ClubD in San Francisco

March 27, 2008

ClubD turned 35 in San Francisco, club hopping along Fillmore Street. The first stop was Yoshi's, a seated, theatre-style club, where Crescent City Boogaloo served up some funky jazz. While described as ‘groove-oriented music of New Orleans" and the Latin-soul hybrid known as boogaloo, this was a mostly mellow, sophisticated jazz.

The instrumentation was outstanding. Led by Dr. Lonnie Smith on B-3, who occasionally sang with his baritone, the band featured guitarist Peter Bernstein, saxophonist Donald Harrison, trumpeter Christian Scott, and two New Orleans drummers: Joe Dyson and Zigaboo Modeliste.


The next stop was the Boom Boom Room, a lounge just up the road, where some funk-infused blues just filled the place. Chicago-bred though Bay Area-based musician Wil Blades set the groove on the Hammond B-3 supported by the tight band OGD.


(Wil Blades and special guest singers from New Orleans tore it up at the Boom Boom Room).

San Francisco Jewish Music Fest: Golem is a Joy

Golem at the Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco California
March 26

The week I spent in San Francisco coincided with the city's annual Jewish music festival. One night, I hit small venue called the Rickshaw Stop to check out the New York-based band, Golem. Bozhe moi! They were fantastic!

The six-piece band comprise East European immigrants and their music is a joyful blend of klezmer and some alt-rock. Many of their songs are sung in Russian or Yiddish. Alternating between male and female vocalists, the instrumentation is largely what one expects from a klezmer group, complete with violin, accordion, and a trombone. One song was complete silly punk, sung in English, that sounded as though the Violent Femmes had a hand in it. Overall, their show heavily highlights the klezmer and the whole place danced frenetically throughout their set.

Their 2006 cd Fresh Off Boat is as fun and joyful as one of their shows.

The Name of the Band is...Cowboy Mouth!

Cowboy Mouth @ the 9:30 Club, March 14

One cannot be an idle spectator at a Cowboy Mouth show; it's an experience, one that requires full audience participation. You leave partly exhausted and partly feeling like you can conquer the world. It's a swirl of positive energy, which is all that's left after you jump and scream out your angst.

Anyone who regularly attends concerts in this town, such as myself, might wonder if such participation could even happen here. The audience clapping and dancing? Here? Ah but you must or lead singer/drummer Fred LeBlanc will seek you out and explain the drill, as he did with one motionless girl in the balcony. Or, he might stand at his drumset, arms folded, and wait for the crowd to respond. Seeing an entire club let loose at a rock concert in DC is a thing of unexpected beauty.

This two-hour show had all the elements one expects from this band. Only song missing was the title track from their album, Voodoo Shoppe, a soulful tune that showcases their New Orleans roots. But on that note, the quartet did play a bit of "Going to New Orleans," a classic, in honor of Mardi Gras gone by and Jazz Fest coming up. They also threw in a couple songs from a forthcoming album that were well received.

While Cowboy Mouth will play first weekend of Fest this year, I'll be in New Orleans for the second weekend, which is the first weekend in May. I promise to take copious notes. Stay tuned!

My review of their 2007 show in DC is here.

A Jazzy Night with Stanley Jordan at Blues Alley

About 15 years ago, a friend played me a recording of "Eleanor Rigby" done on guitar and I really enjoyed it. Then, he said, "That's one guy." Not possible, I thought. So the next time Stanley Jordan was in town, at Blues Alley, I had to go and see it with my own eyes. The amazing thing is, when you're watching him, live and in person, you still can't believe what you're seeing. The guy plays melody and bassline, and sometimes even harmony, with just his two hands. It's the craftiest guitar work you'll ever see.

It'd been quite a while since I'd seen him last so I hit his Blues Alley show last night. I sat in the front row and still had trouble believing what I was seeing. His fingers just flew across the frets and sent me into a wonderful trance. He turned classical into jazzy, as he slipped "I Got You Babe" into a Mozart concerto. And, with wit and candor, he narrated an improvisational piece, saying how it sounded to him like roaches eating cheese.

Jordan has a new album coming out in April. His recently release 13 Suite Improvisations is wonderful Sunday morning music.

How does he do it?!!!!

Nathan Angelo Plays Jammin' Java

The talented Nathan Angelo played a great set at Jammin' Java.

Having been the opening act at Jammin' Java and Iota, this Atlanta-based musician finally gets a well-deserved headlining spot. Similar in style to Gavin DeGraw, Nathan Angelo played songs from his fine debut album and a couple of covers, including a gorgeous one of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?" He promises a new album is due out soon.

Opener Rob Blackledge from Nashville was entertaining, his intimate stories refreshing in this intimate club. Am sure we'll be hearing more from him as well.

Two Degrees of Separation from Bret Michaels

I sat down with local guitarist Pete Evick a few weeks ago to interview him for On Tap. I immediately admitted that I grew up on Depeche Mode and was not familiar with the whole hair metal scene. Truth be told, the one time I was ever in Jaxx in Springfield was to see Tower of Power. Anyway, apparently, metal dudes hate the term "hair metal" and prefer just metal. So noted.

He then said, to my amusement, "So you're Euro trash and I'm white trash." And we were off in what became an amusing, often interesting, 2+ hour conversation. Evick is on tour with the Bret Michaels Band for the next couple months. How he came to play for the Poison frontman who is his musical hero is in my story, which appears in the March issue of On Tap. You can read it here.