The Lowdown
Who: Judea Eden Band
When: October 23, 2009
Where: Dolores Park Cafe
Hidden Costs: “Suggested” donation at door on a sliding scale of $8 — $10
The Take-Away
Venue: This venue was very well-kept and clean, featuring reasonably priced eats, coffee/espresso-based drinks, beer, and wine. Plus, they serve breakfast all day — my kind of cafe! The staff was busy but friendly, and the sound system was good. No weird dress code to worry about, and the place had a good, upbeat crowd. Plus, it’s literally right across the street from Dolores Park, and would be perfect for people-watching. All-in-all, I’d come to this place just to hang and drink coffee, even if there wasn’t live music.
Artists: Bottom line is that this band knows how to have fun! They’ll give you some good old-fashioned growling, rock-chick-driven rock ‘n’ roll. But perhaps most importantly, they have a great chemistry and obviously love to play together, which makes it feel like you’re in on something special. If you’re down for some straight up, bop-in-your-seat-’til-you-have-to-get-up-and-dance music, go see this band.
The Review
The first thing I thought to myself when I pulled up to the corner of 18th and Dolores Streets was, “Oh, shit! Where the hell am I gonna park?” I drove around for at least a good 20 minutes, determined to stay within a two-block radius in a neighborhood pretty widely known for its abysmal parking situation. But, being a woman of great determination, and a believer in wishful thinking, I persisted — which eventually paid off (got a spot kitty-corner to the cafe).
All of that being said, I do NOT recommend that you use my methodology. One, it’s completely unreliable. Two, it’s really not at all difficult to find public transportation to this particular corner of the city. There’s like a gazillion buses that go through there, not to mention MUNI railcars.
As I walked to the front door of the cafe, small cliques of women were lined up outside the cafe’s giant picture windows, chatting and flirting with each other, having a perfect Friday Unwind, and interspersed with the occasional straight couple. Everyone outside was laughing and/or deep in conversation; but inside, the crowd was caught up in the gorgeous harmonies and tight guitar hooks spilling forth from Bittersweet (an all-women folk rock trio whose members also play with the Judea Eden Band, including Judea Eden herself). After paying my suggested donation of $10 to go hear the music, I started to look around the place to see what I could see. (And, by the way, the word “suggested” is largely a euphemism. It’s pretty clear that anyone that came there to hear music was expected to donate something, preferably somewhere in the $8 to $10 range. When I asked point blank, I was told, yes, technically the show was free, but…y’know…)
The Dolores Park Cafe was a lovely contemporary cafe that was very well kept and well lit without being overly bright (i.e. you could see what was going on but didn’t feel like everyone was staring at you as you watched the show). The ceilings were nice and high, giving an otherwise intimate space a feeling of expansive openess. On display along the walls were pieces of local art for sale (on this particular night there were close-up photographs of everyday items such as typewriter keys, crayons, nails, etc., with tiny little “men at work” figures on them). The seating in the audience area was largely family style, with long tables set out with chairs placed alongside, facing the stage area.
I decided that I’d get myself something to drink, and maybe try something to eat. I looked to my left at the busy staff behind the U-shaped counter, looking to see where the menus were. Hmm…not there, no…not there, either…hm, not there…where the hell are the menus? I noticed that there was a chalkboard to the right of where you were supposed to order, but in the dim light, I couldn’t tell if this was the menu. After much squinting and tilting of my head, I realized that it was pretty much a list of drinks (i.e. coffee drinks), and not a full menu.
Weird.
Oh, well.
(Oh, by the way, I did eventually find the menu — that’s right, “menu,” singular. There was a giant sign mounted to one wall on the 18th Street side of the cafe which had the full listing of items, ranging from coffee/espresso-based beverages to a variety of salads and sandwiches. The placement of the menu was sorta counterintuitive, if you ask me, but not really an issue, aside from the fact that now I won’t get to tell you anything about the food ’cause I didn’t see it ’til I was leaving.)
I gave up the hunt, and since I hadn’t really seen any empty chairs in the main seating area, I decided to grab a stool at the end of the counter from which I could see the band performing on the opposite side of the cafe. Now, I know this may sound like it was a crappy place to be sitting for a music show, but honestly, the way the place was laid out, the fact that it wasn’t huge, and the quality sound system made the placement of my seat choice a non-issue: I could see and hear everything.
One of the super busy staff members took the time to head over my way and ask me if I wanted anything — which I did — so I got one of the four beers they offered (a Fat Tire, $4) and settled in for the start of the Judea Eden Band’s set.
The band itself was fully fleshed out. They had a keyboard player, who also sang back-up; a rhythm guitarist; a bass guitarist; a lead guitarist; a drummer who used this cool standing drum kit; a back-up/lead vocalist; and, of course, frontperson and lead vocalist Judea Eden herself, who also played some electric acoustic guitar.
So, what, you may ask, was the Judea Eden Band experience like? In a word: Rock! This band was all about feel-good and thought-provoking rock ‘n’ roll. Their originals were personal and ran the gamut from down-in-the-ground dirty (“All Sexed Up”) to heartbreakingly melodic (“Wayside”). And, to top it all off, their covers were amazing and powerful (“Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin; “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith). And did I mention that all of the vocals were done by women? Talk about kicking ass!
But the best thing about seeing this band was that they obviously LOVED playing together! They knew each other so well and were so good at listening to each other that, regardless of the song or tempo or style, they would just Bring It (to coin an overfranchised phrase). The women’s vocals and harmonies were gorgeous and tight, and in perfect balance, and their musicianship was unparalleled. Judea Eden brought her kick-ass, Linda Perry vocal stylings into the mix, combined with a genuine sense of playfulness and humor, alternatingly poignant and impish.
And the men definitely held their own amongst the superlative women musicians: The bass player was a funkmaster, bringing a swinging joyfulness to the overall sound. The drummer was amazing, accurate, steady, and borderline acrobatic in his full-body playing style. The lead guitarist was agile on the fretboard, and had this sick wah-wah going on “All Sexed Up”; it was almost “Shaft”-esque, although his volume levels could’ve stood to be brought up just a little bit when he soloed.
Bottom line? The whole band was comprised of impeccable musicians who melded together in a tight-knit fashion that showcased the music in a fun and unassuming way. And the crowd loved them, getting up out of their seats and dancing, clapping along, whooping and hollering, ear-to-ear grins splayed across their collective faces. (Hm, yeah, all right, I may have been one of those people.)
UPDATED 12/05/2009:
The Lowdown
A quick heads-up: 
Hey, gang! I know this is super last-minute, but the stars have aligned, and it looks like I’m gonna be able to hit the Mission Three show tonight at Revolution Cafe! Woo-hoo! Here are the deets: