Califone’s own thing

Ever since he relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles, Califone’s Tim Rutili has found himself in San Diego often. He is close with locals Little White Teeth and estimates that he has played about six shows down here since 2013. He guesses that about half of those were “living room” shows.

Arranged by the Undertow Music Collective, the living-room shows present national recording artists in a quaint setting (often an actual living room) most commonly playing stripped-down or solo sets.

“It was [intimidating] at first,” he says, “and then it became really fun and really comfortable.... I think having everybody at close quarters was really kind of amazing. And it was kind of nice to meet people and just hang out. But, just as nice as it could be, it could also be pretty scary.”

Rutili will be back in San Diego as part of a short tour celebrating the vinyl reissue of Califone’s 2003 album Quicksand/Cradlesnakes. When it was released, the album was often compared to the output of peers such as Wilco and Grandaddy for its merging of electronic, noise, and Americana.

“I just felt like we were in our own little world in a lot of ways,” Rutili says. “A lot of this, for me, is like finding your own voice. Wilco definitely has theirs and Grandaddy has theirs and the Shins and Iron and Wine, all those bands — everybody’s got their own thing that they do. I think, with Califone, it could go from weird Appalachian drone music to almost like noise...and sometimes in the same song.”

The upcoming Califone show at the Hideout may feel a bit like a living-room show performed within the confines of a club. Rutili and tourmates Tara Jane O’Neil and Rachel Blumberg will each be playing solo sets. These will be followed by a grand finale where they all join forces to send the Hideout out in style since the Califone gig will be the last show at the Hideout before it transforms into SPACE. Two performances by Cold Cave on April 21st and 22nd will serve as the official grand opening.

Califone plays the Hideout (for the last time) on April 20.