San Francisco Music Blog

​Andy Caldwell is a skilled pianist and trumpeter, but his classical training takes a back seat to his rep in the clubs. The Om Records staple and Uno Recordings owner has spent the past decade and a half touring the world (hitting all the big dance meccas: Ibiza, Berlin, Australia) with his turntables and recording tastemaking mixes. His latest album, Obsession is a departure from the San Francisco house scene he's synonymous with; here he collaborates on electro bangers with Mr. V, Storm Lee, Femke, Mr. J. Madeiros, and more. It's fitting that he's sonically departed the Bay Area, as he also moved down to Los Angeles, looking for better weather and a change of creative scene.

Caldwell is back in town on Saturday, Nov. 14, with a show at Vessel and, most likely, a stop at his favorite bakery. 

Name: Andy Caldwell

Style(s) of music you spin: house, house, HOUSE!

So what's your story, in 100 words or less? Just a kid who fell in love with house music, dedicated my life to it, and never looked back.

When and why did you leave San Francisco? I moved to LA not too long ago because I was feeling creatively stagnant and was looking for a place with warmer weather. Also many of my closest friends live here so I had a nice social network already. I like visiting SF though! I spent 12 years there.

What do you miss most about living here? One word... Tartine.

Blues Control @ The Hemlock

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In terms of cringeworthy musical clichés, stating that "the blues" is a state of mind ranks near the top of the list. Thankfully, Queens-based duo Blues Control gets into the best kind of headspace possible: that of a total mindfuck. The band crafts woozy, inscrutable, seemingly endless instrumentals on one guitar and a keyboard (and sometimes an old drum machine), making music that always seems to be unraveling, at once hypnotizing and confounding. Built up from tape loops or primitive electronics, the guitar oozes and flares, never quite settling into a pattern, while the piano seems to be everywhere at once, underpinning the proceedings while also taking them further out.

The band's third album, Local Flavor, is its most coherent yet, at least in terms of the duo's aesthetic sensibilities. "Good Morning" opens things up with a frantic lo-fi drum machine before moving into a fuzzy guitar outburst. The deft piano accompaniment expands upon the melody. A touch of layered brass caps off this lo-fi boogie-glam hybrid. Ambient loops and murky melodic excursions waft in and out of focus throughout Local Flavor, culminating in the mesmeric 17-minute smog of church organ and fried guitar on "On Through the Night."

Read the full Blues Control profile here, and check out the band live at the Hemlock (9 p.m., $7)

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Chinese Stars @ Thee Parkside

After rising from the blackened ashes of Skin Graft noiseniks Arab on Radar, The Chinese Stars initially seemed set on continuing their previous band's discomfiting mission: to simultaneously convert and confuse listeners with squirmy guitars, surreal lyrics issued via grating nasal whines, and lobotomized drum beats that anchored the insanity to a tangible rhythmic base. But recently they've mixed in vintage synthesizers à la Six Finger Satellite, resulting in an off-color blend of dance punk, dissonant rock, synth pop, and sheer weirdness. The Chinese Stars are now probably too dancey for No Wave distortion addicts, too frisky and atonal for neo-disco hipsters, and way too W.T.F. for any random passerby who might stumble into the club. They may no longer be a noise band, but it's possible the Chinese Stars have finally achieved Noise Band Nirvana -- by alienating absolutely everyone. At last, success! (8 p.m., $8, Thee Parkside)

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The Mission's 13-year-old community radio station, Pirate Cat Radio, claims it has been issued a "proposed" $10,000 fine by the FCC. The station responded by issuing a press release on Halloween alerting fans to the possible FCC action, and has gone silent at its terrestrial home of 87.9 FM. DJs are still broadcasting the station's eclectic mix of music, news, and community bulletins from its 21st St. headquarters onto the Internet, keeping its Web presence active.

DJs spent Monday giving listeners repeated calls to action, making pleas for financial support. A station intern named Heidi asked fans to come to the cafe and grab a "maple bacon latte," to purchase Pirate Cat T-shirts and compilation CDs, and to stay tuned for upcoming benefit shows to help raise funds for the DIY station. 

