Bees, brawls and bad guys

Bee-lightful: It was easily one of the best sound checks I’ve ever heard.

Julie Baenziger and Amber Padgett engaged in charming, quirky banter—the stuff of eavesdropping dreams—and even, so sweetly, asked the sound guy if he needed to pee before getting started.

Except Baenziger used the word “potty.”

Baenziger is, of course, Jules of Sea of Bees. Her NPR-endorsed project has produced a mere two albums—Songs for the Ravens in 2010 and Orangefarben in 2012— to the dismay of her fans, who want more, more, more.

They demanded more at Sea of Bees’ first and last show of 2014, quietly held at Witch Room last Tuesday night, whenever Baenziger hinted at finishing her set. She put her guitar down and picked it back up three times.

I wanted more, too. Baenziger’s songs are folky, adorably twee, somewhat ambient rock-ish and experimental all at once—without sounding complicated. Her voice is almost childlike in its pure, porcelain quality. She couldn’t remember the words to some songs, but who cares?

That’s because Baenziger has been working on the next Sea of Bees album, due out early next year.

Bloody madness: The sold-out Deltron 3030 show in Grass Valley was a chill dance party for most of last Saturday night. Strangers were friendly and joyous. They traveled from far away—the band’s last stop was Santa Cruz—and couldn’t believe they were about to see the alternative hip-hop supergroup in such an intimate space, the Center for the Arts. With a 16-piece orchestra.

Deejay Kid Koala started things off with a funky set—successful conga line included. Then the orchestra took the stage, some members looking very serious and others taking selfies. Then the band came on. The bassist was the most stoked dude I have ever seen in my life—rock star dreams achieved for one night only, I’m guessing. A stoned-looking Del the Funky Homosapien carried a green skateboard for some reason. And Dan the Automator became Dan the Conductor.

Deltron 3030 mostly stuck to favorites off its debut album. In fact, it was an almost identical set to what we saw at TBD Fest, with political videos traded for violins.

Per usual, it concluded with “Clint Eastwood” by the Gorillaz. Over the course of that one song, the whole mood changed. A brawl broke out, bodies tumbled. We ran out to find a lobby floor dotted with blood. Outside, police cars, fire trucks and ambulances quickly swarmed.

The venue released a statement the following day, which noted multiple stabbing victims. Police logs show one man was arrested at the scene for assault with a deadly weapon.

The Center’s press contact said that nothing like this has ever happened at the venue before. And truly, it’s hard to imagine any violence in a classy arts space in peaceful, Stars Hollow-esque Grass Valley. Especially with a 16-piece orchestra.

—Janelle Bitker

Run to San Francisco: Last Friday, San Francisco’s Mezzanine (capacity: small, drinks: ungodly expensive, walls: sweaty) played host to rappers El-P and Killer Mike, known to their numerous and rowdy fans as Run The Jewels. In town to promote the release of Run The Jewels 2, the diabolical duo has been making its way across the U.S., leaving exhausted fans in its wake.

The explosion of energy that greeted the beginning of their set—the title track from Run The Jewels, a hat trick not often seen since the days of Bad Company—seemed to surprise the jewel runners themselves, who responded with a high-high-extremely-high-energy blitz through nearly every song they’ve ever released.

Killer Mike seemed to have trouble getting out of second gear, while El-P was a whirlwind of clear, strong wordplay, facial expression and humor. The camaraderie and friendship these two share was more than evident—their onstage hug is as critical to their appeal as their insistence that they “fuck in their church shoes.” Despite the apparent difference in their energy levels, their performance was one of the most exhilarating I’ve ever witnessed. It was what Killer Mike might call “real bad-guy shit.” By the time they finished their encore with Run The Jewels 2’s closer “Angel Duster,” the audience was spent. Having ran the jewels, I was ready to run for bed.

—Brian Breneman