Page 4 of 5
Wooden Shjips
Launched as an experiment in rhythmic primitivism, Wooden Shjips has garnered attention worldwide since the band's first 10-inch EP last year. Guitarist Ripley Johnson, bassist Dusty Jermier, organist Nash Whalen, and drummer Omar Ahsanuddin released their self-titled debut album last month. Rolling Stone made the CD a pick of the week, calling its metronomic garage riffage "Day-Glo drone rock." That's a pretty fitting description of the band's hypnotically compelling music, which carries on the catatonically throbbing tradition of such legends as the Velvet Underground, Suicide, and Spacemen 3, with added elements of '60s psychedelia and noisy guitar blasts.
Saviours
With its bludgeoning rhythms and serrated guitar leads, this self-described "piss-angry metal band" from Oakland is turning the heavy-rock scene on its head. Saviours, which just toured the U.K. with prog-metal outfit Mastodon, recently signed to New York's Kemado Records, home to other cutting-edge acts like Danava, the Sword, and Dungen. Currently recording a new full-length with Joe Barresi (Melvins, Kyuss) for release in February 2008, the foursome will put out a one-sided 12-inch in mid-November. For fans of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth, Saviours truly live up to their name.
Rock 'n' Roll Adventure Kids
Pass the hot dogs, roll up those shirt sleeves, and pour yourself a cup of Lucky lager: You won't want to be underfed, overdressed, or anywhere close to sober when the Rock 'n' Roll Adventure Kids fire up their twang-danged rock machine. Parlaying a love of backwater blues romps (and a slightly licentious sense of humor) into raw and rollicking fuzz-punk outbursts, the Adventurers play with the wild glee of prospectors who just discovered gold in them thar hills. The singer bears an eerie resemblance to a young Dustin Hoffman, it's true — but these ain't no straw dogs. The Kids rip it up! Gawd damn, yes.
Jazz/Blues
Sponsored by Jack Trux
Ben Goldberg
Jazz generations following the Swing Era (1934-45) had little use for the clarinet — there've literally been a handful of musicians who specialize in the instrument in bebop and beyond. Fortunately, one of these experts is hometown hero Ben Goldberg, a diverse yet focused clarinetist and composer. Goldberg led the Hebraic-inspired New Klezmer Trio in the late '80s and early '90s, was an original member of John Zorn's Masada, recorded with Nels Cline and Beth Custer, and more recently joined instrumental bicoastals Tin Hat. His intrepid, astringent tone and brooding, challenging compositions put him at the forefront of jazz's cutting-edge zone.
Terrence Brewer
Bay Area jazz guitarist Brewer may not have been nicknamed "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," but he surely gives the Godfather of Soul a run for his money. By his own estimation, Brewer plays out an average of 300 nights per year. He's written more than 100 original compositions, formed his own record label, and released a double album entirely comprising original material, all by the age of 31. None of this would matter if the man were merely competent at his art, but he garners enthusiastic accolades for understanding melody and his conservative use of repetition.
Howard Wiley
Tenor saxophonist Howard Wiley's growing body of work stands as an ideal rebuttal to the assertion that contemporary jazz is devoid of ingenuity, but this is not to suggest that the man ignores his roots. Whether reinventing standards (see "Amazing Grace," from this year's The Angola Project) or composing original work, Wiley displays both the bold experimentation and careful temperance of a conscious, innovative master, one who's bound to be studied by subsequent jazz innovators for years to come.
Will Blades
A mere 28 years old, Wil Blades is already a legend on the Hammond B-3 organ. The Chicago native, who came to San Francisco to study under bassist Herbie Lewis at the New College of California, quickly went from playing weekly gigs at the Boom Boom Room to performing with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Stanton Moore. On his debut album, Sketchy, released in August on Doodlin' Records, Blades showcases a smooth, funky sound that recalls heroes like Jimmy Smith without being slavishly derivative. Apparently, Blades' time spent in combos with Scott Amendola, Wil Bernard, and Idris Muhammad has taught him well.
Experimental
Sponsored by Glass Dildo Me (GDM)
Lemonade
Lemonade, whose music is so far only accessible on MySpace or from the stage, has been making waves over the past year with eclectic, engrossing experimental music. Drawing on a kaleidoscopic range of international sounds, the trio has managed to snatch the attention of dance music fans, international rhythm lovers, and psychedelic beat loyalists alike. Its performances boast a sound that's diverse enough to move among venues of all stripes, treating audiences to a transcendent live experience and turning them on to one of the most exciting and eccentric emerging acts in the Bay Area.
Clipd Beaks
In Clipd Beaks' world, distorted, echo-soaked vocals fly off the melody lines and transmute into psychedelic flesh-smears. Drums gallop in half-circles, stop and kick sideways, then lurch forward again. Analogue synthesizers vibrate like insurrectionist 'droids playing drainpipe kazoos and cracked iron saxophones. And a heavy bass guitar — perhaps the only sane instrument left standing — lassos it all together with looping riffs. Suffice it to say that Clipd Beaks' planet isn't an easy one to inhabit. It's drenched by inky black downpours, and chaos is ever-threatening. That order is maintained and entropy averted is either a testament to Clipd Beaks' willpower or a sign that the forces of gravity are simply too strong to overcome. For now.
Borts Minorts
Clad head to toe in a white spandex unitard, Borts Minorts performs spastic interpretive dance moves to mutant technodisco backing tracks. So as to not impede his manic onstage contortions, he wears a wireless mike through which he sings insanely processed vocals. Meanwhile, two foxy backup dancers provide synchronized dance moves. Elsewhere onstage, you might find a flute player, a Theremin manipulator, or a full-time bubble-blower. The Minorts experience has been compared to everything from Devo to exercise guru Richard Simmons, which gives some idea of the absurdity of it all. Check out Minorts' "Dance Contestant" video on YouTube sometime. It's a jaw-dropper.
