David Kilgour October 28, 2007

David Kilgour (from The Clean) with Euros Child and Kelley Stolz
Venue: 12 Galaxies, San Francisco
Tickets: $10

- David Kilgour

From his earliest days as a member of the legendary Clean onward, singer/songwriter David Kilgour stood among the most important figures on the New Zealand pop landscape. A native of Dunedin, Kilgour first emerged in 1979 as the guitarist of the Clean, the highly influential trio he co-founded with his drummer brother Hamish; when the group disbanded three years later, the brothers reunited in the Great Unwashed, which proved even shorter-lived. After a few years out of music, the mercurial Kilgour formed Stephen, a trio that also included former Goblin Mix bassist Alf Danielson and drummer Geoff Hoani; the group released a 1989 EP titled Dumb, but sessions for a full-length LP were abandoned when Kilgour signed on with a re-formed Clean. When the Clean again disbanded, Kilgour briefly joined Snapper before finally going solo in 1990. A year later he recorded the pastoral, melodic Here Come the Cars; the follow-up, the trouble-plagued Sugar Mouth, appeared in 1994. That year also brought about another Clean reunion, and Kilgour began recording and touring with his old mates again. Modern Rock was released in late 1995, followed by Unknown Country in 1996. The group disbanded after that record and Kilgour returned to his solo career, releasing David Kilgour & Heavy Eights in 1997. The Clean returned yet again in 2000, touring and releasing Getaway on American indie giant Merge Records. Kilgour and Merge decided to stick together when the Clean inevitably went their separate ways again and the label issued A Feather in the Engine in 2001. That same year his status as one of the premier figures in New Zealand music was cemented when he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, an honor similar to the English OBE. In 2004 Merge released Frozen Orange, perhaps his strongest record yet and a testament to his ability to sound fresh after many, many years on the indie rock treadmill. The follow-up, 2006's The Far Now, continues Kilgour's string of under-appreciated (everywhere but in New Zealand, that is) gems.

- Euros Childs

Euros Childs' playfully eccentric musical vision first came to the attention of discerning listeners in the '90s, when he was the leader of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, the Welsh neo-psychedelic group who gained a potent European following and a small but vocal cult following in the United States. The group went on a break following the release of Sleep/Holiday in 2003, and announced their breakup in 2006. By this time, Childs had already released his first solo single, 2005's "Donkey Island," as well as an album, Chops, which arrived in shops in early 2006. A little more than a year later, Childs released a second long-player, Bore Da, in March 2007, which included songs in both English and Welsh and found Childs working in the studio with guitarist Alun Tan Lan, keyboardist Dylan Hughes, bassist Meilyr Jones, and drummer Peter Richardson. The prolific Childs released his third album, Miracle Inn, a mere three month later, which featured most of the same studio crew from Bore Da as well as a guest appearance from former Gorky's Zygotic Mynci guitarist Richard James. Childs followed the release of the two albums with an extensive tour of England and Wales, which found Childs accompanied on-stage by Alun Tan Lan, Peter Richardson, and bassist Steven Black.

Kelley Stoltz

Listening to the music of San Francisco singer-songwriter Kelley Stoltz, you almost get the feeling that you're hearing not one artist, but dozens. At times Stoltz sounds almost exactly like John Lennon, at other times he's a dead ringer for Carl and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Throughout, you will hear hints of other seminal figures ranging from Phil Spector to Spoon.

Official Website: http://12galaxies.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=19918