Noise

Cut to the core: the sweet and the Splinters

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Didja hear? There’s a mini-girl-band revolution going on. Embracing the rawest of rawk, the lowest of fi, the Splinters haven’t been lumped into the current wavelet of female-centric Bay Area ensembles ala Brilliant Colors and Grass Widow. And perhaps rightfully so. Gender aside, the bands are coming from way different places sonically. On its 12-track debut, Kick (Double Negative), the Splinters hew to the sweet harmonies of yesterday’s girl-group gangs, with nary a Phil Spector nor Calvin Johnson in earshot — though the spare arrangements and muy-primitivo grrrl-punk of “Mysterious” and “Dark Shades” seem more indebted to the K Kamp than any fortress built with Walls of Sound.

As an engineer, Maus Haus frontperson Jason Kick does a bang-up job of clearing the clutter, foregrounding the prettily droning harmonies of “Electricity,” and making the acoustic guitars glitter above a soulful bassline on “Sea Salt Skin.” Still, the pared-down aesthetic — not to mention the four UC Berkeley alums’ unpretentiously thoughtful preoccupations with such topics as girl-on-girl malice (“Oranges”) and the act of posturing beneath the heat of a gaze (“Cool”) — sounds like its all coming very organically from the Splinters themselves. Too few are fearless enough to write an on-the-verge-of-breakup song as bare-throated yet brutally honest, vulnerable, and unadorned as the guitar-and-tambourine-tinted “Sorry” — more power to the Splinters. 

THE SPLINTERS
With Psychedelic Horseshit and Outlaw
April 14, 9 p.m.
Ghosttown Gallery
2519 San Pablo, Oakl.
www.myspace.com/ghosttowngallery

Avoiding sharks and difficult questions with Toro y Moi

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Avoiding sharks and difficult questions with Toro y Moi

When you come out of the womb and your mama names you Chaz, life is going to be pretty cool. Mr. Chazwick Bundick is a child of the south, who from the sound of his uber laid-back synth melodies, must have grown up poolside, full pitcher of sweet tea attached at the hip.  The electro-musician goes by the moniker Toro y Moi— playing Mon/12 at Bottom of the Hill– and fully embodies the chillwave scene at its core, with layer upon layer of ambient wonder. And of course, Chaz is way chill.

Growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, Bundick layed low and created music in his bedroom as a young guy, taking inspiration from his parent’s luscious vinyl collection. Electronic and experimental elements of late ’70s new wave combined with his favorite artists, Animal Collective, Sonic Youth, J Dilla, Flying Lotus, and Daft Punk, for an antiqued space sound.He likes to think of himself as a composer, as opposed to a songwriter, producing complex layers of buried bass, fairytale melodies, surf guitars, and bewitching vocals.

His latest LP, Causers of This [Carpark, 2010] was released in February and is a total treasure box; a more electronic take on the usual beach soundtrack. Toro y Moi’s whimsical songs sound like they’re floating 10,000 leagues under the sea; cool, calm, and unaffected by gravity. Funny, because I soon find out that the guy doesn’t like water. 

Talking to Bundick over the phone was interesting– his mellow, musical stylings are a definite reflection of the 23-year-old’s unhurried, aloof temperament. Setting up the stage for a Philadelphia performance that evening, Bundick causally answered a few questions about life as a Southern Chaz and avoiding the sharks that loom.

SFBG: I read in a previous interview that if you could be any animal, it would be a dog or a shark. So, what kind of canine? 

Bundick: I like French Bulldogs, black Pugs, mutts, Jack Russell Terriers and wieners. 

SFBG: And what about sharks– I hear they freak you out.

Bundick: Well, I’m not a fan of jumping in the ocean. The water has to be clear, with light sand. I grew up going to a beach that had unclear water and I didn’t like going in– I like to see what’s in the water. I’m also afraid of sting rays. My friend stepped on one. And jellyfish. 

SFBG: Funny, because your sound is so easily compared to ocean-characteristcs. Yet you’re not an ocean fan.

Bundick: If I had to choose between living in the mountains or the beach, I’d definitely choose the mountains. 

SFBG: So what’s your music-writing process like? Do you dream of wooded slopes, crystal-clear streams and mountain lions?

Bundick: When I write songs I literally lock myself in my room. I won’t go out or talk to anyone. I go into songwriting mode. 

SFBG: For how long? Like a day? A week?

Bundick: Weeks or months. I think the longest was two months of not talking to anyone– OK, well, not in a crazy person way. That would make for a cool story, but basically, people ask me to hang out and I say, no sorry. I mean, I see my parents and stuff.

SFBG: So what have you been listening to while on tour?

Bundick: Let me grab my iPod and see…lots of soul and funk. Some weird house music. Riz Ortolani, an Italian composer from the ’70s who wrote the music to the movie Cannibal Holocaust. They show animals being killed– it’s bad. It was banned in a lot of places. Oh, and no, I didn’t watch it. My friend did. He told me. I wouldn’t watch it. 

SFBG: What have you been doing in between shows?

Bundick: Working on interviews. Drawing in my sketchbook.

SFBG: What do you like to draw?

Bundick: Numbers. 

SFBG: Uh, what? That sounds boring. Explain. 

Bundick: I like to draw numbers. Particularly the number two and the number five. Sometimes the number three. I’m not obsessed…I went to school for design, so I like the work with the shape and counter space, their arms and feet and different fonts.

SFBG: Wow, that actually makes sense. So what now? 

Bundick: I feel kinda weird. I feel like I might be kinda sick. And so I drank a bunch of orange juice and now I’ve got that gross, too much orange juice feeling.

 

I didn’t have any orange juice today, but I think I understand the feeling. Maybe he should’ve added a little vodka?

 

Toro y Moi w/The Ruby Suns and dreamdate

Mon/12, 8:30pm, $10

Bottom of the Hill

1233 17th Street, SF

www.bottomofthehill.com

 

Snap Sounds: New Young Pony Club

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Snap Sounds: New Young Pony Club

NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB

The Optimist

(The Numbers)

New Young Pony Club really got me revved when they released their debut album Fantastic Playroom [Modular, 2007] and packed it with a whole ranch full of songs for hot gallops and rapid romping. Now that it’s been a good chunk of years, the London five-piece claims they’ve grown up and grown out of their label contracts– they’ve become totally self-produced, self-funded and their new album The Optimist (fresh on the shelves this week) is self-released. Is it self-improved? Neigh (as in a horse noise and symbolizing my uncertainty).

The Optimist is electronically endowed as expected and it’s creative synth melodies have definitely got the juice to make you whinny. Unfortunately a percentage of the new album seems a bit predictable and similar to NYPC songs of the past. Thankfully there are still a handful of Ladytron-esque tracks to chomp on, including hot dance numbers: “We Want To,” “Stone,” “Chaos,” and “Lost a Girl.” I always dig vocalist Tahita Bulmer’s stone-cold fox approach to singing sexy; she borders mono-tone during some songs and other times orgasms into some higher, less inhibited ranges. Not to mention, her horse-mane is totally hot: half buzzed, half long and blonde with ratty crimps.