Pirate Cat founder Monkey issued a statement Saturday listing the reasons he feels his station is vital to San Francisco, including the fact that its been recognized by the Board of Supervisors, and that it regularly broadcasts news bulletins from Al Jazeera and BBC. Monkey added that his DJs "take an active approach to involving the community, by bringing local unsung heroes and talents into the studio."

We'll have more information on this issue as it develops.

San Francisco psych-popsters Sleepy Sun get extra cosmic on their new video, "New Age," a red- and droopy-eyed ballad that opens up into some seriously stony guitar solos. We would expect nothing less from a band that got its original musical and spiritual guidance down in Santa Cruz. 

I quote the woman filming this little kid when I ask, "What the hell?" This half-naked tot (hitting the kitchen table to GS Boyz' "Stanky Leg") is a better dancer than most folks you see out at the clubs.

Ravi and Anoushka Shankar at Davies Symphony Hall
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Since taking up the sitar in the late 1930s, Indian musician Ravi Shankar has released more than 40 albums, composed for film director Satyajit Ray, collaborated with Ali Akbar Khan and Philip Glass, and taught George Harrison everything he knew about the complicated instrument. His private life has been no less adventurous, as he fathered children by several wives and mistresses, giving the world the soft-pop singer-songwriter Norah Jones and sitar player Anoushka Shankar. The latter has brought Indian music to a new audience by collaborating with electronica producers Thievery Corporation and Karsh Kale, as well as performing with her father on numerous occasions, including the 2002 memorial for Harrison, The Concert for George.

Tonight's show features performances by Ravi and Anoushka, separately and together. Fans should snap up tickets, as this may be one of the last chances to see the 89-year-old master perform his transcendental music in a local setting. (Davies Symphony Hall, $30-$90).

​In case you missed Pitchfork's lead story this morning, there's a new cut for the Girls' "Lust for Life" video. The revision involves far less clothing, as its new title, "'Lust for Life' Hardcore XXX Edit" (clip grabbed from MBV), would suggest.

Here penises double as microphones (thanks to Hunx and His Punx), naked girls double as band members, and live footage of the band performing is spliced into the more intimate shots.

Girls are turning out to be the San Francisco buzz band that keeps the buzz heading far behind the music, whether it's stories of the band member's cult past and present drug use, or new ways to show fans that they're the boys to party with. (When Girls won this year's SF Weekly Music Award for best indie rock/pop act, they sent a gaggle of hot ladies on stage to accept their award for them since they were on tour).

It's good to see a genuinely talented act be so playful with their image while still writing the sorta stylish dream pop that makes critics blissfully happy. In lesser hands, a XXX video would be painfully cheeseball. But here, our only warning is NSFW.

​Over on our sister/news blog, The Snitch, Peter Jamison reports on yesterday's hearing for the Entertainment Commission, San Francisco's nightclub-industry watchdog agency.

​"Following a three-hour hearing that featured extensive public comment...the three-member committee unanimously approved the new law, which would grant the Entertainment Commission added powers to crack down on problematic nightclubs as well as establish stricter oversight measures for how the commission operates."

Read more about the E.C. and yesterday's meeting at the Snitch here.

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Punk Rock Slideshow at the Hemlock

"You can blame Al Gore for the dearth of quality punk rock in the jukeboxes of America:he had to go and invent the internet. What a bum! Even dives with great jukes are phasing out their custom mixes in favor of those hateful touch-screen Toxic Boxes. The solution? Ditch the juke and enlist deejays instead.

At the Hemlock's Punk Rock Sideshow, DJ Tragic and the Duchess of Hazard pluck gems from their deep collection of punk and hardcore records, guaranteeing that every few minutes you'll interrupt your conversation to say, "Hey, I love this song!" and then thump out the drumbeat on the bar railing. Its age-defying mix of old-school winners ranging from the Adolescents to Youth of Today -- not to mention the vintage skate videos projected on the walls -- makes Punk Rock Sideshow a rejeuvenating cocoon of Golden Age punk nuggets, with plenty of modern awesomeness & future classics from the '90s and '00s as well.

