Saul Kaye has got to be one of the busiest musicians I know. OK, we’re all busy - yes, it’s the unfortunate curse of our modern society. But Kaye artfully juggles writing, recording and touring with videos, podcasts, and ring tones (just to name a few of his media endeavors). And not to forget - there’s a 35-page book and a DVD that accompanies his sixth and latest release “Jewish Blues Vol 1.” The Saul Kaye Band will be celebrating the album’s release Friday, August 29th at The Hotel Utah Saloon, playing songs from the new collection as well as tunes from the previous release “A Taste of Paradise“–and quite a tasty treat it is! The show will feature Kaye teaming up with 411Gina.org to revive the search for missing person Peter Matthew Briggs, who disappeared from his San Francisco dorm in June 2002. The evening will also include the opportunity to sponsor a child through World Vision, an organization specializing in disaster relief and child sponsorship. Kaye recently returned from visiting a child he sponsors in Swaziland. Take a sneak peak into Saul Kaye’s world and you will find this is not your average, garden-variety artist (that is, if artists can ever be considered average…). Kaye is pursuing unique expression and integrity at every turn. This is a great chance to connect with Kaye, his music and his passion for utilizing humanity’s resources to the absolute best end.

The Hotel Utah Saloon - 500 4th Street @ Bryant in San Francisco - $10 - doors 8:30 - Saul Kaye Band 9:30-10:30, Reckless in Vegas 10:45-11:45, April’s Rain 12-1am

SF’s renowned and rootsy KFOG has a podcast series entitled “Conversations with Renee.” The monthly podcast features morning show DJ Renee Richardson interviewing local songwriters and is sponsored by the San Francisco Songwriters Coalition.

This month the artist of choice is Stacy Kray, whose tune “Someday” was featured on KFOG’s Local Scene 4 disc. She will be performing with her band, and her new video for “Someday” will be screened for the first time. According to Kray, the video for this “rock noir tale of secrets and betrayal” was inspired by Hitchcock’s classic “Vertigo.” Using many of the same famous San Francisco locations, including the Mission Dolores cemetery and the York Hotel (soon to be renamed Hotel Vertigo), the video is a fitting tribute to both a classic film and the local scene.

This is a great opportunity to join KFOG in celebrating August as “Local Scene Month!” Cafe Royale - 800 Post St @ Leavenworth in San Francisco - 8pm - all ages, $10

This Thursday evening, May 1st, the Bay Area music community comes together to host a benefit in support of one of its treasured members, Andrew Griffin, who is currently battling cancer both physically and financially. The benefit, known as the Coconut Bangers’ Ball, will be held at the Red Devil Lounge with an impressive line-up of performers including Paul Manousos, Jesse DeNatale, Duff Ferguson, Victor Krummenacher (along with other members of Camper Van Beethoven), Jeff Rolka and The Viv All-Stars. Proceeds will go towards Griffin’s ongoing medical expenses.

In September 2006, Griffin was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer at the age of 36. He has since had two major surgeries as well as several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Griffin is founder of the East Bay Drummers Studio, a rigorous teaching studio that has trained hundreds of rock and jazz drummers of all ages since 1998. He has performed, recorded and toured as an in-demand session drummer with many influential bands and artists, including a summer 2007 tour of Europe with CAKE.

As a producer I’m extremely particular about my taste in drummers. I’ve had the good fortune to work with some of the absolute cream of the crop and Andrew Griffin definitely falls into that category. Few drummers are as creative with the groove as Andrew, even fewer exhibit the conceptual sensitivity Andrew brings to the table. A producer in his own right, Andrew is always thinking beyond the drums to the bigger picture a song evokes.

Bay Area legend Jesse DeNatale puts it into words like this: “Time and Music are the two big mysteries. When Andrew Griffin sits down behind the drums, the alchemy begins and something turns into gold.”