 

Duncan Sheik to sing with the San Francisco Symphony

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Duncan Sheik to sing with the San Francisco Symphony

Duncan Sheik’s “Barely Breathing” was ranked #88 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, but in the past decade, the singer and composer has been winning even fancier gold awards for his musical theater scores. This week Sheik’s singing with the San Francisco Symphony— Wed/7- Sat/10 at Davies Symphony Hall– and performing the world premiere of the orchestral arrangement of songs from The Whisper House.


The Whisper House is the story of a small boy, Christopher, who looses his father during World War II and must move into a lighthouse with his aunt in New England. The creepy coastal home is haunted and Christopher begins to build a rapport with the spirits. The ghosts sing all the songs during the show, exposing the subconscious secrets of the boy’s frightened mind.

Sheik, along with Kyle Jarrow, wrote the songs for the stage production of The Whisper House and the show premiered at The Old Globe in San Diego in January 2010. The SF Symphony commissioned new orchestration of the Whisper House songs, excited by Sheiks wild success with his score for the Broadway hit Spring Awakening, which won him two Tony Awards in 2007 and a Grammy in 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqRu6TvosPY

Songs like “It’s Better To Be Dead” and “We’re Here To Tell You” are great examples of this new collection’s gentle nature; organic, slightly chilling and yet comforting. The songs are indeed perfect for The Whisper House’s stage setting, the soft guitar strums, purring clarinet, and padded drums inspire contrasting thoughts of cozy down blankets and cold, salty winds. The song lyrics inform young Christopher that there are in fact things in the lighthouse, and in the world, that are scary, contrary to what his aunt tells him. Fluid and serene, it’s easy to picture a bunch of ghosts whispering Sheik’s words high above the angry ocean waves, stirring around the lighthouse and taunting the child.

Sheik will be singing along with the Symphony during his string of performances in San Francisco, and although the story will not be told visually, the stage full of instruments will guide your mind in the right direction. Along with Sheik, the evening will also feature other music intended for the stage, including Poulenc’s Suite from Les Biches and Claude Vivier’s Zipangu.

 

Duncan Sheik w/ the San Francisco Symphony

Wed/7, 8pm

Thur/8, 8pm

Fri/9, 6:30pm

Sat/10, 8pm

$15 to $130

Davies Symphony Hall

201 Van Ness, SF

www.sfsymphony.org

 

RJD2’s music is a trip– even for him

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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RJD2’s music is a trip– even for him

Skip the Blockbuster run of predictable action flicks and let an RJD2 album call the shots. The record may spin, but your mind will cartwheel with scenes of drama, horror and thrill of your choosing. Allow the blaring horns to signal a wild chase, the sampled soul to spur images of a powerful protagonist and the hip-hop bass to conjure up a dreary, urban setting: the music of RJD2 –playing Wed/7 at The Independent–  is a mind-driven movie reel.

Ramble John “RJ” Krohn has been making music as RJD2 since 1993, switching up his perfectionist tainted DJ process by not only sampling everything from ’70s disco and movie themes, but by also using his own vocals and live instrumentation. Last year RJ took on the boss role and started his own label, RJ’s Electrical Connections, putting out his fourth and latest record The Colossus in January. 

Colossus begins with “Let There Be Horns“, its hot Latin drum beat, humming strings, tiptoeing chimes and heavy synths immediately filling my mind’s projector with images from an underground business deal. I imagined film flickering with shots of Miami mobsters, blaring brass begetting cash exchanges and the electric guitar solo warming of police presence. I heard the medley of Russian-style strings as an audible indication of a fight between the pastel suited-men and the story’s dirty antagonists. The synth seemed to indicate when life was good in palm-laden city and the sampled clapping at the song’s end wrapped up my vision with high hopes. 

Each song on Colossus has a similar, industrial, urban story for me; I see factory workers, trains, smog filled cities and lover’s quarrels each time RJD2’s beats play. Is this weird? Maybe my over-active imagination should get back in the closet? I was hoping that RJ himself would understand.

Talking over the phone from his Ohio home, RJ was enjoying a small window of free time by repairing a broken synth, which he admitted was “pretty nerdy.” Not as nerdy as my “visions”, I thought. I asked him questions about owning the label and other slightly boring items, flirting around what I really wanted to ask. I felt like a kindergarten student with my hand-up, squirming with a question. And then, I just blurted it out. 

SFBG: So…do you ever think of your music as a story? I tend to think of the sounds, instruments and samples as characters– interacting, meeting, fighting, making love? Antagonists and Protagonists in a movie scene. Do you think of it like that? 

RJ: (Giggle). I think of things in a similar manner, yes. 

SFBG: (Sigh of relief).

RJ: The fun of instrumental music for me is the intention of release. The arrangement of the song is the most important thing– how it progresses. The tension and the release. Building drama. The medium I work in is drama. Two things might be working with each other, or against each other, and thinking of them as characters or playing roles makes sense to me. There’s a relationship between the two parts: between the drums and the groove, the intro and the base of the song. The bridge, the breakdowns, each section– where they fall next to each other and the transitions between them. 

SFBG: So if not in story-writting mode, where does your head go when you put together your songs?

RJ: I like to let things unfold on its own accord. I don’t like to force it. I find it fun and interesting and rewarding to let it take me along for the ride. I’m not the kind of guy who starts with a blueprint, or gets lyrics, chords and melodies in their sleep– I’m in total awe of that. Almost all of the time I’m recording, it’s an exploratory project– I don’t know what I’m looking for, shooting for as I go. I like to get the sensation that the experience is like going along for a ride in someone else’s movie, trip or story. 

No need for a pill, puff or embarrassment– looks like everybody gets a free trip from RJD2’s music.

 

RJD2

Wed/7, 8pm, $20

The Independent

628 Divisadero, SF

www.the independentsf.com

 

In Roma with Fishtank Ensemble

Andrew Lam
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In the United States, the term “gypsy” has come to signify a certain bohemian nomadry. A silver bangled, many skirted, sultry way of banging a tambourine. But more deeply,“gypsy” refers to a rich cultural Euro-Asian heritage, more correctly termed Roma — a culture that has brought to the world the frenetic riffs and musical arabesques of Roma tunesters Fishtank Ensemble, who will play at the DeYoung Museum Fri/9.


But first, let it be said: the members of Fishtank Ensemble are not themselves Roma. “The history of the group is that we’ve all had experience with Roma people and the music. It seemed like a natural transition to want to play, and though we know so little about the music, we’re always wanting to learn more,” says Ursula Knudson, Fishtank’s lead vocalist.