As if that weren't enough, is there anything more ridiculous than drinking a whisky while singing along with Minor Threat's sobriety anthem "Straight Edge"? And some people think trucker caps are the pinnacle of irony! Punk Rock Jukebox schools hipsters in the truth. For free. Every Monday night. It's better than that useless B.F.A. any day." -- J. Graham

​Forget the Monsters of Folk. The real underground neo folk act to keep an ear on is Emerald Triangle. The group has a serious California soft rock pedigree: San Francisco's own Andy Cabic of Vetiver, together with Farmer Dave (Venice denizen who's played with tons of acts, most notably Beachwood Sparks), another So Cal cohort Jonathan Rice (who plays solo and with Jenny Lewis), and Jonathan Wilson (who plays with Black Crowes).

So far the fruits of their collaborations are a mystery, as the Emerald Triangle MySpace is heavier on pretty green coloring and information than it is on music. But these dudes are doing a California tour in November that hits the Independent on Monday the 2nd. The show is being backed/presented by Monterey tastemaking promoter (((folkYeah))), so we have high hopes here.

On a related note, anyone see that the new Devendra Banhart record (out on Warner Bros.) was the lead review in Rolling Stone this issue? Crazy. And they gave it four stars. Although they gave some old Stones box set five stars, so not sure what that says about the mag, but hey, awesome for Banhart.

Dick Jaws

The Mummies do double duty on Saturday night

​Kowloon Walled City CD Release @ Annie's (Fri.) San Francisco sludgemasters Kowloon Walled City express sonic aggression with oppressive riffage. The rhythm section alone sounds massive enough to pave city streets, steamrolling by with elephantine thrusts of distorted bass and beats that drop like anvils. This heavy load is spiked by sharp outbursts of raging vocals, frontman Scott Evans channeling a weighty Am Rep angst in his hoarse yells. Occasionally the band breaks the onslaught for a bit of doomy melody, a dark calm before the storm rages once again. Tonight the band celebrates the release of its debut full length killer, Gambling on the Richter Scale, with a show at Annie's. (9:30 p.m., $7)

Art in Storefronts @ Central Market/Tenderloin (Fri.) The San Francisco Arts Commission hosts a night of art you can see from the street, as it kicks off its inaugural Art in Storefronts project. Between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., venues in the 900 to 1100 block of Market will host murals, installations, sculptures, videos, neon, and more. (Free)

Budget Rock Fest @ Thee Parkside & Bottom of the Hill (Fri.-Sun.) Trash- and garage rock takes over Potrero Hill this weekend, when Budget Rock returns to our side of the Bay. The name of the fest is your first clue that these gigs won't cost much, but shows for the especially thrifty-conscious include The Mummies  ($5 at Thee Parkside, 8 p.m. That same night they're also playing Bottom of the Hill -- making the mad dash down 17th St.); Box Elders play the fest for that same price and at Thee Parkside on Sunday (1 p.m.)

Flosstradamus

​The Kid Sister and Lil B (of the Pack) show just got a boost from Flosstradamus, Chicago's hot shit DJ/production duo.

The pair were slipped onto Thursday's Rickshaw show on the DL and last minute. One imagines many dance fans will take full advantage of seeing these dudes support their Windy City peer in smaller confines than usual. 

Local rapper/spoken word champ Rafael Casal is producing something scary for Halloween. His new LP, out at the end of this month, is called Monster, and the first video from this fresh collection of thinking man's hip-hop is for the title track. Here Casal and crew slink around unlocked cells, feast on books, and dance on balaconies. Check it out.

Wednesday (and Thursday) Night Out

The Spits

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Though they hail from opposite ends of the American Empire -- rainy Seattle, Washington, and sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico, respectively -- The Spits and Davila 666 share a love of raucous punk rock'n'roll and the wild time it often inspires.

Last month Davila 666 took over Thee Parkside for a Wednesday blowout that was as packed and sweaty as any weekend rager: "Pure unadulturated fun of the sloppiest kind" is how SF Weekly music editor Jennifer Maerz rightly described it. "Each of the songs by these Spanish-singing garage punks explodes like a little stack of dynamite, lit by gang vocals, or high wolf howls, or a tempo that moves swiftly as a schoolyard fight."

Not ones to be easily outdone, The Spits are known for equally outrageous gigs (often featuring 99-cent-store costumes) that rip through snotty, Ramones-inspired slop-pop that has turned more than one venue's dancefloor into a swirling sea of bodies and beer.

