E. Doctor Smith's Blog

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds are a "soulful-rock / rhythm & blues band out of Brooklyn, NY" (3 of the Dirty Birds originated in San Francisco) that has been touring extensively in support of their sophomore album Pound Of Dirt. They are gaining momentum for their live shows, having already landed opening spots with Dr. John, The Black Keys, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, (among many others). Recently, they played 3 sets at Bonnaroo, a set at Summer Camp, a set at CBGB Festival, and SXSW with an upcoming spot at Telluride Jazz Festival. This Saturday night, the monster combo rolls into the Boom Boom Room on Fillmore. “You gotta eat a pound of dirt before you die.” That little twist on an old American proverb provides an album title (Pound of Dirt), a lyric and an underlying philosophy for Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds. “That lyric sums up our new record,” says frontwoman Arleigh Kincheloe (aka Sister Sparrow, who boasts impressive pipes that reca...

John Moremen's nifty combo, "Flotation Device", returns to the Hotel Utah, alongside bandmates Adam Symons on drums, Chris Xefos on bass and Ian Robertson on guitar. Last June I quoted one of their earliest reviews which stated Moremen was, "Almost impossible to explain. A session-man, side-man, band leader and collaborator extraordinaire, the San Francisco musician has recorded with experimentalists Half Japanese and MX-80, backed legendary Flamin' Groovies front man Roy Loney, written with The Minus Five's Scott McCaughey and fronted his own bands. And that's alongside over a decade as a member of Bay Area popsters, The Orange Peels, first as their drummer and now as their lead guitarist. Yet none of that explains what he does on "Flotation Device," where he navigates surf, NRBQ-esque roots rock and Monk-like bop with a deft hand." In the spring of 2011, Moremen started working on some instrumentals for fun, but over the course of a few m...

Five-time Grammy-winning musician Victor Wooten, best known for his work with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Stanley Clarke, Dave Matthews is on tour this summer backed by an amazing ensemble of musicians as he gears up for the release of two new CDs on VIX Records in September of 2012. In between intense touring with The Flecktones, Wooten has been recording and mixing a new CD that will be released in two versions simultaneously in September. Wooten and his band roll into Yoshi's at Jack London Square, July 19th and 20th. Words & Tones comprises 13 songs (11 new original tracks and 2 cover songs) which all feature a female vocalist. Vocalists include longtime friends Saundra Williams (Sharon jones and the Dap Kings) and Divinty Roxx (Beyonce), as well as Wooten’s brothers and kids. New collaborations include a smooth vocal performance from Me’shell Ndegeocello, a beautiful duet featuring Joey Kibble (Take 6), and fiery percussion from “Pedrito” Martinez. Sword &...

The San Francisco Bay Area’s underground music scene covers a tremendous range of styles and artists. What they share is a love of improvisation, and of new or unusual compositions and sound-making techniques. Coming out of genres as diverse as jazz, electronica, contemporary composition, world music, hip-hop, and metal, the performing artists are led by their desire to learn and impart something new about music. The Bay Area new music scene often works outside of traditional venues, creating special environments for new kinds of sound. Outsound volunteer curators are dedicated to presenting the cutting edge of sound and music composition and performance. The Outsound New Music Summit runs from July 15th-21st, and marks its eleventh consecutive year in 2012 with a night of wildly imaginative poetry with Ronald Saur, rAmu Aki, and Carla Harryman along with some of the Bay Area’s finest improvisers. Also featured will be a night of new compositions, featuring John Shiurba’s ...