8pm doors. $10 adv., $12 door. 21+.
Non Plus Temps (debut show!)
Andy Human and Sam Lefebvre began writing and recording Desire Choir in 2021. They biked to a West Oakland rehearsal space and tracked drums and bass to an old tape machine. It was an accretive process, initially disoriented from live performance. Influenced by a “communist interpretation of collective music” and the variable post-punk and dub combinations of the On-U Sound label, as they write in a pamphlet companion to the album, Non Plus Temps emerged as more singers and players sought affinity amid the pandemic-era social isolation and unrest.
The result joins various instruments (sax and saz, synths and bells) and production techniques in a sound like the “broken headlight sky” mentioned in “Endless Jetty Night,” the nervy, Residents-like meditation on coastal subduction zones closing the A-side. Album opener “Continuous Hinge,” with vocalist Amber Sermeno, is a backbeat beaded with Stanley Martinez’s electric viola, while “Facts Sound Like Myths” introduces pinballing dub paranoia. “Reversible Mesh,” they write, suggests a “self-conscious Eno affinity surrendering to Chrome.”
Human and Lefebvre’s companion text to the album also remarks on the title and band name: “‘Non Plus Temps’ is a garbled curse on time, which we mainly experience in relation to the wage, whether or not we’re getting one. We’re all racing and raging against meaningless gig work. ‘Desire Choir’ refers to the production of wants and needs in capitalist society, which uses them against us, and the desire not to escape or avoid but to end this present state of things.”
The recording and live lineups of Non Plus Temps feature members of Naked Roommate, the World, Famous Mammals, and Preening, among other groups based in Oakland, California.
“They have an album coming out on November 4 called Desire Choir. They’ve already put out their first single “Continuous Hinge” with guest vocalist Amber Sermeno, which, with its steady backbeat and catchy pop elements is heavily reminiscent of early Le Tigre. Today they release their second single, “Warm Launderette,” has a bit more of a jazz-meets-Talking Heads feel with its wild saxophone and group vocals. With two really unique songs like this, the rest of the record promises to be an absolute treat.” - New Noise Magazine
Body Double is the latest offering from Oakland songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Candace Lazarou, formerly of no-wave ensemble Mansion. Her return comes on strong with a balance of undeniable force and mischievous wit, covering territory from funereal dirges to schoolyard taunts.
"A haunting mix of post-punk, no-wave, and art rock, with songs both atmospheric and claustrophobic." - Post-Trash
Murder Murder is a improvisational group led by Paul Costuros (Total Shutdown, Death Sentence: PANDA!) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Usually made up of local improvised noise, jazz, rock, experimental musicians involving drummers, horns and electronics. Set lengths rarely break the 15 minute mark and are usually one continuous piece semi-conducted by Costuros.
Carl Linkhart was born in Oklahoma in 1950 and has been painting from his dreams since 1970. He has been a Oakland resident since 1992. He studied art independently but is largely self taught and was influenced by his travels in Austria, Greece, India, Nepal, Burma, and Mexico, as well as by memories of Arizona. Writing, film, music and theatre have been his other pursuits. He was with The Angels of Light, the early Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and other theatrical groups and now continues to perform as a cabaret singer and composer as Carl with People.