Sprung Monkey Finally Makes Leap To Spokane

It’s a migration of sorts. Music, trends, styles - they spring up in California and then eventually make their way north to Washington.

Sometimes it takes months. Sometimes it takes years. But eventually they get here.

Take Sprung Monkey, for example. They were voted Band of the Year by the San Diego Music Awards three years in a row - ‘94, ‘95 and ‘96 - but here it is late-1998 and finally they’re catching on here.

You’ve probably heard their song “Get ‘Em Outta Here” on the radio - you know, the one with the catchy vibe, the one that sing-songs about “what trouble we could get into.”

That song from their new record “Mr. Funny Face” helped Sprung Monkey ride the waves out of small surf-community popularity into cities with nary a lick of ocean-front property.

Like, say, Spokane.

Anchored by brothers Steve Summers (vocals) and Mike Summers (guitar), Sprung Monkey plays music to surf, skate and snowboard to - a mix of groovy rhythms, shredding guitars and a good-time attitude.

But their album is not all Get-‘Em-Outta-Here-radio friendly. Songs like “White Trash” and “Going For The Angry” throw a thrash-heavy dose of metal on top of the groove.

“When we first started out, it was just about getting buzzed, having fun,” Steve says. “And then I realized, we’re getting bigger, we’re starting to get fan mail, people listen to me. I should try to say something.”

The title of their album, “Mr. Funny Face,” came from the days when Steve worked at a surf shop. “There was this Down’s syndrome kid who’d come by every day. One day these other kids were like ‘there’s that kid with the funny face’ and started picking on him. So I went outside and said ‘Hey knock this off.’ The song is about him - no matter what they did, it didn’t seem to affect him. He’d just smile. He was above it.”

The band has also participated on two MOM albums (Music For Our Mother Ocean), records that benefit the environmental group Surfrider Foundation.

Sprung Monkey performs Sunday night at Johnny Rockets with Zebra Head. Tickets are $10, available at the door or through G&B outlets, (800) 325-SEAT. Music starts at 9 p.m.

Dokken

Dokken will be rockin’ at Johnny Rockets Saturday night.

Remember them? L.A.-based hard rock band, purveyors of ‘80s hits such as “Under Lock and Key,” “Back For The Attack” and “Beast From The East.”

Well, these days frontman Don Dokken is back and has replaced guitarist George Lynch with Winger guitarist Reb Beach. Dokken is recording a new album which is slated for release early next year. The band is touring between recording sessions to work out some of the new material.

So get an early sample of the new Dokken songs Saturday. Grindstone and Speed Twin open the show. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 the day of the show. They are almost sold out but some were available at Johnny Rockets as of press time. Music starts at 9:30 p.m.

Famous Monsters

Hmmm. Three women pretending to be alien rockers from another planet. Should be … interesting.

For an outta-this-world surf rock onslaught, beam on over to Ichabod’s North Saturday to catch the Famous Monsters.

The band’s lineup goes like this: Devil Doll plays lead guitar (she’s really Sean Yseult - co-founder of White Zombie); Vampire Girl plays rhythm guitar (she’s really Katie Campbell) and She-Zilla (make that Carol Cutshall) plays drums.

Seems the universe brought this trio of super-hero femme fatales together.

Says Devil Doll, “We were just traveling around the galaxy separately - jet-setting as it were - and we literally bumped into each other. We noticed that our space jets were all similar and that our outfits were very similar. The more we talked, the more things we realized we had in common.”

Space may seem like a strange place to brew up surf music, but that hasn’t hampered the Famous Monsters. The women call their music “outerspace-superhero-surf trash” and they’ve just released an album full of it called “In The Night!!!” Check out killer tracks like “Outerspace Deathrage #13” or “Destroy Puny Earthlings!”

So, if you don’t mind the gimmick and want to hear some surf punk and roll, head over to Ichabod’s North Saturday. Those who dress up like a famous monster (you know - Dracula, Frankenstein, Baby Spice, etc.) get a dollar off the cover charge and a chance to win prizes.

The Fumes, The B-Sides and Jimmy Flame and The Sexy Boys will bring it all back to earth when they open the show. Cover charge is $5. Music starts at 9:30 p.m.

Splinter Party

If you’re one of those people who still thinks that heavy, sludge-laden rock music is all that comes out of Seattle, well, get over it.

Splinter Party is here to show you the error of your thinking. This Seattle-based cowpunk-a-rock-a-billy combo rummages through shards of bee bop, pop rock and Wild West bedrock with nary a grunge ghost raising its matted head.

Working with the best of American music tradition (think John Fogerty, think Tom Petty), this five-piece writes gritty songs with hooks as sharp as your grandpa’s prize fishing lure. Just check out their CD “Nampa Bound.”

An alternative to alternative, they like to say.

Splinter Party finds Curtis Graham on vocals, Joey Reid on guitar and vocals, Gary Thorstensen on guitar, Paul Larkin on bass and Marty Waychoff on drums.

You might remember Graham from his Spokane days. Graham used to belong to The Studebakers - a popular rockabilly band in the ‘80s that featured the guys from Too Slim and the Taildraggers.

Splinter Party rolls into the Fort Spokane Brewery tonight for a show with The Panics from our own hometown. Music starts at 9:30 p.m. Cover charge is $4.

Hipster Daddy-O and New York

Jimmy For those under agers who’ve been waiting to hear some good swing music, here’s your chance. Gonzaga University is hosting three swing bands Saturday night and will offer free swing dance lessons before the show, as well.

Arizona punk swingers Hipster Daddy-O and The Handgrenades make their second appearance in Spokane for the show Saturday in the Crosby Student Center.

With their hard-driving take on modern swing music, Hipster Daddy-O put on a great show at Harry O’s Groove Gallery in October.

Bellingham’s New York Jimmy and the Jive Five headline the show Saturday. They, too, have filled dance floors here in the Inland Northwest. If you want to dance, these are the bands to see.

Gonzaga University band United Soul Front open the show starting at 9:30 p.m. But show up at 8:30 p.m. if you want to learn to dance.

Tickets are $5 for a single person and $8 for a couple. Now get swingin’.

Springhill

The Bozeman, Mont., quartet Springhill brings its mix of jazz and folk music to Hobart’s Jazz Lounge Saturday. Their influences range from Thelonius Monk to Sting and the group plays a spacious jazz style that moves gracefully from ethereal to hard-driving and back again.

The group features guitarist Craig Hall, pianist Ann Tappan, drummer Michael Blessing and bassist Bryce Jarrett. The music starts at 9 p.m. Admission is $5 ($4 for students.)