Both bands are on a mini-tour together, so you get two chances to see them this week: tonight (all ages) and Thursday (21+) at Thee Parkside. -- John Graham

​Weezer is playing a MySpace "secret show" in San Francisco on Wednesday night. The band will hit town to play the Regency with opening (and unfortunately named) act Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. They go on at 8:45, and Weezer will be up at 10 p.m.

We'd recommend checking out Weezer's MySpace page to get ticket details and such.

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Good news for Tom Waits fans: the iconic Nor Cal singer and songwriter has embraced the old "give 'em a little free taste" marketing plan. He's offering an 8-song preview of his upcoming live album, Glitter and Doom Live, for the price of your email address.

If you like what you hear, the full album will be available (for money) Nov. 24. In order to get Waits loyalists to part with cash for the finished Glitter and Doom Live, next month's product will include a half hour bonus disc called "Tom Tales," which edits together banter from the Glitter tour into one continuous monologue/track.

​Nothing like a little Fresh Espresso to wake your ass up--and then keep you in a dreamstate. The Seattle duo's synth- and string-driven hip-hop floats on pastel sci-fi melodies, choruses where robots harmonize with breathy background vocals, and clean beats that are airy and uplifting.

The group comprises producer/composer/rapper P Smoov and emcee Rik Rude, who offer dreamy narratives of semi-reality and drifting away on "Bedroom."

The Who's Tommy
The Victoria Theatre
Friday, Oct. 16, 2009


Better than:​ Pinball. I suck at pinball.

On the way home after Ray of Light Theatre's production of the Who's Tommy, I asked the boyfriend what would have made for a better evening -- seeing the show we just saw, or lounging around at home listening to the Who's album, with the requisite substances on hand? He came down firmly on the side of the album plus substances. I wasn't quite prepared to dismiss the performance's merits entirely. But then I have an inherent soft spot for amateurish (using the word as nonpejoratively as possible) stagings of Tommy.

The Ray of Light's entire cast, under the direction of Shane Ray, acts with winning enthusiasm, and takes obvious pleasure in the material.  Watching the show, you want them to succeed in their roles. If nothing else, they make the audience root for them. Is this enough to make a paying guest overlook the fact that the singing is uneven and occasionally off-key, the acting ranges from clichéd to hammy, and the sets are for the most part unimaginative?  To each his or her own.

It takes an iron will and a penchant for risk to submit to the risky calculus of the day-long music festival. In the weeks leading up to the Treasure Island Music Festival, there was no doubt that the lineup would yield something for just about any modern music fan from dreaded dubstep nodders to house bangers to junglists to those with a love of guitars and human voices and all points on the music appreciation spectrum in between.

With a Saturday lineup that featured MGMT, Crown City Rockers, Murs, Federico Aubele, Passion Pit, DJ Krush, Dan Deacon, The Streets, MSTRKRFT, LTJ Bukem, and Brazilian Girls, there was a little something for everyone. But still, prospective festival goers had to ask themselves if they were prepared to surrender control of their personal transportation, make the trek to Lot A at Pac Bell Park, board a shuttle bus, remain conscious through more than ten hours of live sound and Port-A-Potty use and have it be a worthwhile, pleasant experience.

Christopher Victorio

​If you summoned your inner Shackleton, made the leap, and set sail on a shuttle bus for Treasure Island Saturday, you were rewarded with a tableau that included a Ferris Wheel, sick skyline views, two stages filled with nonstop funk to keep your ass moving, food vendors galore offering fare more than a few notches above soft pretzels and churros, double dutch jump-roping hipsters, and the rare chance to sit down and have a face to face Qi Gong session with Te'Devan Kurzweil.

www.epiphanydance.org

Trolly Dances Sat. & Sun.

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The Intelligence, Hank IV, Mayyors, Bronze @ Elbo Room (Fri.) Portland's postpunk, postapocalyptic noisemakers The Intelligence headline a Friday night to remember. The band brings its lo-fi, high-trash sound to an Elbo Room lineup where it gets support from Nor Cal's loudest 'n' rawest: Hank IV (S.F) and Mayyors (Sacto), warmed up by electro "cosmic mindslayer" Bronze. ($7 if you grab tickets in advance; $10 if you're lazy. 9 p.m.)