I’ve gotten to know Andrew a bit in the last couple of years and I can tell you he’s not one to sport his battle scars on his sleeve. In fact I daresay he tried desperately to keep his health struggles under wraps, which I find hard to imagine myself doing in a similar situation. With such strength of character, it is no surprise that this particular drummer is so beloved among the Bay Area music community. I know the support of those who attend this benefit will not be taken for granted by Andrew and his family.

Griffin lives in Alameda with his wife and one-year-old son. After the toll of nearly two years in his fight against cancer he shares, “Unfortunately, my family’s savings are depleted, as I’ve been able to work only sporadically for the last 18 months. Despite the fact that we have health insurance, we still have to pay a lot of out-of-pocket for various treatment expenses that aren’t covered. I am so grateful to my friends in the music community for generously offering their time, talent and energy to help out.”

Not only will your attendance support one of the Bay Area’s most talented drummers in a time of deep personal need, you will also be in for a genuine night of entertainment as a group of uniquely gifted individuals comes together to weave a wonderful night of music. In addition to the artists listed above you are bound to stumble across other bay area gems filling out the stage as unbilled band members. Andrew’s talent has given much to the Bay Area music community through the years and now there is a whole musical family that wants to come together and give back by performing for your enjoyment in Andrew’s honor.

Thursday, May 1st - Red Devil Lounge, 1695 Polk St, SF - Doors at 7:30pm, show begins at 8pm. Cost: $12

Advance tickets are recommended and can be purchased here.

I stumbled upon Stacy Kray last November. Long story short she was rehearsing with her band in a studio where I was getting ready for a session the next day. Essentially I got my own private performance and what a treat it was. I still remember how enthralled I was with the cover she did of Chris Isaac’s “Wicked Game.” The band played a lovely arrangement and between her guitar player Yair Evnine’s tasty lines and Stacy’s vocal delivery I felt like I was being reeled into a beautiful musical web. Stacy brings a true sense of authenticity to the table as an artist and the lyrical depth of her originals attest to this. For more on Stacy’s lyrics and musical mojo, check out the review from earlier this year of her 2007 release My Last Eye. This past week I had the privilege of sharing lunch with Stacy and it was extremely refreshing to kick back with a talent who is so down to earth about her art and who genuinely embraces the art of living in all arenas of life. This is an artist who is not afraid to look deep within herself while at the same time taking that depth up on stage and “just rocking out” with it. So what are you waiting for? Treat yourself to a night with Stacy Kray at the Hotel Utah this Saturday, April 26th. Stacy takes the stage with her band at 11pm, preceded by Michael Tiernan at 9pm and Saul Kaye and his band at 10pm.

Not only will you be in for a great night of music, you will also be able to meet a very large salmon named Fin who will be helping educate folks about the plight of wild salmon. Artists will be donating a portion of merchandise proceeds from the night to SalmonAid. Check out Fin’s restoration (as Stacy says, “Apparently even inanimate mascot salmon are in trouble these days…”) and more about saving wild salmon. Stacy Kray and Saul Kaye will also be performing with their respective bands at the SalmonAid Fesitval in Jack London Square on May 31st-June 1st.

Stacy Kray is a many-faceted gem, an artistic treasure just hanging out in our own backyard in SF. As I sit down to write about her recent release My Last Eye, I am very humbled. How can I write a review for someone who has such a gift with words? Her lyrics speak for themselves in this regard, but as another example of Stacy’s deeply poetic soul here is a note she sent me on the song “So Low (Elliot’s Song).”

“I wrote this song just after Elliot Smith died, taking with him sonic masterpieces as yet unwritten. I still mourn the fact that someone with such miraculous gifts for poetry and music could drown in them.”

Stacy Kray’s My Last Eye strikes me as a Tori Amos meets Joan Osborne type of package. The vocal performances on this album are exceptional with just the right mix of sultry emotion and gritty “tell it like it is” rock. The tracks are guitar-driven with an outstanding cast of characters filling out the band, including Jon Evans (Tori Amos) on bass, Todd Roper (Cake, Etienne de Rocher) on drums and Yair Evnine (Spencer Day, Rain of Frogs) on lead guitar and cello. Stacy also used cream-of-the-crop personnel on the technical side with recording and mix engineer Mikael Johnston (Smashmouth, the Sounds, Jane’s Addiction) and mastering engineer Emily Lazar of The Lodge in New York. I congratulate Stacy on the self-produced aspect of this album - no easy task for even the most seasoned of studio artists but Stacy holds her own on her first set of studio recordings, spanning a breadth of creativity on par with the pros. With organic instrumentation and thoughtful arrangements she takes a firm artistic stand, comfortable in her identity.

I was hooked on “Someday” from the first listen. It’s not surprising this inventive little track caught the attention of KFOG, receiving repeat airplay and a spot on their Local Scene 4 compilation disc. My favorite lyrical tidbits from this poetic masterpiece:

You said there are some things better left unsaid, I said the unknown is all I really want to know…

They say there are some loves better left unloved, the way you hold my hand can be so underhanded

“Someday” is rich with layers of meaning from start to finish while still leaving room for listeners to create their own meaning. After all, who can’t script their own personal screenplay to a chorus that tugs at the soul with “thinking someday, we’ll have it all”? Take a listen and see what your movie looks like. Pulsing rhythm guitars alternate back and forth to emulate a figurative tug-of-war on the verses, mirroring the disparities we so often find when our dreams come face to face with reality. The choruses open up with a hint of airy spaciousness in the arrangement to accompany the dreamer inherent in “Someday.”

Stacy noted that her tune “Freeze” is about “the most complicated relationship in my life — my entanglement with time.” I have to admit that I share a similar fate when it comes to our dear friend Father Time so I may be a bit biased when I chalk this tune up as another one of my favorites. All biases on subject matter aside, the arrangement is lovely and fresh with descending guitar lines creating the perfect backdrop for lyrics like “but you just tease.” The drummer switches to playing a “clicking” pattern off the rim of the drum for the choruses and a nice glock-ish layer accentuates the “tick tock” bridge.

The cinematic quality of “Drugs from a Drive-Thru Lane” begs for a moving picture to accompany. In fact, I daresay someone needs to make a movie about Stacy’s inspiration for this tune. Here is a glimpse of the terrible circumstances she shared with me.

“On a sunny afternoon in Phoenix a few years ago, my cousin was killed by a cop who believed she was trying to fill a fraudulent prescription at a drive-thru pharmacy. She apparently tried to drive away while he took down her license plate number. Witnesses said the cop drew his gun, ran after the car and shot her point-blank through the open window. The cop knew that her 14-month-old son was in the back seat. The case caused a furor in Phoenix. The cop was tried for second-degree murder and child endangerment. The jury found him not guilty. I wrote this song the day the verdict was handed down.”

Stacy moves effortlessly between deep explorations of the darker side of life and examining somewhat lighter paradoxical situations. She brings Carl Jung into the rock arena and adeptly wields her poetic sword to slice life open for a good honest look at what’s inside. Once again, Stacy says it best when she describes My Last Eye as “broken lines through the maze of the human condition. I’m exploring the dead ends and superhighways, often unsure which is which. So my songs are more puzzles than pronouncements.”

With this impressive debut studio effort under her belt, I hope this prolific young artist who is so willing to explore the inner contours of our society will settle even further into her creative skin and push the boundaries of where music and psychological mysteries meet. Don’t miss the opportunity to get to know this SF treasure on your own. Kray will be performing an acoustic set with Yair Evnine as the featured performer at Red House Studio’s Songwriter Cafe on Sunday, February 24th. The songwriter’s cafe begins at 7:30 pm, featuring songwriter-in-the-round performances by multiple Bay Area songwriters. It concludes with a set of Kray’s music at 9pm. Red House Studios is located at 1667 Botelho Drive in Walnut Creek, (925) 938-6900.

