Of Note: CD Reviews

Bad Science Fiction is making waves as a "new" San Diego band, with a live show that includes go-go dancers with snakes and psychedelic lights, as well as a strange sound that can't easily be labeled. The musicians are hardly newcomers, though. Chuck Schiele, a singer/ songwriter in the acoustic Americana group the Grams, wanted to plug in and rock, and Bad Science Fiction became a side project. In 2007 he was joined by friend and guitarist Mike Head (of Country Rockin' Rebels), who became a partner in the project, which eventually became a band. Other local musicians joined to record their debut disc, Therefore.

The 11-song disc is produced by Schiele, with four instrumental tracks cowritten and coproduced by Schiele and Head. Since both guys are experienced producers with their own studios in Ocean Beach, the production is flawless. The sound is designed to be unusual and is tough to peg; a sort of post trip-hop fusion of electronic background noise overlaid with a pounding house beat, overdriven electric lead guitar riffs, spacey keyboards, and clever lyrics. The dense sound mix is so smooth that the multiple loops, computer effects, and percussion fill the empty spaces perfectly without crowding the central vocal and guitar focal points.

"Rise Up" is a strident call to action with lead singer Schiele taking a political stand, invoking Dr Luther King at one point. Hypnotic keyboards weave in and out of aggressive, distorted guitar by Head. A lighter touch is given "92107 (yeah...)", about OB, as Schiele sings about "another beautiful day" and Head answers with some quicksilver licks. The next three tracks are "Candyman Suite," beginning with the percussion instrumental "Ghetto Hash," and moving into "Work It Out." This track plows forward with an almost straight-ahead guitar rock approach, a highlight with a strong vocal by Schiele and more good work by Head. "Bad Requiem" is another instrumental, the best on the disc, built around computer effects, percussion, and a guitar riff; the next tune adds funny lyrics and some funk chords to a similar structure for "Go James Brown." "Love Factory," which shares its title with the Grams' latest album, is more funk, with a big dance beat and background vocals, while the vocals and instruments in "Judas" seem to fade in and out of an electronic fog. Things get heavy on "Voodoo," another highlight that recalls late ‘60s psychedelia, with an almost straightforward, bluesy guitar riff rock tune augmented by some nice acid rock guitar touches and plenty of reverb; it is like a lost cut from a Love or Quicksilver Messenger Service album.

Therefore has an experimental sound, which samples freely from electronica dance music and heavy rock to form a hybrid that succeeds on its own terms. Bad Science Fiction hasn't reinvented the wheel, but has found a new and very enjoyable way to roll.   

In 1977, jazz guitarist Al DiMeola invited flamenco player Paco de Lucia to sit in on an acoustic number on his Elegant Gypsy album, and the resulting flashy hybrid of gypsy jazz successfully combined the souls of both Django Reinhardt and Sabicas. Since then, guitar enthusiasts have never had a shortage of acoustic artists who could keep the flame burning. Many of these sound like clones of the original nylon/steel templates of Acoustic Alchemy's tame precision on the one hand and Strunz and Farah's riff-riddled jams on the other. Little Venices, a new disc by San Diego's Paper Moon, uses the same instrumentation but with a different approach, to good effect.

Recorded with Scott Taber on nylon string acoustic and Daniel Dever on steel string and electric guitar (Joe Amato recently filled the second spot), Little Venices follows up the duo's 2006 offering, Miniatures. All but one of the 12 songs are originals and draw from Latin, swing jazz, even a bit of blues-rock, and plenty of flamenco. The compositions score points for variation of approach, showcasing the guitarists in each song flashing a different side of their musical personality.

After sharp unison playing on "Anthem," the title tune has Taber laying down some Spanish-themed framework, onto which he and Dever add tasteful touches. The uptempo "Cirque de la Song" has a swing feel, Django licks, and even speeds up at the end. "Of Daydreams" is more straight-ahead bluesy jazz with Taber evoking Wes Montgomery, his inspired playing giving way to Dever with an electric rig firing off a rock-inspired solo. On "Hammerhead" a brisk brew of harmonics, intricate finger picking, and fretless bass combine for a disc highlight while "Latitudes" uses a brisk Brazilian rhythm, the closest the pair comes to Strunz and Farah here.

