3/10/2006: McShow: Bigger, Better, Uncut!

Good morning! Welcome to the world premier of the
two-week Showy McShow!

Bigger is better right? I mean c'mon, this is 'Merica
dammit!

Seriously though, it's become painfully obvious to all
levels of management here at the McShow World
Headquarters that try as we might, we simply do not
have the time resources to produce this heavily
opinionated diatribe every single week.

To that end, I give you the very first two-week
McShow. Sure it takes longer to do, but now we can all
just sit back and enjoy the quality entertainment
solutions presented below and know that for two weeks
all musical decisions have been sorted out properly.

I know that'll help me sleep better. Won't it help you
too?

Right-O then, here we go. There is some flat-out
unreal music headed our way just about every damn
night. It's kind of absurd really. Some highlights of
the highlights include one of my favorite ska bands
ever, Hepcat, playing a rare gig at Slim's tonight.
Next week we have the most ridiculous Wednesday night
of music I have ever seen. Literally. I'm gonna catch
Les Claypool's directorial debut at the Tiburon Film
Festival with a movie satirizing the jam band scene
called Electric Apricot: Quest for Festaroo. After
that I'll be zipping down to our pal Bernadette's big
night of music at 12 Galaxies. It's called WomenROCK,
it's a benefit for cancer research, and there are a
ton of great musicians on the 6-act bill. But if
you're somehow not into that idea (gasp!), there are
no less than four other sick shows going down that
night. It's crazy.

Which brings us on down to next weekend when one of
New Orleans' absolute tip-top funk outfits aptly name
'Papa Grows Funk' will bust out at the Independent.
The following Saturday gets even nuttier, I'll be
catching Robert Walter's Super Heavy Organ at the
Independent. This band teams the funky organ maestro
with two of the most legendary New Orleans dummers
that have ever slammed the skins, Stanton Moore and
Johnny Vidacovich, along with top-notch bass and sax.
And of course there would have to be four other great
shows I'll miss by seeing Robert that night, that's
the way it go' I guess. As if that weren't enough,
scroll down to the following week for some outstanding
Jazz Mafia gigs and some killer bluegrass string
music.

Whew. This long-format thing is gonna take some
gettin' used to.

Okay one more little note. Any of ya'll thinking about
going to New Orleans Jazz Fest should drop me a line.
This is going to be the year that I finally go (I've
been wanting to do it for like a decade). The lineup
just keeps getting crazier and crazier (Herbie Hancock
just added!) and of course I think that it would be a
really good thing to be going to that city and paying
money to see musicians at this point. I'm starting to
get so psyched about it, I don't know how I'll sleep
next month...

Here's the lowdown so you can get down:

|||||| FRIDAY 3/10 ||||||

Hepcat @ Slim's $21
Skank it up ya'll! Maybe the biggest 3rd-wave ska band
and definitely one of the most authentic and
rootsiest, Hepcat I'll bet does a hell of a damn fine
show. They're a little bit soul, a little bit reggae,
and little bit jazz, and all about good-time ska.
http://www.iration.com/hepcat/

|||||| SATURDAY 3/11 ||||||

Alison Krauss & Union Station w/ Jerry Douglas @ Nob
Hill Masonic Auditorium $45-55 (SOLD OUT)
Maybe the preeminent fiddle player in modern
bluegrass, Alison is a total legend. Her band is
stellar as well, especially with Dobro master Jerry
Douglas in the fold. Expensive but sure to be a great
show. Craigslist for tickets...
http://alisonkrauss.com/

Stymie & the Pimp Jones Luv Orchestra @ Elbo Room $10
It's gonna be a big ol' party for the 10-year
anniversary of this 14-piece band of old school roots
funk vets. They're doing it variety show style with a
ton of different and whacky performers on the bill.
http://www.stymieluv.com/index.php

|||||| TUESDAY 3/14 ||||||

Shotgun Wedding Quintet @ Moe's Alley (Santa Cruz) $5
Our favorite funky hip-hop crew is headin' down for a
rare gig in Santa Cruz. So if you have pals down there
do 'em a favor and tell them where to go on Tuesday
night. You know they'll thank you.
http://shotgunweddingquintet.com/

|||||| WEDNESDAY 3/15 ||||||

"Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo" (a film by Les
Claypool) @ Tiburon Film Fest, 7pm
Before I head to 12 Galaxies, I'm gonna catch Les'
directorial debut in Tiburon. It's a mock-u-mentary
take on the jam band scene with some infamous
characters such as Les himself, Bob Weir, Mike Gordon,
and others making appearances on the big screen. We
all know how goofy the whole festival/jam scene is
(even if I do love it), I'm sure it'll be pretty damn
funny to see it lampooned somewhere other than that
one South Park episode.
http://www.tiburonfilmfestival.com/filmInfo.php?film_id=3099

WomenROCK @ 12 Galaxies $10-20 (sliding donation)
I mean let's face it, women DO rock. McShow industries
has some dear friends putting on this killer night of
music, we wouldn't miss it to save our moms. The
lineup includes Latin/Cuban/reggae/flamenco sounds
from LoCura; singer/songwriter V-lo; our pal
Bernadette playing with Mark Schuh (Shim Sham
Rebellion, The New Up), Jordan Feinstein (The Ritual),
Mark Calderon (Zigaboo Modeliste), and Matt Luchich
(Smoke Daddies); Eva Jo Myers keys/cello/bass trio;
singer/songwriter Lisa Sniderman; and
singer/songwriter Kirstin Hathaway. This should be a
night of great and widely varied music and the cause
(Breast Cancer Research) couldn't be better. See ya
there.
http://12galaxies.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=10835

