The next great Stockton band?

Ian Hill / 209Vibe editorPosted April 19 at 08:06 AM

It's the morning of April 19 - the midpoint between last night's Second String Quintet official CD release show and tonight's Icarus Jones unofficial CD release show (aka indie fest hip-hop night) - and I am basking in the glow of Stockton music. I'm also nursing a slight headache from that bottle of wine at Alder before the SSQ show.

The aforementioned bottle kept me from the CD release party at Matinee until the last 30 minutes of the band's set. But that 30 minutes showed how far SSQ has come in the past year and why they're now one of the most exciting and fun bands in Stockton.

When I first saw the band in 2007 they were playing the downtown farmer's market and still trying to figure out their sound. It wasn't an easy task - I don't know of many bands who have set out to blend old-time music, soul, rock, bluegrass and folk. Most bands probably wouldn't survive though the process of bringing together such diverse influences.

But SSQ not only survived, they began to thrive in different worlds. By day they were creating a new, bluegrass-esque jam band scene in Stockton by playing festivals (see The First Annual Turtlebird Prairie Sundance Jubilee May 18 at the Blackwater).

By night they were letting their funky soul flag fly and becoming the area's top bar band.

It's been working for two reasons:

Reason number one: band members Esteban Aguila, Tony Avila, Nick Johnson and Brady Davis are talented musicians whose ability to play multiple instruments and willingness to explore various genres makes the band's sound work.

Reason number two: singer Snap Jackson, also a talented multi-instrumentalist, has come into his own as the band's frontman. Snap's onstage charisma and, let's face it, rapport with the ladies (even when his beard and hat make him look like a scruffy Latin moonshiner) creates a sense of excitement at the band's shows.

The sold-out CD release show can be seen as the culmination of the first phase of the SSQ's development. The crowd of about 220 shook it to a feisty version of the soul classic "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" and sang along to a great, bluegrass-influenced cover of Bob Dylan's "Wagon Wheel."

Now, having added another dimension to their sound with Mike Klooster on keys, and with their first CD under their belt, the band seems ready to move on to bigger things - larger venues, and perhaps a record deal.

The night ended with the Second String Quintet greeting friends in the bar as Icarus Jones and dBeat's new CD - "Smoke Signals to Satellites" - played in the background. It got me looking forward to tonight's Icarus show, which should be incredible.

See you there.