The disc was recorded at San Diego's Archival Sound, and the board work manages to capture both guitars, giving each space and enough volume, without some of the echo or excessive fret and finger noise sometimes heard in other acoustic guitar recordings.

Taber lets his fingers go on "Vignette" to create some impressive flamenco filigree. The playing on the disc is generally subdued, but he proves here that he can put together scales like Ottmar Liebert and Jesse Cook when the moment is right. For "Needles" some fine interplay between Taber's jazz-funk picking and some string accents by Dever lead into the complex unison scales of "Another Window," as the two tunes combine for a satisfying musical statement.

Little Venices offers a mixed bag of instrumental guitar music that is very well performed. It changes tempo and styles a great deal, helping to keep it an interesting and enjoyable listening experience.

On Air, a recording of a recent KSDS "Jazz Live" performance broadcast of Sue Palmer and Her Motel Swing Orchestra gives us everything that we've grown to expect from Palmer and her ensemble through the years - some snapping fingers, tapping toes, and maybe a smile or two.

Palmer's forte is barrelhouse boogie-woogie, and for such music you won't find a better piano player in town. Throughout this disk, boogie or other strong rhythms make up the musical backbone, from the rocking "Mustang Sally" and "Big Boss Man" to the up tempo "Sue's Boogie." Even Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues," usually given a jazz treatment, is put through the boogie-woogie processor.

While Palmer's background is the barrelhouse, the other musicians of the MSO have obviously been steeped in other genres, such as swing, blues, and jazz. There may even be a few reformed rock-n-rollers among the ensemble. You might expect a cacophony from this musical amalgamation, but the effect is addictive in a good way. During the performance the soloists have a playful tug-o'-war with the rhythm section to see which direction the music will take. A little blues, jazz, and maybe a little be bop come from April West, Jonny Viau, and Carol Chaikin, who play the trombone and saxophones. And guitarist Steve Wilcox channels some ancient Chicago bluesmen on his solos. It would be interesting to find out about the time machine that he has, too. The one he uses go back to 1951 to buy those amplifiers that give him the best guitar sound possible.

While we're concentrating on the MSO personnel we should mention that bassist Pete Harrison and Sharon Shufelt hold the rhythm section together. Shufelt plays with verve and spunk. There is not a livelier drummer in San Diego. Her sense of time is so good that you can set your watch by her. Continuing her long association with Palmer, Deejha Marie sings on a few of the tunes, including a fairly up tempo rendering of "East of the Sun." KSDS radio personality Cynthia Hammond joins in on a couple of the vocals as well. With about as much moxie as anyone should be allowed to have, Lady Dottie steals the show on "Mustang Sally" and "Big Boss Man," singing with the rough edge that those tunes call out for.

Never showy, Palmer's playing and compositions are always clever and fun, and none more so than "Swango." As the musicians make their way through a section of said tango, the anticipation that they have to take the tune into the swing section builds and builds. You can hear how much fun that they're having with it. The ninth greatest composition in the history of Western Civilization is Billy Strayhorn's "Take the A Train." No other tune mixes pluck and elegance like this one, and the MSO performs it to a fare-thee-well.

The term "power pop" is attributed to the Who's Pete Townshend, and his 1965 song "I Can't Explain" remains one of the earliest and best examples of the form. Other originators were the early singles by the Kinks, Byrds, and the pre-psychedelic Beatles; the two and a half-minute, catchy rocker with a hard but not heavy beat will never go out of style.

San Diego musician/journalist Bart Mendoza has been a fixture in the flourishing local power pop scene as a songwriter and performer for nearly three decades. In the Mod-revival group Manual Scan (1980-1992), and more recently the Shambles, he wrote or co-wrote numerous songs. His influence on other pop artists is clearly evident on Forty One Sixty: The Songs of the Shambles, a compilation of 24 tunes by 24 different artists with one thing in common: they love power pop.

Released on Mendoza's Blind Spot Records, the performers are an international array that includes no household names. No problem, the energy level starts high and never lets up, thanks to the strong material and the earnest efforts of the bands and singers.

The worst thing that can be said for some of the groups is that they sound like well...earlier, great, bands. There is plenty of music here, lots of variety, and the 73 minutes flies by.

