Shawn and the Marauders, Jumping Sharks and 605 to San Gabriel @ the Red Room (2/20/13)

On the day after this Red Amp Productions show, I was telling someone about this band from Pocatello that I'd seen the night before.  "There's a band from Pocatello?" the guy asked incredulously.  I'd kinda thought that too originally, which was why I put this show down on the calendar.

There were only about twelve people when I got down to the Red Room.  By the time that Jumping Sharks were midway through their set, the crowd had built to about thirty-five.  Not too bad for a Wednesday.

Local band 605 to San Gabriel opened the night.  I'd thought that this group was pretty good when I saw them at the Shredder last August, and they sounded even more pretty good this night.  I found Tomas Fisher's singing slightly mannered back then but not here.  He and Lorraine Fisher's light, assured vocals blended nicely with the smooth, reggae-ish groove formed by the band's chiming guitar, ringing keyboard and  limber drumming.  Their secret weapon, however, was Jeff Erekson's fluid bass work.

Boise band Jumping Sharks played next.  I remembered being quite impressed by their set at the Mike Watt concert back in October, but I didn't remember them kicking quite so much ass.  Zane Norsworthy's pleasantly plain croon and fiery guitar, Reggie Townley's elastic bass, Mike Swain's elegant keyboard and Ben Wieland's propulsive drums plowed through shifts in tempo and genre like they weren't even there.  The crowd got some good cheering, whistling and dancing going during this set.  My ingrained sense of discretion made me think twice about taking a picture of Reggie Townley after he'd stripped down to a pair of red tights.  But, well...

All in the name of good journalism, people.

Pocatello band Shawn and the Marauders closed out the night.  Early on, I didn't know what to make of this group's unlikely blend of reggae, blues, country, rock and gangsta rap.  Also, I dug Jeff May's wiry guitar and Casey Johnson's sprightly drums well enough, but what was up with Dorian Hitchcock's swooning cello?  After they played a smart, funny boom-chicka-boom number entitled "Raging Alcoholic," however, everything snapped into focus.  Their instrumental and genre mash-up wasn't pandering, I realized, but defiant--the product of guys who figure that life's too damn short to worry about dignity and decorum.  Emblematic of this spirit was leader Shawn Barnby's very evident shitfaced-ness and their cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole," which featured vastly different chords than the original (Barnby said that they came to him while he was high on opium).  Oddball, charming stuff.  I just hope that their hangovers weren't too bad the next morning.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.

Stargaze Unlimited, Champagne Leader, Jac Sound and 605 to San Gabriel @ the Shredder (8/7/12)

As usual, Radio Boise had set up a promising show this Tuesday night at Neurolux.  Since I'd seen the last three in a row, however, a change-up seemed in order (I'll be there for their Murder By Death show next week, though).  Anyway, I opted instead to check out a show at the Shredder featuring the excellent Caldwell band Stargaze Unlimited and a couple of acts I'd never encountered before.

Attendance was rather low for this concert, possibly due to its having to compete with Neurolux's show and with Evil Wine's Atypical Tuesday show at the Red Room.  I got down to the Shredder around 9, plopped myself down at a table and did a bit of light reading.  I'd brought along with me one of my birthday presents, 1 Dead in Attic by Chris Rose.  It's a collection of columns from the Times-Picayune about post-Katrina New Orleans.  Honestly, this is the closest I usually come to "light."

First up this evening was the Nampa-based band 605 to San Gabriel.  Their sharply arranged, slightly jazzy pop got the show off to a good start.  Buddy Gharing and Tomas Fisher's elegant, glittering guitars weaved and flowed with Jessica Prindle's ringing keyboard hooks and Jeff Erekson and Christian Mannion's unassumingly slick bass and drums.  Fisher's throaty vocals sounded slightly mannered but proved charming nonetheless.  It helped that he got support from his wife Lorraine's thoughtful harmonies.

After 605 to San Gabriel came Jac Sound, who kept the poppy feel of the show going.  His playing was a touch looser than usual, but his singing and songs were as pleasant and catchy as ever.  I'd put his cover of "Gangsta's Paradise" up there with Ben Folds's cover of "Bitches Ain't Shit."  In fact, I might like it more; Jac Sound just strikes me as a nicer guy.

After Jac Sound finished, the Los Angeles-based band Champagne Leader took the stage.  Their melodies sounded just as sweet as the preceding two acts', but their agreeably ragged playing and goofy, rowdy attitude added some spice to the mix: their "Handle With Care" cover sounded more like the early Rolling Stones than the Traveling Wilburys.  Shea Branham's stinging electric guitar and Vincent Munoz's pounding keyboard and acoustic guitar meshed nicely with Kasey Sullivan's sly bass and Daniel Morales's rolling, tumbling drums.  They jumped around, swapped stage positions, dropped down from the stage to mix with the crowd and joined together for some tart harmonies.

Damn good fun.

Stargaze Unlimited closed out the night and delivered the best set that I've seen by them yet.  Their brooding, intense instrumentals contrasted sharply with the other acts yet still felt appropriate: they gave the crowd a chance to wind down before bed.  Kurtis Beckwith's sinister riffs, Travis Gamble's understated basslines and Richard Metzger's titanic drumming all showed increased confidence, which gave the music extra power.  The audience hardly moved or turned their eyes away from the stage during Stargaze Unlimited's set.  Watch out for these guys.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Keesha Renna and Vagabond Promotions, who can be reached at 1 (208) 283-0259 and Whatvagabond@hotmail.com.