Fishtank bonded over roads from vastly different climes (members of the group hail from places as disparate as Serbia and Los Angeles) that culminated on a common plane; a love for Roma music. One had spent time volunteering in Roma villages, one learning the “styles and tricks” of their musical genre in Roma caves overlooking the Alhambra in Grenada, Spain.


Violinist Fabrice Martinez, now married to Knudson, traveled Europe in a covered wagon he made himself. “He wanted to travel, but he didn’t want to drive a car… or walk… or hitch hike,” explains Knudson. The two, who met one starstruck evening while Felice strummed his violin in Venice, eventually built a wagon of their own in Europe, and shipped it to California — where it is currently spending time housing a friend in Venice until the day Knudson and Martinez can afford a space to accommodate it.


There’s a reason that Fishtank must be clear about their connection to the upbeat tunes they play.


An autobiographical note: when I was but a young pup, cruising the Spanish calles for a smattering of “cultural experience,” I got robbed. A lot. This was no doubt due to my group’s penchant for public inebriation, and frankly, we probably deserved each pick-pocketing for our sheer opaqueness. Nevertheless, many Spaniards would blame it on the “gitanos,” their slur for “gypsy.” “Those good for nothings,” “Always be careful if you see the gypsies around, hold onto your valuables.” Roma ethnic groups have been historically derided and socio-economically isolated in many of their European home countries. In the States, advocacy groups like Voice of Roma work tirelessly to stop the spread of such prejudicial views of the Roma people.


Knudson gets it. “There’s a delicate balance between making this accessible to American audiences and respecting this rich musical heritage,” she tells me. She says cultural fidelity (in addition to a foot stomping good time) is one of Fishtank’s goals in their performances. “We want to make it as non diluted as possible.”


But Roma ditties, forged in the paradoxically inspiring heat of social marginalization, are too good not to share with the world. “There are somber songs [but] lots of [Roma songs] are about partying and dancing and joy — its real, look on the bright side music,” says Knudson. The group loves to bring their danceable folk beats to San Francisco, where Knudson says they have their best shows.


All the better for us. Fishtank’s klezmer-like whirlwinds of sound are twisting, twirling get downs that do us the distinct favor of reminding us that the ruling classes will never, ever, have the best parties.


Fri/9 6:30 p.m., free


DeYoung Museum


50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, SF


415) 750-3600


www.fishtankensemble.org


www.famsf.org


 

Not minor: Man/Miracle

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One of the nicer surprises this year has to be The Shape of Things (Third Culture), the debut recording by busy Oakland-by-way-of-Santa Cruz foursome Man/Miracle. No, you don’t get Cruz-ish untrammeled psychedelia of Sleepy Sun nor the noise blues of Comets on Fire nor the spooked folk of Emily Jane White here. Instead you are bestowed with indie that has taken its vitamins and bounces merrily between commercial modern rock and feisty experimentation with remarkable urgency, recalling, at moments, the Talking Heads, at others, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and at still others, Wolf Parade. Produced and recorded by kindred Oaklander and onetime Beulah player Eli Crews, The Shape of Things finds its pulse somewhere between the rousing, handclap-sprinkled singalong “Pushing and Shoving” — previously released as a single — and the jittery, almost Afropop-tinged “Back of the Card,” which seems to ascend on a tide of rhythm guitars and Animal Collective-esque backing vocals. It won’t take a miracle to see this super-energized combo shaping a big ole following soon.

Man/Miracle play with Rogue Wave April 30, 9 p.m., at the Fillmore, 1805 Geary, SF. $19.50.  (415) 346-6000, www.livenation.com

Getting into the Afro-psych groove: Witch

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The juicy goodness of excellent psych is worth revisiting no matter how far back it was released — hence this darting glance at Witch, the Zambian ‘70s rock fivesome, and its 1975 full-length, Lazy Bones!!,  released a few months back by QDK Media. Licensed from vocalist Emanyeo Jagari Chanda (the last surviving member of the group is now a foreman at a uranium mining operation in a remote Zambian village) , this gem from the so-called Zam Rock scene rumbles as fiercely as any combo off an early Nuggets comps (see badass rump-shaker “Off Ma Boots”). There are  plenty of wah-wah-wonderful super-fuzz guitar rave-ups (“Tooth Factory”) here, mixed in a blood-pumping dose of James Brown-style funk (“Little Clown”) and some Mahavishnu-touched jams (the levitating “October Night”). Worth comparing to the recently reissued work by Death, the lost black rockers of Detroit? Perhaps, though Witch turns out to be in a fabulous league of its own — spurring me to search out other ‘70s African rock obscuros like Blo and Ofege.

No Bra makes topless creepy

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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No Bra makes topless creepy

Exposed breasts usually make my heart beat a little faster in a good, sexy sort of way. But when Susanne Oberbeck, front-woman of post- No Wave- techno band, No Bra, takes off her top, letting her frizzy red hair dangle past her puss and slightly cover her chest, my heart beats faster in a nervous sort of way.

It’s not that the lady is bad looking, it’s the music that inspires and therefore accompanies her shirt removal– industrial, tortured, plunky notes that sulk behind a low, groaning voice. No Bra’s music takes you straight out of your warm desk chair and places you in a dark alley… at 3 a.m…in East Oakland.

No Bra started up in 2003, after Oberbeck moved from her hometown in Germany, to London and then to New York. Her vocals come delivered in a deadpan spoken-word style over cracked-out, murky percussion, electric guitar strums and other combinations of mildew-covered sounds. The old-style German folk slowly churns below Oberbeck, playing the soundtrack to what could be a really rad horror movie from the ’30s. The lyrics about syphilis and anal-sex come off like secrets whispered by elderly, possibly senile men. Oberbeck has called her tracks “romantic.” 

Oberbeck’s intentions for singing minus brasserie seem aimed at disbanding gender norms and besides taking things off, she also puts on a fake mustache every once and awhile. (I’m guessing all of this reflects on her childhood in Germany, where Oberbeck has said she was mistaken for a boy until she was into her late teens). 

Even though No Bra totally creeps me out, I do think there’s something really wonderful and provoking about the music– Oberbeck’s physical nakedness pairs well with the exposed and disturbing musical content. I find its aloofness oddly compelling. 

The latest No Bra single, “Minger/New Hero“, came out in February, with remixes by TV Baby and These New Puritans. Unfortunately, her and her eerie tit show are not touring to San Francisco any time soon…


Learning to talk dirty from Mickey Avalon

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Learning to talk dirty from Mickey Avalon

Dirty rappin’ about splooge, needles, dead friends and having sex with big-breasted inbred women– wow Mickey Avalon is a charmer. The Hollywood glam-rapper– playing Sat/3 at Roe Nightclub– is far from classy, in fact he’s the epitome of trashy and tragic, and yet kind of hot? Wait, wait, wait– hot? Well, kinda. Ew. I know. So if this is sexy, ladies and gentleman, maybe we should take a few notes.