Kray will also be playing at SXSW in Austin, TX on March 14th, at the Fillmore in SF on March 27 supporting Jose Gonzalez and at the Hotel Utah on April 26th.

Check out ”Mexican Gun Fight” on Super Adventure Club’s myspace and you’ll have a new appreciation for the title…  

I told the duo after the show, “What stands out for me about you guys, and what I hear right away - you guys are pros. You’re polished; you really have command of the stage and your craft. It’s not often that you find two guys doing all this live and with such great time,” speaking of their rhythmic tightness. Jake, who either didn’t hear me correctly or was just being true to his humorous form - I couldn’t tell which, responded, “Well, why do it if you’re not going to have a good time?” I laughed and said, “Yes, that too.” There is certainly “good time” happening in more ways than one when Super Adventure Club goes into action.

Super Adventure Club (for those who have not yet become charter members by witnessing the club’s action in person) is, in bassist Michael Winger’s words, a “multi-tasking, multi-lingual power duo.” In addition to playing bass, Winger also serves up the lead vocals and mans a keyboard. Jake Wood, the other half of the duo, simultaneously plays drums and lead keyboards while holding his own on background vocals. On top of the musical multi-tasking, they currently have songs in five languages: English, Russian, Spanish, French and Italian. My head is spinning just writing about it. And after talking with the adventurers, it seems that’s a large part of the appeal for them - making their own heads spin. If it doesn’t involve conquering multiple levels of coordination, well, they’re just not interested.

 Winger and Wood both work independently on various projects. Winger is a producer with a special focus on rootsy singer-songwriters, and Jake is a drummer supporting singer-songwriters and others in need of a drummer who can knock out a show after a brief rehearsal. They take the music of the artists they work with very seriously. Consequently Super Adventure Club is their cathartic release and the point is more or less NOT to take their own music very seriously. Or so they say. They do have a lot of fun with their adventures, I’ll give them that. On the other hand Super Adventure Club has got to be the most serious approach to un-seriousness I have ever encountered. They started their adventures mid-2007 and started playing shows after only a couple months of battling the challenges of musical multi-tasking. I was told their rehearsals average 3-7 hours and that early on they even did one 10-hour stint. Imagine the silliness that must have ensued. At this point they rehearse several times a week for a minimum of 3 hours each time. That’s some serious commitment to adventure! And this says nothing of the solo rehearsal time these boys put in training their brains to do 3 things at once. Winger noted that they also “run the show before the show - on the day of the show.” So they’d had a rehearsal earlier that day to run through the whole set before packing up their gear and carting it over to the Utah. Yeah, that’s some pretty serious un-seriousness if you ask me.

Having said all that, there are few who can disguise such seriousness in a semblance of complete and utter un-seriousness. And now it’s time for one of those “you really had to be there moments,” and trust me, it’s really too bad you weren’t. For the ultimate climax, Super Adventure Club closed with their adventurous version of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back.” The interplay between their characters on stage was truly entertaining. Jake stole the show for me with his caricature background vocals, and Winger was dancing and prancing as much as his musical multi-tasking would allow. According to the comments I overheard from those around me, the only downside was that the Utah doesn’t afford much room to dance. Well, for those of you who might be interested in bringing a little sexy back of your own, I see Super Adventure Club is reconvening at the Elbo Room on February 13th where there’s a little more room to shake things up.

 Alas, this article would not be complete if I did not also mention the laptops that accompany Super Adventure Club. Between songs the laptops come to life with various movie dialog sound bytes that contribute to the adventurous action. I asked Jake if the keyboards were referencing the laptops for sound banks. At first there was some confusion about what I meant, especially given that we were limited by my knowledge of only the English language as opposed to the multi-lingual approach he and Winger are accustomed to. We got it sorted it out and yes, the laptops do provide the library of synth sounds for the keyboards to use. However, I thought it would be a brilliant if the laptops didn’t really do anything but just sit there for looks - a little adventure product placement, maybe gain some sponsorship from Mac. You could always reach over and ceremoniously hit a few buttons at particularly climactic moments. With these grand ideas I think I may have surpassed even Super Adventure Club’s threshold for silliness.

