Home Is Where the Rock Is

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: With the official start to the holiday season fast approaching, one would expect a little sonic slowdown in the live music department. Instead, State Street clubs like SOhO (1221 State St.) seem dead set on keeping the tunes pumping, filling its weekly calendar with a whole lot of music from a literal wealth of Santa Barbara players.

Starting tonight, onetime UCSB heavyweights turned big time S.B. music makers Grover Anderson and Boombox Orchestra will re-team for a night of feel-good tunes at SOhO starting at 8:30 p.m. In addition to their alma mater ties, both Anderson and the Boombox collective share a penchant for danceable grooves. Where Anderson draws from the Jason Mraz/Sean Hayes well, Boombox’s shtick borrows lovingly from the sounds of Parliament and James Brown. Opening the show will be jazz outfit (Fungk Shway). For tickets and info, call 962-7776 or visit sohosb.com.

Also on the SOhO bill in the days leading up to turkey time are Brazilian funk rockers Beleza Pura (Saturday, November 21); Toad the Wet Sprocket/Works Progress Administration maestro Glen Phillips (Sunday, November 22); S.B. jazz songstress Margie Nelson (Monday, November 23); and Ojai’s experimental folkie Josh Houseman (Tuesday, November 24).

FOR THE KIDS: Also this week, Isla Vista’s longstanding musical stronghold, Biko Co-op Garage (6612 Sueno Rd.) opens its doors to the troubadours of Slamming Honey and the Funny Bunnies and Jeffertitti’s Nile on Saturday, November 21. For the select few who caught Jefertitti shred through their last S.B. stop at Muddy Waters Cafe, you know this is a definite must-see. Blending psychedelic vocal deliveries and cacophonous percussion with some of the most impressive, spiraling guitar work I’ve seen in recent memory, there’s no doubt these guys (and gal) are going places. Along for the ride is the Venice-dwelling experimentalists Slamming Honey and the Funny Bunnies, who sound like an elaborate mish-mash of the Moldy Peaches’ signature childlike cheer and a true 1960s hippie sing-along. The show starts at 9 p.m. and is open to all ages. Visit myspace.com/biko_garage for details.

On campus, Associated Students Program Board welcomes L.A. up-and-comer Jakob Johnson, a.k.a. The Record Life, for a free Storke Plaza show at noon on Tuesday, November 24. Carrying on in the emo tradition of such mainstream purveyors as Something Corporate and Dashboard Confessional, Johnson mixes pretty pianos and groovy bass lines with lovelorn lyrics and high-pitched warbles aplenty. Add in a smidgeon of modern R&B slickness, and you’ve got a set that’s certain to win over more than a few new female fans. For info, call or visit aspb.as.ucsb.edu.

The Danvilles – Episode #1

BRAVE NEW WORLD: And for those of us looking for a little pre-Thanksgiving feast of the musical variety, I recommend a stop over at Muddy Waters (508 E. Haley St.) this Wednesday, November 25, for an extra special trifecta of tunes. Along with resident rockers Verna Beware, the night boasts sets from Costa Mesa lady rockers Semi Sweet and the Bravery side project The Danvilles.

Happily describing their sound as “bitch pop,” the girls of Semi Sweet perfectly walk that fine line between lo-fi and pop punk, simultaneously drawing comparisons to frilly indie artists The Like and rough-around-the-edges rock goddesses like The Breeders. At the helm of the lineup are Virginians The Danvilles, led by Bravery bassist/multi-instrumentalist Mike Hindert. Lucky for us, the result is far from your typical side project fare. Influences range from breezy surf rock and doo-wop (“I Remember”) to darker numbers (“It’s All Gone”) that call out to brooding rockers like Tom Waits and Lou Reed. In recorded form, the mix is pure infectious gold, and if the Bravery’s track record is any proof, Hindert will more than hold his own in the live format. For tickets and details, call 966-9328 or visit myspace.com/muddycafesb.