As the band\u2019s first-ever Noise Pop show was at Bottom of the Hill in 2022, their upcoming gig at the venue is fitting, but also bittersweet.<\/p>\n
In early January, Bottom of the Hill owners Lynn Schwarz, Ramona Downey and Kathleen Owen announced<\/a> on social media that the venue will close at the end of 2026. (Tim Benetti, their business partner, died in 2023.)<\/p>\n \u201cWe really, really want this last year to feel like a celebration and, even though we know it\u2019s going to leave a hole in the ecosystem and it\u2019s really sad, we refuse to think of it that way,\u201d Schwarz said. \u201cWe would rather just say, \u2018We had such a great run, and this year is going to be the best year that we\u2019ve ever had.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I heard the news, I was absolutely heartbroken,\u201d said Koppenjan. \u201cWe love Lynn \u2014 we love everyone that works at Bottom of the Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n For Schwarz, the band\u2019s professionalism, kindness and loyalty stand out as much as their musicianship.<\/p>\n \u201cEven as I felt they were perhaps getting big enough to headline bigger venues, they always throw it back to the venues that mean a lot to them, and that definitely is the kind of band that we love the most,\u201d said Schwarz.<\/p>\n Noise Pop dates back to 1993, when founder Kevin Arnold put together a show featuring five bands for five bucks at the Kennel Club, now the Independent. In partnership with Jordan Kurland, the festival has morphed into a multi-day event spanning multiple San Francisco venues and showcasing dozens of artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bottom of the Hill, which opened in September 1991, has hosted Noise Pop shows for years.<\/p>\n \u201cLike Hardly Strictly [Bluegrass Festival] is hardly strictly bluegrass, Noise Pop is hardly strictly pop or noise or noise pop, and it\u2019s always felt very inclusive to me of different styles,\u201d said Schwarz.<\/p>\n Schwarz recalled the first time Carpool Tunnel took the stage at Bottom of the Hill \u2014 and the impression the band left with its own melodic, SoCal-vibe sounds.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just blown away by them,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was one of those bands where everyone in the crowd was just so into it, and it really took me by surprise. And I go, \u2018These kids are definitely going places.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n For the upcoming show at Bottom of the Hill, Koppenjan and bandmates Michael \u201cJunior\u201d Reed (drums), Jenny Quay (lead guitarist) and Kalani Faith (bass guitarist) plan to pull from their albums \u201cDon\u2019t Let Them Pass You By\u201d (2023) and \u201cBloom\u201d (2021), along with newer songs.<\/p>\n Faith described Bottom of the Hill as iconic, and the city\u2019s music scene as welcoming.<\/p>\n She and Koppenjan also like that some people might head to Bottom of the Hill on Feb. 26 simply to hear live music and be impressed by what they hear.<\/p>\n \u201cBottom of the Hill is one of those places where people just show up to see bands,\u201d said Koppenjan. \u201cI\u2019ve had people be like, \u2018I just came to the show tonight, and I was so surprised by your set. You guys are so cool.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Plus, the venue has a certain quirkiness, including interior decor that may be as old as the venue itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think we all love playing places that have character and history. You just feel presence in the room from all the experiences that have been had there. I think San Francisco still has a lot of that,\u201d Koppenjan said.<\/p>\n In line with their affection for Bottom of the Hill, they asked Schwarz and her partners if they could film a music video for \u201cEmpty Faces<\/a>,\u201d a song from their album \u201cBloom,\u201d inside the venue.<\/p>\n \u201cThey allowed us to reserve the space for an afternoon, and we invited a bunch of fans to come and be in the video,\u201d said Koppenjan.<\/p>\n Bottom of the Hill is most prominently featured around the two-minute mark in the video, with Carpool Tunnel on its stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bottom of the Hill\u2019s other Noise Pop 2026 shows include the headliners Hudson Freeman (Feb. 20), Jeffrey Lewis & the Voltage (Feb. 21), J. Robbins (Feb. 22), Hot Flash Heat Wave (Feb. 25), Illuminati Hotties (Feb. 28), and San Francisco indie\/math rock<\/a> band P.E.E.<\/a> and Nuzzle (March 1).\u00a0<\/p>\n To honor the venue\u2019s closing, Noise Pop 2026 will also feature a free photography exhibition, \u201cA Tribute to Bottom of the Hill<\/a>,\u201d at Hi Hat in the Mission. It opened Feb. 12.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to feel a big absence in this music community without a venue like theirs,\u201d said Koppenjan. \u201cI\u2019m so thankful to also be playing a show there this month [and] to be supporting it.\u201d<\/p>\n The band hopes to schedule one more show at Bottom of the Hill after returning from their UK tour in April, before the venue closes.<\/p>\n \u201cGosh, they better hurry,\u201d said Schwarz, with a laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s filling up fast.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Large](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_5517-513x640.jpeg\")
Bottom of the Hill, which opened in September 1991, has consistently hosted Noise Pop Festival shows over the years. Photo by JL Odom<\/p>\n