17 January 2024

BISS List 1.17.24: Spotlight on Disco Biscuits (1.27) + Best of BISS this Week

Warning BISS Listers!! This BISS List might cause spontaneous dance outbreaks. Approach with caution (and an empty dance floor).

Kicking this week’s edition off with a fun fact about BISS… Did you know, that way back in 2006, before the algorithm gods and endless cat videos, I had a radical idea to take BISS List from the dusty inbox to the shiny, new world of websites. Ok so it was a blog. (which still exists) I decided to I call it “livebisslist” because I had this wild idea of broadcasting live from concerts. Back then, “going live” wasn’t even a thing, let alone social media—unless you count MySpace or Friendster, of course. (But who really does?) Only 17 years later, you can follow us on Instagram (@bisslist) and catch a minute teaser from BISS List actually LIVE from the show! Keep an eye on BISS List’s Instagram for more to come!

Buckle up for a sonic rollercoaster recap of last Thursday’s extravaganza at The Independent. Litty Debungus kicked off the night with a full stage of musicians including a full horn section and female singer & dancer. Litty D got the crowd’s eyes, ears, & energy ready for what was to come in the next two sets. Next up was Boot Juice, and holy moly, did they live up to their name. These guys brought the heat, packing the Indy’s independent stage with enough energy to power a small town. The horns section was absolutely killer, wailing and weaving through the melodies like a pack of hungry wolves. But the night truly belonged to Object Heavy. These guys have worked their way into my “all-time faves” over the last couple of years, and seeing them headline at The Indy was like finally finding the missing piece of your soul puzzle. Infectiously luscious grooves, Richard Love’s voice that’s smooth as velvet dipped in honey, and a killer encore of “Bottoms” that had the whole room belting out the chorus like a drunken karaoke choir – it was pure magic. Indy, you delivered on this one. Well done!

Fast forward a day or two to Friday the 12th at the Sweetwater for Yonder Mountain String Band (& Lindsay’s Bday). Yonder’s show was hotter than a banjo on fire from beginning to end. For a full review of this show with amazing photos, check out Gabriel Barkin’s write-up on Greatful Web.

I thought about going straight home after Yonder but Atta Kid was playing at BBR. Their funk isn’t just a simmer, it’s a full-on volcanic eruption of greasy grooves and tight horn arrangements, guaranteed to shake your tail feathers harder than a James Brown tribute party on roller skates. AND THEN, Eric Krasno, in town for Phil Lesh the next night, showed up. In the tradition we have come to expect at the BBR, Kras popped up and on stage they kicked it up a supernova notch! Yes, you should be jealous!

My weekend wasn’t over yet! Saturday, I made it over to the Indy just in time to catch the opening band Analog Dog. I have heard that they are described ‘the sound of the 70s but from the future’ and that totally hits the nail on the head. But the headliner Con Brio just cranked the volume on their sound and style, and it’s all thanks to their new secret weapon: a powerhouse vocalist with a voice like spun gold and a smile that could melt glaciers named Viveca Hawkins. I look forward to seeing more from them with her! I couldn’t resist a trip to the Boom Boom Room to check out Chili’s Boom Squad who are quickly becoming a staple at the BBR. They are always sure to make you unleash your inner groove. Watch for more of Boom Squad at the BBR.

This weekend’s forecast calls for double shots of good vibes with two nights of moe. on Saturday (*WIN*) and Sunday (*WIN*) at the Fillmore. We still have a couple pairs still up for grabs that you can win just for spreading the word. We are looking for the best entries here! Quality, frequency, and best efforts count for this one so spread the word! For more about moe. check out last week’s BISS w/ Spotlight on Famoe.ly. THEN, as soon as the encore fades out, head across the street to the Boom Boom Room for Joe Marcinek & Groovesession + *VERY* Special Guests!😜😜😜 (*WIN*)

There are a TON of other shows happening all over the Bay this weekend including but not limited to Dar Williams, New Monsoon, Jerry’s Middle Finger, Victor Wooten, VINYL, Moontricks, & Pete Floyd. Check out the Best of BISS section with our show picks of the week for more details. And don’t forget to check the Win Tickets page on our site as well as the very very Full Calendar.

#MarkYourCalendar! #ICYMI 2024 promises an explosion of musical joy! From established legends to rising stars, mark your calendar now for a year bursting with unforgettable concerts across every genre. (Check the Best Of BISS for more!)

