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Words by Lee | Photos by Dee
Friday
“Soilence! San Fran-cis-co!” Orbitron bellowed from the balcony looming high above the stage at the Great American Music Hall. And with that command, Critters Buggin stormed into San Francisco for a weekend of stage theatrics and musical treats that could only mean Skerik’s spaceship had landed in the Bay Area. Critters Buggin, with Matt Chamberlin on drums, Mike Dillon on percussion and vibraphone, Brad Houser on bass and baritone sax, and Skerik on drums, keyboards and saxophonics, is just one of Skerik’s many musical endeavors, featuring an original brand of ethereal space funk. This band is truly ethereal in every sense of the word: intangible, celestial, other-worldly, and at times, spiritual in nature.
Critters’ introduction to the Great American Music Hall revealed the exploratory essence of this band in all its brilliance. A light hearted jam, dominated by the echoing resonance of Mike Dillon’s soothing vibraphone, quickly morphed into an electronica groove featuring a dance beat intensity, then again switched up, with the band cranking out an ambient hard rock riff. This song development characterizes the sonic versatility that Critters fans have come to expect out of these four musicians.
Skerik then introduced the crowd one of the many theatrical characters that we would meet throughout the two night stand: Lippy Pie-Hole Ki-Yay. Lippy, an old gold rush miner from the mountains of California, hopped in from stage right on his stuffed mule. Apparently this ole’ miner was still going strong at 200 years old, and had rode his donkey down the foothills to join in the festivities. His gyrations and yelps of enjoyment to the crowd were prematurely silenced, however, as he was chased offstage and stabbed by yet another character in Skerik’s army, Senor Balls. This would not prove to be the end of Lippy, or the myriad of intensely strange theatrics that the SF crowd would be exposed to throughout the weekend, however.
Not wanting to be outdone by the overacting and lavish costumes of their non-musical guests, the members of Critters Buggin were sure to put on their own show as well. Mike Dillon wandered the stage in a Robotic South American Lizard mask and flowing pink blouse. Skerik sported his red and black afro wig with devil horns protruding from his scalp, and Brad Houser donned a full length cow-print coat, black curly-brimmed cowboy hat, and a plastic alien mask perched atop his covered head.
As the Critters left the stage for setbreak, Skerik officially introduced Senor Balls to the crowd, who perched himself in the balcony above the stage to bark at the audience and the crowd in an accusatory tone: “You are ruled by the baron! You were freely jamming!” Skerik cowered from the stage below, and stammered in defense “No! I swear we’re not a jamband! We’re part of a jamily. A family!” Pleading, “Please don’t tell the baron!”
As Skerik ducked backstage for a break, he nodded to DJ Radioactive to go ahead and take the spotlight for his original brand of theatrics-laden beatbox. Figuratively holding his heart in his right hand, fingers pulsing in synch to the sound effects emanating from his mic., DJ Radioactive hurled the heart up into the air with a tremendous whooshing noise. The heart grew in magnitude while floating through the air and landing with a thunderous clamor back into the DJ’s hands... sending him reeling under the weight of the imaginary impact.
All the while, Mike Dillon ran around the stage, setting up mics and wires for the tablas player who sat himself cross-legged on the floor among his percussion instruments. Skerik came out to thank DJ, then the festivities began with Mike Dillon and Matt Chamberlin accompanying the tablas player, local upright bass talent John Evans (who has toured with Tori Amos), and Bachir Attar: Master Musician of JaJouka. Bachir started the second set off playing a guimbri, which appeared to be a foreign mandolin, leading the musicians in a tight, mostly percussive groove. Skerik lurked in the background for this jam, but did pick up the sax for some intermittently targeted fills.
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The entirety of the second set then melded into an Eastern trance groove. Bachir switched his outlet by moving to the rhaita, a double-reeded horn with a flared bell that produces a high-pitched whirring/ringing sound, and the lira, a bamboo flute, for the rest of the night. This musical exploration extended throughout the set, allowing for a familiar Western-oriented groove feel to be accentuated by intricate Eastern melodies and sonic textures.
While the first set proved to be musically intriguing, the second set featured an extended intensity that transcended the normal structure of a concert. The energy level rose in the whole room, ringing through to a cross-cultural resonance that locked band members and dancers alike into a rhythmically hypnotic trance. In his native Morrocco, Bachir is considered a noble, who possesses the power of a magician through his ability to channel the spirits of music. That power and connectivity certainly rang through to the bulk of the crowd who joined Critters in a special musical journey Friday night.
Saturday
From 06.01.01
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The first set of Saturday night’s show allowed Critters to showcase a number of their originals, because as it would turn out, the playlist would take on a decidedly alternate route in the second set. The highlight proved to be an aggressive hard rock jam that was accentuated beautifully by Brad’s bass being played through the amp with such intensity that the distortion rang through with thundering feedback. This heavy and imposing sonic mood was suddenly lifted from the Hall as the resolutely repetitive coda to A Love Supreme was explored by Skerik in tribute to the jazz legend John Coltrane. Les was spotted watching attentively from the side of the stage, trying to get a read on the onstage chemistry.