I asked Super Adventure Club where they would like to go with this adventure. Without an ounce of hesitation Jake responded, “Domination of the World Wrestling Federation.” I laughed and told him to send me the list of facetious goals and I’d put them in the article. He said, “No, I was quite serious about the wrestling.” When I quizzed him more about it today he said, “Wrestling? Who said anything about wrestling? We are a very serious band and it has never been about the easy money, the hard sex, or even the free drugs. And wrestling??? Our goals are for Ultimate Fighting Championship Mixed Martial Arts battles!”

 Well, I would say there will always be some kind of adventure to be had as long as these two boys have a club. If I had not had the opportunity to talk to them after the show I never would have imagined their long hours of rehearsal nor their intense brain-training battles with multi-tasking mastery. It was an inspiration to me to seek out an adventure and challenge myself.

With the exception of a couple love-birds in the back, Jesse DeNatale had everyone in the Utah’s balcony eating out of the palm of his hand. I can only assume the spectators below were of the same rapt estate. At one point Jesse asked the audience with his gravelly charm, “Are you having fun? ‘Cause it’s kind of hard to tell from up here.” And at that we all chuckled and I daresay adored him all the more for his perfectly timed bit of humor. Yes, fun at a Jesse DeNatale performance falls more into the subdued, mesmerized category, but the applause that punctuated the night confirmed that indeed this audience was having fun.

To say that Jesse is a storyteller is a bit of an understatement. Perhaps it’s the raspy grit in his voice that lifts his stories off the page and makes me believe there’s something behind each tale. What more can a listener really ask for, than to be persuaded that an artist’s heart is being poured into every line?

Jesse captures an “Americana” essence reminiscent of Jonathan Richman or Tom Waits with a Dylan-esque element. His bay area roots lend a California layer to the mix, peppering his songs with San Francisco landmarks and giving his lyrics just a shade of “bay area” personality.

I’m the dreamer
Lives down on the bay
What the country was
No I couldn’t say

It’s a rare treat to hear four guys create such tastefully lush arrangements in a live setting. Jesse moved between acoustic guitar and piano, always with one of half a dozen harmonicas around his neck. Kirk Charles alternated cello, saxophone and electric guitar to add thoughtfully crafted commentary. I’ve long known Andrew Griffin to be a great drummer and this evening was no exception. Like a painter with a vast palette at his fingertips, Andrew creatively adapted his grooves and the tones of his kit to the subtle shifts in mood for each piece. I was also greatly impressed by Paul Olguin on bass. He laid back into the groove for a solid foundation and he and Andrew made a lovely marriage of the rhythm section to my ear.

Jesse closed the show by offering these words of advice for the New Year: “If you find a pot of gold, put something in it and you’ll make 2008 great.” Then he went on to offer up “Nightingale” with its soul-tugging chorus line about carrying love in a golden pail.

If you can’t make it to see him in person, treat yourself to his latest release Soul Parade. My favorite tune as of this writing is “Montgomery St.” but there are several others vying for that position.

Lastly I encourage you to check out Jesse’s list of influences on his myspace. You’ve never seen a list quite like this, I promise you. “Let’s start with the Red Winged Black Bird, the Sparrow and the Whippoorwill…” Clearly this is a man who notices detail in nature. No wonder he’s such an amazing storyteller! The list goes on to span the musical gamut: from Ringo Starr to Count Basie, from Earth Wind and Fire to Cat Stevens, from Schubert and Mozart to Dylan. And a few more of my favorites include: sax players on the corner, my mother’s voice, drummer’s drumming and the sound from the window of the car passing by.

