Friday, March 14 fish narc / Toner (co-headline) opener tba 8 pm doors $20 All Ages Since 2015, Toner has been crafting a shade of shoegaze that could only come out of a hotboxed East Bay garage. Their sound honors the traditions of NorCal DIY (taking some root in skate punk and slacker rock), but what’s most commendable is their understanding of what makes a great record in their preeminent genre. No, shoegaze is not about being the loudest or the most distorted, nor is it about conjuring wafts of euphoric haze that sound nice but leave no trace. It’s about finding the timbres that scorch the eardrums while injecting the listener with serotonin. It’s about keeping the song structures simple, but executing them splendidly. It’s about finding a way to produce, mix and master guitar tones so that they’re always recognized, never disguised amidst the cacophony of sound. https://tonerca.bandcamp.com/album/gods-hammer-2 fish narc began in 2013 as a clean break from singing and performing in bands, which Ben Friars-Funkhouser had done since he was 16. Ben joined Thraxxhouse and Gothboiclique after teaching himself Ableton Live, and began to integrate guitar playing and rock songwriting into his beatmaking and production. He produced songs for Wicca Phase Springs Eternal, JuiceWRLD, and Lil Peep, including his final project: Goth Angel Sinner. Since 2019, Ben’s returned to writing and performing his own songs, releasing the albums WiLDFiRE in 2020 and Camouflage in 2022. 2023 will see fish narc drop two full lengths and an EP, and touring North America and Europe with a full live band. https://fishnarc.bandcamp.com/