1/21 & 1/22 moe. @ The Fillmore (*WIN* 1/20) (*WIN* 1/21)
1/27 The Disco Biscuits @ The Fillmore (*WIN*)
Check out the spotlight below for more info!
2/2 Dark Star Orchestra @ The Warfield (*WIN*)
2/6 Say She She w/ Gitkin @ Hopmonk Tavern Novato
If you have not caught Say She She yet… DO IT! BTW, Gitkin is Brian J from Pimps of Joytime
2/10 ALO: Tour d’Amour XVII @ The Fillmore
2/16 LAZWELL feat Lady Chi (JGB) @ Boom Boom Room (*WIN*)
with special David Bowie Tribute!
2/16 & 2/17 Galactic @ The Fillmore
2/17 Gov’t Mule @ Fox Theater Oakland
2/23 Budos Band @ The Fillmore
2/28 & 2/29 Lukas Nelson & POTR @ The Fillmore
3/15 Jennifer Harswick Band @ Cornerstone Berkeley
4/20 New Mastersounds @ The Fillmore

But wait there’s more! Check out the #ListenToThis section below where I unveil the story behind this week’s featured song “Fantasties Don’t Cry” by JOSCH (Remain In Light, Cool Cool Cool, Turkuaz)!

#seeyouattheshows,
~ Pamela aka Miss BISS

SPOTLIGHT ON MARATHON MASTERS

Disco Biscuits

Jan 27 @ The Fillmore

The Disco Biscuits are an entirely different band today than when they first broke out of Philadelphia in the mid-90s. That’s not to say they’ve abandoned their foundation, switched gears, or set sail for distant shores. The Disco Biscuits are still very much the pioneers of “trancefusion,” bridging the gap between electronic music and jam bands. They remain rock pioneers whose soul belongs as much to the marathon dance parties as it does to live improvisational journeys during their epic live shows, often stretching over multiple sets and boasting extended jams that take you from funky breakdowns to soaring electronic landscapes.

***Check out all of our Featured Shows.

LISTEN TO THIS

Listen to “Fantasies Don’t Cry” by JOSCH featuring The Horn Section and Swatkins (Released 2024).

Drawing from a wide pool of inspirations ranging from funk, R&B and electronic music to soul, pop and lyrically-based folk music, indie soul artist Josh Schwartz, A.K.A. JOSCH (pronounced like ‘Josh’), currently tours with rock and roll legends Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew on their “Remain In Light” tour, as well as disco funk band Cool Cool Cool. He spent the previous decade touring internationally with indie funk band Turkuaz. As a baritone sax player and featured vocalist in all these settings, he has often been at home on the sidelines of the stage; now, with the birth of his solo project, JOSCH is ready to take center stage and share with the world even more of his creative contributions.

I spoke with Josh recently about this newly released song’s story and inspirations and he told me, “Towards the end of college, I came up with Fantasy’s opening lyrics ‘did I miss the meeting when you decided to dust me off the shelf?’ and that led to me building a story, a world around a guy who thought his relationship was going alright only to have the rug pulled out from under him and find out his gal had already found a replacement for him. Even though I hadn’t (yet) experienced exactly what the protagonist of the song had, I’d still, like everyone else, experienced moments where I realized that what I thought to be true about a situation, a friendship, was totally wrong, leading me to question my perception of the world and maybe my sanity a little bit. Yeah, I’ve definitely had moments in my life where I’ve questioned my sanity for various reasons. The line in the chorus,’t’il I ask the moon who he’s talking to and he turns with no reply’ was my equivalent of having the character in the song having a bit of a mental breakdown and howling at the moon, and even the moon thinks he’s crazy. I’m a passionate, emotional person (kind of a necessity for any songwriter!) and have tended to jump in head first all the way early on in relationships. Even when that’s come back to haunt me when my feelings changed, it’s all made for life experiences that make for a good story. Or in this case, a song.”

I also asked Josh to spill the tea on what’s cooking in the studio and when are we getting a JOSCH or Cool Cool Cool fix in the Bay Area?

He told me, “I have a whole album completed called Ethereality and will be releasing some more singles from that album in the coming months before releasing the full album. I definitely want to perform these songs live, it’s just a matter of figuring out how exactly I want to do that. Most of these songs are quite complex in terms of instrumentation and voices, so I’m trying to figure out the best way to translate that to the stage. It will absolutely happen at some point though!”

As for touring as JOSCH, only time will tell. However, Josh did tell me that “Cool Cool Cool is gearing up for an awesome headlining tour soon including the beloved Jam Cruise. This specific tour won’t get us back to Cali (we had so much fun playing with Remain In Light in Cali this past NYE run!) but we have lots of fun festivals and shows in the works all over the country so stay tuned!” Check out Cool Cool Cool’s tour schedule at wearecoolcoolcool.com/tour.

Why should you “Listen to This”? – BISS (Because I Said So). Check out the complete Spotify playlist with all weekly songs! #moretocome

*Got some new music we should listen to? Submit it for review!