Localized Appreesh is our weekly thank-you column to the musicians that make the Bay. Each week a band/music-maker with a show, album release, or general good news is highlighted and spotlit. To be considered, contact emilysavage@sfbg.com.
Between them, local guitarist Joe Gore and drummer Dawn Richardson have played alongside some heavy-hitters: Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Tracy Chapman, Eels, DJ Shadow, Courtney Love, Four Non-Blondes, and a whole lot more. Together, the duo plays lush instrumental rock’n’roll in their new band, Mental 99. How lush? With just two (albeit two considerably talented) musicians, the band showcases a densely layered sound – the strength you might expect from say, a quartet – thanks in part to its live looping skills.
Check out Mental 99’s killer cover of classic Joy Division tear-jerker “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (video below). Yep, just the two of ’em, no vocals necessary; the power of the emotion-inducing song bleeds through. Next, catch the band live this weekend at the Make-Out Room. But first, read up.
Year and location of origin: 2010/San Francisco
Band name origin: “Crack Spackle” was confusing people, so we resorted to Plan B. We were thinking more 1899 than 1999.
Band motto: “How much damn noise can two people make?”
Description of sound in 10 words or less: Instrumental. Cinematic. Eerie. Beautiful. Funny. Virtuosic. Catastrophic. More adjectives, please.
Instrumentation: Guitar, drums, and sheer optimism.
Most recent release: Mental 99. Your basic eponymous debut album.
Best part about life as a Bay Area band: Global beacon of tolerance and innovation. Plus good pizza.
Worst part about life as a Bay Area band: Legitimate sasquatch sightings are few and far between.
First record/cassette tape/or CD ever purchased:
Dawn: Sonny and Cher Live (yep, it was on vinyl)
Joe: Enrico Caruso’s Celeste Aida (yep, it was on Edison cylinder)
Most recent record/cassette tape/CD/or Mp3 purchased/borrowed from the Web: Joe: Skrillex’s Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites is real fun.
Dawn: Bustin’ Loose – Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers.
Favorite local eatery and dish: Joe: Iwashi (sardine) at Tataki South (Church and 29th).
Dawn: It’s hard to go wrong in SF – so many good places to eat. But the veggie burrito at Taqueria Cancún is pretty tasty – and close by, especially if you just played El Rio.
Mental 99
With the Anita Lofton Project
Fri/16, 7:30 p.m., $8
Make-Out Room
3225 22nd St., SF
(415) 647-2888
www.makeoutroom.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MNy5-tCT04