JL Stiles plus The Stone Foxes and The Neighbors January 27, 2009

JL Stiles is just another improbable and seemingly contradictory outgrowth of the smorgasbord that is San Francisco. He’s been around a while and put out some stellar releases, including his latest EP, Landmark, but only recently has he brought his stripped down pop music into clubs like Café du Nord. Though this New Orleans transplant can sometimes pick ragtime on his guitar and scat sing as if time-warped from the era of Scott Joplin, Stiles’ music hardly belongs in the blues and trad box, yet it hits deep. Don’t think brooding and remote, Stiles will engage you. This former San Jose Community College Mathematics instructor flows on stage with a harp rack and full grainy voice sufficient to thoroughly confuse you about math-types, not math, thank goodness. Joining Stiles will be drummer Darius Minaee of Lyrics Born, who adds powerful dynamics and groove to the Stiles mesmer. Doubling on stand-up and electric bass, Ben Bernstein masterfully toes the line between simple pulse and creative melody. As a bonus of activity and excitement to the evening, a film crew will be there to shoot part of a video for the song Without You off Landmark.

In the middle slot, The Stone Foxes are liable to rip the roof right off du Nord with their brand of energized blues and rock. As with Stiles, old blues stylings are not lost on these young fellows, but where as Stiles generally takes the mellow road, these folks drive hard and fierce. The Stone Foxes recently slew a capacity crowd at Slim’s and on January 3 of the New Year, will take it into Great American Music Hall. Aaron Mort and brothers Spence and Shannon Koehler grew up playing music in the hills of California’s Central Valley, but it was not until after relocating to San Francisco for school that the three actually met and started playing music together. Los Angeles native/musician Avi Vinocur was introduced through a friend, and they all moved into a house in the Sunset, quickly converting the garage into their practice space. Expect sure-handed guitar playing, harmonicas and huge drums. And they all sing their asses off.

Opening the evening is The Neighbors, a local surf instrumental band with outstanding original compositions. They feature the dual guitars of Elliott Shannonhouse and Bob Mannion along with Mike Miranda on the drums and the heavy groove of Edgar San Gabriel on the bass. These fellows don’t need to sing to give the crowd a great time.

Official Website: http://www.jlstiles.com