Kids and Hearts @ Hotel Utah $6
There is way way way too much music going on here for
a Wednesday night. Kids and Hearts is the nasty acid
jazz deconstruction trio that you may have caught in
the opening slot of my birthday gig and the Yankee.
They're awesome and just tear it up on nothing but
organ, drums, and bass. Medeski, Martin, and Wood;
Russo/Benevento; Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey; if you are
into any of those cats, catch this. They play last on
a 4 band bill.
http://www.nativeandfine.com/

Jazz Mafia Hip Hop Jam @ Royale $3
Freestyle improv maniac Dublin is backed up by the
Jazz Mafia cats for a funky night of hip-hop in North
Beach. This is cheap dirty fun folks, rock on out.
http://jazzmafia.com/

Scott Amendola/Wil Blades Duo @ Bacar $FREE
One of the best jazz drummers in the city is teaming
up with one of the best organ players in the city for
a free gig at this SoMa wine bar/restaurant. Fantastic
music, fantastic price.
http://www.scottamendola.com/

Katdelic Revival @ Make Out Room $12
Ronkat is the guitarist for Parliament Funkadelic and
the man is literally a funk institution. He's gonna
rock the little Make Out Room with his band the George
Clinton way which will, of course, be just nasty.
http://www.ronkatdelic.com/

|||||| THURSDAY 3/16 ||||||

The Ritual @ 12 Galaxies $8
Keyboard rocker Jordan Feinstein will kick it with his
funky rock band down at 12 Galaxies on Thursday.
Sharing the bill is the stellar SF singer/guitarist
Garrin Benfield. Jordan knows a lot of hot local
players (ALO, Tea Leaf, etc), so you never quite know
who will show up...
http://theritual.net/

Jimbo Trout & the Fish People @ Atlas Cafe $FREE!
Honest to goodness bluegrass, that's what Jimbo Trout
is all about. Dig it at the funky little Atlas, right
in the heart of the Mission.
http://www.jimbotrout.com/

|||||| FRIDAY 3/17 ||||||

Papa Grows Funk | New Mastersounds @ Independent
$20/25 door
Straight outta New Orleans comes the deep-groove funk
of one of the city's best bands, Papa Grows. These
guys have a big big sound that'll make you stomp,
clap, and shake everything you got. Word is the New
Mastersounds (opening up) are great too, they'll be
headlining the Boom Boom Room on Saturday just below.
http://www.papagrowsfunk.com/

|||||| SATURDAY 3/18 ||||||

Robert Walter's Super Heavy Organ @ Independent $16
Robert Walter (of the Greyboy Allstars and his own
20th Congress) is THE funky organ boogaloo master
touring today. With Super Heavy Organ he's going big
on the bottom end with two all-star New Orleans
drummers (Stanton Moore of Galactic, Garage a Trois,
etc, and Johnny Vidacovich of Charlie Hunter, John
Scofield, etc) dueling it out with sax and bass. This
should be sick, I'm totally there.
http://www.robertwalter.com/home.php

the New Mastersounds @ Boom Boom Room $12
A British soul-jazz band? Apparently, and they're
supposed to be pretty damn good too.They do bad-ass
tight-as-hell instrumental funk. Check out the tracks
on their website, this is hot stuff.
http://www.newmastersounds.com/

Sinister Dexter @ Rockit Room $10
This big bad funk band has 7, yes 7 funky horns, a
smokin' singer, and a tight groovin' rhythm section
that will make you move whether you want to or not.
They're hot stuff, catch 'em in the former spot of the
Last Day Saloon on Clement.
http://sinisterdexter.net/index.php

SambaDa @ Elbo Room $10
If you're feeling the need to shake it, you need
SambaDa. They're the funkiest damn red hot salsa band
this side of Guerrero St. and they will wear you the
eff out in all the best ways.
http://www.sambada.com/

|||||| TUESDAY 3/21 ||||||

Crossfire Crew | Low End Theory @ 12 Galaxies $6
Jazz Mafia Tuesday throws it down, this time it's
heavy percussive afrobeat with other worldly
influences like Cuban, Jamaican, and old school ska.
Opening is the trombone conspiracy of Low End Theory.
This is new school jazz at its best, from this city's
best.
http://jazzmafia.com

|||||| WEDNESDAY 3/22 ||||||

Jazz Mafia Brass Band @ Boom Boom Room $6
Adam Theis (trombone, 7-string bass) and Joe Cohen
(sax, keys) lead an all out brass funk attack from
SF's finest, and on hump day it's just what the doctah
ordered. Special guests are on the bill too, this
should be a tasty gig.
http://jazzmafia.com

Ben, Ian, Tom (of Gomez) @ Cafe du Nord $20 (SOLD OUT)
What are three out of five members of Gomez doing on a
Wednesday at the du Nord? Something cool probably.
Gomez is a great and versatile UK rock band that draws
on blues, latin, and soul among many influences. As
for these three of five, who knows..?
http://www.gomez.co.uk/

Bill Evans String Summit @ Freight & Salvage
(Berkeley) $18
The Bay Area's most well known banjo picker teams up
with a slew of hot acoustic musicians for a night of
traditional roots and intense virtuoso
interpretations. This should be some top notch string
music.
http://www.nativeandfine.com/

|||||| THURSDAY 3/23 ||||||

Jazz Mafia Trio @ 222 Club (Hyde @ Turk) $?
Catch Adam Theis and co. at this sweet little wine bar
down in the TL. Contrary to the surroundings, this
place is a cozy and chill lounge spot—a great setting
for some funky jazz.
http://jazzmafia.com/

Toots & the Maytals @ Fillmore $25
There is only about one other band that's more
legendary than Toots in the world of reggae, and
unfortunately we won't be seeing Bob anytime soon. If
you're in a jah mood, get yer roots rasta on at the
Fillmo'.
http://www.tootsandthemaytals.net/toots/