Popular power trio Terry Gross headlines El Rio in San Francisco's Mission
SAN FRANCISCO -- SF heavy experimental power trio Terry Gross shares the stage at El Rio in San Francisco's Mission Thursday night with locals bands Rip Room and Thunder Boys.
Contrary to what one might expect from a band named after the unflappably calm NPR interviewer, the threesome bashes out a bruising, kinetic style of krautrock-influenced groove displayed on their debut recording Shameless Imposter, a two-song 10" vinyl EP released on Valley King Records in 2018.
Featuring the six-string heroics of the Champs and Trans Am guitarist Phil Manley, Terry Gross came together three years earlier when he started playing with his El Studio co-owner, bassist Donny Newenhouse (Film School, Hot Fog, Buffalo Tooth). The split of Newenhouse's band Peace Creep with talented drummer Phil Becker (Pins of Light, ex-Triclops! and Lower Forty-Eight) and Triclops!/Anywhere guitarist Christian Eric Beaulieu led to some informal jam sessions with Manley and the rhythm section at the studio, sparking the new project.
Digitally recording their freewheeling improvisations at El Studio, the trio began developing its unique chemistry that found the musicians exploring hypnotic extended grooves that at times recalled the droning motorik workouts of German rock experimentalists Can and Neu, but with the added heft of modern rock titans like the Melvins.
Terry Gross started playing live shows on both sides of the Bay, sharing stages with the likes of Big Business, reunited Oakland favorites Drunk Horse and Hot Lunch and establishing a reputation for dealing out their unusual style heady, muscular extended tunes.
The band released a number of tunes via its Bandcamp page during the pandemic, drawing from rehearsal recordings and finding a number of extended pieces to offer fans in order to tide them over until their next official effort. Manley's connection with indie label Thrill Jockey -- which had released albums by Trans Am and Life Coach -- led the trio to a record deal. Using their studio as an editing tool much in the same way Can would piece together its songs by drawing from raw recorded material, Terry Gross distilled its best sonic exploration into the three sprawling tunes heard on it first full-length album for Thrill Jockey, Soft Opening, two years ago. A follow-up effort is in the works.
For this show at El Rio in San Francisco's Mission District, Terry Gross is joined by San Francisco post-punk veterans Rip Room. Founded by guitarist John Reed, bassist Sarah McKinney and original drummer Joe Barker, the group mixed elements of angular math rock, propulsive post-punk grooves and terse, surf-tinged guitar when they entered Louder Studios to record with noted producer/engineer Tim Green (Sleater-Kinny, Melvins, Howlin Rain, Six Organs of Admittance) for the band's bracing eponymous self-released EP issued in 2016.
The trio followed up with a second EP entitled Monsters the following year, again teaming with Green at Louder to track another salvo of snarling, bass-driven tunes. Barker would depart after that recording, with Gracie Malley stepping in as the band's new drummer and completing the current line-up. While it would be a number of years before the band would finally release a follow-up recording, Rip Room continued to play regular gigs around the Bay Area, establishing themselves as notable post-punk players on the San Francisco scene.
Downtime during the pandemic gave Rip Room a chance to record its latest collection of art-punk anthems entitled Alight and Resound released on Spartan Records last summer. Once again recording with Green (who also plays on the effort), the new album at points recalls Gang of Four, Devo and SF '80s jazz-punks the Rhythm Pigs on such enervating tunes as "Complicated" and "Worth Repeating." In addition to playing at last February's 30th anniversary Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco and the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival in Calgary this summer, the band is gearing up for an extensive 10-date tour of Japan starting late in October. Thunder Boys -- a newer project from Tyson Vogel (drummer of popular Bay Area duo Two Gallants and principle songwriter in the bands Devotionals and Burning Curtains) and CCR Headcleaner's Justin Flowers -- also performs. This show is the first in a monthly series of concerts that will be curated by Thunder Boys in the coming months.
Terry Gross with Thunder Boys and Rip Room
Thursday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. $7-$15 (sliding scale)
El Rio
