The Lowdown
Who: Sang Matiz
When: November 11, 2009
Where: The Union Room at Biscuit and Blues
Hidden Costs: As a little reminder, this was November’s “Not Quite Free” show, so there was a cover ($5). More importantly, though, you should know that this place ain’t no dive bar! Drinks were a bit on the pricey side for my tastes ($7 for a pint of Prohibition beer, $9 or $10 for most mixed drinks), and the cost of food’s about average for the Union Square area (ranging from $4 for a side o’ slaw to $24 for the Firey Shrimp dinner).
The Take-Away
Venue: Awesome space, with a very hip and trendy ambience, a good sound system, super friendly staff, genial crowd, and unique and delicious food. There’s a wide variety of seating (not all entirely comfortable, though), and you can get up close and personal with the performers, creating almost a house party feel.
Artists: These down-to-earth, lifelong musicians bring a musical style that’s not only upbeat but gets in your bones and makes you dance in your seat. All of the songs are in Spanish, and the musicianship is sublime. The performers are fun, but without any superfluous frills, and obviously love the music they’re playing. If you like to dance, especially if you’re into salsa, these are your peeps!
The Review
So, the first thing you need to know about The Union Room is that it’s in the heart of the Union Square area, which means street parking’s a bitch. Fortunately, The Union Room is also in the heart of the Union Square area.
Erm, my bad; I said that already.
O.K., but there’s a reason I’m saying it twice:
There’s LOTS of public transportation around! You gotcher MUNI, your BART, your SamTrans, your Golden Gate Transit, and your AC Transit. In other words, F**K parking! You don’t need it. (But, y’know, in case you do, there’s also a lot of parking garages around the area, and the very nice Cover Fee Collecting Lady at the venue will give you a little ticket for something like $5 off of your parking fees if you go to the O’Farrell/Mason Parking Garage.)
Second, there is only one entrance for the two venues here. Biscuit and Blues is located down the stairs once you enter the main door. The Union Room is located at the top of the stairs. Know now, however, that in order to see a show upstairs in the Union Room you must first go slightly Downstairs to the ticket counter and pay your cover fee and get your wrist stamped (a lovely little ivy vine on this particular night; classy, girly — just my kind of club stamp).
For the Sang Matiz show, I actually had my best friend come along with me, just to get a second pair of eyes and ears. Having paid our respective $5 covers, we headed upstairs.
At first blush, the place was cozy and inviting. The ceilings were high-ish, but not cathedral or anything like that, and the lighting was sparse, mostly in low-watt warm tones, and supported by tea candles in clear glass votive holders on every table. The ambience was simple and metropolitan in flavor, and while my cohort and I only interacted with one staff member, he was funny and attentive and ably guided us through the process of choosing what to order.
Which brings me to the menu. For the ‘hood, the food is very reasonably priced. The Union Room offers a full menu, from appetizers to salads to full entrees to desserts. Prices range from about $4 for a side of cole slaw to $24 for the Firey (misspelling intentional) Shrimp. The kitchen stays open ’til 9 p.m. on weekdays and ’til 10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the bar’s open ’til 11 p.m. on weekdays and ’til 11:45 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
My biggest money-related complaint, though, was about the drinks. A pint of Speakeasy’s Prohibition Ale was $7, and most of the mixed drinks were somewhere between $9 and $10. Don’t get me wrong; the drinks were seriously yummy! And, again, for the area, these are reasonable rates. But it only underscores the fact that this isn’t exactly a dive bar, if you catch my drift; expect to shell out some coin.
The actual decor of the place is contemporary, like something you’d find in a loft apartment, with a variety of seating and tables. There are high-backed stools surrounding tall cocktail tables, two-top square cafe tables, one long family-style table smack dab in the center of the room, and off to one side was a more loungey seating area, complete with leather-covered ottoman-looking cube seats and a low glass table. Plus, there was a small L-shaped bar in the back with plenty of bar stools lining it for those who may want to stay close to the liquor. The colors were mostly warm reds and dark blues, with some caramel-colored wood tones — as I said, very loft-esque, very cozy, very trendy.
The staff at the venue was friendly and witty, cracking jokes, helping me and my friend decide what to drink or eat. And beyond being charming, they were attentive without being obnoxious. As for the audience members, well, the place wasn’t exactly packed (other than us, there were two other tables with people at them, and then a constant rotation of about ten or twelve jovial imbibers at the bar). Still, I think it was a good crowd for a Wednesday night in the heart of downtown San Francisco. I mean, let’s be honest: most folks who find themselves in that area at that time of night are usually on their way to see a play, or are lawyers or traders who are running out the door to get home after putting in a sixteen hour day of work. So, a dozen or so live music fans is a good draw, especially for a latin fusion band in a place known for blues music.
But enough about the venue. Let’s talk about the show!
Here’s the thing you ought to know about Sang Matiz: these people are Musicians, with a captial “M”! I swear to God, when Yuri — the band’s primary songwriter, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist — is strummin’ her electric acoustic, her hands are moving in a way that defies the laws of physics. I mean, they’re a freakin’ blur! And then you add to the mix Eddie on lead guitar — and keep in mind, this guy’s only been playing flamenco for about three years, now — and you’ve got not just latin fusion, but latin magic!
Yuri and Cata, the other only female member of the band who also plays a little hand-held percussion and provides backing vocals, have perfected the art of matching timbre and tone. I know, I know, some of you singers out there may be saying to yourselves that those are kind of the same thing, but trust me, in this instance, they’re two distinct elements. These women match each other vowel for vowel, mouth shape for mouth shape, resonating chamber for resonating chamber. It’s like listening to identical twin sisters who’ve been singing together since before they could speak in full sentences.
Add to the mix a bassist who is literally moved by the music, a conga player who looks and plays like he’s a character straight out of the dancing streets of Havana, and a drummer who somehow manages to play a fully set-up kit practically on top of the other musicians without overpowering them, and you can see why the owners of this fledgeling venue are so enthusiastic about having Sang Matiz in the house.
The band is a well-oiled machine with a small but enthusiastic and vocal following! And these musicians are having so much fun with each other, dancing around, feet non-stop tapping to the rhythms, cradling their instruments to them like niños preciosos, heads nodding enthusiastically. It’s a family affair; it’s a neighborhood block party; it’s an impromptu jam session; it’s a barn dance. My one very minor complaint is that they played virtually no ballads, and with these women’s voices, they’re just begging for one!
Bottom line is this: if you love latin rhythms and music, and you love to dance and just let everything bad wash away before the rich harmonies and intricate finger picking styles of a beautiful flamenco guitar, then you have got to see these guys play! There’s so much more I could write, so many more notes I took over the course of the evening, but honestly, this is all you really need to know.
Sang Matiz will be playing again at The Union Room on Friday, November 20, 2009. The cover will still be only $5 — go see them!
UPDATED 12/05/2009: