* New Compilation CD*

Black Cat Music, The Pleased and The Oranges Band were selected to perform as part of the ASCAP Presents… Heineken Ampt Music Series. The showcase took place at Bottom of the Hill on October 22, 2002. The Heineken Ampt/ASCAP Recognition Award was presented to Ramona Downey, owner and booker of Bottom of the Hill, for her contribution to the local music scene.

With the release of their new EP Never Complete you immediately understand why the British rock spies are incessantly buzzing like some old, broken refrigerator. To say that the Pleased are on fire is hardly an exaggeration; in less than a year, the group has not only caught the interest of the music industry and the media but also the hearts of fans. They drew 350 people to their third show ever at Slims in San Francisco, and have continued to increase their fan base with their remarkable live shows while supporting the Vines, Clinic, The Von Bondies and The Walkmen, among others. Continuing with their bold beginnings the please spent three weeks this summer touring the UK, where they received an amazing reception. The band was picked by The Face as one of the top new bands to watch [august 2002], and Joanna [keys/perc] was featured in The Face's September issue. The Pleased are: Noah Georgeson [vox, guitar], Rich Good [vox, guitar], Luckey Remington [bass], Genaro Vergoglini [drums], Joanna Newsom [keys, perc].

"Music is Mobility!" is the mantra. Activity is the goal. The Oranges Band are a concept band and the concept reads "Make good music; take to the streets." It sounds easy, and it is. Roman Kuebler decide to go the old fashioned route and get a core group of players from his hometown of Baltimore, MD to provide a consistent foundation. For the core group Roman recruited Dave Voyles, whose drumming with local emo wonders Wrong Button earns high praise, and high school henchman Tim Johnston, who played with the spazz rock group Brickhead. To round out the group Roman picked Dan Black, friend of the family and multi-instrumentalist.

The Orange Calendar then started around April, 2000 with the release of the seven inch/cd combo, The Five Dollars EP, on Morphius Records. Followed directly in May and June with their first US tour. The summer was spent recording in DC before a second US tour in November. Upon returning the band put the finishing touches on the newest batch of recordings and sent them off to the plant, again with the Morphius tag. This five song effort titled Nine Hundred Miles of Fucking Hell, released on April 16 2001, provided the punctuation at the end of a very full first year. And finally, two years after it's inception, the Oranges Band place the finishing touches on their first full length album (recorded at ACR audio in Baltimore by Zen patience master Craig Bowen) and prepare for an extremely busy third year of touring, recording and van payments.

Ramona Downey is the owner and booking agent for Bottom of the Hill. She has helped make the 350-capacity club into one of the most successful clubs in San Francisco. Bottom of the Hill's reputation for breaking bands is widespread throughout the music industry. It was voted Best Club in San Francisco to hear live music in the August 1999 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, and has played host to such notable acts as Green Day, Beastie Boys, Alanis Morissette and Gomez. Ramona was voted "Booker of the Year" by BAM Magazine in 1988 and received a "Goldie" award by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for excellence in the Arts. Her hands-on approach and knack for coming up with consistently adventurous live bills has helped earn her a sterling reputation as one of the most behind-the-scenes players on the local music scene.

Main Ampt Page | Compilation CD | Click for more photos >>>>