Members From Great Bands Form Hybrid Painted Rhythm
If you don’t go to the Big Dipper on Saturday to see one of the premier live performances of a new/rock/jazz/R&B/blues hybrid called Painted Rhythm, you’ll probably regret it for the rest of your life. Really.
Here’s why.
Painted Rhythm isn’t your average, overly hyped new band. Rather, the five-piece unit is a super group featuring former members of Santana, the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Traffic, Oblivion Express and more.
And no, these guys aren’t nostalgia-obsessed dinosaurs looking for any monetary scraps thrown their way. The five-piece band plays most of its own original material instead of tunes from past ventures.
Here’s a list of band members:
Alex Lidgerwood, vocals. Most people will recognize Lidgerwood for the 17 years he spent as the lead vocalist of Santana. His seasoned tenor can be heard on eight Santana releases, including “Viva Santana,” “Zebop!,” “Marathon” and the latest, “Sacred Fire.” Lidgerwood also sang for the Jeff Beck Band, Average White Band, Oblivion Express, Spyro Gyra and many others.
Brian Auger, keyboards. Auger, an accomplished music director, arranger and composer, pioneered fusion jazz in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He founded such influential groups such as Steam Packet and Oblivion Express.
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, guitar. Baxter played for many years with the Doobie Brothers. The two-time Grammy Award winner was also a members of Steely Dan and the Stray Cats. His session work has included recording stints with Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Cher, Dr. John and several others.
Wafredo Reyes Jr., drums. Reyes has beat the skins for numerous acts, including Santana, Traffic, Robbie Robertson, David Lindley and Smokey Robinson.
David Margen, bass. Margen joined Santana when he was only 17. His work can be heard on eight Santana albums, all of which are gold records. After leaving Santana, Margen involved himself in several projects, including a band made up of Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Williams and Carlos Santana.
Painted Rhythm is currently embarking on a brief tour of the Northwest to break in its new songs, which the band will record this fall.
“This little jaunt … is pretty much to get the band tight,” said Lidgerwood in a recent phone interview.
Certainly, with a lineup like that, Painted Rhythm could play much larger venues than the Big Dipper.
“This (playing large venues) is what we’ve been doing for years anyway,” he said. “We want to get back to a different place and have a more intimate setting.
“It’s a great way to meet people and do the real thing. After you’ve done a bunch of years doing stadiums, it’s kind of tiring.”
Expect Painted Rhythm to play mostly originals. However, the band will feature some Steely Dan, Santana, Doobie Brothers and Oblivion Express material during its set.
Retrofit opens at 9 p.m. Admission is $12.50 at the door. Bring your I.D.
Elsewhere in the Night
In an effort to escape categorization, San Francisco band Junk, which plays Hobart’s tonight and Saturday, defines its sound as, simply, junk. Or, jazz meets funk.
The main reason why the band chose to go with a self-defining moniker was to avoid being slapped with such ambiguous terms as “acid jazz,” “new jazz” and “hip-hop jazz.”
“I don’t think there’s too many bands out here that really like the term ‘acid jazz,”’ said Junk guitarist David Schumacher in a recent phone interview. “I don’t think there’s any band in any genre that likes to be classified.
“We really thought the term ‘acid jazz’ as like ‘What the hell is that?”’
The band will perform three sets each night starting at 9 p.m. The cover is $5. Bring your I.D.
The downtown outdoor all-ages venue, The Dock, has California bands Prayer Chain and Starflyer 59 on stage along with Voir Dire and Champion Birdwatchers.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is $8.