The quintet from San Francisco took the stage around 11:30 pm, to the cheers of a small but enthusiastic crowd of already acquainted fans. And for good reason. This is the current generation carrying the cult torch lit by Zappa and Beefheart and nurtured by fellow bay-men the Residents and SnakeFinger (among others).
Unlike their last Swan Song recording Der Shrimpkin, which has a very smooth sound, live they have a raw edge which is more suitable to their material. While most bands these days seem bent on creating a wall of sound (to the point of being noise), Eskimo goes in a completely different direction, choosing sparseness of arrangement, resulting in a rawness of performance more powerful than what's captured on the record, exposing the music's true spirit. Short bursts of chaotic order, some lasting only a minute or so, best characterize this band's style. The short 50 minute set consisted of material from Der Shrimpkin, including a masterful version of SnakeFinger's "Kill the Great Raven" as the encore. The only exception was a tasty reworking of the old Nancy Sinatra chestnut, "You Only Live Twice" - from the James Bond film.
With John Shivrba in a bright red "party dress" and blond mohawk establishing the band's "look" and David Cooper doing the dance routines, these guys have a look and sound that cannot be found anywhere else. A recent distribution deal with Mammoth put them on the road for a month, doing small clubs in some of the bigger markets. Hopefully they'll get back out visiting college campuses, where they belong. When they come around, if you have a taste for the challenging and adventurous, I recommend catching their show. You won't be disappointed.
