Dogs, God, and Grandma! Live performance and interview with Affectionately
New reviews: Another epic No Bias club music compilation, kaleidoscopic lounge by Animal Prince, and a free jazz journey by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire
How’s “Affectionately” for the name of a racehorse? Better as a band name.
We included Affectionately in the list of our favorite music from the Bay Area in 2024 purely on the strength of their single, “Your Life Is the Wheel,” a sensitive, arresting, and pining call-to-action of an emo indie rocker we first heard as the band’s closing song for a live performance at Tiny Telephone in Oakland.
Now we’re happy to share a new performance and live interview with Affectionately bandleader Zach Elsasser recorded live at Lower Grand Radio. After his gorgeously stripped down half hour set, we chatted about the strangeness of racehorses, his amazing grandma Irene, and a sweet dog named Ornament. Zach also shared that he has a new album planned for release this year entitled Then This Happens.
Remember: You can always explore our archive of LGR recordings on Mixcloud.
— White Crate
A NEXUS OF THE BAY
No Bias is still a nexus of the Bay Area electronic music underground. A year after the release of the first volume, they’re back with Bay Area Renegade Trax Vol. 2. Featuring 31 tracks from nearly as many producers, it’s hard to imagine a better collection for capturing the breadth and essence of what underground club music sounds like in the Bay today—rooted in foundational genres like house, techno, and jungle but blossoming and expanding for an audience that grew up long after they’d been established.
In addition to tracks by our perennially favorite producers—like Soeneido, Taraneh, Bored Lord, Bastiengoat, and DJ Juanny, to name a few—there are also many worthy contributions from artists who we’ve reviewed less often. On the fast funky “Who Can I 160 To?”, Rayreck dubs out a heavenly vocal sigh and breaks over cut up soul jazz. On “Overnight,” DJ Caro offers up raw and raspy four to the floor reminiscent of addictively simple early 90s house music. Since we loved the incisive, shapeshifting minimal techno of Capp Street Project, Vol. 5, we’re also glad to see contributions from that crew, including Zero Idea, @@, and Benji Backwoods.
— Ronny Kerr
KALEIDOSCOPIC LOUNGE
Animal Prince’s debut album Have Good Dreams is a loungey, vibey kaleidoscope of a good time. Give it a twist and you’ll find elements of tropicalia, jazz, bossa nova, and electronic music—a wild array of musical colors.
“Parallel Lines” features a call-and-response interplay between silky strings and stacks of vocals. “Impossible” ups the ante with its quirky opening vocal lilts that quickly settle into a solid groove before crescendoing into an almost-manic energy in its final minute.
Though the album features contributions from Hunter Diamond on multiple woodwinds, Seth Adam Lynn on harp, and Paul Martin on bass, Animal Prince is essentially a duo: frontperson Fae Nageon de Lestang and percussionist Grant McLeod. Nageon de Lestang’s violin playing and vocal harmonies are complex and exciting, carrying each of these songs to dazzling heights. McLeod’s buoyant handiwork on just about every percussion instrument imaginable offers often-surprising twists and turns. That two people could helm such a varied, nuanced record is a feat.
Animal Prince is leading a sound bath tomorrow at Left Coast Power Yoga in Oakland. If you prefer a more traditional show, you can also see them playing alongside King Dream and Ephemerald on Wednesday, February 26 at Ivy Room.
— Ben Einstein
DEEP LISTENING JAZZ
“In many respects this entire work is inspired by and is an homage to the work of the composer Julius Eastman and his organic music concept.” — Ambrose Akinmusire
Jazz free to stretch out into both classical and hip hop directions is free jazz indeed. That’s the freedom explored on honey from a winter stone, the eighth album (and second for Nonesuch) from avant-garde composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.
Born and raised in Oakland, Akinmusire over the years studied under jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard, and Steve Coleman. Now an esteemed and beloved artist in his own right, he brings to this latest album a troop of accomplished performers to bring his vast vision to life. The 13-minute “Owled,” as one example, begins and ends with purely chamber strings of the Mivos Quartet. Finally, at the four-minute mark, a deep synth bass. Then the bold, cascading rappings of Kokayi over Justin Brown’s tight but subdued drum breaks. And on and on the piece evolves, with Akinmusire’s trumpet only arriving haunted in the final few minutes, before giving away once more to the quartet.
For straight-ahead jazz lovers, “Bloomed” might be the most accessible piece here (and at seven-and-a-half minutes, it’s also the shortest). In contrast, the epic half-hour long closing piece “s-/Kinfolks” is a journey, asking for more than your full attention. In its entirety, this album is a good one for seekers of deep listening experiences.
— Ronny Kerr
SHOW RECS
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[experimental] NEW VOICES IV ft. Briana Marela, Phillip Laurent, Shanti Lalita — Feb 13 to Apr 5
[experimental] Franck Vigroux, Amma Ateria — Feb 13 at Gray Area
[rock] Fantastic Negrito — Feb 14 at the 4 Star Theater
[alternative] April Magazine, Tony Jay, The Kitchenettes, The Dilley Sisters — Feb 14 at the Warehouse SF
[club] NO BIAS ft. DJs Who Kiss, Sunday Mass, Onmommas — Feb 14 at Underground SF
[experimental] Raven (album release) — Feb 14 at Sutro FM
[rock] Fake Fruit, Healing Potpourri — Feb 14 at Thee Stork Club
[rock] Chuck Prophet and The Make Out Quartet — Feb 14 at the Chapel
[rock] The Moondrops, Rainbow City Park, Hazy Portraits — Feb 15 at Eli’s Mile High Club
[club] Lethargy b2b Moth, Soba, Anya (of Loveshadow) — Feb 15 at Rickshaw Stop
[hip hop] Bambu, Rocky Rivera, Otayo Dubb — Feb 15 at Neck of the Woods
[club] SQUISH x PROGRAM ft. Hessle Audio, K Wata, b0nitababy, likeholywine, sfcowboy, nonsuit — Feb 15 at the Great Northern
[latin] CONCERTS FOR CUBA Orquesta La Moderna Tradición, Javier Navarrette’s, Kai Lyons’ Charangüi, Pellejo Seco, CubaCaribe & Arenas Dance Company, Luis Medina (DJ) — Feb 16 at the Chapel
[punk] Whine (album release), Big Freak, Shuv — Feb 16 at Thee Stork Club
[rock] Brown Dog, Secret Family, Catnip — Feb 16 at Bottom of the Hill
[country] Kelvin Truitt, Country Risqué, Noelle & The Deserters, Stud Country — Feb 18 at Brick & Mortar Music Hall
[alternative] Tricky FM, Feedbag, Bloodrave, Ex-Heir — Feb 18 at the Knockout
[new age] Nate Mercereau ft. Idris Ackamoor and Carlos Niño, Mejiwahn — Feb 19 at the Chapel
SUPPORT BAY AREA MUSIC! Get access to our full Bay Area concert calendar, featuring specially curated recommendations for upcoming shows in SF and Oakland.
