Eight Gigs: Inner Ear Brigade

With conventional rock-band gear, a funky horn section and a Moog synthesizer, Oakland-based seven-piece Inner Ear Brigade melds several genres into one eclectic it-shouldn't-work-but-it-works style. Improvisational jazz, heavy guitar riffs, strange chord progressions and brass lines all layer into extremely detailed, composed orchestrations. Throw in a vibraphone, organ and slew of vintage keys for good measure; and spacey, at times operatic, at times shrieky vocals; and difficult-to-place noises; and a smooth jazz-esque sax solo, once in a while. It works, I swear—it's even approachable, somehow. Also on the bill: Doofy Doo and Nick Parker. 1400 E Street, http://innerearbrigade.com.