It’s been four years since Avalon’s self-titled debut [MySpace Records, 2006] and to be honest, I kind of forgot that he existed. But he’s back, ready to penetrate crowds of dirty-minded dancers and apparently he’s got a new CD coming out this year, Electric Gigolo [MySpace Records]. As the Guardian has said before, Avalon manages to be simultaneously delightful and disgusting. I thought it was time to reminisce and look through his gritty, pornographic lyrics for a few Avalon gems. Here are five real winners. Mmm…talk dirty to me. 

1. “I sodomized your father in a federal penitentiary. And on the day I got out I went to your mother’s house and slept on the couch.” 

2. “I’ll bust through the shudders, masked in a rubber. Duct tape your mother and butt-rape your brother.” 

3. “Four seconds Avalon will give you what you need. Raw-doggin’ till we bleed. Force feed horse meat to your sweet buttercup.”

4. “I got a monkey on my back with his dick in my ass. Been tryin’ to fuck this monkey since algebra class.” 

5. “I’ll sperm on your perm, leave cigarette burns on your tits.” 

 

OK. Barf. Too dirty….

 

Mickey Avalon

Sat/3, 9pm, $20

Roe Nightclub

651 Howard, SF

www.roe-sf.com

Live Shots: Soweto Gospel Choir, Paramount Theatre, 03/27/2010

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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The Soweto Gospel Choir performed at the Paramount Theatre this past weekend, which meant there was dancing, singing and major amounts of smiling happening all across the stage.

The group was made up of almost thirty extremely talented singers, whose musical repertoire included everything from traditional gospel pieces to funky Bob Marley. Their vocal range soared from deep rich bass to sky-high sopranos. The costumes captured every color of the rainbow and flowed to their swirling voices.

The show itself was quite a dramatic mix. Dance routines featuring stomping and gigantic kicks punctuated the singing. A set change put the singers around a table, where they used forks and spoons to beat out the rhythm. The music was incredible; however, I did find parts of the performance overly choreographed, like I was watching a play. I would have liked to see the performers embrace a little more spontaneity in their voices and interact with the audience. Despite my nagging preference, all in all it was an evening to rejoice, topped off with gospel goodness.

Zion I is home and grown

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Zion I is home and grown

Marriage, jobs, cars— ten years can be a stretch for a lot of things in our world, but the hip-hop created by Zion I is still fresh after a decade, the signs of wear and tear only showing on the albums themselves. Producer AmpLive and emcee Zumbi make up the Bay Area duo—playing Thurs/1 at the Rickshaw Stop and Fri/2 at the Independent— who have just returned from a 35-city tour around the country. Zumbi says they’re officially “ready to vibe with the hometown crowd.”

“The tour was great, but I need to get my life and routine back together,” Zumbi said over the phone while prepping for his regular show on Oakland’s Youth Radio. Sharing the bill with Cali-raggae stars Rebelution and Soja, the laid-back hippy crowd proved to be quite different than the fans Zion I usually sees when they share the stage with other hip-hop artists. 

 

“A lot less ego and a lot more energy,” he said, noting that the tour consistently had an average of one to three thousand people in the audience. “Usually on a tour, it fluctuates. Some nights are big and others just have 50 people. The consistency brought out a lot of energy. Every night was so exciting— never a drag.”

 

His favorite stop on the tour was definitely New Orleans. The massive amounts of reconstruction throughout the city reminded him a lot of where he calls home— West Oakland. 

 

“The old Victorian houses, next to the new condos and all the construction. New Orleans was like my neighborhood three times over. It was nuts.”

 

Zion I

 

Back on his home turf, Zion I is the same cat you met back in the late ‘90s: prominently loaded with thick, luscious beats from AmpLive’s unpredictable bag of tricks and smooth, conscious lyrics from the mouth of Zumbi. Funk, soul, D&B, and space vibes remain as they have throughout Zion I’s career, but their sixth and most recent release, The Takeover (Gold Dust Media, 2009), really hits home by honing in on these qualities. Sharp hooks, anchored melodies and beats that bump make this album congruent with Kanye-style hits. 

 

“We switched up our process and did lots of revisions on this album. We’d change up one song like two, three or four times. I’d write three or four raps for each beat,” he said, which is quite a contrast to the previously process: Amp would make the beat, Zumbi would write the rhyme and they’d record. 

 

Such a drastic change in work ethic doesn’t just come out of nowhere. 

 

“Well, we’ve been in this for ten years…” he starts out. “And Amp just got married and had baby. And we both just bought houses.” The truth comes out: they’ve grown up. And so has their music. “We’re ready to take on more responsibilities. This is where we are. We are grown men with something to say.”

 

Zumbi considers each song like a journal entry, a story in each song that reflects where these two men have been, what they’ve seen and the thoughts the journey has inspired. 

 

And he wraps it up in one perfect statement: “One of the most beautiful things in life is to watch an artist evolve.”

 

 

Zion I


Thurs/April 1

Rickshaw Stop 

155 Fell St, SF

9pm, $18/20

www.rickshawstop.com

 

Fri/April 2

Independent

628 Divisadero Street, SF

9pm, $18/20

www.theindependentsf.com


Hump Day headliner: The White Mice

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Hump Day headliner: The White Mice

The screaming, banging, clanging, and screeching I can handle for a couple minutes, but the big, bloody, rodent costumes? No way. Pretty sure I’m a masklophobe, meaning I’m already totally creeped out by people dressed up in oversized, animal and mascot costumes, even if they’re smiling and semi-cute. The grindcore metal-heads, The White Mice—playing Wed/31 at 21 Grand— take it to an all-new low with their chosen stage attire, beyond the crypt and into a the most terrifying science lab possible. 

Three guys in three red-stained lab coats, the Rhode Island Mice hide their faces behind papier-mâché mouse masks on stage, experimenting with their abrasive, totally rude, nasty metal sounds. 

Categorize them as you will, their brand of metal is industrial and distorted, a batch of chemically treated sounds concocted by the hand of a mad scientist. The guitars rip and rage with machismo. The vocals growl. The pounding bass and steadfast drums claw your organs from the inside out— sound appealing?

 

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The strangest part about The Mice is their “cheesy” sense of humor. Their song titles are often mice-related, like “Gouda and Evil” and “Cheesus Saves.” Funny and scary— these guys would be hot on the dating market. 

 

The show is being put on by Club Sandwich, an East Bay collective who organizes events for local, and touring, under-the-radar musicians. The show is all-ages, meaning you could tote along your whiney little brother and really scare the shit out of him, Donnie Darko style. 

