Twenty-eight cuts of soul, funky gospel and splices of Black Power with speeches from icons of the black social justice movement that changed the cultural landscape of the 60's & 70's. Tune in, right on & funk out! My top picks: You're The Man (Parts 1 And 2) by Marvin Gaye, Song To The System by Segments Of Time, Mighty Mighty by Earth Wind & Fire, Compared To What by Les McCann And Eddie Harris, I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To by The Soul, Children (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People by The Chi-Lites, "Standing & Fighting" by Malcolm X, Message From A Black Man by The Temptations, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron, Eddie Kendricks by My People... Hold On, Be Thankful For What You Got by William DeVaughn, We're A Winner (Live) by Curtis Mayfield & Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing by Kim Weston.

Soce The Elemental Wizard
I'm in My Own World
www.ElementalWizardry.com

Gig alert! Soce The Elemental Wizard will hip your hop Oct. 23^rd @ Oakland’s 21 Grand as part of PeaceOUT 2004.

Catchy hooks, clever lyrics and musical inner-funk trademark this Jewish, white and gay MC — let’s hope his rise parallels the Beastie Boys who are amongst white rap pioneers I still respect! More story form than thug, more musical than funk, I’m looking to hear more from this artist. My top picks: Feels Good, News, RPG Interlude, Not Wanted, Wistful Breeze, I Miss You, Be Mine, State of Affairs, Funny Feeling (Danz Remix) & Fast Forward.

Rob Wasserman
Trilogy
Buy The CD
www.Rounder.com

Gig alert! Rob Wasserman brings forth bass-ic goods Oct. 9^th @ SF’s Great American Music Hall, Oct 10^th @ Santa Rosa’a Last Day Saloon, Oct 11^th @ Mill Valley’s Sweetwater & Oct 12^th @ Arcata’s Mazzottis.

Legendary bassist praised in Pop, Rock and Jazz circles, Rob Wasserman combines his Solo, Duets and Trio releases into…Trilogy. My top picks: Stardust with Aaron Neville, Brothers with Bobby McFerrin, Angel Eyes with Cheryl Bentyne, Over The Rainbow with Stephane Grappelli, Put Your Big Toe In The Milk Of Human Kindness with Elvis Costello & Marc Ribot, Zillionaire and American Popsicle with Edie Brickell & Jerry Garcia and Satisfaction.

Daedelus
Of Snowdonia
Buy The CD
www.DaedelusDarling.com

Gig alert! Daedelus will rock your boundaries Oct 11^th @ Oakland’s Mile Hile Club and Oct 12^th @ SF’s Bottom of the Hill.

Experimentalist electronica undercurrents with high drama and majestic madness interludes are the provinces of underground DJ Daedelus. My top picks: Snowed In, A Sneaking Suspicion, Aim True, Taking Wing, Scaling Snowdon, Telling Meaning, Something Bells, Pocket Watch Pulse & Overdressed.

Air
Talkie Walkie
Buy The CD
www.IntAirNet.org

Perfect zoner rockers Air have laid a soundtrack for chilling and bedroom spilling with blissful piano-work spooning with museful vocals and funky angels here to sing truths to the rest of us. My top picks: Venus, Run, Universal Traveler, Mike Mills, Surfin' on a Rocket, Another Day, Alpha Beta Gaga & Biological.

Supergrass
Supergrass Is 10: The Best Of 94-04
www.CapitolRecords.com

Gig alert! Supergrass pimps out Oct. 5^th @ SF’s Fillmore.

Brit-poppers Supergrass celebrate a decade of decadence with a US mini-tour before hitting the studio to forge more rock for the rest of us, catchy - yes and poppy too but its rock and I like it. Ballsy and nitty gritty. My top picks: Caught By The Fuzz, Alright, Mary, Rush Hour Soul, Lose It & Wait For The Sun.

Michel Camilo
Live At The Blue Note
Buy The CD
www.MichelCamilo.com

Gig alert! Michel Camilo jazzsters with the best Oct 29^th @ the San Francisco Jazz Festival.

Jazz pianist Michel Camilo has delivered two decades of musical moments to send orbital any cares you may have. This 2 CD live set was recorded with his trio bringing Latin and jazz sensibilities full circle. My picks: Cocowalk, Tequila, Dichotomy, Twilight Glow, This Way Out, On The Other Hand, And Sammy Walked In & On Fire.

Andy Narell & Calypsociation
The Passage
Buy The CD
www.HeadsUp.com

Gig alert! Michael Brecker — one of the great soloists on The Passage blows through SF’s Grace Cathedral Oct 15^th.

