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Anton Barbeau, The Haints

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Date: Fri, Dec 15, 2006, 09:32 AM
<b>Date:</b> Friday, December 15<br>
<b>Time:</b> 8:30 PM<br>
<b>Location:</b> <a href="/Delta of Venus">Delta of Venus</a><br><br>
<a href="/KDVS">KDVS</a> Presents at the <a href="/Delta of Venus">Delta of Venus</a>
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<br>Anton Barbeau
<br>The Haints
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<br>FREE!!!, 8:30pm, all ages
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<br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/blboyle/AntonBarbeau.jpg">
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<br>Anton Barbeau is a cult-hero's cult hero. With his esoteric and highly-personalized brand of psychedelic power-pop, his "mind-bending" stage show, and his auto-neurotic humour, he is quietly yet quickly building a global fan-base. The release gig for his record Guladong was held at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. His previous disk, King of Missouri, recorded in Bromley with psychedelic legends the Bevis Frond as backing band, was released in Europe on the Frond's Woronzow label and in North America on Vancouver's Bongo Beat Records. The album has been described as "a stellar display of psychedelic power pop" while The Sunday Times of London says of it "...like Bob Dylan fronting some great lost British freak-beat band."
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<br>In his hometown of Sacramento Barbeau has won a number of SAMMIE Awards for Album of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and most recently the somewhat puzzling Most Popular Folk Singer Award. In 2001, a 23-hour Anton-a-thon was held in his honor with over 20 performers covering Anton songs, and the sleep-deprived star performing sets with members of his various backing bands.
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<br>Barbeau has shared the stage with the likes of Weezer, Robyn Hitchcock, Barry "the Fish" Melton, Mono and even a reformed Bay City Rollers. 2006 has been an action-packed year so far for Barbeau, with a US west-coast tour crammed between two UK jaunts, and three album releases, including a collaboration with Game Theory/Loud Family guru Scott Miller called What if it Works?, followed by two solo albums. The first, In the Village of the Apple Sun, is a Beatles-meets-Julian Cope-meets-Joe Meek psychedelic pop odyssey featuring Cake's Gabe Nelson and Oxford folkstress Sharron Kraus, released on San Francisco's Four-Way Records. The sister disk, Drug Free, out in England on Pink Hedgehog, mixes traditional American/English pop structures with Kraut-inflected space rock stretchiness and features crowd-pleasers such as the title track and "Leave it with Me, I'm Always Gentle." 2007 will see the release of The Automatic Door with Su Jordan and featuring the Soft Boys' Kimberley Rew on guitar. All this while Barbeau continues relentlessly touring the UK. Oh, and yes, Adrienne Barbeau IS his cousin!
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<br><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/blboyle/Haints.jpg">
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<br>If you've heard THE HAINTS described as the Groovie Ghoulies go country, you might be imagining a fun-loving punk band doing high-speed covers of country tunes with an exaggerated twang, faux Southern accents and a strong sense of irony. Luckily, you'd be way off. Sure, all three members of seminal punk trio the Groovie Ghoulies are also in the Haints. And yes, Kepi is the voice of both bands. And, OK, the Haints even play some of the same songs and enjoy the same playfully spooky subject matter as the Ghoulies, but these facts alone do not tell the whole story. One listen to their debut CD, Hurt and Alone, will convince you that the Haints are sincere and devoted to the music they play. The band doesnt go out of its way to sound stereotypically country but instead explores a musical influence that is obviously dear to it. The Haints are not even necessarily a country band. Their clever and catchy melodies, and Kepis sweet and highly emotive voice, bring to mind the Rolling Stones first few albums more than anything by George Jones or Hank Williams Sr. The Haints started playing about two years ago when Kepi, a workaholic who found a really fun line of work, wanted a way to play locally without wearing out the Ghoulies welcome. I was just doing solo shows to stay busy, Kepi said. That Kepi should have to make an effort at staying busy is surprising. In addition to playing in two bands, heading his Green Door Records label, maintaining an impressive international touring schedule and publishing a quarterly zine, hes also gaining a name for himself in the art world as a painter. Eventually, Kepi invited his Ghoulie bandmates--Roach (also his wife of 14 years) and Scampi--to join this somewhat softer musical endeavor. And these guys came on board, and its just so fun that we wont let them go, he continued, referring to guitarist Cory Vick and percussionist David Houston, the two non-Ghoulie members of the Haints. And what do Ghoulie fans think of this slower tempo? I think a lot of em do like it, Kepi said. And thats why I intentionally made it 'the Haints. So that the punk rockers not gonna come and be bummed that we didnt totally rock. Its its own thing and intentionally has its own name, so you can choose if you want to go and see a Haints show, if youre a Ghoulie fan. Of course, the Haints draw an audience all their own, not relying solely on Groovie Ghoulies fans with eclectic tastes. Our own family will come out and see us! Roach said, bringing a laugh from her bandmates. Kepi agreed: Yeah, its a good one for family. Vick recalls several shows where the audience got into the Haints and seemed to have no idea that there was another band. The Haints dont mind this at all and have not attempted to use the Ghoulies reputation to skip the opening-band phase. As Kepi explained, We played the Bottom of the Hill <a href="in">San Francisco</a> to, like, nobody. We open shows, and were happy to open shows. The five musicians that make up the Haints agree that this is a project thats meant to be enjoyed, and theyre more than willing to let the cards land where they may. Vick summed it up best by observing, Thats whats great about the Haints. Therere no rules. Well do covers from Daniel Johnston, Chuck Berry or Neil Young. Ive been in other bands where there are politics, and ... with the Haints, getting together to practice or do a show is just 'Yeah! I get to hang out with these people.
<br>Keith Lowell Jensen
<br>Sacramento News & Review (January 2005)
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<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;(Posted by <a href="http://daviswiki.org/BrendanBoyle">BrendanBoyle</a>)<br><br><a href='http://daviswiki.org/Events_Board' target='_blank'>http://daviswiki.org/Events_Board</a><br><br>
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