Pansy Division
The Essential Pansy Division
www.AlternativeTentacles.com
Gig alerts! Pansy Division bare all Jan 19 at SF’s The Eagle Tavern and Jan. 20 at Berkeley’s 924 Gilman. Queercore punksters Pansy Division whip out their big essential collection complete with a bonus DVD of 14 bonus videos and interview clips of some randy young men rocking out. Witness the evolution from the cable pioneering Lavender Lounge live show to their more MTV-friendly videos. One of the very first openly gay punk bands in history takes on sex, drugs and—wait for it… rock ‘n roll while spewing a very big queer agenda finding fans worldwide. My picks: “Who Treats You Right,” “Fem Ina Black Leather Jacket,” “Anthem,” “Dick Of Death,” “Bad Boyfriend,” “Spiral,” “Alpine Skiing,” “No Protection,” “Sweet Insecurity,” “He Whipped My Ass In Tennis (Then I F*cked His Ass In Bed).”

D:FUSE
People 3: Both sides of the picture. Live
www.DJdfuse.com
Gig alert! DJ D:Fuse holds church Jan. 27 @ SF’s Mighty. This 2-CD continuous-mix compilation from DJ D:Fuse bridges another genre of DJing with mixing live instruments and MCing for a full-frontal set. Each disc is recorded live—People Clubbing was recorded at SF’s club Mighty while People Chilling was recorded at The Lift Room in Austin, Texas. Both are surprisingly good translating moods and music seamlessly. The chill is way chill and the clubbing is totally there. I confess I preferred the chill a bit more flowing lovelies through the brain perfect for sucking face, yoga-ing out or just chilling. My picks: Micali & Reavey’s “Stop,” The Thrill Kill Kult’s “Days Of Swine And Roses,” Audio Magnetics’ “Ghetto Funk Deluxe,” Bart Van Wissen’s “Dry Run,” D:Fuse & Horwood’s “AM Sunday,” Mike Hiratzka’s “At Peace,” D:Fuse’s “Everything With You,” Siavash Tehrani’s “For My Soul,” Mercurio’s “External Waves” and Astrid Suryanto’s “Rainwater.”

Nedra Johnson
Nedra
www.NedraJohnson.com
Soul-funkster sister singer / song-writer and voice of reason Nedra Johnson delivers more soul, blues and gospel-tinged folk rocksters seeping into every place that feels good. Singing openly about woman-woman action, Jesus being a dyke and a few other fun topics will certainly win new fans while sending the “religious right” away with tails between their legs. My picks: “So Good So Far (Censored),” “New Boy Blues” featuring Howard Johnson, “Michfest Blues,” “Scooter Phat” featuring God-Des, “Any Way You Need Her” featuring David Johnson, “Shout Outs” and “The World Could Stop Turning (Tuba Remix).”

Copper Wimmin
The Right To Be Here
www.CopperWimmin.com
I’ve had the pleasure to see Copper Wimmin perform several times including the Bay Area LadyFest and the “Spell!” incantation collaborations at SomArts before the 2004 elections. Alyx Benham, Sophia Mallie, and Tenaya Wallach, began singing together in their tweens in the Santa Rosa Children’s Chorus. “Copper Wimmin” comes from the book of creation myths from the indigenous people of Canada “The Daughters of Copper Woman” by Anne Cameron. Their hauntingly beautiful three part harmonies, often delivered acapella, fly with poetry on their lips. I can’t recommend them highly enough as one of our Bay Area treasures continually stunning audiences. My picks: “Freon Blue,” “Bleeding Rivers,” “Ink,” “Winters Bleak,” “Oasis,” “Mirrors,” “Love Song” and “Kinder.”

Les Yeux Noirs
TChorba
www.WorldVillageMusic.com
Gig alerts! Les Yeux Noirs lands Jan. 28 at Stanford’s Memorial Auditorium and Jan. 29 at San Rafael’s Osher Marin Community Center. Blending funky gypsy undertones with old-school Eastern European folk, jazz and classical influences Les Yeux Noirs delivers an eclectic and electric set blazing a trail for new followers to spark onto the world music scene. Playing a mixture of traditional and modern instruments they pull old-school tunes into a modern context that’s brilliant and refreshing finding the emotional touchstones that make music count. They deliver it vividly while exploring the incredible mix of Gypsy and Yiddish cultures which each faced near-extinction during the Inquisitions and again from the Nazis. My picks: “Zam’hora Pe Opt,” “Yankele,” “Doïna Si Joc De Marian,” “Le Voyage,” “Viens,” “Vos Iz Gevein” and “Hora De Mîna.”

Morningwood
Morningwood
www.MorningwoodRocks.com
Gig alert! Morningwood rocks out Jan. 26 at SF’s Slim’s. I’m usually wary of the latest band coming down the pike and was pleasantly surprised to not hate these guys. Fronted by pixie rockchick Chantal Claret, who not only looks hot but actually can belt out rockers and ballads, the quartet releases their modern rock self-titled debut with mucho acclaim. It’s right-on as Morningwood offers rebellious screeds and encourags lewd things to happen to naked people. Well-produced sleazers and smutty songs that your parents will hate—who could ask for more? Although I liked almost everything my top picks are “Nth Degree,” “Easy” and “Babysitter.”