Steel Pan virtuoso Andy Narell shares with us "the thrilling audio experience of standing smack dab in the middle of a huge roaring steel orchestra" — it works. Michael Brecker guests on tenor sax, Hugh Masekela guests on flugelhorn and Paquito D’Rivera guests on alto sax. My top picks: The Passage, Sea Of Stories, Dee Mwa Wee & Coffee Street.

Josh Zuckerman
A Totally New Sensation
www.JoshZuckerman.com

Singer/songwriter, guitarist and violinist Josh Zuckerman lays out a Boy George sweetness and flair for funkiness plus a rocking backbeat and enough attitude to pull it all off. My picks: A Totally New Sensation, Been Thinkin', Spiritual, Forgiveness, Karma, Missing You, Just As Well, A Place That I Call Home, Circle Of Friends & The Devil Went Down To Georgia.

Johnny Dangerous
Dangerous Liaisons
www.JohnnyDangerous.net

Gig alert! Johnny Dangerous tops all Oct. 23^rd & 24^th @ Oakland’s PeaceOUT world homo-hop fest.

Hide the virgins, Johnny Dangerous is in town! Anyone wondering if homo-hoppers can be just as sleazy and skeezy as thugs on MTV need wonder no more. My top picks: Not Black Enough, Topsy Turvy, Crack Hit Featuring Deadlee, Fagazine Interview, Hot Johnny, Sugar Daddy (Remix) & Thinking Of Me.

Mouse On Mars
Radical Connector
Buy The CD
www.ThrillJockey.com

Gig alert! Mouse On Mars orbits Oct 6^th @ SF’s Independent.

German electronica innovators and pioneers Mouse on Mars have weaved theoretical framework, live instrumentation and philosophy to inspire while still ably delivering a set that "rocks like hell" with dark techno beauty and smoldering undercurrents. My top picks: Spaceship, Send Me Shivers, Blood Comes, The End & Evoke an Object.

Calamalka
Shredder's Dub
www.Calamalka.com

Subsonic super chunks of island dub with heavenly fat drops of funk and interstellar juice for the offering. Calamalka realized that dub was the predecessor to all electronica and hiphop and set out to weave dubby live instrumentals with intricate hiphop beats. My picks: Chassi, Auterzonik, Lighting Rigg, Ackee, Bumpea, Reliable I, Gamblor & Electric Blue.

Mariza
Fado Curvo
Buy The CD
www.FourQuarterSent.com

Gig alert! Mariza ascends Oct 22^nd @ Oakland’s Calvin Simmons Theater.

World music chanteuse Mariza brings forth the Portuguese song-form known as fado part flamenco, part African and some art song — some call it Portuguese blues. I think of it more as world torch for the hyper drama and wizened timelessness amongst us all. My top picks: O Silêncio da Guitarra, Feira de Castro, Retrato, Fado Curvo, Menino do Bairro Negro, Entre o Rio e a Razão, O Deserto & Anéis do Meu Cabelo.

Hilary Hahn
Elgar Violin Concerto & Williams The Lark Ascending
Buy The CD
www.HilaryHahn.com

Gig alert! Hilary Hahn holds court Oct. 30^th @ SF’s Herbst Theatre.

Elgar’s Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In B Minor is drama by the bucketful with Hilary Hahn’s violin deftly weaving throughout the orchestra. In Vaughn Williams’ The Lark Ascending she flies above the London Symphony Orchestra like the Lark in the poem that inspired the piece — pre-World War I an English village and it’s people are visited; the lark floats, descends and after a tour flies into the sunset. A virtuoso performer with a busy career touring the world, Hilary Hahn manages her own website and is now detouring into the film world with her soundtrack to The Village.

Umphrey's McGee
Anchor Drops
Buy The CD
www.UmphreysMcGee.com

Gig alert! Umphrey's McGee will rock your boundaries Oct. 22^nd @ SF’s Great American Music Hall.

With driving beats, drama-rific tempo shifts, brilliant guitar work and tight vocals there is plenty to please here. Inventive progressive rock from the heartland of Chicago will inspire and amuse you. My picks: Plunger, Anchor Drops, Bullhead City, Miss Tinkle's Overture, Uncommon, Walletsworth, Mulche's Odyssey & Wife Soup.

Badly Drawn Boy
One Plus One Is One
Buy The CD
www.BadlyDrawnBoy.co.uk

Gig alert! Badly Drawn Boy troubadors Oct 10^th @ SF’s Fillmore.

Soulful singer/songwriter Damon Gough is Badly Drawn Boy putting out delicious, organic and positive songs to ease into a cross-country drive or journey inward. My picks: Easy Love, Another Devil Dies, Four Leaf Clover, Fewer Words, Logic of a Friend, Life Turned Upside Down, Take the Glory & Plan B.

