the hum / By Bob Doran

Not the King of Pop

That same Friday at Humboldt Brews it’s a rare appearance by the hot local Afrofunk congregation, AfroMassive. Dancing shoes advised. (And not all ages.)

As always, the reggae keeps rolling in. This week you have Prezident Brown and The Solid Foundation Band playing Thursday at the Red Fox, followed by a Friday show at Mazzotti’s with Jamaican singjay Lutan Fyah backed by the East L.A.-based, cumbia/reggae band Quinto Sol. Then on Saturday Jambalaya has DJ Dub Cowboy’s mission:Critical, mixing reggae with hip hop, this week featuring JUCE, a band that does the same. Also on Saturday, Madi Simmons and his new band Synergy play reggae/funk at Fernbridge Market.

Elsewhere around the Plaza Saturday there’s “dance dance Evolution” with DJ Gone Crazy mixing reggae, funk, hip hop and jazz at Arcata Community Yoga Center (above the Outdoor Store).

Saturday at Mazzotti’s Oakland-native MC/songstress Mystic sings about “The Life” with local support from D.W.I. (Driving While Intoxicated?) and Purple Basement.

Across the way at the Alibi that night Bad Kitty brings in some “pure Scumbag Country”: Hellbound Glory out of Reno. Their twanger “Ballad of Scumbag Country” speaks of up-all-night hell-raising and a rejection of Nashville in favor of the hard life of an outlaw scumbag playing for like-minded fans suggesting, “Old Waylon just might have done it this way if he were here today.”

At Humboldt Brews Saturday the Kim Manning Band mixes funk, reggae, hip hop, jazz, jamrock, etc. Kim is a funkadelic goddess best known for her association with P-Funk Allstars. (She sings for them and her band opened when P-Funk played the Mateel.)

The Red Fox will surely draw the jamband crowd this weekend: Friday they have the Dead tribute band WorkingMan’s Ed featuring guitarist Stu Allen from JGB. Saturday it’s Moonalice, an all-star combo with G.E. Smith from SNL (and Bob Dylan’s band), Barry Sless from David Nelson Band (and Phil and Friends), Jack Casady from the Airplane (and Hot Tuna), Pete Sears from J. Starship (and Hot Tuna), Jimmy Sanchez, who plays with Boz Scaggs and Bonnie Raitt and Ann and RogerMcNamee from Flying Other Brothers. There’s a legend about the origins of Moonalice, something about a Native American tribe, hippies and hemp. The band today is a harbinger: “A new day has begun. A daring sextet of nomads has emerged to revive the tribe, its music, and its legend. The new Moonalice crosses the land, spreading good vibes and giving new hope to millions whose culture had been laid waste by the prohibition of hemp. With each gig, the tribe grows. There is Moonalice in everyone.” Ready to join the tribe?

One more on the funk side of jambandage: A show Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Humboldt Brews with locals Moo-Got-2 opening for On the One, a jazz/funk outfit from the San Diego circle that includes The Greyboy All-Stars, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Giant People. Once again, dancing shoes advised.

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