Venus Bleeding
To call Venus Bleeding one of the most energetic bands in the Bay Area would be an understatement. Redefining rock 'n' roll with its genre-bending blend of new wave, rock, and punk, Venus Bleeding is at the forefront of a movement of bands that elevate ass-kicking to the level of an Olympic sport. Lead singer Angelique X founded the band back in 1994 in Modesto with guitarist Denise Archibeque. Since then, the duo has added bassist Sonya Westcott, drummer Corey Moore, and violinist Jen Slatten (dubbed the "Hendrix of the violin" for her searing virtuosity on the instrument). Over its seven-year career, the band has released two full-lengths and one EP and played everywhere from Gilman Street to the Fillmore. Venus Bleeding's new album, Fakelore, is the latest powerful chapter in the group's long history, chock-full of explosive songs like "Ghost in the Mirror" and "So You Think." Not to mention the aptly titled "Theme," where Venus Bleeding lays out its ferocious manifesto: "Girls rock faster!/ You can't tell me, bastard/ That you didn't notice/ The way her fingers flew!" Stand back and watch the blood hit the fans.
Nobody From Ipanema, Shabaz, Bitches Brew
Zion I, Rova Saxophone Quartet, eXtreme Elvis
Frisky Frolics, Tipsy, The Aislers Set
Call and Response, Persephone's Bees, Angry Amputees
Call and Response, Persephone's Bees, Angry Amputees
Call and Response, Persephone's Bees, Angry Amputees
Fabulous Disaster, Pink & Brown, American Heartbreak
Fabulous Disaster, Pink & Brown, American Heartbreak
Fabulous Disaster, Pink & Brown, American Heartbreak
The Pattern, Venus Bleeding, Kooken & Hoomen
Stymie & the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra, Tea Leaf Green, Vinnie Esparza
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Soul/Funk/R&B
Kooken & Hoomen
If you had to describe Kooken & Hoomen in two words, you might choose "a laid-back roller coaster ride." OK, that's way more than two words, but it makes sense since Kooken & Hoomen's funky, intriguing sound assault is just too hard to nail down. Longtime friends Nathan Germick and Brian Mundy founded the group in 1998 when the pair -- who play keyboards and guitar, respectively -- hooked up with bass player Rob Gwin and South American-born percussionist Felipe "Pipe" Ceballos. After borrowing the names of a girlfriend's imaginary childhood friends, Kooken & Hoomen began playing around the Bay Area. Both at its numerous local shows and on the recent debut full-length Escuela, the group seamlessly blends high-energy electronics with softer, jazzier melodies. Whether trying out funk chops on "Se Fue La Luz" or Caribbean rhythms on "Legal Age," K&H's members have an intrinsic understanding of how to piece together unrelated sounds -- an ability that's reminiscent of fusion-era jazz or modern post-rock groups. By creating interwoven sonic hodgepodges like "Noriega Sun," Kooken & Hoomen places itself on the cusp of futuristic music, looking forward instead of just cobbling together pieces of the past.
Stymie & the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra
Why go see a band that's just going to dish out a tired "Lowrider" cover when you can ride sweet and low with "Happy Sanchez School of Lowriding" by Stymie & the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra? The song is one of five unforgettable, original funk nuggets on the Orchestra's debut EP, Dim Sum Goodies. The self-released CD is an aerobic manifesto for a new musical era, one in which funk always starts with f-u-n. Whether charismatic leader Sean "Stymie" Sharp is singing about a Japanimation-loving hottie ("Fannie Franklin") or an old-school funk dinosaur rising up to do battle with the evil Y2K bug ("Tyroneasaurus Rex"), the vibe is always loose, friendly, and, above all, danceable. Not that you'd have to point that out to audience members. At gigs opening for Earth, Wind, & Fire or a recent show with Chaka Kahn, Stymie & the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra barely had to break a sweat before the stage-front area became prime get-down real estate. Evoking a young Sly & the Family Stone, Stymie and his 14-piece Orchestra draw from funk's early days, double-dipping the old-school sound in luscious layers of reggae, gospel, rock, and soul.
Tea Leaf Green
It's hard to pin down the music of Tea Leaf Green. The enlightened jamming of guitarist Joshua Clark, drummer Scott Rager, bassist Benjamin Chambers, and keyboardist/singer Trevor Garrod owes as much to Frank Zappa and Yes as it does to more expected influences like the Grateful Dead and Phish. When co-founders Chambers and Rager started improvising together in Chambers' small Church Street apartment a half-decade ago, they envisioned a free-floating, anything-goes approach to musicmaking. These days, Tea Leaf Green is gigging everywhere possible, using each show to try to get ever closer to the perfect groove, laying down a complex blend of butt-bumping bass and rhythm along with enough sublime melody and awe-inspiring solos to make each song memorable. The emphasis on making sure the audience is having a good, sweaty time sets the quartet apart from much of its competition; unlike image-conscious bands, Tea Leaf Green is more concerned with getting down than getting on MTV. That audience-focused philosophy is evident on TLG's CD, Midnight on the Reservoir,a 10-song sampler of the fluid, mind-expanding music on which this outstanding young band has built its reputation.
