Say Anything
…Is A Real Boy
www.SayAnythingMusic.com
Gig alert! Say Anything do group therapy April 17th at SF’s Bottom of The Hill. Say Anything follows up their debut “…Was About A Boy with ...Is A Real Boy. Serving up a heaping helping of rock stew filled with chunky rage, adolescent angst and pop-covered balls of human dignity, Say Anything subversively delight while delving into the dark loves of the human psyche. Infectiously cute and hook-filled songs that rage while rocking. My picks: “Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat,” “The Futile,” “Slowly, Through A Vector,” “Admit It!!!,” “Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too,” “Most Beautiful Plague” and “I Will Never Write An Obligatory Song About Being On The Road And Missing Someone.”
Tinariwen
Amassakoulwww.Tribal-Union.com
Gig alerts! Tinariwen funks the tribes April 18th at Santa Cruz’s Rio Theater and April 19th at Oakland’s Yoshi’s. A standout group that I treasure every time their music pops up on a compilation, tribal nomads Tinariwen’s second release shares the bittersweet poetry of their people hidden in a coating of joyous celebration. Polyrhythmic and extra funky beats topped off with seductive harmonies and chant-like singing of the chorus coupled with bumping undertones weaves the poetry of the disappearing camel cultures of the Sahara desert. This is the original dance tribal music that is now being sacrificed and I’m thrilled they were able to record it. My picks: “Oualahila Ar Teninam,” “Amidinin,” “Ténéré Daféo Nikchan,” “Aldhechen Manin,” “Eh Massina Sintadoben,” “Alkhar Dessouf” and “Assoul.”
Lila Downs
La Cantina
www.LilaDowns.com
Born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca and raised there and in Minneapolis, artist, composer and singer Lila Downs is a ranchera poet diva. “As such, the voice permutates by its accents, / in the times of a sad woman, / Woman of drinks, / Woman who sings the crying woman / As to Luther did the Inquisition / The arias forged the amplitude of the chords in the throat / But the loudspeaker forged the harmony of a conscience birthed in my neighborhood.” From Malinche by Lila Downs. My picks: “Cumbia Del Mole,” “Tu Recuerdo Y Yo,” “El Relámpago,” “Arboles De La Barranca,” “Cumbia Del Mole (English Version),” “Ya Ya Me Moy” and “Amarga Navidad.”
Carl Cox
Second Sign
www.CarlCox.com
Gig alert! Globe-hopping DJ, producer and remixer Carl Cox holds church April 28th at SF’s Ruby Skye. Considered to be one of the world’s most popular DJ’s Carl Cox has grown with emerging styles of music and has excelled at incredibly bumping house music mixes and live performance wizardry. Buckle in! My picks: “That’s The Bass (Coxs Rock Drums Mix)” featuring Norman Cook, “Space Calling,” “Room 713,” “Dirty Bass” featuring Christian Smith, “Open Book” featuring Roni Size with Nallee, “Got What You Paid 4” featuring Saffron and “If I Fall (Would You Let Me) (Drum And Latin Version) featuring Onallee.
Remy Ma
There’s Something About Remy: Based On A True Storywww.RemyMa.com
Bronx native, poet, lyricist and unwilling feminist Remy Ma aims to be one of hip-hop’s greatest hard-core MC’s. Rapping true school tales of ghetto drama with brief interludes into party anthems and even a love song or two, Remy Ma’s debut is all too real. My picks: “Conceited (There’s Something About Remy),” “Feels So Good,” “Guilty,” “Crazy,” “What’s Going On” and “Still.”
Van Hunt
On The Jungle Floorwww.VanHunt.com
Gig alert! Van Hunt melts the ladies April 19th at Oakland’s Paramount Theater. Multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer Van Hunt weaves funkified soul food – striking gold with RnB slow churns and smoldering funksters perfect for the hunt or huntress. My picks: “Daredevil, Baby,” “Being A Girl,” “Suspicion (She Knows Me Too Well),” “Mean Sleep” featuring Nikka Costa,” “No Sense Of Crime,” “The Thrill Of This Love” and “The Night Is Young.”
Sonya Kitchell
Words Came Back To Mewww.SonyaKitchell.com
Gig alert! Sonya Kitchell sweetly seduces April 21st at SF’s Swedish American Hall. I know many folks love Joni Mitchell as much as I do and I think you’ll find Massachusetts’s upcoming jazzy folkster Sonya Kitchell and her bare-souled folk debut Words Came Back To Me just the fix you need to get through the day. My picks: “Train,” “Words,” “Cold Day,” “No Matter What,” “Simple Melody” and “I’d Love You.”
Le Trio Joubran
Randana
www.MaiteMusic.com
The ancestor of the guitar is the oud, a larger lute-like 12-stringed instrument with rich deep tones and a rich history continued today within the classical Arab music world. The three Palestinian Joubran brothers rise above their war-torn lives to compose, hand-make the oud from scratch and perform to wide acclaim. Extra introspective, sensual and often seductive the oud music borders on meditative. Think sensuous classical guitar but with a Mid-East flavor.
Diamond Nights
Popsiclewww.DiamondNights.com
Gig alerts! Diamond Nights rock out April 19th at Concord’s Bourbon Street, April 20th at Sacramento’s Boardwalk and April 21st at SF’s Café du Nord. New York’s passionate rockateers Diamond Nights deliver scorching tracks plus a few rock ballads on their flowing debut full-length with classic-rock party anthems and plenty of beefy back-end. My picks: “Saturday Fantastic,” “Red Hex,” “The Girl’s Attractive,” “Snakey Ruth” and “Needle In The Rice.”
Anthony Hamilton
Soulifewww.AnthonyHamilton.com
Gig alert! Anthony Hamilton dishes out soul food April 19th at Oakland’s Paramount Theater. Deep-fried soul ala Al Green blended with hipster rhythm and blues served hot and smooth for slow grooves that make the nastiest players blush. My picks: “I Used To Love Someone,” “Clearly,” “Ol’ Keeper,” “Love & War,” “Love Is So Complicated” & “Icing On The Cake.”
Sparks
Hello Young Loverswww.AllSparks.com
Los Angeles brother duo Sparks strike gold on their 20th album with imaginative and majestic rockers from nasty thrusters to quirky drama tours. Inventive songs and compositions, many perfect for interpretive sex performances, will captivate and change you. My picks: “Dick Around,” “Here Kitty,” “There’s No Such Thing as Aliens” and “As I Sit to Play the Organ at Notre Dame Cathedral.”
Ashley MacIsaac
Multiply Additionswww.Ashley-MacIsaac.com
Eccentric out Canadian singer/ songwriter Ashley MacIsaac veers from his punk-fused fiddling Celtic roots to serve up raw punked-rock scorchers, rock drama and pop quirkers for your hard edges. His cute video for “Bitch” can be seen online and is hysterical. My picks: “Bitch,” “High Times Living,” “Hey Alright,” “Because I Love You” and “Sick Of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
Charanga Cakewalk
Chicano Zenwww.CharangaCakewalk.com
Gig alert! Charanga Cakewalk seasons the masses April 20th at SF’s The Fillmore. Seasoned session performer (for hire musician mainly doing studio work) and performer Michael Ramos zens out on the paths that we all follow to happiness. Quilting and weaving “Tejano, Flamenco folklorica, Meregue, Garage, Ska, Reggaeton” orchestrator and songwriter Michael Ramos bares his soul. My picks: “La Miga Hormiga,” “Gloria” and “La Corriente.”
