Scott H.. Biram, the self-styled “dirty old one man band” who plays the Catalyst Atrium Tuesday, raises the sort of ruckus that many full bands can’t muster. But while that accurately characterizes much of Biram’s output, it misses the nuances and depth of his music.
Articles by Paul M. Davis
Dengue Fever in Santa Cruz
It’s no use trying to resist Dengue Fever’s strain of Cambodian pop. The six-piece plays Moe’s Alley on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Rachel Fannan & Only You
A guitar-slinging heroine conjuring multitudes with only her voice and ax: the image of the singer-songwriter is an enduring one. But this iconic persona has shown its age in our time of sequencers and one-man laptop bands. So it was refreshing to watch Rachel Fannan at the Crepe Place circa 2008, assembling ornate live multi-part arrangements with electric guitar, drum machine and loop box that pushed the limits of what a single performer could produce live.
Anamanaguchi Brings Chiptune to Santa Cruz
Chiptune bands are primarily the domain of the geeky and nostalgic, but a band with Anamanaguchi’s pop smarts and songwriting skill potentially has mainstream appeal. Merging a traditional rock band setup — vocals, bass, guitars and drums — with digital tones conjured from a hacked Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Anamanaguchi draw inspiration as much from Super Mario Brothers as the Beach Boys, The Legend of Zelda as Weezer. As a result, the band has achieved what amounts to popular success for a chiptune band, appearing on the soundtrack to the film version of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, contemporary games like Bit.Trip Runner and Rock Band, and the intros for shows on comedian Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist podcast network.
Wild Beasts in Santa Cruz
The most pointed critique of contemporary indie rock is that the genre has calcified into an unthreatening stylistic form, while its perpetual sexlessness has metastasized into a regressive form of twee infantilization. English four-piece Wild Beasts has successfully resisted those trends, penning a body of unconventional work that is preoccupied with the tense power dynamics and negotiations of the bedroom.
Bridging The Santa Cruz Digital Divide
Through the Pacific Avenue doors of Santa Cruz’s computer repair and training co-op the Computer Kitchen, visitors find a modest, somewhat shabby space populated by gray Dell towers and clamshell iBooks, like an Island of Misfit Toys for discarded tech. But though these computers have been replaced in the market by sleeker, more powerful models, they’re far from useless. For Santa Cruz residents stuck on the wrong side of the digital divide, they present opportunity. Founded in 2009 by former UCSC students Robert Sese and Dan Devorkin, the Computer Kitchen takes a DIY approach to bridging the divide and saving operational equipment from the trash heap.
Brooklyn Band Endures And Tours
A shambling, unwieldy beast borne of country, punk, metal and anything else readily available, Brooklyn’s O’Death attracted plenty of attention with its first two albums. Fans of fractured folk music loved them, purists hated them, but the band’s divisive approach was admirable in an era of profitably risk-adverse indie rock.
The Return of Peter Murphy
Vampiric figures traditionally recoil from the spotlight, but Peter Murphy may be a reluctant exception. The musician who most embodies vampire iconography in his stage persona has long demonstrated a conflicted relationship with fame. Peter Murphy’s mark on goth rock history is undeniable: anybody who spent their teenage years adorned in flowing robes and black eyeliner can identify the former Bauhaus front man at the first note of his sepulchral baritone. Murphy’s solo work, while not as immediately recognizable, is full of goth night anthems. Such infamy would seem counter to Murphy’s reclusive nature—a trait demonstrated by his choice to relocate to Turkey in the early ‘90s—but Murphy remains visible on his own terms.
SC Blues Fest’s Hendrix Extravaganza
Santa Cruz Blues Festival organizer Bill Welch consistently books top-of-the-shelf talent to headline the annual Memorial weekend blues party. Following up previous headliners such as Buddy Guy and B.B. King is a tough proposition, so for the 19th annual festival, Welch, who also owns Moe’s Alley, has one-upped himself with a revolving cast of blues players, each of whom could credibly top the bill on his own.
Robert Earl Keen, Road Dog
There are two ways to make it in the music business: try your hand at filling stadiums and hope you don’t end up booking appearances on Celebrity Fit Club to stay relevant; or clock some serious hours on the road and slowly build a long-term career. The second course requires patience and dedication, but it’s the surer bet. Robert Earl Keen is a textbook example of this last approach, having organically built an audience for his idiosyncratic mix of booze-soaked barroom rockers and literate country ballads. The approach hasn’t won him many fans in Nashville boardrooms, but in towns like Santa Cruz, fans welcome his live appearances like he’s a returning guitar-wielding warrior-king.
