Things just haven't been the same since mind-altering bands like the Spacemen 3, Hawkwind, Silver Apples, and Simply Saucer ruled the universe, but the recent quality resurgence of brain-expanding image-less bands pushing the envelope of repetition seems to be off to a great start. Tonight at the Cafe du Nord in San Francisco, the Wooden Shjips will perform a free freakout performance of epic proportions, which will return the spotlight on the Bay area's deep history as an epicenter for psychedelia in it's original formula. Their hypnotic and spellbinding two-chord thug drone suggests this band may truly be of magical origins, and their pulverizing guitar and raw echo just add to the great mess of rare psychedelic purity. With an almost anonymous 10" debut and an even less fancy 7" released on Sick Thirst in 2006, word travelled fast and those limited platters made it into all the right hands in no time, especially for a faceless group of 'heads' who just seemed to appear out of nowhere this past year. Fans of Greg Ashley's projects like the Gris Gris and the Mirrors should definitely take note here as well, as this whirling machine seems to be spinning in the same directions, and gaining momentum all the while. Look for the Wooden Shjips next two releases to appear on PollyMaggoo and Sub Pop Records in the near future, and if you're anywhere near San Francisco tonight, make it a prerequisite to see this live show, and check out some Wooden Shjips songs HERE.
Check out a video for "Dance California" off their Sick Thirst 7"
