New Monsoon meets Planet Asia

by Lindsay Nelson

Sated by the feasts of New Year’s Eve and ready to face the diets, the resolutions and the inevitable slippage of the coming months, we may as well start looking to the distractions available for avoiding the more serious elements of our days. Compared with the deadening calm of the Christmas-New Year holiday week, there’s a plethora of percussive play possibilities at area houses of fun. Before we get to this weekend, though, one reminder: rockabilly guitar hero Junior Brown plays the Concert Hall next Thursday, January 11, and it’s not too late to get tickets. Day of show may be a little too late, so do yourself a favor and snap up the good seats, a bargain ranging from $18 to $25.

As we learned last Christmas, monsoons are not cool. But the San Francisco-based world fusion slash rock band New Monsoon is pretty cool nonetheless. Billed as “rock ‘n’ roll in the Santana and Allman Brothers mold,” the guys use Latin, Brazilian and Indian percussion, drum set, didgeridoo, electric and acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin, bass and keyboards to create their unique musical style. With influences as diverse as rock gods Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Santana, bluesman Mississippi John Hurt and world music pioneers Tito Puente, Shakti and Peter Gabriel, there’s certainly no two words by which to classify the sound of New Monsoon.

As long as there are no crashing waves involved, we’re good. Catch the “wave” on Friday night about 10 p.m. at the Summit.

Saturday night it’s another hip-hop show at the Abbey, one that will hopefully not be cancelled in the wake of a fiery bus crash outside San Diego. Planet Asia, of the legendary hip-hop duo The Cali Agents will be performing live on Saturday with special guests DJ Vajra (of The Procussions), The SMOB and Cut Throat Logic. Tickets are available now at Southwest Sound & The Abbey Theatre, $10 in advance. If, like me, you’re not “down” but think you might want to check it, Mr. Asia is a big name in the indie industry, and has collaborated with everyone from Black Thought of The Roots, BT, the Dub Pistols, Talib Kweli, & Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan. Is that good? Yes.

New Monsoon

If rock is more your style, also on Saturday it’s a full-on stage assault at the Summit with Boulder band Rose Hill Drive and local hard-edgers The Freeman Social. As much as Rose Hill Drive sounds like a cozy little suburb where Mom & Dad might retire, these fresh-faced longhairs seem to do it up right with the guitars and the drums and the bass. A band that lists their influences as “anything that doesn’t suck” sure as heck better rock it better than Carson Daly’s New Year’s Eve.

People who know better than others what rocks (and what blows) ought to have their own radio shows. KDUR offers airtime to the masses via their tri-annual DJ Application Meeting. You can get your own radio show for the months of January through April if you show up at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday to the Blue and Gold Room (which is neither blue nor gold) in the College Union Building at the Fort, and suitably impress Nancy and Bryant with your musical taste, social aplomb and willingness to rock out from midnight to 3 a.m. Pretty much anything goes on KDUR, and the more unique yet listenable your show idea, the better chance you’ve got at landing a slot.

The civic event of the week happens Friday morning in front of City Hall, where, at the unartistly hour of 8 a.m., the City’s 125^th Anniversary commemorative artwork will be unveiled. Local artist Bryan Saren created the sculpture that will grace the entrance to City Hall in honor of the long and illustrious history of the municipality. There will be a speech, some snaps and maybe even snacks. And while you’re down there, pay your parking tickets.

If we all follow just one New Year’s resolution, may we leave behind the rancor of the past and let love rule. Lindsay_damico@yahoo.com. •