 


The White Mice w/Lesbian and Nuclear Death Wish

Wed/31, 8pm, $6

21 Grand 

416 25th St., Oakland

www.21grand.org


Snap Sounds: Dum Dum Girls

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Snap Sounds: Dum Dum Girls

DUM DUM GIRLS

I Will Be

(Sup Pop)

Dee Dee. Jules. Bambi. Frankie Rose. Their names would be perfect for the pole and dollar-bill dances, but the only stage these four L.A. ladies take on is one with a mic. Together they are The Dum Dum Girls and today these bad-ass babes put out their first full-length record, I Will Be. Primarily dirty garage-pop with a shot of girl-group charm, the Dum Dum’s combination of sweet and ratty comes off with a second-wave feminist punch. Hot harmonies, lo-fi fuzz, sexy black outfits, and sassy melodies that stick like bubblegum. 

I Will Be recieved a little love and audible inspiration from industry vet Richard Gottehrer, who co-wrote “My Boyfriend’s Back” and produced albums by lovely legends Blondie and the Go-Go’s back in the day. Dee Dee (a.k.a. Kristin Gundred) runs the girl gang of musicians and says she grew up listening to sick chart toppers like Mariah Carey until her pops introduced her to the good stuff, like Jefferson Airplane and Grace Slick– thanks Dad! And props to her mom, whose baby face adorns the cover of the new album. 

Taking hints from the grand ol’ ’60s, while spicing things up with some grungy shoe-gazing guitar, The Dum Dum Girls are a sexier version of The Vivian Girls and a perfect upper to any downer. 

Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.

Live Shots: Air, Fox Theater, 03/26/2010

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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0

It was the first time I traveled by myself. I was exploring Boston, meandering along the red line that winds its way from one historical site to another, while the discman in my purse blasted Air. The red line (aka The Freedom Trail) ends at Bunker Hill. The sun was brilliant on that June day and I lay in the grass, squinting up at the clouds. Cherry Blossom Girl started playing. I watched a little girl do somersaults in the grass and dance. Her tumbles were in perfect time with the soft rhythm of the song. The little girl was pure joyfulness. She found a feather in the grass and for some reason brought it over to me and said “This is for you.” Then her dad called to her, telling her it was time to go home.

That was seven years ago. I’ve written about this before, how music becomes so connected to moments in life, how songs can bring back smells and emotions that would otherwise be long lost in the tangled mess of experiences we have over a lifetime. The music by the French band Air is so fluid and hypnotic. It glues itself to beautiful moments that forever stay ingrained in our minds. Air performed this past Friday at the Fox Theater in Oakland, as part of a tour to debut their new album entitled Love 2. With their classic electronic beats against a trippy slide show backdrop, there wasn’t a single audience member whose eyes and ears weren’t completely super-glued to the stage. AM, opened for Air and played everything from classic rock to Brazilian classics — new album Future Sons and Daughters came out last month.

I still have that feather from the little girl on Bunker Hill. It reminds me of summer, sunshine, and that feeling of floating on air.

Bay Area Sistah Sound celebrate two years of femme beats

Andrew Lam
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0

The ladies of Bay Area Sistah Sound know their place — and it’s in the beat kitchen. The all female DJ crew (which includes DJ Zita, the legendary Pam the Funkstress and newest addition to the cast, DJ Similak Chyld) is celebrating its second anniversary at 111 Minna on Fri/2. It seemed like a good time to reflect with the women on their past two years.

A lot has changed around these parts since DJ Zita moved back to the Bay area after living for a spell in Hawaii. Upon her return to San Francisco, she found the famously inclusive city lacking on the female pride front. “I noticed the fact that the [hip hop DJ] scene was male dominated. There were a lot of women, but they were all doing their own thing. There was no solidarity.” Zita, a founding member of Sisters in Sound, the first all woman group of DJs on the islands, decided to change all that.

It’s still true that when you go into a lot of the larger hip hop/R & B clubs in town these days, you’ll still encounter a dude heavy clientele. But the number of women-run groups and women-featured nights — and no, we’re not talking about the Lusty Lady — is on the rise. You’ve got Coo-yah Wednesdays at Paradise Lounge, with resident reggae spinners Daneekah and Green B, RRS Feed, Peaches at Skylark on Thursday nights, a funky — a funky, souly, hip hop affair orchestrated by promoter Masaye Waugh, who formerly slung drinks at Everlasting B.A.S.S. when the party was at club 330 Ritch.

“I really love the B.A.S.S. party,” says Waugh. “That was right around when I was learning about what it means to be a female DJ in the business.” Later, Masaye texts me “I was so excited and inspired by [Everlasting B.A.S.S.] and it made me understand/appreciate more what I had gotten into. Have you seen Pam scratch with her boob? That’s a party!”

Waugh understands why more and more women are choosing to work together, B.A.S.S. style. “It’s that communal feeling of working with other women,” she says. That sentiment of solidarity was what led DJ Zita to round up Pam the Funkstress and DJ Neta, who has since left to pursue family life and a PhD, to form a mainland female DJ crew. “Pam [of activist hip hop duo The Coup] and Neta were veterans,” Zita tells me. “They’d been holding down for a minute.”

Zita started inviting female singers and B-girls to perform with them each month, and found they were able to spin their own kind of nightlife. “There’s more of a vibe of respect for women at our parties,” says Zita, whose B.A.S.S. crowds tend to be majority female.

The DJ is excited to see B.A.S.S.’s contribution to women run nightlife in the city. “We’re inspiring other female DJs to come out,” says Zita, who had to upgrade from last year’s anniversary space to two room 111 Minna in order to accommodate B.A.S.S.’s growing fan base and lineup (eighteen woman DJs will be featured on Friday).

So what does year three hold for the ladies of B.A.S.S.? The addition of DJ Similak Chyld, for one. Similak, whose also scratched with Future Primitive Sound, had never been in an all female project before, and initially had some hesitations. But after having done some shows with the crew, she’s noticed some upsides to a gender specific crowd. “There’s no dudes that are there just to gawk,” the diminutive DJ says. “If there’s so many women, they tend to just shut the fuck up.” Plus, it’s a chance to spin with some women she’s looked up to for awhile. “Zita called me [to ask me to be a part of B.A.S.S.]- who calls people anymore? I remember being humbled and blown away. I mean, I saw Pam’s shows over ten years ago!”

Zita says future plans include the continued expansion of B.A.S.S.’s lineup, as well as global takeover. “We’d like to start touring beyond the Bay- down to Southern California, across the country, or… world tour! It’s going to be exciting to see what 2010 brings.”

