6/1/2005: It's big, it's baaaad, it's AfroBeat!

Howdy folks, remember yer’ old uncle Showy?

Even if you don’t, he remembers you (vaguely perhaps,
I hear he’s a pot smoker).

Class is done for the summer (not that I ever have
CLASS), so maybe the McShow will start coming out on
time again. We can only hope people, we can only hope.

So there’s quite a bit of great stuff in your
immediate musical future. My hot pick is the
incredible Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. In the
tradition of Fela Kuti, they brilliantly fuse driving
African percussion with wailing funky horns that
literally grab you by the soul. It’s just unreal. I’ll
be there Thursday and you’re nuts if you don’t go. I
suppose you could catch them tonight too if you want
too…

Also on Thursday if you happen to have some time
downtown in the middle of the day there is a FREE
event down at Civic Center Plaza. It’s called
California Tomorrow Festival and Ozomatli kicks it off
at 11:30am. I’m working in Marin, but if I wasn’t…

Anyhoo, it’s great to be back in McShow land. I missed
you all. Here’s the funk:

|||||| WEDNESDAY 6/1 ||||||

Jazz Mafia Unit Happy Hour @ Bruno’s $FREE
You just can’t beat free funky jazz for happy hour.
It’s all that much sweeter when it’s the city’s best
players and there is no cover at all!
http://cannonball.ws/

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra @ Independent $17
YES! Wednesday & Thursday night shows (I’m going
Thursday). Antibalas (from Brooklyn) doesn’t come
around here nearly enough in my humble opinion.
They’re probably the best band doing Fela Kuti
Afrobeat music in this country right now. If you
haven’t heard Fela, picture a big huge band with
driving polyrhythmic African percussion and searing,
intricate, passionate, FUNKY horns horns horns. They
are totally amazing and you’re nuts if you miss it.
http://www.antibalas.com/pages/index3.html

Realistic Orchestra | Jesus Diaz y QBA | Transmission
Trio @ Great American Music Hall $20
SF Jazz is calling this show “Backyard Alchemy” and it
definitely will capture some of the city’s most unique
new-school jazz sounds all in one spot. The Orchestra
is an unreal 20-piece live breakbeat-jazz phenomenon
brought to you by the Jazz Mafia and some of SF’s best
players. Jesus is a well-known master of afro-cuban
percussion and vocals, and Transmission Trio plays
avant-jazz with one foot in hip-hop and the other in
rock.
http://www.sfjazz.org/concerts/spring05/artists/backyard_alchemy.html

|||||| THURSDAY 6/2 ||||||

California Tomorrow Festival @ Civic Center Plaza
$FREE
This is a hell of a FREE gig for a Thursday afternoon.
What a city, sheesh. Wish I didn’t have to work.
The line-up is:
Ozomatli (11:30am-1:30)
Samantha & the Ritual (1:30)
One World Orchestra (2:00)
Vinyl (4:30-6:00)

Mobile Holmes Happy Hour @ Bruno’s $FREE
Jazz Mafia brings you the downtempo live electro for
yer early no-cover Thursday gig.
http://cannonball.ws/

Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra @ Independent $17
I’ll be there, you should be too! See above.
http://www.antibalas.com/pages/index3.html

Crossfire Crew @ Bruno’s $5
The latest Jazz Mafia concoction brings together world
beat sounds with red hot break beat jazz for a totally
unique and tasty brew. Mmmmmm.
http://cannonball.ws/

Phil Lorenz & the Big Soul-tet @ Boom Boom Room $7
Led by Phil playing the big bad baritone saxamaphone,
these cats are a 13-piece soul-jazz blast (or so I
hear…) The always-smokin’ Wil Blades mans the organ
and helps the rhythm section ground the band which is
good because nine horns are a force to be reckoned
with.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=2132

Trevor Garrod | Billy Talbot | Samantha Stollenwerck @
Café du Nord $10
It’s a night of soulful roots music to move you at the
du Nord. Trevor is a singer/songwriter/professor that
you know on the keys with Tea Leaf Green. Billy leads
a band of southern roots rockers originally linked
from Neil Young and Crazy Horse. And Samantha is the
lovely and soulful guitarist/frontwoman for Samantha &
the Ritual.
http://cafedunord.com/?temp=calendar

|||||| FRIDAY 6/3 ||||||

the Mars Volta @ the Greek Theater (Berkeley) $30
(SOLD OUT)
I might pick up one of the tickets floating around on
Craigslist for this. Never seen these guys, but what
I’ve heard (and what people tell me) sounds pretty
amazing. They’re based in indie prog-rock, but they
get insanely creative with it. Sometimes aggressive,
sometimes funky, I don’t know what the show is like
but I think it’s pretty well guaranteed to be totally
unlike anything else.
http://www.themarsvolta.com/frances.html

Animal Liberation Orchestra | New Monsoon @
Independent $17
Friday & Saturday night shows with the headliner
swapping spots. Sure to be two awesome nights of
groovin’, both of these bands represent some of the
best sounds coming out of the jam scene right now.
SF-based ALO just keeps getting hotter as they combine
funky hooks, excellent musicianship, and inventive
song arrangements that even have a sense of humor. New
Monsoon adds vibrant world-inspired percussion to
their unique improv rock for a rich wall of sound.
http://www.alomusic.com/

Broun Fellinis @ Bruno’s $7
An acid jazz three piece combining serious soul and
serious experimentation, the Fellinis are a San
Francisco institution.
http://www.wireonfire.com/brounfellinis/brounfellinishome.html

|||||| SATURDAY 6/4 ||||||

New Monsoon | Animal Liberation Orchestra @
Independent $17
Friday & Saturday night shows with the headliner
swapping spots. See above.
http://www.newmonsoon.com/

|||||| MONDAY 6/6 ||||||

the Lucky Stiffs @ Hemlock Tavern $FREE
Showy’s favorite hard-workin’ punk band is fresh off
tour and playing free for your Monday. I’m thinkin’
about catching it, let me know if you want to get yer
punk on.
http://theluckystiffs.com/

|||||| TUESDAY 6/7 ||||||

Shotgun Wedding Quintet @ Bruno’s $6
Possibly the hottest Jazz Mafia band at the moment
(pure speculation), these cats serve up funky hip-hop
that’s intense, inventive, and air-tight. With so much
freestyling and improv, it’s an amazing droppage of
serious skills. Two dollah Stella Artois will wet your
whistle.
http://www.shotgunweddingquintet.com/

the Vowel Movement @ Studio Z $5-15 (sliding)
With mouth beats from Kid Beyond, Tim Barsky, Infinite
& Soulati of Felonius, and many more beatbox wizards
on the bill, your jaw will be on the floor all night.
Good thing theirs’ won’t.
http://www.thevowelmovement.com/