Cuts of Honey

A LITTLE BIT OF HOME: It’s been good times for
ex-Santa Barbarans recently up in the Bay Area: The Coral
Sea had its first shows in both San Francisco and Oakland,
Petracovich regularly plays tiny bohemian cafés,
and even Nerfherder Renaissance Man Parry
Gripp does art shows here. Best of all, Tony
Sevener’s new project Honeycut had its
live debut as part Noise Pop 2006. Since his days
with Summercamp, Sevener has played up here in
multiple acts as a drum machinist, pioneering the live use of the
MPC drum machine/sampler. One band is General
Elektriks, the soul/jazz creation of French
keyboardist/crazy-man Herve (a k a
RV) Salters and the other is the
folky, mod, ’70s-inspired crooner Bart Davenport.
Honeycut features all three and a bit of everything. Think
Black Crowes with Stevie Wonder
keyboards falling between the sweetest AIR-style
number and some prog-rock/post-punk anthem. Did I mention the
harmonica finale? While Honeycut might’ve felt apprehensive making
a live debut in front of a mob of the biggest smarty-pants music
snobs I’ve ever sweated against, you couldn’t tell — the band
couldn’t have been received more enthusiastically. The debut record
is due out this spring on the DJ
Shadow/Blackalicious (who play UCSB’s The
Hub on May 1) label, Quannum Projects. — Dru
Allen

UNIVERSAL RAMBLING: Tim Reynolds knows a thing
or two about roaming. With a childhood spread across places as
diverse as Germany, Alaska, and St. Louis, his heritage gives him
cause to declare he “comes from nowhere mostly.” And while he might
still be wandering, nowadays he tends to do it musically. So it is
rather fitting the name of the guitar virtuoso’s new
album — Parallel Universe — reflects an eclectic musical
undertaking that meanders just as freely and widely as his
upbringing did. He plays SOhO on April 23 with Markus
Eaton. — Brett Leigh Dicks

STAYING POWER: With a batch of songs that are a
communiqué of life itself and a voice as charming and earnest as
the words she sings, there is a sense of timelessness about the
music Sonya Kitchell throws forth. That’s
surprising, since the Massachusetts native is only 17. And while
she might aspire to produce a catalogue as substantial as the
Beatles and a career as enduring as U2, she ultimately just wants
“to write a lot of songs that stick around.” With an upcoming Sing
Like Hell engagement at the Lobero Theatre on April 22 (with the
Cynical Girls) and an album the caliber of Words Came Back To
Me, she’s off to an exceptional start. — BLD

JAZZ APPRECIATION: The Santa Barbara
Jazz Society celebrated Jazz Appreciation Month by
presenting one of the West Coast’s top quartets two Sundays back.
Leader and pianist Mike Melvoin, who just received
the “Musician’s Musician” award from UCLA Jazz Studies, joined
tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb (who’s in the
company of Sonny Rollins), bassist Tony
Dumas, and drummer Ralph Penland to
deliver an impeccable performance where every note and accent was
perfectly placed and nuanced. On the good-deed front, Bones
Howe, society president and legendary producer, informed
that all profits from these monthly concerts are donated to high
school scholarships. — Stanley Naftaly

GO WITH GREENE: In an effort to leave the other
Dylan-influenced singer/songwriters in his wake, Jackie
Greene recently added an arsenal of horns, organs, and
eclectic percussion instruments to his mélange of rock and roll.
This Sacramento, California native is stopping by Santa Barbara
during his Left Coast tour from Seattle to Los Angeles. Hear his
tried-and-true folk as well as his newfound, twangy electric rock,
when he hits SOhO next Wednesday, April 26. — Rebecca
Riley

LEFTOVERS ARE GOOD: Other shows to be on the
lookout for this week are the return to SOhO of Spencer the
Gardener and Peyote Surf Trip, who’ll be
playing in a benefit for Surfrider on Friday,
April 21 … For an off-State Street alternative, check out the
emerging mecca that is Legends on Milpas, where
Sam Adams plays Friday night and then the soulful
London Underground does their thing Wednesday …
And for an on-campus option, check out L.A.’s
OneRepublic, who claim to be heavily influenced by
the “uplifting vocal delivery and emotional undercurrents” of U2.
They play under UCSB’s Storke Tower on Monday, April 24, for
free.