Everlasting B.A.S.S. Two Year Anniversary

Fri/2 9 p.m., $5-20

111 Minna

111 Minna, SF

www.bassladydjs.com

Think About Life and dance real hard

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Think About Life and dance real hard

A quality, happy-wild dance band like Think About Life—playing Fri/26 at Bottom of the Hill— is a gem to be treasured, or as the band themselves might say, “a pearl in my heart” or “the golden seashell in my dreams.” No matter how you quantify your sacred jewels, you had better put them deep in your fifth-pocket or that shit’s gonna fly out when the beat starts– arms and legs automatically doing half-cartwheels on the dance floor. 

Hailing from Montreal, Think About Life is a four-some of adorable nerds who don’t just come out of their shells onstage, they bust out, sending bits of energy and bedazzled hearts into the crowd for a set that will melt any and all dance-related inhibitions. Their latest album, Family [Alien8 Records, 2009] is jammed with front-man Martin Cesar’s bright vocals, hard bass beats and catchy melodies that race, skip rope, and double-dutch. 

 

I particularly enjoy the track “Sweet Sixteen” and its super geeky video. Pay close attention to bassist/vocalist Caila Thompson-Hannant’s sexy dance moves— looks quite similar to the show my aunt recently put on at a family wedding. Hotttie! 

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Think About Life

w/The Heavenly States and Kill Moi

Fri/26, 8:30pm, $10

Bottom of the Hill

1233 17th Street, SF

www.bottomofthehill.com


Haushcka that’s good for the ear, not skin

John Elberling
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Classical music fans might see the instrumental piano pieces by Germany’s Hauschka and the American Dustin O’Halloran — both performing Thurs/25 at Swedish American Hall — as simplistic. Most of the notes they play are consonant, even if partly obscured by the objects wedged between the strings and hammers of Hauschka’s prepared piano. Instead of seeing this music in terms of two entrenched classical music camps — the John Cage-following avant-gardists on one side and the populists on the other — it’s more telling to see them as nonpartisans, aware of the past but not bound by it. Assisted by guns-for-hire Magik*Magik String Quintet, these two artists create magically wistful, emotionally resonant classical-lite that won’t be lost on those who didn’t grow up listening to Brahms.

HAUSCHKA AND DUSTIN O’HALLORAN
With Magik*Magik String Quartet
Thurs/25, 7:30pm, $16
Swedish American Hall
2170 Market, SF
(415) 861-5016
www.cafedunord.com

Pentamiligrams: Pentagram deliver the wrong dosage of rock

Sue Vaughan
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3

Between the pre-salers and the at-the-door buyers, Pentagram fans shelled out around $20 each for the DNA Lounge show Wed/24. Though the complications of the band’s discography could fill the pages of a sizable book, suffice to say that they are not promoting a new album — the concert-goers in attendance were universally excited for a healthy portion of Pentagram classics (especially those diehards who saw July 2009’s command performance, also at the DNA).

The set that followed was a sham. It started auspiciously with “Forever My Queen” and “Review Your Choices” — two of the favorites that everyone expected. Then singer Bobby Liebling, 56-year-old butt poured into turquoise skinny jeans, reached for his harmonica.

What followed could hardly be called a “song,” and would be more appropriately and unfortunately be called a “jam.” It was the most ham-handed attempt at concert filler I’ve ever witnessed. Despite a half-hearted attempt to evoke ZZ Top’s “La Grange” somewhere around the middle of its bloated, 20-minute run time, it was largely an exercise in poorly-rehearsed, poorly-performed 12-bar-blues, packed start-to-finish with Liebling’s unsettling attempts at being “sexy” onstage (read: lots of cunnilingus-style tongue waggling and Robert Plant crotch diddling). After two more songs (the well-received “Sign of the Wolf” and “20 Buck Spin”), Pentagram bugged the fuck out, without playing an encore.

Turns out the band’s long-time lead guitarist, Russ Strahan, quit under mysterious circumstances right before the current tour was about to start. According to a statement posted on his MySpace page, Strahan felt he had to walk away “Due to communication breakdowns and inner band issues,” refusing to “compromise [his] values and love of playing music.” He cryptically concluded: “True fans of Pentagram … will understand the ongoing internal turmoil that has haunted this band from its inception & I refuse to air dirty laundry to the public.”

As tempting as it is to speculate, the exact nature of the stains on the band’s “dirty laundry” is likely to remain unknown. It is telling, nevertheless, that Liebling is the sole constant in a band that lists no fewer than 23 “former members” on Wikipedia. The singer is notoriously difficult to get along with, though, to his credit, he has recently kicked a long-running and devastating drug habit, thanks in large part to his relationship with 23-year-old wife Hallie, a fresh-faced, fashion-forward blonde who ironically blogs and twitters under the name “Halcoholic.”

In order to continue with their current tour, the band recruited axeman Johnny Wretched (formerly of under-appreciated Mid-Atlantic doomsters Unorthodox) to fill in for Strahan. Though a competent guitarist, he was apparently unable to learn a sufficient amount of Pentagram material in the short time frame available, leading to the debacle that transpired onstage at the DNA Lounge last night. It would certainly behoove the band to be more forthright (one pre-set apology aside) with their short-changed fans in the future. More importantly, those intending to attend one of the shows later in the tour should “Be Forewarned.”

For further reading, check out this fascinating interview with Liebling on metal blog The Obelisk.

Hammers of fortune!

Sue Vaughan
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Hammers of fortune!

Big news on the local metal scene: San Francisco prog-shredders Hammers of Misfortune have just signed to Metal Blade Records. Hot off the Metal Blade press-release telegraph:

“Metal Blade Records is pleased to announce the signing of San Francisco’s progressive metal outfit HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE. Metal Blade Records will release four of the band’s previous releases in late summer 2010 with a new studio album expected in 2011.”

According to the release, the band (conceived as “break-up proof” by band founder John Cobbett) will continue to produce their own albums. Along with Cobbett (who’s also in Ludicra) on guitar, Hammers’ regular members include Chewy Marzolo on drums (also a member of swingin’ side project King City), multi-instrumentalist (keyboards, flute, and haunting vocals) Sigrid Sheie, and bassist Max Barnett (of Old Grandad fame). News to me, thanks to Metal Blade’s PR, is that guitarist-vocalist Leila Abdul-Rauf (whose previous band, solid black-metal outfit Saros, is on “indefinite hiatus,” according to their Myspace page) has joined the Hammers line-up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwPZ3lqg19g

Frankly, I’m stoked — in a world where far too many shitty, quasi-metal bands get record contracts, this is great news for one of San Francisco’s most innovative, talented, hardworking, and (lest we forget) awesomely furious bands. Horns up, Hammers!

Read Josh Wilson’s 2007 profile of the band in the Guardian here; check out the full press release on Metal Blade’s site here.

Oh Baby, Neon Indian was made in the ’80s

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Oh Baby, Neon Indian was made in the ’80s

Miniature scrunchies, neon-colored jumpers and babysitters who insisted the tube stay tuned to MTV— awwwww, weren’t ‘80s babies the coolest? I may be partial, due to the fact that I was born in said decade, but so was Alan Palomo, a.k.a. the synth-wizard behind Neon Indian— playing Fri/26 at Mezzanine— and he’s an ’88 boy whose cheeks and beats I always wanna squeeze. 