Between songs Skerik would speak to the crowd, one time blabbing away, “Let’s all go into 'O’Farrell' down the street” (a local strip club once owned by the infamous Mitchell brothers), he continued, “The ‘Great American’ is the same, really... over there: hot porn. Over here: hot horn.” And of course, Skerik is a man of his word, and so he set his sights on a fiery display for all those who had gathered.
While Friday night was characterized by a sparse crowd of music lovers, Saturday proved to be a sold out crowd, most of whom came to see Les Claypool, but Critters Buggin certainly seized the opportunity to play to the energized crowd and won over a number of new fans. The first set rounded up around 11:30 with Skerik promising to the audience, "We will take a short break, then bring out the 'Monsters of Rock'!"
Set II:
The second set once again found Senor Balls introducing the band by inciting the crowd to chant "Release the Claypool! Release the Claypool!"
Mr. Les did not disappoint by leading Critters out of the gates and into a mélange of intense cover tunes to open the second set. Les cranked out the opening riff to "Iron Man," before quickly switching and synching back up with the rest of the band on the Led Zeppelin favorite "Immigrant Song." Just as Bachir had completely sculpted the feel of the second set the night before, it became readily apparent that Les would be sure to make his presence known onstage Saturday night. And even though that was the case, Les certainly did not egotistically search for the spotlight, or dominate the sound in an obtrusive manner. Rather, he complimented the Critters sound, and allowed the onstage chemistry to flourish while pointedly adding his flavor to each twist and turn along the way.
The "Immigrant Song" jam morphed into Les slapping and sliding away at the bass line to "Thela Hun Ginjeet," a King Crimson cover that has become a favorite on the playlist of Les’ Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. As soon as Thela’s riff was explored, the band was off again, opening the groove up enough to allow Les to drop in the twangy bass line to the Primus hit "Jerry was a Race Car Driver." Les sang a verse or two, but keeping with the frenzied exploration of the second set, the Critters forged ahead, catching the crowd by surprise as Les stepped up to the mic and belted out the vocals to "Yellow Submarine" in a nasally sing-songy, sarcastic voice. The jam somehow came full circle as the band re-explored "Iron Man" before delving back into "Immigrant Song," accented by Brad and Skerik howling Robert Plant’s vocal parts through their saxes. Critters also treated us to a number of other cover songs including the Primus favorites "My Name is Mud" and "Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver," as well a monstrous version of the Beatles’ "Tommorrow Never Knows."
From 06.01.01
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Since we had been lucky enough to experience the "Hot Horn" part of the show, it only seemed right that we were also treated to the "Hot Porn." A male dancer in a furry and revealing leopard suit strutted onstage to provide us with some visual pleasure to compliment the aural sensations. Critters got this kitty jumping by breaking out a rap/hip-hop tune with a chorus sung by Skerik and Mike to the effect of "Sucker on the 98." After swinging his tail, licking his paws and strutting his stuff, the leopard exited centerstage by diving directly into the masses for some crowd surfing, and the band rounded into a version of "Everybody Get Small," featuring those hypnotically repetitive vocals that proved spookily entertaining. Mike Dillon evoked a call response by asking “What you gonna do?” and everyone else belting out the catchphrase “Ev-ery-body get small!”
This morphed into "Burundi," a unified drum jam with Skerik dropping his horn, picking up two grand mallets, and walking over to share a concert bass drum with Mike. Brad picked up his finger cymbals, and we were off on the most intense percussion arrangement being played live in concert today. For those that have never heard this multi-man drum jam, the best way I can describe it to you is to imagine three percussionists clacking away with the wooden part of their sticks on the rims of their drums in time with one another, then erupting with the grandiosity of their mallets rumbling across their skins in syncopated unison. The jam alternates between that fast-paced, contained clicking to the beat before thunderously exploding again for a reprise. As the Critters members ensconced themselves in the monstrosity of this percussion exercise, Les stood close by, bass in hand, noodling quick lines way down in the mix.
Late in the show, after they had exhausted the bulk of the playlist that was taped onto Les’ monitor, the band ended up staring at each other onstage a little longer than a band normally would with an enraptured crowd waiting for their next move. Les leaned into his microphone to inquire, “Well, what do you want to do, Skerik?! This is your goddamned show!” Skerik refused to offer any sort of direction, and after some time spent with all of the band members dumbfoundedly looking around at each other onstage, Mike Dillon took the reins by suddenly thrashing away on his cymbals, locking into Matt’s eyes with a frenzied gaze, and drawing Matt in shortly afterwards as they kicked off the beat to "Mount Blasta". Les, taken aback by the intensity of the intro, leaned into Brad’s ear and mouthed “What the hell is this?!” The rest of the band eventually kicked in, with Skerik wailing lead passages characterized by his original brand of freaked saxophonics.
After Critters treated the crowd to a one-song encore, Skerik asked from across the stage, “Les, do you have anything to say before we head off the stage?” Les’ initial response of “Uh no, not really” was soon revised and fleshed out into an impromptu farewell song, with Les crooning away in his distinctive voice, "Goodnight ladies and gentlemen... but it’s time to go... but it’s time to go.” This adieu starting with just Les on bass and vocals, but the rest of the band eventually following his lead in sending the faithful off into the night with a formal farewell.
Lee Bouyea
JamBase San Francisco Correspondent
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