The Like Me's bring their alt-R&B-pop music to our Hyphen Bittersweet Issue Release party.

Hyphen's San Francisco Bittersweet Issue Release Party

Date: Friday, June 3, 2011

Time: 9:30pm-2am

Place: 111 Minna Gallery (SF)

Get ready, Bay Area! Hyphen had a blast at our L.A. party, but we're returning to San Francisco for our Bittersweet Issue Release Party on June 3rd! We've got a lot of great music acts set to entertain, including The Like Me's, an eclectic, all-female group on a mission to revive the Cambodian music scene.

The Bay Area group describe themselves as an "alternative/R&B/pop" band, and they sound like the best mash-up of their diverse influences: you'll hear anything from hip-hop to Mary J. Blige to house and experimental music. The Like Me's began in 2009, when Loren Alonzo, Helena Hong, Monique Coquilla and Laura Mam decided to take a difficult experience and transform it into something positive.  After undergoing simultaneous break-ups, they used music as their escape and outlet for expression. Out of that, The Like Me's were born.

From the sugary '60s-style dance-pop of "Sva Rom Monkiss" to the jazzy, ambient soul of "Music Love," The Like Me's transform a multiplicity of musical stylings into something that everyone can understand. The band's ethnic roots remain a driving force in their music: they perform songs in English, Cambodian and French, and hope to inspire other young Southeast Asians to find power through creative expression.

"None of us have seen real Southeast Asian women music groups," says Laura Mam. "We want to take that history of victimization and of a drifting identity, to one of empowerment and healing." Citing Cambodia's turbulent history and ensuing diaspora, The Like Me's feel honored to be part of the movement to re-ignite a Cambodian music scene.

The group recently did a tour of Cambodia this past February, where they received an enthusiastic response from audiences. "I’m one of two Filipinos in the group, and I had a really wonderful experience [in Cambodia]," says Monique Coquilla. "I spent a lot of time in a Cambodian home, but there’s nothing like being in the homeland."

The Like Me’s have a busy schedule ahead of them -- they'll play shows in Modesto and L.A. over the summer, and plan to get into the studio and create more music for their fans across the globe.

We guarantee that by the end of the night, like us, you'll be loving the music of The Like Me's.

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Don't miss The Like Me's at our Bittersweet Issue Release Party in SF on June 3rd! For a taste of their music and their message, check out their video for "Music Love":