Fuzzy, freaky and so videogame-esque, Neon Indian is Palomo’s solo project, following the rapid success of his other electro gig, VEGA. The debut album, Psychic Chasms [Lefse 2009], is a charming mix of steady beats with whirling lasers and wired hiccups. “Should Have Taken Acid With You” is genius— Palomo’s baby-smooth vocals romping around the electronic rattles and laser toys. 

 

I called up Palomo on a Sunday afternoon while he was in Austin, laying low before the SXSW storm that would take over the following day. Even through his use of big, fancy words, I thoroughly enjoyed being distracted with the thought of his full head of baby curls blowing in the Texas breeze (slightly creepy, yes).

 

 

SFBG- How would you describe Neon Indian’s sound using verbs?

Palomo– Reactive. Warped. Like solving a sudoku. And this is going to sound like a L’Oreal commercial, but translucent and shimmering. Klodisesphocick?

 

SFBG- Ok, now you’re just making up cool words…

Palomo–  How about pastel-nauseating?

 

SFBG- Tell me about another art form that has influenced your music?

Palomo– I’ve been renting a lot of movies and they seem to be following a pattern: meandering characters, though well intentioned. Like Vagabond (1985)– a French film about a female hobo traveling through various towns.  

 

(Palomo stops to admire an old couple cruising around him on a tandem bike).

 

SFBG- Sometimes your lyrics seem pretty obscure, or maybe I just get distracted by the lasers— what do you like to write songs about?

Palomo– Nothing makes for better art than relationships. Yikes. They’re fascinating. My music comes off as effervescent, people describe it as happy, but I have to have a little ambivalence in there, too. 

 

SFBG- So when you make music, it’s in your bedroom and it’s just you. How does this transfer to a live show?

Palomo- We’ve done a lot of recontextualizing. I’ve had to sacrifice a little bit here and there so people have something to look at. It’s alienating if not— go to a live show, get a drink and look at your watch. So we’ve really worked on making it palpable. 

 

(The tandem goes by again—followed by an obnoxiously loud motorcycle). 

 

Palomo- Wow that guy’s motorcycle is ridiculous. Really? Those machines don’t bring pleasure to anyone but yourself, sir. 

 

SFBG- Have people been dancing at your shows?

Palomo– At first they have quixotic looks on their faces, but then three or four songs in they realize this requires some physical movement, like ok, I’m not on the couch, wearing headphones and my Snuggie. And then yes. They dance— in a Peyote-dazed way.

 

SFBG- So ‘80s baby, what are some ‘80s elements have weaseled their way into your music? Favorite culture-tid bits from that era?

Palomo- Definitely Sega Genesis, Sonic (The Hedgehog) 3. All that rushing music in the underwater level. Brings about such a primitive mechanism in my brain. I really liked the Sega soundcard. It’s like a crappy sampler, condensed, crunchy, weird— a great, low quality sampler. 

 

SFBG- What are you going to do the rest of afternoon?

Palomo– Some some weed and watch Kids in the Hall. 

 

SFBG- Ah, I hate that show. 

Palomo– What? (He says with complete shock). I used to take sick days in middle school so I could stay home and watch it. 

 

 

Neon Indian

Fri/26, 9pm, $15

444 Jessie, SF

www.mezzaninesf.com

 

SCENE: NonStop Bhangra brings the dance

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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0
SCENE: NonStop Bhangra brings the dance

From Scene: The Guardian Guide to Bay Area Nightlife and Glamour — on stands now in the Guardian

You’ve always been the, shall we say, expressive one in your group. Eye-fluttering comes naturally to you. Your hands have been known to fly to your face at the slightest appearance of everyday anguish. You enjoy flouncing. So go east, young thang — straight to dramatic Bollywood.

Can’t quite swing the flight to Mumbai? You’re in luck, because since 2004, Vicki Virk and Suman Raj of the dholrhythms dance troupe, along with DJ Jimmy Love and others, have been holding monthly NonStop Bhangra club nights (www.nonstopbhangra.com) that turn the Rickshaw Stop into handclapping, bangle-clanging, whirling celebrations of bhangra, the dance music that drives Indian cinema. They spend the night’s first hour schooling audiences to bhangra basics, leaving each diva free to bob and spin for the rest of the night to the tunes of an ever more impressive lineup of dub, hip-hop, and electronica DJs and musicians. We caught up with Virk to chat about how she’s made this unconventional club night a multicultural institution in the Bay for the past six years.

SFBG How did you first come into contact with bhangra music?

VICKI VIRK I grew up in Punjab, India, and moved to the United States when I was around 12. My family’s culture has always involved bhangra music. Suman learned about Punjabi culture when she married my cousin and we became close soon after. We talked a bunch about doing something that was community-oriented, would bring a lot of people together, and was positive.

NonStop Bhangra all started accidentally — I never thought this is what I’d be doing! We started off by hosting a free dance class. I started dating DJ Jimmy Love, and when we wanted to celebrate our class anniversary, he suggested we host a party where all our students could practice their dance. We invited our family and friends and people really loved it, so we did another show a couple of months later. Then we approached the Rickshaw Stop, and it just turned into what it is now. It’s grown so much. We’re hosting our 65th party this month.

SFBG Has the night’s experience evolved since those beginnings as a bhangra showcase?

VV It has changed a lot, but the base of it has stayed the same. We now have a live element: hip hop and electronica DJs and drummers, and we’ve added lights. It’s a ritual now. We open the doors at nine, start the lesson, and the whole audience does it together. It’s better than a regular club night because participants get to learn it, watch it, and then do it. Bhangra’s easier to learn and has a happier vibe than other types of dancing. All kinds of people can dance to it regardless of ethnicity. Most of our crew is not Indian — we have white people, Koreans, Filipinos. The audience sees an eclectic group onstage and it reminds them that music is universal and full of passion.

SFBG How do the other genres mix with the bhangra sound?

VV Bhangra has a heavy bass, a four-four drum beat. It’s a really down-to-earth kind of music, and if you have good DJs, it goes really well with hip-hop and reggae. I explain it to people as the hip-hop of India. It’s what plays in all the clubs there regardless of the region.

SFBG Are people from India surprised to see bhangra performed in this all-inclusive way?

