“I’m really hoping that the Bay rediscovers the Funk.” Interview with The Grease Traps
Have hella fun with the 38th album from Vallejo rapper LaRussell, and take a trip back to millennial-era indie pop rock with a Slumberland reissue of Lunchbox
The Grease Traps are an eight-piece funk and soul group based in Oakland. Made up of rare 45 record collectors and DJs, the band has since 2005 put out a groovy throwback sound drawing inspiration from local stalwarts such as Sly & the Family Stone, Tower of Power, as well as influences across jazz, afrobeat, and hip hop.
Ahead of the band’s set on Saturday, May 3rd at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell as part of a free show put on by Bay Beats, the SF Public Library, and White Crate—along with Mae Powell and Piwai—we heard from guitarist Kevin O’Dea about what keeps him in the Bay, what he’d like to see change in live concert programming, and his hope for local musicians to rediscover the Funk.
— White Crate
MAKE HIP-HOP FUN AGAIN!
“Whatever, let's just have fun. It's hip hop, man, this is hip hop.” — Missy Elliott
It’s hard to keep up with LaRussell. Even back in 2021 his meteoric rise already seemed destined, and now that he’s on his 38th album—Make Hip-Hop Fun Again!—he’s showing no signs of slowing.
With an album title that hearkens back to Missy Elliott’s reminder back in 2002 that hip hop is supposed to be fun and a sound from Mike G Beatz that naturally channels the silly dope fun of Bay Area hip hop, LaRussell is doing it his way and bringing everyone along for the party. He may not be “internationally known,” but the Vallejo rapper is well on his way, tapping the star power of Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, and Wiz Khalifa. He even brought back skits, featuring a “Hater” hilariously mouthing off podcast-style on how LaRussell isn’t actually as independent as he claims. Just as the title suggests, this is probably the most fun half hour of hip hop you’ll find this month—and it’ll be even better to catch live.
Speaking of keeping up? The album came out on April 6, so we’re already behind. LaRussell moves so quickly that he’s since already moved onto album #39, Sobriety.
— Ronny Kerr
PSYCH COAST POP
“Recorded in the couple's 1990s Oakland basement between stays in Berlin, tour dates in London, and dreamy sojourns up the rugged Mendocino coastline.”
Take a trip back to turn-of-the-millennium electronic-tinged indie pop rock with Evolver, an album by Lunchbox originally released in 2002 by Magic Marker Records and now newly remastered and reissued by Oakland-based Slumberland Records.
Lunchbox is a duo (Tim Brown and Donna McKean) who collaborate with a handful of other musicians to concoct a healthy serving of catchy indie pop and stay-at-home sound experimentations. For example: On “Particle/Wave,” a simplistic alt rock romp gets crushed through fuzzed out guitar and drums before disintegrating into an entrancing lo-fi tape loop. Then comes the straight-ahead uptempo jangle joy of “Letter from Overend,” followed by “Tone Poem,” which assembles a Beach Boys-like melange of muffled voices, dream train drones, and hypnotic drum breaks. For the collectors: The vinyl version of Slumberland’s reissue includes a bonus fourth side of “beats, loops, interludes and puzzling aural ephemera.”
In addition to repackaging indie classics, Slumberland has been steadily releasing some of the Bay’s best new indie music. Here were some of our favorites in 2024:
Pop and Circumstance by Lunchbox
Knife is But a Dream by Tony Jay
The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel by Chime School
— Ronny Kerr
SHOW RECS
Our top show recommendations for the coming week:
[alternative] Blue, Indeed, Medscool, Pateka — April 24 at SF Eagle
[jungle] shekdash, Lonald J. Bandz, SOBA, M27, Keishaboy, PJ Sleeps — April 24 at Monarch
[rock] Juicebumps, Freak No Hitter, Surplus 1980, Fuzz Kit — April 25 at Thee Stork Club
[club] FLUX ÆTERNA ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ft. 40split, Moonpie, DJ Radia, Just Another Bitch, Vertigo, MILANA, 9-System — April 25 at Underground SF
[indie] Rhymies (EP release), Still Ruins, Loner Statue — April 26 at Makeout Room
[jungle] LOTEK x NAT SELEC ft. Chrissy, Faited, Soeneido, Natural Selection — April 26 at Edinburgh Castle Pub
[house] FREQSHOW ft. Bored Lord, Vin Sol, DJ Ari B, piscespace, Golem, New Juicy — April 26 at Bissap Baobab
[house] DAD SF 8-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ft. Vermelho, Phlegm, Kelly Naughton, Ennui Pete, Mondo Nexus, Booty Juice — April 26 at Club Six
[rock] Galaxy Train, Chime School, Menow, The Kitchenettes, Katsy Pline, DJ Tarai — April 27 at Thrillhouse Records
[club] SUNSET SOUNDSYSTEM ft. AIDA, David Harness, Galen, Solar — April 27 at Yerba Buena Gardens
[rock] Heaven's Club, Teal Pop, Healing Potpourri, Yea-Ming — April 27 at Kilowatt
[jazz] Karl Evangelista Quintet (album release), Bafus+Raskin+Johnston Trio — April 29 at Makeout Room
[punk] Brontez Purnell, Black Bibles, Acid Barbie — April 29 at Thee Stork Club
GET TICKETS TO TOTAL ACCORD!
We’re co-hosting an epic celebration of Bay Area music, showcasing amazing local talent at six awesome shows across four of our favorite venues. Get tickets →
SUPPORT BAY AREA MUSIC!
Get access to our full Bay Area concert calendar, featuring specially curated recommendations for upcoming shows in SF and Oakland.
