Cotton Candy'sStikMonkeyThe Abstractions Cotton Candy's scrumptious melodies and piquant wit make short shrift of fools. Mold and enemas revel in sudden celebrity; kitchen utensils take on a fresh sheen. Dressed to the nines in fluffy stuff, operatic diva Heidi Kooy hits the soprano spot, while accordionist Linda Robertson presses all the right buttons. Underpinning this delicate cabaret confection, holding it all firmly in place, is steely-chinned upright bassist Tom Edler. And finally, percussion God Matt Cannon sprinkles his fairy magic with multiple mallets and a marvellous eight-foot marimba.
"Our charming songs are 100% original. And it's a class act: the music's written out properly on staves and the words are all spelled and punctuated correctly." - from the Cotton Candy Cabaret website
StikMonkey is a Mostly A Capella Trio from Polymorphia, featuring Azi Vajravai (ChaosMonkey); The Stikman (My Hero, and many other bands); and JoJo Razor.
The Abstractions, named by musician/poet/author C.J. Reaven Borosque, was formed by Bay Area musician/producers Rent Romus and Ernesto Diaz-Infante, featuring a rotating ensemble of local avant-garde all-stars. One could make reference to those excessive "Love Boat Specials" with a coterie of celebrity guests, but that would be stretching things. Tonight's performers are:
Bob Marsh, cello, voice
C.J. Reaven Borosque, noise pedals/turntable
Ernesto Diaz Infante, guitar, vocals
Dina Emerson, voice
Lance Grabmiller, laptop
Marina Lazara, guitar, voice
Matt Davignon, turntable
Philip Everett, drums, autoharp
Alwyn Quebido, elec guitar
Rent Romus, reeds, voice, things
Marjorie Strum, flute
Taking elements from a cross section of genres, The Abstractions rip apart, rent asunder, and redefine music offering a sonic pallet of utter disturbance. Drawing from an improvisational body of knowledge, the unspoken words transformed to music, history, and social insight make up this unclassifiable experimental music.
Cost: $5-10