Ming + FS
Back To One
Buy The CD
www.MingAndFS.com

Ming + FS unleash the underworld with a fervent funky drummer and samples from around the universe to enthrall and energize. Chill tunes for bumping uglies or cruising tunes for car-creeping — it’s all good. My picks: Fish Eyes, Back To One featuring Napoleon Solo, 50ft Mole Man, Slang Verbs featuring Napoleon Solo, Starts Somewhere featuring Napoleon Solo, Chester Goes To Town, 2092 featuring Napoleon Solo & Nadia featuring DK.

Strategy
Drumsolo's Delight
www.Kranky.net

Atmospheric dub chill and trippy excursions of art-punk funky noise tributes collide on Paul Dickow’s second release under the name Strategy. "Combining a granular ambient aesthetic with an abstract, percolating rhythmic sensibility, Strategy unites small parts into complete melodies motivated by complex pulsations." My picks: Cascadian Nights, Super Shewolf Inna Jungle, Drumsolo's Delight, Jazzy's Dilemma, Final Super Zen, Walkingtime & The Jazzy Drumsolo.

American Music Club
Love Songs For Patriots
Buy The CD
www.MergeRecords.com

Gig alert! American Music Club patriots Oct 21^st @ SF’s Café du Nord.

Heartfelt Americana rock, pop, country and folk come together for Love Songs For Patriots. Think soundtrack for a great cross-country road trip. My picks: Ladies And Gentlemen, Only Love Can Set You Free, Mantovani The Mind Reader, Myopic Books, America Loves The Minstrel Show, The Horseshoe Wreath In Bloom, Song Of The Rats Leaving The Sinking Ship.

Judith Owen
Christmas in July
www.JudithOwens.net

Gig alert! Judith Owens brings Xmas cheer Oct. 7^th to SF’s Bimbo’s.

Delightful holiday romp with a tight jazz trio and special guests Harry Shearer & Julia Fordham. You’ll love Christmas with The Devil! Living in Santa Monica she notes, "Christmas in Southern California always feels like July." My top picks: Christmas with The Devil, Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen & My Father’s Voice.

Soulful singer/songwriter Jolei wears heart on sleeve and will make you search your soul for a tissue. Forlorn ditties about the human condition with images of old trucks driving away with baggage come to mind. My picks: Wherever You Go, Dream Of A Day, Victim Of Disguise, Invisible Child, Your Face, Parallel Motion, Hold On & Rain.

Acoustic jazz interpretations of electronic music re-interpreted and remixed .. take a breath .. jazz is already a reworking of loosely interpreted other so now its’ interpretations have been reinterpreted … you’ll just have to listen. Think old school jazzsters with a bit of a remix. Not too clubby not too laid back — simmer and serve. My picks: My Love Is Higher [Russ Gabriel Remix], Mental Strength [Akufen Remix] featuring Maisonneuve, Swoundosophy by Ras, Style by Dublex Inc, Cupid & Orlando by Jazztronik, La Mouche Lumiere by Society, Arena [Bugge Wesseltoft Remix] & People Come Running by Les Gammas.

Gig alert! DJ Jackie Christie rocks Love Parade San Francisco Oct. 2^nd.

Serious clubby and circuit-ish anthems will help you clean house in record time. DJ Jackie Christie’s infectious energy will rub you the right way . My picks: Beautiful Day featuring Discomind, Keep Dancin’ (It’s Alright) featuring Kraze, Motema, Don’t Go Away featuring Shane X. Conry, Everlasting love featuring Sandy B., rainbow maker & Pink Sunrise.

Gig alert! M. Ward roots rocks Oct 15^th @ Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall.

M. Ward needs a hug and he probably gets lots of pity too but only because he pulls heartstrings and plucks emotions off the trees of our lives. Love songs with timeless scratchiness and the feel of well-worn sweaters that you want to wrap around you always. My top picks: Vincent O'Brien, Sad, Sad Song, Helicopter & Let's Dance.

Gig alert! Tom McRae voyages Oct. 19^th @ SF’s Slim’s.

Trippy ethereal guitar and voice speak to dramatic film moments and yearning plotlines to out-of-body witnesses. Cinematic forays into the human condition and a dislocated life. My picks: A Day Like Today, You Only Disappear, Stronger Than Dirt, Overthrown, Walking 2 Hawaii, Karaoke Soul & Walking 2 Hawaii (Live @ KCRW).

Gig alert! Yellowcard acts out Oct 16^th @ SF’s Warfield Theater. Sept. 1^st @ Sacramento’s CA State Fair.

Punky rockers from left field complete with a fierce violinist yearn for understanding, plead for closure and rock out the whole time. Give them a hug and buy them a beer — they sound like they’ve had an angsty day. My picks: Way Away, Ocean Avenue, Life Of A Salesman, Miles Apart, View From Heaven, Believe & One Year, Six Months.