My First Earthquake, Jaguar Love and Butterfly Bones at Cafe Du Nord: February 3rd, 2010

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

It's February in San Francisco, and music lovers know what that means: Noise Pop, SF's hipster indie music, film and art festival, is right around the corner. And what do San Franciscans enjoy nearly as much as a week-long party? That's right: the pre-parties! The first such party rocked the casbah Wednesday night, when Noise Pop, Future Sounds and The Owl Magazine teamed up to bring My First Earthquake, Jaguar Love and Butterfly Bones to Cafe Du Nord. Oh, and the icing on the cake? The show was free--a fact that seemed even more generous after watching these three talented bands on stage.

Opening the night was bay area-based indie/electronica quartet Butterfly Bones, a quirky group of guys that seems to derive as much joy from their semi-choreographed, mechanical dance moves as they do from actually playing their incredibly beautiful, melodic music. Somewhat reminiscent musically of current it-band Passion Pit, and more of Australia's Cut Copy, Butterfly Bones had the steadily growing crowd dancing with enthusiasm--no small feat for the first of three acts on a Wednesday night

Performing second was Portland's Jaguar Love, a dynamic duo that almost defies explanation. The band describes itself on MySpace as "Electro / New Wave / Indie," but this is--to editorialize for a moment--more than a bit simplistic. For instance, it fails to mention any trace of the strong punk influence running through Jaguar Love's music. Perhaps they assume it goes without saying; after all, the band is comprised of former members of Seattle punk bands The Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves.

Jaguar Love's live performances certainly reflect those punk roots; the band spent almost as much time in the audience--crowd surfing more than once through the undulating, occasionally violently thrashing mosh pit--as they did on the stage; and even while on stage, they remained in constant motion, frequently ending up contorted on the floor. A highlight of  Jaguar Love's explosive performance came when, in addition to their own music, the band covered hardcore punk legends Minor Threat.

By the time SF indie darlings My First Earthquake took the stage at around 11:30pm, it almost felt anticlimactic--that is, until they started playing. Gregarious and qurky vocalist Rebecca Bortman was in rare form, even for her--as if she felt and absorbed the night's cumulative energy and channeled it into her performance. This band is always the most fun live act in San Francisco, but on Wednesday night it felt even more special, and a perfect way to end a night of fantastic performances.

Here is a selection of photos from Wednesday night's show:

Butterfly Bones / Photo by Amber Gregory

Butterfly Bones / Photo by Amber Gregory

Jaguar Love / Photo by Amber Gregory

Jaguar Love / Photo by Amber Gregory

Jaguar Love / Photo by Amber Gregory

Jaguar Love / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory

My First Earthquake / Photo by Amber Gregory