Promoter Ken Rexrode of Six String Society always tells me that if you go to one of his shows, then there is a good chance you will become a fan of another band on the bill. And he plans it out that way by offering a lot of diversity on the bill. I call it his Analog Algorithm. I went to one of his shows to see an up and coming artist, but was truly impressed with the headliners. These were The Sea Monks.
I knew The Sea Monks were playing, but I wasn’t expecting to hear anything I’d like. With a name like The Sea Monks, I was really expecting to see a group of Ben & Jerry’s Deadhead types drolling through endless jams in tie-dyed clothes. But the Sea Monks are nothing like that. This power trio licks into high gear, and never lets up on the gas. These guys play a blend of Country, Rockabilly, Americana, Cow-Punk, and Los Feliz style rock that harkens back to the good old days of Sun Studios in old Memphis. I used to live in LA and there was a place in the Valley called Paladino’s that was famous for this style of music. It’s a style that never goes away, and these guys have it nailed.
I was surprised to learn that the band is comprised of Jason Kapchinske on bass, and his two sons – Noah on vocals/guitar and Kai on drums. This is because there was no noticeable generational gap in this band at all. In fact, Noah had all the talent and grit of a person 20 years older than him. His style of guitar is usually performed by somebody with 40 years of stage time under his belt. I felt like he was a 23-year old kid with a 45-year old soul. Combine that with his rich baritone voice and you conjure up visions of Johnny Cash with Chet Atkins on guitar. The sound is as American as a 67 Mustang!
Jason and Kai lay back and settle into the pocket of this California Opry and play with taste and finesse without stepping on the guitar. The result is what I call a perfect rhythm section. Jason likes to utilize bass octaves to ride over his son’s swinging shuffle beats on his 4-piece Evans kit with two cymbals and a hi-hat. And that’s all he needs to outperform most of the drummers in San Diego. Jason also supplies some tasty harmonies to the set, which is all talent and zero flash.
If you wanna see stripped down music played by three exceptional musicians, and love American music in the vein of 50s Memphis, the you gotta catch the Sea Monks!
Don’t miss out! Discover the full magazine of this issue#9!