Dirty Rotten Dance Party @ Madrone (Fri.) The beats get dirtier than a Haight St. sidewalk tonight at Madrone, when DJs Morale, Shane King, and Kap10 Harris spin a raw, raunchy mix of "electro, bootybass, crunk, swampy breaks, hyphy, fidgety, b.more, rap, and party classics." Sweat it out starting at 9 p.m. ($5)

Where the Wild Things Are @ Metreon (All weekend) Go see the new Spike Jonze/Dave Eggers monster movie the weekend it opens--before anyone can offer up any spoilers. Where the Wild Things Are plays at the AMC Metreon 15. ($9)

Lit Crawl @ Various Locations (Sat.) Thanks to Lit Crawl, the written word becomes the spoken word in S.F.'s alleys, bookstores, bars, cafes, restaurants, and more. Phase 1 (which includes punks, poets, Meatpaper, and more) goes from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Phase 2 hosts a spectrum of Latino scribes, smut, kids stories, and zombie fantasies from 7:15 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. And Phase 3  is a bunch of crazy talk, comedy, sex workers, and more from 8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. The events are free, and fill up quickly.

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Buju Banton perfoming at Rock It Room, before the pepper-spray incident

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Last night, fans of controversial reggae star Buju Banton were pepper-sprayed by an unknown assailant during Banton's concert at the Rock It Room. The assault occurred during the show, when, according to the Rock It Room's booker, Ben Thompson, someone let loose with pepper spray. "This happened directly in the middle of the dance floor, in front of Buju's backup singers," he said. He added that the three singers were all affected by the pepper spray, and Gramps Morgan, Banton's opening act, was also affected. "It got in my eyes and throat," Morgan said. He didn't see the assailant, he said, adding, "It was a dark club and I felt it."

An earlier version of this story mistakenly identified Pollo Del Mar and other LGBT activists as being responsible for the incident, based on misinformation from Banton's management. SFWeekly regrets the error.

Thompson said the assailant was "absolutely" not Pollo del Mar, who was in full drag and would have been instantly recognizable.

Before the concert, a small group of protestors--including Del Mar--stood outside chanting slogans and attempting to engage clubgoers in dialogue about Banton's lyrics. Thompson says the protesters left before the pepper spray incident and never entered the venue.

"My side is simple," says Del Mar. "We showed up. It was a peaceful protest. Violence of any kind is unacceptable," he adds. Del Mar says he first heard of the incident that night at 2 a.m., and his first thought was that he hoped no one was hurt.

Andrea Shorter, Director of And Marriage For All, who attended the meeting earlier in the day between Banton and members of the LGBT community, derided the pepper spray incident as counter-productive: "Assaulting concert goers is totally unacceptable," she said in an email.

Following the incident, Banton said, "We play America for the fans, not for the protesters," declining to make any additional statement on the matter.

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Buju Banton meets the LGBT Posse

​ In what may be a groundbreaking and possibly historical event, controversial reggae star Buju Banton met with representatives from the LGBT community this afternoon. Banton has been a frequent target of gay rights protesters for his 1992 song "Boom Bye Bye," which activists say glorifies murder and violence directed at gays.

Before the dialogue, Banton's show at the Rock It Room scheduled for tonight (October 12) appeared in jeopardy of cancellation due to protest. Yet after the face-to-face exchange, the LGBT activists not only agreed to let the show continue as planned, but expressed optimism about the possibility of further dialogue and action, toward a human rights agenda inclusive of both LBGT concerns and the reggae community.

The meeting, which took place at the Courtyard Hotel in Larskpur, included Banton and his manager Tracii McGregor, San Francisco supervisors Bevan Dufty and Eric Mar, LGBT Center executive director Rebecca Rolfe, queer blogger Michael Petrelis and lesbian activist Andrea Shorter. The LGBT acvists, led by Petrelis and Shorter, voiced their concerns over homophobic lyrics and anti-gay violence in Jamaica directly to Banton, and suggested various things he could do to promote human rights, such as a town hall meeting in Jamaica. Banton, in turn, pointed to additional context, such as colonialism and the Jamaican government's homophobic laws. He denied he is a hate speech or murder music artist, as his critics have insisted. "Let's face the reality," Banton said. "Whatever is said in a positive light can't get out." On the topic of the controversial tune, he added, "I don't perform the song anymore. The reality is, I've gone past that."

