Nomo | Backside Pick | Fatty Lumpkin (Hailey's)
Nomo is a sprawling, multi-instrumental project that tackles various strains of international rhythms, often sounding like Medeski, Martin and Wood if they got hung up on Afro-beat and never snapped out of it. The tickled Mbira and overzealous horn parts also show a debt to Konono and Hugh Masekela respectively. There are some are some keyboards and little electronic buzzes to keep things interesting, yet I always have mixed feelings about this sort of group. On one hand, if I were walking down Hermosa Beach, Harvard Square, The French Quarter or various other tourist traps where I've seen some impressive live bands playing on the street, I would probably be blown away by these guys. But to purposely drive to Hailey's to experience it is something that's more in the realm of jam-band geeks, which certainly explains an opening act with a name like "Fatty Lumpkin." At any rate, I'm sure you can take something from this group, even if it's an experience improved by being unplanned.

Taxi Fare (Zubar)

Mike XVX | Jesse Williams | Rocket For Ethiopia | Summer Salts (1919 Hemphill)