The New Up, like Le Switch, was another band whose second time crossing my path felt just like the first. Only difference this time, other than the fact that their name remained the same, was that their sound had changed. Hooking up with noted producer/engineer Jaimeson Durr (Dan the Automator, Chickenfoot), the band had streamlined their studio sound, and after stabilizing their personnel, ended up with a polished modern rock identity that translated equally well on disc and on stage. Hearing them three years after the first live show of theirs I reviewed, I felt like I was hearing a whole new band.

The first time I saw the New Up, I was covering a live show at the now defunct (and missed) San Francisco venue called 12 Galaxies for the Rasputin Manifesto in 2005. The bands assembled all had one thing in common – they were all female-fronted (hence the name of that night’s program, “Girls’ Night Out”). (more…)