as one might do when they’re alone in front of a mirror. The group’s lo-fi sound, a blend of surf and garage with psychedelic nods, clash rewardingly with their lyrics, which reference displacement, morbidity, and the strangeness of the self.