“For me, optimism always prevails, it’s my constant. It’s what I absorbed, what was my first young smell of the air, it’s what’s up around the corner. It’s what gets me into the future.” –Jesse DeNatale, 2006

Jesse is on the local indie label Jackpine Social Club.

Don’t you just love the ironies in life? C’mon, life really is all ’bout the little things right? My husband said to me just tonight, “We should check out what’s playing at Bottom of the Hill on Friday night.” It’s actually the second time this week he’s mentioned BOTH so I guess it’s some kind of sign. Then I sat down to write my piece about Judgement Day, and guess who’s playing at BOTH on Friday the 21st? Judgement Day!!! Now I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that all forces are pointing towards me getting my booty to BOTH on Friday night. Seriously, y’all should come on down and join me; a great show is waiting for you.

I jumped at the chance to write a blurb about Judgement Day because I’ve had my eye on this band for awhile now. With Anton Patzner on violin, Lewis Patzner on cello and Jon Bush on drums, these fellows are a batch of solid musicians doing something extremely unique and creative - stretching the boundaries of the genre rigidity that is so often linked with the notion of “solid musician.”

Upon visiting Judgement Day’s myspace I had to laugh at the following bold, all-caps disclaimer: THERE ARE NO GUITARS IN JUDGEMENT DAY. So you’ve been warned, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Just check out what Mushroom Stamp Productions had to say…

“One of the best live acts we’ve witnessed in the past year … a bold fusion of classical music and rock music that somehow managed not to be derivative towards either influence.”

Judgement Day refers to itself as a “string metal” band. Ryan Myashiro of Amoeba Music supports this expression with his assessment of “Violin, cello and drums playing brutal metal with crunchy distorted riffs.”

Check out the video for “Out of the Abyss” and whet your string metal appetite.

Halloween night finds me…handing out candy? Smashing pumpkins? No, better than all that but still very appropriate to Halloween. I’ve just been introduced to Damon and the Heathens - what a rad new band! This is definitely a group to keep your eyes and ears on. These guys do a picturesque job of blending funk/big-band blues with punk rock and a hint of mo-town - seriously, you can almost hear the avant-garde movie they must have been scoring when you listen to their tracks.

For starters, check out the fully produced tunes they’ve churned out recently. All three studio samples on their myspace are quite impressive and I don’t say this lightly. I’ve worked with local bay area artists from pretty much every walk of life and stylistic combination. In my experience, tunes such as the ones Damon and the Heathens have created don’t happen by mere accident. I hear a great deal of thoughtful creativity (as well as spontaneous inspired energy) in these songs - from the songwriting and arranging straight through to the round, old-school analog feel of the production technique. “Telephone Wire” is my favorite but “Istanbul” and “Trite Life” are right up there - I love the way “Trite Life” incorporates a live club atmosphere. Nicely done, Heathens.

They say money and politics run the world. Maybe “they” are right, but I think music should be thrown in the race as well. Money can buy you material items, prestige - even friends. Politics are - well - politics. But music? Music taps into peoples’ emotions - music is emotion, really. And that is a power to be reckoned with. Think about how many times decisions are made based on emotion. Oh sure, we all like to think we objectively run our lives but seriously, get real.

I was sitting here this evening watching some music videos when I stumbled across an old video by Blink 182. Some of their songs were, for lack of a better term - ridiculous, but I love the band. I love them because some of the songs they recorded were amazing. Silent tears for the demise of that band.

The music video I stumbled upon reminded me of days gone by. And then I really started thinking about all the songs that, when I hear them, evoke all these emotions. On the heels of those emotions come memories. Actually the order of that might be reversed - memories and then emotions. Or maybe it is simultaneous.

It’s really irrelevant because my point is the music is the key. Both the emotions and the memories come because of the music. Powerful, aeh? Think about the music that brings back memories from your past. It’s a bit like having your own personal life soundtrack, isn’t it?