Junior Vasquez
White Party 7
www.CentaurMusic.com
This continuous-mix compilation by New York’s DJ/producer Junior Vasquez shows why he’s had clubs designed for him. His fans are loyal often dancing for hours until dawn but you can simply slide his latest into your player and feel the need to dance in the comfort of your own. With a chunky-funk progressive industrial-ish mix with plenty of deep-dish diva vocals he blends a floor-grooving set to keep the nights pumping. My picks: Fanatic’s “Stupid Like You (Junior Vasquez Remix)” featuring Deborah Cox, Tom Stephan’s “Here I Come (Rooster & Sammy Peralta Remix)” featuring Katherine Ellis, Ellis D.’s “Y’all Had Enuff Yet?” featuring Vernessa Mitchell, Superchumbo’s “U Know I Love It (Tracy Young Remix),” Junito Perez Project’s “Free Yourself” featuring Tina Cox, Matteo Esse & Sant’s “Funk (Robbie Rivera Mix)” featuring Corrina Joseph, Dynamix Presents The Sweet Inspirations’ “Shake Yourself Loose (Dynamix & Haarmeyer Mix)” featuring Cissy Houston and Simone Denny’s “Cliche (Tim Letteer Remix).”

Floetry
SupaStar--Club Remixes
www.Floetry.net
Power poetry duo Floetry deliver yet another club hit with SupaStar—Club Remixes with a bundle of goodies to please most palettes. Q Harris’ mix house-grooves and features the famous cosmopolitan flow the duo is known for, expect this version to pop in chill club spots. Producer Kaskade’s edit has more oomph with a quirkiness nod to rap roots and the vocals biting and leading the RnB groove. Kascade also puts out the dub version which has dancefloor written all over it. SupaStar’s “Fresh Fruit Dub” is way trippy and space-funky with solid beats and the soulstress speaking directly to your heart—very hip. Finally my last pick is the slow churn of the LP version with Common ably assisting on a great rap flow.
L.P.

Suburban Sprawl & Alcohol
www.DeviousPlanet.com
No pretty princess this! L.P. delivers a fully loaded release baring soul and belting rockers ala Pat Benatar while completely rocking out. Definitely one to watch with forlorn rock-chick ballads and power rock delivery. From “Change of Scenery” “You give me change of scenery when I don’t like the view / I wanna believe like I do when I’m with you / There’s not too many people to look up to in this world / I had to find out for myself it’s hard to be a girl / It’s just small minds and money that constitute this game / They dictate what is beautiful and that’s a goddamn shame.” My picks: “Wasted,” “the Darkside,” “Suburban Sprawl & Alcohol,” “Little Death,” “Change of Scenery,” “Nowhere” and “Heartless.”

Irene Soderberg
This Is My Life!
www.ImIrene.com
Gig alert! Irene Soderberg’s CD release show is Jan. 22 at SF’s piano bar Martuni’s. Irene Soderberg is well known and loved in the Bay Area and on the cabaret circuit for her warm style and sparkling wit making old-school queens swoon and winning over new fans with every show. Great singers have the magic (in the words of Paula Abdul—yes, I know it’s a crime to quote her but…) “To make you feel like you’re hearing the song for the very first time.” This challenge is heightened even more when everyone knows the lyrics and every beat—so you better have soul and Irene does in buckets! My picks: “On A Clear Day / Almost Like Being In Love,” “Drag Queen,” “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” “On Broadway” and “Maybe This Time.”

Putumayo’s One World One Kid
www.PutumayoKids.com
OK, one for the very young! World music leaders Putumayo deliver another batch of world treats with the specially-priced CD benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation which grants wishes to children dying from a host of life-threatening diseases in over 30 countries. Delivered as a world music radio show, six-year-old Skyler Pia hosts seven songs from around the world with cutesy intros all inspired by his friend Erik who was ill with cancer. As always the music is solid and in the Putumayo tradition the music gives back as well. Tracks include: Tete Alhinho’s “Barco Di Papel,” Trevor Adamson’s “Nyangi Matilda,” Polo’s “Petit Francais,” Desmond Dekker’s “Jamaica Farewell,” “Los 50 De Joselito’s “La Arana Picua” and my favorite pick—Eric Bibb & Needed Time’s “Just Keep Going’ On.”

Hip Hop Essentials 1979-1991
Volume Four
www.HipHopEssentials.com
Churning out another chapter of history before hip hop existed, is the time capsule of Volume Four Hip Hop Essentials 1979-1991exploring the history of hip hop with detours into the soon-to-be-called “dirty south,” LA and, of course, New York. “White Lines”—an ominous ode to cocaine abuse by Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five will bring back memories of damaged brain cells as will the call to action of media censorship with Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype.” Another history-making moment hit us all when 2 Live Crew’s “Me So Horny” helped bring obscenity charges under another President Bush regime. Before the south was dubbed the “dirty south” 2 Live Crew gave nasty a new name—with politicians scrambling to shutdown the concerts and pull the music from the shelves. Sounds eerily familiar to our current President Bush shutting down all erotic and pornographic art in the name of protecting children. My other picks include Big Daddy Kane’s “Raw,” Mellow Man Ace’s “Mentirosa” and Kool Moe Dee’s “Go See the Doctor.”

Marah
If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry
www.Marah-USA.com
Gig alert! Catch Marah Jan. 28 at SF’s Café du Nord. Hebrew for “bitter” Marah seems to hover near hopeful as well. With bittersweet lyrics from skewed viewpoints and a full chorus of instruments adding down-home touches and grounding the work with a depth most bands earn over years of torture, Marah is solid rock with introspective twists. From “City Of Dreams”—“We should not be livin’ this life like this / The mice are crazy from paint chip crumbs / As the iron lung of the icebox hums / There’s cool ranch dust on our lunchtime thumbs / And we treat each other rotten / This ain’t life like this.” My picks also include: “Sooner Or Later,” “So What If We’re Outta Tune (W/ The Rest Of The World),” “Poor People” and “This Time.”