Whitney’s Playland is the pandemic-era project of Inna Showalter and George Tarlson, longtime friends and veterans of the music scene (Grandma’s Boyfriend, Blades of Joy, Modern Charms).Whitney’s Playland is named after a defunct amusement park at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. Inna Showalter and George Tarlson met in high school in SF’s Sunset district when Inna sang in the choir and George played in the orchestra. Having worked together on previous projects, they reunited with their new LP Sunset Sea Breeze recently released on vinyl by Meritorio Records and cassette by Paisley Shirt Records (all cassette orders come with extra tape A Day At The Fair Demos and B Sides). The backdrop is 90’s and 00’s college radio, interspersing acoustic and distortion, synthetic orchestra and the like. Their music is about the usual things in life: love and loss, sometimes with a wry and sardonic angle. The result is a dreamy pop landscape reminiscent of Yo La Tengo, Guided by Voices, The Sundays, and Dinosaur Jr. The band expanded into a four-piece in late 2022 with the addition of Evan Showalter and Paul DeMartini.

“The songs have rich mid-fi sounds, acoustic guitar, lo-fi string synths, crispy lead melodies coming at you in stereo, a drum machine pounding out a simple rock beat like you might hear on Jesus & Mary Chain’s Automatic. Tiger By the Tail is stunning, a ballad with an almost baroque feeling. Inna continues to be one of the more compelling vocalists we have in SF, and this colorful new album will turn some heads.” Glenn Donaldson (The Reds, Pinks And Purples)

Their Mixtape:

George’s pick:

The Cranberries – Sunday

There are too many good Cranberries songs to count, but I’m always intrigued by this one. It just summarizes how I feel about so many things.

Flowertown – Half Yesterday

The SF music community is full of talented and supportive musicians, and none more than Karina and Mike. They both have their own bands (Cindy, Tony Jay) and are frequent collaborators with other artists. 

The Muffs – Sad Tomorrow

Let’s write a song as good as this one one day. We can hope.

Seablite – Breadcrumbs

One of the newer tracks by SF veteran rockers Seablite. I feel like the visuals really complement this song and the mood.

 

Inna’s picks:

Elis Regina & Tom Jobim – Aguas De Março

Lately I’ve been exploring Elis Regina’s work and blissing out to her gorgeous singing, but can’t get enough of this breezy duet with composer Antônio Carlos Jobim. I love the way she starts laughing at the end.

April Magazine – Parade

One of our favorite tracks by local SF legends April Magazine.

The Nerves – Give Me Some time

The Nerves’ short-lived career produced some unparalleled powerpop magic, made especially impressive by how young they were.

Broadcast – Message From Home

Trish Keenan’s mesmerizing voice and Broadcast’s blending of psychedelia & electronic elements makes them an all time favorite.

Sunset Sea Breeze is out now on Paisley Shirt Records (extra tape A Day At The Fair Demos and B Sides with all cassette orders) and Meritorio Records. Look HERE for more information on Whitney’s Playland.