"You have a bad PR problem," Shorter told the three-time Grammy nominee, adding, "I'm not gonna get a medal for talking to you." She added, however, she was willing to try to forge ahead to figure out "what we can do together to fight against hate and violence in a way that is meaningful." After some testy questions by Shorter about Banton's commitment to gay-rights issues, Mar said he knows of many within the African American and reggae community who "see you as one of the most positive artists out there" - in stark contrast to the way Banton has been presented in the LBGT activist scene and queer blogosphere. "I've been actively doing some of the stuff you mention," the singer said, referring to Operation Willy, a pro-safe sex anti-AIDS organization Banton founded in 1994. "I don't advocate violence, Rastafari is not about that," he added.

The tete-a-tete appeared to soothe tensions on both sides. At the end of the meeting, all assembled posed for snapshots, as Dufty remarked, "No city is gayer than S.F. You have met with some of the toughest queer activists around." Banton said nothing, while Shorter said, "I'm more hopeful walking out of here than walking in here."

​Blue Cheer's bassist/vocalist Dickie Peterson died early this morning, according to a post at Blabbermouth.net.

A founding member of San Francisco's heavy, bluesy, psychedelic godfathers, the 61-year-old's cause of death is unknown, but the site reports that Peterson passed away at 5 a.m. in Germany after reportedly battling cancer. (Note: a MySpace page set up under the name Dickie Peterson lists the bassist's age as 63).

Strangely, KUSF DJ Stereo Steve just did a spotlight on Blue Cheer last night. You can download his lesson in music history here.

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Jay Reatard canceled his upcoming tour--including his stop at Great American on Monday, Oct. 19, with Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Box Elders, and Digital Leather) after his band up and left him last week.

In the words--or, as it were, Tweets-- of the band leader, "Band quit ! Fuck them! They are boring rich kids who= can't play for ahit anyways .. Say hello to your ugly and boring wifes opps I mean...".

Reatard, a San Francisco favorite whose last local show packed the kids into Amoeba for a free in-store, had to yank his mid-October dates after losing his 'mates, although his MySpace still shows dates for an end of the month European tour. Seems the guy isn't too worried about filling his ex-buddies' shoes. The same day Reatard announced the desertion (Oct. 6) he also Twittered: "So who wants to see just how terrible it is to play in my band. I mean its so so hard I promise its the worst :) Jayreatard@gmail.com."  

Now's your chance kids, so long as you're able to play a lightning-speed set, of course.

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Boots Riley at Outside Lands, 2009

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It's been a minute since Oakland's legendary hip-hop group the Coup last played its hometown - nine years in fact, according to frontman and primary songwriter Boots Riley. In that time, the group has played SF and Berkeley -"We did a kind of rehearsal at Black New World 2 years ago," Boots recalls -but Friday's gig at the New Parish is their first "legitimate" O-Town gig since 2000, he says. In that time, Boots has busied himself by going on the road with Galactic, recording and touring with Tom Morello in Street Sweeper Social Club, and writing new Coup material (which he says he hasn't taught to his band yet, so it's doubtful it'll be played Friday)

Even so, the gig has its merits. Besides being just the second show at the new venue, it's also a benefit for the North Oakland Community Charter School, so your ticket fees go to support education for youth. Interestingly enough, it's also the second consecutive show at the New Parish to feature a dude with a big-ass Afro (the other being Alex Cuba). Beginning of a new trend, perhaps? I dunno, but if so, here are some suggestions for the club bookers: Pharaohe Monch, Erykah Badu, Questlove, and Medusa.

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The party in the park is, quite possibly, hip-hop's most singularly enduring tradition. Saturday's Estria Invitational Graffiti Battle honored that tradition - and then some. Held in conjunction with the Living Word Festival, the National Poetry Slam, Hood Games and Life Is Living.org's Life is Living Festival, the event took over deFremery Park, which was buzzing with vibrant energy. In addition to live graffiti painting (this year's theme word was "grow"), there were b-boy battles, live performances by poets and musicians, eco-sustainable booths, and much more. Visceral activity was just about everywhere, and not a single one of hip-hop's foundational elements was overlooked--if anything they were added to.