Locals Static Halo blast into "The American Way," an opener that sets the tone with some hard-rock attitude while keeping a pop edge. Mendoza wrote 21 of the 23 tunes, but Donaker-Ring's "Don't Know Where to Start," rendered by Mark Le Gallez and the Eddies, will stay in the listener's head with an Oasis groove. The most memorable slow tune here, and maybe the best song on the disc, is Denmark's Liebling playing "Survive." Jeppe Riddervold teamed up to cowrite this with Mendoza, and the track is beautifully produced. San Diegan (soon to be New Yorker) Anna Troy contributes some Blondie flavor to "31968," and fans of the Zombies will hear their sound in the Andersons' "Rain or Shine."

Mendoza has a gift for capturing and distilling a lick. He also consistently avoids trying for a punk attitude or studied grunge heaviness, which is refreshing.

Both "Innocence Becomes You" by the Ringles and "I Believe" by Jeremy both could have been sneaked onto a 1966 Byrds album and no one would have noticed. "Change" is another Donaker-Ring song, and no wonder it made it onto the disc - this version by the Hipnotes soars on a Paul Westerberg-feel guitar drone and drives its riff home. The Eddies, sans Le Gallez, play "Jungle Beat", using surf drums, great guitar buildup and a killer hook for another highlight. San Diego's Truckee Brothers recall the Byrds' psychedelic phase with "The Waiting Game,", wacky keyboards complementing jangling guitar.

There really are no slow spots on Forty One Sixty. For fans of the Shambles, Manual Scan, and anyone who enjoys power pop or just plain great rock music, this is a must.

"Geek" isn't the pejorative it once was. These days, there's geek chic, geek pride, and even a geek "mafia" (don't ask).

And then there's geek rock, which may not be what you think. If you dig bands like They Might Be Giants, Barenaked Ladies, and Ben Folds, you're into geek rock.

San Diego's own Two Earth Hours is doing geek rock up right. Their first CD, About Anya, is the pet project of Scott Jackson and brought to life by producer/arranger David Randle and a host of skilled musicians, including Tim Foley of Skelpin fame. Jackson doesn't appear on the album; instead, he collaborated with Randle, allowing his work to be interpreted through Randle's production and Foley's excellent vocals.

About Anya is a geek concept album in the truest sense. It's a paean to a science fiction character of Jackson's creation, the space-hopping Anya Turgenova. Anya has all the hallmarks of what makes geek rock popular - songs about perpetually lost love and an abundance of sci-fi references. Yet Jackson and Randle have crafted a work that is very accessible. The lyrics are thoughtful and cheeky, and the music is straightforward pop with unusual instrumental flourishes. The overall sound is reminiscent of Third Eye Blind - if they sang love songs using computer and math analogies.

Anya opens with "Walk," an uncomplicated pop tune that starts the concept off with a lighthearted bang, flush with unrequited lust. It's followed by a mid-tempo love song, "Horseback or Plane," which replaces the initial lyrical yearning with quieter infatuation, accentuated by synthesized strings and acoustic guitar. "Space Blonde" introduces the more overt sci-fi themes of the album, complete with wobbling synth. "Dreams That Die" is the first glimpse we have of the doomed nature of love; "Action Figure" picks up the mood a bit with an electro-Latin feel that compares competition for a girl to dueling action figures of unequal coolness. "Math and Science" takes the geek rock love song concept by the megabytes and runs with it; "Alien" follows - another love song that replaces the math, science, and computer analogies with straight sci-fi and a mellow rock shuffle. "All About Anya" is the genesis of the project, written by Jackson in 2001. It's another acoustic/electric ballad that begs for Top 40 play, despite its unusual subject matter. A two-song suite follows: "Time for Time Part 1" has a similar plaintive pop ballad sound; "Part 2" is more upbeat and electric. The album rounds out with "His Masochist," an acoustic reality check as the object of infatuation is finally seen as fallible. The "bounce, baby" backing vocals give the tune a baroque feel.

This album is a promising and ambitious project for Scott Jackson and David Randle. About Anya was long in the making, but if this collaboration continues, San Diego might have another music scene in the making.