B-Side Players and Slow Car Crash

After an intoxicating performance at CSU, Chico's International Festival on April 29, B-Side Players were back in town to bring rhythm and grooves to the masses.

The night began with locals Slow Car Crash, who are happy to be home after a long tour. The classy Slow Car pleased fans with tunes such as the stirring "It Feels Like Love" with Jen Issacs on lead vocals, and the longing and intense "Untouchable." Unfortunately for us, Slow Car will be on hiatus this summer. The band wants to take a break then start working on a new level. Nice job guys. See you in September.

There is something uncanny about the anticipation just before a band like B-Side Players performs. You might compare it to how you feel just before you jump on a plane headed for a vacation. The crowd was restless as they sauntered around the dance floor contemplating their desired territories for the evening. The masses were ready to let loose, B-Side style. The Latin jazz ensemble opened with a musical "prayer".

This is a tradition taken from the Yoruba Tribe in Nigeria and is performed before every ceremony. The intricate piece appropriately symbolizes the "opening of doors."

Later we took a mesmerizing trip to "Africa." This is the kind of song that practically gives you rhythm. The blending of reggae, jazz and calypso naturally seeps into your soul. There is no denying this kind of magic: you simply give in.

With songs such as "Karma," from their latest CD, Culture of Resistance and "Plastico Diablo," B-Side broke down international borders. Most of the night I kept thinking now would I salsa, rumba or foxtrot to this. But it didn't matter. The beauty of B-Side's music is that it's so globally inclusive that what you hear or how you move is purely based on personal interpretation.

Beyond the amazingly taut cohesiveness within the group, the musicians also proved they are each equally skilled individually. Most notable were Giovanni Mejia's guitar and Reagan "Rizzi Gizzi" Branch's sax solos. Mejia displayed a pithy, scorching style. This guy was born to play guitar. Branch's sensual delivery was captivating. Luis Cuenca on Cuban timbales added a vibrant garnish.

As the show came to an end, B-Side cultivated a few last zestfully pulsating arrangements. Our "vacation" would come to a climax with the sultry "Renacimiento," which means "rebirth."

We started with a prayer, became one with rhythm, went around the world and came back with a glorious rebirth. This was one of the best vacations I've ever had and I didn't even need to sit for hours in Chico's lovely one-room airport because of flight delays.

B-Side is headed back down to San Diego but will be back to rock The Bricks Works in June. Trust me, you owe it to yourself to experience this band. You've been good, right? Right. Take a holiday with B-Side Players. You will feel rejuvenated. You won't even need a passport, and after the show is over you may actually feel like you got a tan.

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