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Oh, No: Pharaohe Monch

​ Oakland's own Vogue TDK took home the top prize for his piece, a 3-D calligraphic masterpiece which used bamboo symbolism to convey the idea of verdant, active plantlife. Life performers included Marc Bamuthi Jacobs, Linda Tillery & the Cultural Heritage Ensemble--who performed folk songs from the Underground Railroad era--the Kev Choice Ensemble, and Pharaohe Monch, who rapped with such intensity, he bloodied his lip. All in all, it was an extremely good look for hip-hop, reminding people that there is no substitute for organic community-building.

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2,3 Break: B-boys in a cipher

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Opti-Mystic Soul: Buju

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Three-time Grammy nominee Buju Banton has been credited with ushering in dancehall reggae's conscious revival with 1994's "Murderer," an anti-violence tune which preceded the ascension of such artists as Sizzla, Capleton, and Fantan Mojah. Buju began his career in his teens, quickly becoming a popular toaster with a rapid-fire tongue--which occasionally dipped into slackness, as on the sexual prowess-affirming "Stamina Daddy" and the still-controversial "Boom Bye Bye" (which he no longer performs in concert). Yet since converting to Rastafarianism over fifteen years ago, Banton's output has been overwhelmingly positive: In addition to anthems of struggle and redemption ("Untold Stories;" "Not An Easy Road"), he's made nature-affirming odes to the almighty ("Hills and Valleys"), protest statements against gunplay ("Bad Boy") and African genocide ("Sudan"), and retro-dancehall pro-herb tunes ("Driver"). Banton's latest album, Rasta Got Soul, updates Third World's "Sense of Purpose" and finds the artist wallowing in positivity ("Optimistic Soul").

Buju concerts are more than just an opportunity to puff marijuana like Bob Marley and get your ragamuffin on like a Jamaican "modeler"; they're often spiritually-moving experiences which bring audiences closer to Jah. Banton brings the "Rasta Got Soul" tour to Berkeley's Shattuck Down Low on Saturday, along with the Shiloh band, Gramps Morgan (of Morgan Heritage), and Nikki Burt. It's Angel Magik's 8-year anniversary bash, so expect the vibes to be extra-crispy. Purchasing presales are highly advised; this show will likely sell out. (If you miss Banton on Saturday, he'll also be at SF's Rock It Room Monday for a special edition of DeeCee's Soul Shakedown, ya heard?)

Afrobeat's Ancestor: Fela Kuti

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It's hard to think of a more iconic artist than Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The founder of Afrobeat, who famously proclaimed "music is a weapon," was both a voice of progressive social change--and often uncomfortably-honest socioeconomic critique--and a musical visionary. Fela's fusing of traditional Yoruban music with American jazz, R&B and funk was ahead of its time, as evidenced by the flowering of the Afrobeat genre a decade after his death and the influence Fela's music has had on a generation of artists--including Afrobeat revivalists (including Kuti's sons Femi and Seun), hip-hop and reggae aficionados, and electronic music heads.

This Saturday, Café du Nord turns into a mini-shrine to Fela, as DJ Jeremiah (aka Mr. Afrobeat) presents a Kuti birthday celebration, featuring a live performance by Afro-soul artist Siji, plus DJ Said and Jeremiah himself. If you like endless grooves with thought-provoking messages,this one's for you.

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PUTS: Double K and Thes One

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You'll have to forgive my hangover this morning (afternoon?) - a direct result of hanging out with People Under the Stairs and Om Records' Gunnar Hissam last night. Hazardous duty, for sure. Anyway, PUTS previewed their new album Carried Away before a young but enthused, nearly sold-out crowd at Slim's last night, and I've got pictures to prove it (even if some parts of last night are a little fuzzy. LOL.)

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Thes One moves the crowd

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I'll say this for PUTS: they know how to party and they know how to rock the party. New material like "Trippin' at the Disco" and "Beer"--an infectious, instantly classic ode to hops, malt, ale, lager, pilsner, and pretty much everything associated with everyone's favorite frothy beverage--went over well, but the crowd's biggest cheers were reserved for well-worn PUTS' favorites "San Francisco Knights" and "Acid Raindrops."

Peep more pics after the jump.