Cindy: Photo diary
To celebrate the release of 1:2, Cindy have compiled a photo tour of their native San Francisco. This all sits alongside the ‘18 Songs from San Francisco’ audio tour they compiled for us.
1. This is where Cindy develops songs, practices, and sometimes records. Simon and Karina are among roommates who share a house and this basement. When Karina first started writing songs and Simon offered to play with her, he bought this drum kit off of some college kids who were moving on in life.
2. Here's Cindy on stage at Oakland Secret. We played that night with friends, Hectorine, and Oakland band Billie Gale. It's a DIY non-commercial spot so there was no one to help us figure out the sound and lights, but we all did ok in the end. (Laura Adkins took the photo)
3. Here's Jesse at Whiz Burger on the corner, a couple of years back, waiting for his small fries and strawberry shake.
4. Cindy playing at Balboa Theater -- a landmark of San Francisco. This was a festival that Rocks In Your Head, a local label, put on. It was really fun to play in a movie theater, and the Balboa is the best. (Cecile Morgan took the photo)
5. On the west side of town is Ocean Beach. Karina rides her bike out there pretty often and loves it especially when it's this empty.
6. Here's Cindy playing at HIT a few years back. We started playing before Peter, who runs HIT, could turn on the string lights. The semi-darkness was actually really nice for that very mellow night at HIT. (Peter Hurley took the photo)
7. Karina took a drive along the Sacramento River delta to get footage for the video for To Be True. It was still pretty deep Covid shutdown days so conventional video ideas were out. On a tiny side highway, there was what looked like a white plastic mountain covered in tires. Even pretty close up, it was hard to tell what it is.
8. Here's Aaron and Karina trying to figure out how to get them both in the frame for Cindy's first livestream.
9. This is Karina's favorite wall in her neighborhood.
10. Free Advice was first released on tape by Paisley Shirt records in June 2020. We played a tape release show in front of the house where we practice. The mail carrier stopped and watched for awhile which was flattering. (Mike Ramos took the photo)
11. Here's Jesse messing around on the Wurlitzer that is in Robby's recording studio where Free Advice and 1:2 were recorded.
12. Cindy played a livestream show for The New Colossus, out of New York. We didn't realize we needed an ethernet cable, so we recorded the set the night before in case we couldn't get a 100 foot ethernet cable in time the next day. It all worked out.
13. There was a generator rotting in Aaron's backyard. It came back to life really easily and started a string of generator shows under an overpass in a park in the north west of SF -- making do while venues were closed turned out to be a beautiful thing in itself. This show, Cindy played with friends April Magazine and Blades of Joy. There have been a handful of shows in this spot with this generator since, and the original tank of gas is still going strong. (This is a still from a video Glenn Donaldson took)
14. Here's the river delta is its glassy splendour.
15. This is the view from Karina's bedroom window. Half looking at this is where a lot of Cindy songs start.
16. Cindy playing the Golden Bull in Oakland. Our friend Rick of the band Blue Ocean was doing sound that night -- lucky us. (Peter Hurley took the photo)
17. Cindy recently recorded two covers for two different projects. Here's Simon testing out the drum levels.
18. Here's Aaron testing out recording levels in the basement.
19. Some of the streets in the towns along the river delta are decrepit in beautiful ways. This fan was in an old doorway.
20. We use a lot of extension cords. Our amps often pick up radio stations. It's a bit of a hazard zone on many levels but so far we have come out unscathed.
21. The empty highway bordering Ocean Beach again. It was a day like the one pictured that gave rise to the song "The Common Era".