Although it's in a peculiar neighborhood, The Great American Music Hall is a *great* venue! In my opinion, it's a perfect venue for a band like 16HP due to the aura, architecture, lighting, and size....even more so than Amsterdam's Paradiso (sorry Nederlanders ;->)....and probably even the Bluebird.

The majority of Calexico's "The Black Light" was played before the show (from the door-opening until Slim Cessna's Auto Club took the stage). Once again...perfect audio-architectural ambience for that.

Although very diverse, much of the crowd was very "dark" and/or "gothic" (for lack of better descriptors). An urban/underground feel. Regardless of my lame descriptors, it was a good, enthusiastic crowd of healthy size.

SCAC took stage and turned the ambience dial up and over a few notches! The usual high-energy humor-filled show. Slim and Munly sure have a great stage relation going. They communicate well....most often in a humorous fashion. It works!

Speaking of Munly...Autumn's description of Munly's scarf and John Deere get-up was right on. If I ran into a guy that looked like that on a backcountry hike, I'd probably shake in my boots and nervously ponder the next (and perhaps last) 5 minutes of my life.

Just as SCAC started, I surprisingly noticed that Jello Biafra and a friend were standing immediately behind us. In fact, without looking, I noticed Jello's presence solely because of his very unique, wide-ranging, slightly-lisping voice. It was a "Hey, I know that voice!" situation....flashing me back to his cynical stage tirades as the D.K. frontman...and the days of California Uber Alles :-> As SCAC played, I overheard Jello's comments about his newly-signed band. Strange, but very cool experience! His immediate concern was over the crowd's acceptance to SCAC. Dark underground crowd vs. humor-gospel-country. It only took Slim two songs to win over the crowd. Jello was smiling continuously and was impressed by the show and the crowd reaction. He even ran over to the side-stage area at the end to make an encore request. "Cheyenne". Slim obliged and dedicated the encore to Jello. Funny moment.

After SCAC's encore and goodnight salute, the venue's audio system aired Einstürzende Neubauten between acts. This music immediately turned the ambiance dial back to the dark side, a good dark side ;->

The crowd was very anxious for 16HP and showed strong support upon their stage arrival. As always, Silver Saddle was a great opener.

As Autumn mentioned, the lighting seemed darker than the usual 16HP show. However, I personally thought it worked to their advantage, as it was in equilibrium with the aura of the venue and crowd....and music. I also noticed that DEE's primary microphone carried a slightly more "hollow" sound than usual. Very difficult to describe in words. Almost a very very faint echo effect. I thought that this sound abberation also worked to 16HP's advantage, as it made their already "haunting" sound, even more haunting! Let's just say that Poor Mouth almost gave me an out-of-body experience! ;->

Another important item to note....DEE was actually very talkative at the SF show (in a relative sense of course). I've seen these guys many times, but have rarely heard him chat that much. DEE actually cracked two jokes in one show!!! Can you believe it?! ;-> His first was the cynical comment about the tour van. His second was the response to the crowd question about his birthdate and zodiac sign....the infamous "I wasn't born yesterday" joke. Neither joke/comment was funny on its own merits; however, coming from a person like DEE, it was actually hilarious. Later, his mood turned to anger after hearing the rude comment from the back. After saying, "Hey, if you don't like it, I'll give your money back....Want your money?...Come here and get it". He even reached for his wallet to get $$ to refund the bastard. As the show continued, I noticed that DEE may have been using this idiot as the directive of many of his evil or devil lyrical references...kind of metaphoric. He seemed to glance to the back corner every time a song lyric referenced the devil. Strange but cool effect. Although, maybe I imagined this...maybe not...

The show continued along the typical set on this tour, ending with a "24 Hours" encore...which really rocked the place. Jello was front-center for that and was getting into it. No "Just Like Birds", but I'll take "Sac of Religion" any day. Good to hear that one again.

Great show all in all!!

By Donnie Denver

When critics find an act they want to turn people on to, they'll yammer on and on about it. That's the best part of the job; that's why we got into it in the first place.

Every chance he has, the writer you're reading now stumps for a relatively obscure Denver band called Sixteen Horsepower.

Led by the dour David Eugene Edwards, who was raised in the fire- and-brimstone Church of the Nazarene, this band makes Nick Cave sound like Ricky Martin. Every last one of its songs sounds as if it is set in a graveyard when the moon is high; Edwards' voice creaks as if he's Jacob Marley, burdened with chains and a lifetime of doubt.

Sixteen Horsepower's opening act next week at the Great American Music Hall, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, also from Denver, brings a similar sort of disturbed American music to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label. Theirs is a bit more satirical than Sixteen Horsepower's, but then few contemporaries are as unfamiliar with irony as the headliners.