STS9’s jams mesmerize House of Blues

  ANGIE LEVINE/Daily Bruin Sound Tribe Sector Nine
guitarist Hunter Brown plays his guitar onstage at
the House of Blues Friday night.

By Shana Dines
Daily Bruin Reporter

Playing to a room packed by ass-shaking hippies, yuppies and
more at the House of Blues Friday night, Bay Area jammers Sound
Tribe Sector Nine successfully fused jam rock with techno. With
their mellow tunes lasting for two separate hour-and-a-half sets,
the crowd did not seem to get bored or even tired.

Just minutes after the scheduled start of the concert, a DJ took
the stage as part of STS9’s community of artists. He warmed
up the crowd with easy-listening trance, adding in raps and
occasionally mixing his own vocals. He continued for about an hour
as the venue slowly filled with people. Interest was still low at
that point, and talking ensued throughout the less-than-captivating
set.

The main event started an hour and a half late, with the House
of Blues almost full. With little space to breathe, the crowd still
managed to shake, sway, rock and take part in various other
original styles of dance. Most of the fans in the standing area in
front of the stage were completely into the music.

The strong percussion section helped keep most of the crowd
dancing rhythmically, although those who moved faster and slower
than the beat seemed to be into something more than the music. This
was confirmed by the thick cloud of pot smoke that hovered over the
crowd for the three-plus hours of performance.

The sounds were mellow, almost bordering on smooth jazz, with
more similarities to the jam-band genre than the techno-rave styles
of music. The electronic edge was apparent, yet overshadowed by the
powerful instrumentation of the band. The first part of the show
seemed to be centered around keyboardist David Phipps, who was
surrounded by a station of four or five pieces of equipment, all of
which he utilized.

About an hour into STS9’s first set, the pace picked up
and the dancing became more intense, with sharper convulsions and
lots of jumping. The focus of the music shifted to the guitar and
bassist. Moments like that proved that members Hunter Brown and
David Murphy have the talent to solo with forceful improvisations,
but chose not to display this ability for the entire duration of
the show.

After the first set here was a refreshingly short break before
the band quickly returned for more action. Murphy commented on his
appreciation for the crowd’s enthusiasm at that point, giving
the fans the first chance to actually hear a voice from the stage
all night. The entire first set went non-stop from song to song,
without a single word even for introductions of the members.

The second set progressed in much the same fashion as the first,
mostly mellow with little glimpses of exaggerated energy that
promptly fell back into the rhythm of the placid tunes. A special
treat in the latter half of the show was a pair of highly skillful
solos by drummer Zach Velmer and percussionist Jeffree Lerner. Each
was equipped with comprehensive sets of every type of drum
imaginable, and the solos gave them a fair chance to showcase their
talent.

Clips of spoken word, sounding like poetry, were also spun into
the mix of sounds following the set break, adding another dimension
to the show.

Amidst the over three hours of music by STS9, the stage was
illuminated with a colorful and creative light show. The lighting
technician, dutifully at his post the entire night, seemed to be
just as important a part of the band as the musicians.

Another key part was the painter, propped in front of his
canvas, stage right, in front of the drummer. As the members of
STS9 move in ways similar to the crowd during their performance,
the painter offered incredibly intriguing eye-candy. Keeping up
with the progression of his masterpiece was better than an episode
of “The Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross.

Sound Tribe Sector Nine gave the House of Blues a mellow night
of jam and techno fusion Friday night that brought in a crowd
ranging in age from late teens to 40s. If a good band is judged by
the acceptance of the fans, then the hippies, yuppies, college kids
and ravers that joined together for the show are a sound indication
of the underground staying power of these Southern-bred boys.