Junk Parlor @ Madrone Art Bar

JUNK PARLOR Biography A galvanizing force on the Bay Area indie rock scene since launching serendipitously in 2013, Junk Parlor is that crazy-rare band whose vibe is so driven by joyful schizophrenia that it transcends easy genre trappings. Born from the wild musical wanderings of Jason Vanderford, renowned for his five years recording and touring with gypsy jazz sensation The Hot Club of San Francisco, their energizing musical collage includes 50’s rock and roll rumbling atop gypsy rhythms, a bit of Gipsy Rhumba, tango, Eastern Euro/Hungarian music, bellydance, punk…Vanderford was raised on “rock and roll and punk and everything under the sun,” so other sounds are certain to appear as the hybrid junk rockers continue their jam. The songs on their mostly vocal 2013 debut Wild Tones and predominantly instrumental follow-up Melusina (2015) have earned them comparisons to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Gogol Bordello, Dead Kennedys and Tom Waits. One fan called it “Crooner Punk” because of Vanderford’s beckoning, low range vocals – but those are just the centerpiece of a vibe that includes the singer’s acoustic banjo and rhythm guitar, the polyrhythmic grooves of drummer, cajon player and group cofounder Rt Goodrich, Laela Peterson-Stolen’s soaring violin and viola and the growling electric fretless bass of Tim Bush. At the heart of Junk Parlor’s desire to get their audiences dancing and singing along is Vanderford’s passion for storytelling. He taps into an offbeat influence for their latest single, the haunting rockabilly heartbreak tune “Mick Jagger’s Heart.” Drawing thematic inspiration from The Rolling Stones’ countrified ballad “Dear Doctor” (which appeared on Beggar’s Banquet), the band creates a fresh twist on the pain of lost love via the juxtaposition of dark lyrics and bouncy rhythms. Vanderford artfully describes the piece as what happens “when the heartache of Leonard Cohen decides to lament under the sun amidst the California surf…The moment of goodbye…the lin