VV We did a show in front of the Contemporary Jewish Museum when one of our MC’s cousins was visiting from India — and the cousin was shocked at the diverse crowd. He was taking pictures, calling his friends back home. Bhangra is such a cultural dance. It hasn’t been taught that often outside the Punjabi community. And sometimes that community is concerned about the shows, they think maybe bhangra will be taken advantage of. But then they learn about what we are doing, and they love it. Now people bring their parents. We’ll have an older woman dancing next to a hipster kid! *

NON STOP BHANGRA

Third Saturdays, 9 p.m., $15–$20

Rickshaw Stop

155 Fell, SF

www.nonstopbhangra.com

SCENE: Jazz Mafia Keeps it in the family

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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SCENE: Jazz Mafia Keeps it in the family

Written by Lilan Kane. From Scene: The Guardian Guide to Bay Area Nightlife and Glamour — on stands now in the Guardian

Jazz in its most fashionable and handsome form found itself around a table at Coda recently. I had the pleasure of meeting with dapper Jazz Mafia members Adam Theis, Joe Bagale, and Dublin to gain some insight into their music and experiences as members of one of the Bay’s most youthful jazz ensembles.

The Mafia (www.jazzmafia.com), as one might expect, is a collective that incorporates several smaller groups containing dozens of members into a large and tuneful family. The first of these groups, Realistic Orchestra, was established about 10 years ago when various jazz forces of the Bay Area started to intertwine and jam together. (Other branches of the family include Brass Mafia, Spaceheater, and the Shotgun Wedding Quintet.)

Main Mafia figures Theis (trombonist, arranger, and bandleader) and Dublin (emcee, vocalist, rapper) are still at the forefront of Realistic Orchestra. They’ve held a Tuesday night residency at Coda for several years, rotating various Jazz Mafia acts. The night I interviewed them, singer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Bagale was taking the stage, with Theis manning the bass.

Before moving to the elegantly appointed Coda, the Mafia had a raucous six-year run at Bruno’s, racking up several awards and introducing jazz to a new generation of night-lifers. The sharpshooters have played with Lyrics Born, Santana, Bobby McFerrin, Sly and the Family Stone drummer Gregg Errico, and many more. A highlight: recently Joe was closing a Saturday night show with Donny Hathaway’s version of John Lennon’s song “Jealous Guy.” He was lost in the moment of it with his eyes closed and his heart pouring out into the microphone. He opened his eyes to find Stevie Wonder in front of him. Wonder got onstage and the band prompted him to revisit an old B-side cut, “All Day Sucker.” Suffice to say, the house was rocked and shocked.

But Mafia members’ interests aren’t limited to revamping standards with star power. In 2008, Theis won the prestigious Gerbode-Hewlett Foundation’s Emerging Composers Grant, which he used to fund his latest project, “Brass Bows and Beats,” a 50-minute innovative suite with strings, vocals, horns, a DJ, and even a didgeridoo. When Theis took the group to the Playboy Jazz Festival last year, host Bill Cosby called Bagale to the stage, facetiously suggested that the variety of genres in the piece would sound like skimming through all the channels of satellite radio really fast. Admittedly, this concept — infusing hip-hop, jazz, classical, soul, electronic, and more — is ambitious. But Brass Bows and Beats debuted with a sold-out performance at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco last April and was deemed an artistic success. (Theis will also be jazzing up the San Francisco Symphony’s performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony 8 in April.)

Dublin, the MC of the group, adds a hip-hop element to the mix — and a connection to younger fans. He recently paired with producer Elon to release a solo record, Ease The Pain (Jazz Mafia Recordings), featuring singers Emily Schmidt and Forrest Day. And Bagale, although able to call up the deepest soul and sharpest wit in his vocal stylings, enjoys taking a background role as head vocal arranger. “One of the coolest experiences for me is to be able to write and arrange for other singers and not be the focal point,” he said.

About those arrangements — it’s in its orchestral distribution of sounds that the Mafia really shines. Its talented members have the capacity hear and highlight a dazzling array of instrumental lines, often numbering up to 45. Then the group’s arrangers write them out instrument by instrument, voice by voice, line by line. “To do one three-minute or so tune, I usually put in 50 to 100 hours,” Theis said.

In an attempt to reach more young jazz enthusiasts, the Mafia is planning a summer tour across Canada, New York, and New England, the first major tour it has undertaken. These young men and women are trying to expand the palette of the live scene, one arrangement at a time.

JAZZ MAFIA TUESDAYS

Tuesdays, 9 p.m., $7

Coda Lounge

1710 Mission, SF

www.codalive.com

ADAM THEIS AND ALL-STAR JAZZ MAFIA ENSEMBLE WITH SF SYMPHONY

April 2, 8 p.m., $15–$130

Davies Symphony Hall

201 Van Ness, SF

www.sfsymphony.org

JAZZ MAFIA TOUR FUNDRAISER FEATURING BRASS, BOWS, AND BEATS

April 25, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., $25–$75

Yoshi’s SF 1330 Fillmore, SF

www.yoshis.com

March me, baby

Andrew Lam
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4

March Fourth Marching Band is coming to town (Fri/26, Cellspace). Throw up your batons! Toss about that pocket-stored confetti! Let the high steppin’, flair totin’ cyclone of happiness begin!

Perhaps I should explain.

These guys are big in my hometown of Portland, Oregon- and believe when I tell you I understand that there’s nothing that a San Franciscan is less interested in than what is big in Portland, Oregon. One need only look to the enscription above the front door of Beat mecca Café Vesuvio, which reads “we are itching to get away from Portland, Oregon,” to know that our distant neighbor to the north is seen as a bit provincial.

But nonetheless, good things are conceived of up in those green, piney dales- and March Fourth’s appeal translates more than, say, Gore Tex and constant deluge. First formed in 2003 to perform covers of Fela Kuti, Rebirth Brass Band and Fleetwood Mac at a Mardi Gras party, they have since won Best Local Band honors and will probably go on the Portland penny when the West Coast finally secedes from the rest of the country. They are a marching band made crazy, given wings and learned to fly high above in the starry skies.

Once I went to a March Fourth show (shoutout to the Doug Fir Lounge on East Burnside!), and was movin’ and groovin’ my way in the front row when I suddenly looked up out of my hip shaking reverie to find the band, brass instruments and all, had disembarked from the stage and completely surrounded our portion of audience. It was like a hippie drum circle crossed with that Drumline movie, crossed with one of those pre game football huddles where everyone winds up jumping and roaring.

Yes, it was like that. And given that on Friday, they’ll be sharing the stage (ring?) with the acrobats, contortionists, lasso twirlers, pyrotechnicians, and assorted hooligans of the Wanderlust Circus, it would appear that the show will be even more life endowing and wonderful.

Ah, consider the homesickness temporarily assuaged. Now all we’re missing in SF is Portland’s superlative beer and pizza movie theaters – can we work on that one next?

March Fourth Marching Band

w/ Wanderlust Circus, Saqi, Smoove & The Conscious Carnival Midway

Fri/27 10 p.m., $10-15

Cellspace

2050 Bryant, SF

(415) 648-7562

www.vaudeviresociety.com

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