Thursday, November 16, 2006

Bunky, Rafter Band, & Roxy Jones @ Ken Club 11/15/06

I have no idea what happened to this post, but I guess I have to rewrite the whole damn thing.

Sometimes you stumble upon a show that leaves you so glad that you went out and discovered something new rather than sitting at home in your pajamas watching the season finale to Laguna Beach, and for me, Rafter and Bunky did exactly that. I am so glad I did not miss this show.

The Ken Club occasionally has shows on Thursdays, but very rarely on a Wednesday. There was little promotion (posting a MySpace Bulletin at 5 is not promotion!) so I was surprised to see about 40 people in the crowd. Believe me, I've been to shows there with 4 people in the room, so 40 is a great turnout. And nothing on the Ken Club...I
mentioned that I was at the Beauty Bar with only 13 people there a couple weeks, and half weren't even there for the bands.

When I arrived, Roxy Jones was onstage. This is a two-piece band...a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer. Like Two Gallants but not at all. I liked this band, and then I didn't, and then I did, and so on...they were kinda all over the place. They'd have a mellow indie pop song and then all the sudden belt out these random emo screams for seemingly no reason at all. A few songs I liked, a few didn't do it for me, but all in all, I think the vocals were decent and these guys have room for growth if they keep playing. I think a fuller sound with more instrumentation might make the screams less shocking, but maybe that's his point.

Next up was Rafter. Oh. My. God. I've seen stuff about Rafter on Pitchfork (and also here) but this was my first time seeing his band live. Just to explore the musicianship, the 5 or 6 musicians performing played, at various times, these instruments: 12 string electric guitar, drums, bass, guitar, xylophone, trumpet, sax, baritone horn, keyboard, flute, tambourine and cowbell. The band opted to play on the floor in front of the stage and invited the crowd to come closer and some did. Emily's backed the vocals of the drummer and Rafter beautifully and every song was good. I particularly liked a song that I'll guess was called "Fuck you the sky" but I'm not sure. There is a reason Rafter is signed to Asthmatic Kitty. If you get a chance, go see Rafter and his band before they leave San Diego for the great big world. I went outside between bands and some guy walked up to random chicks and said, "That was fucking amazing." I would have to agree.

Last up was Bunky. I have seen Bunky before in the Atari lounge at the Casbah, and while I was impressed, at the time it seemed like more of a novelty act...I thought Emily had a special 'in' because, after all, she tends bar there. I would like to formally apologize for thinking that because they are the real deal. Again, playing on the floor in their own amps and PAs, the band rocked. This mutation of the previous band is comprised of Emily on drums, Rafter on guitar, and Gabriel on sax and keys. At times, Emily has this high pitched voice that sounds like a little girl and at times she busts out these sensual tones, like an early jazz singer of the last century. And it all works. They work their butts off, having played 3 shows in the past week. Still, don't take them for granted because things will happen for Rafter/Bunky. They've already toured Spain, and who knows where they will go next.

The Ken Club should definitely get in the habit of having Wednesday shows, by the way. There is no reason that room should sit unoccupied 4-5 nights a week. The hip hop dj was a funny contrast to the bands, but if you package a night right, have some indie kids bring in their iPods on the bar side with indie bands on the band side, you could draw the crowd that would otherwise be at the Casbah, The Beauty Bar, The Whistle Stop, SDSC, et al. And those people are big time drinkers. Trust me on that one, Bodie. It would be a good thing. And don't worry, I'll still be there on Tuesday, December 6, when Tony's karaoke night starts up.

1 comment:

William said...

I first heard of Rafter from the Asthmatic Kitty video contest. Love what I've heard so far! I made a music video for the contest that you can watch at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD9aEf7KpQg