Old School

AHK23 fuses our favorite nostalgic sounds with the new

A A A Comments By Steve Jansen Thursday, Jun 12 2008

Reggae-like grooves that quote 1960s Jamaica. Funk-soaked keyboards, circa 1973. Santana-esque electric guitar solos. No way a modern-day band can successfully fuse all of these elements into something listenable, groovy, and tight.

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Well, we felt this way until we were made hip to Alfred Howard & the K23, a San Diego-based ensemble who adds spoken word spitting and wah-like guitar licks to nostalgic musical qualities. Lead by the former-vagabond, published author, smarty pants lyricist, and vocalist Howard, AHK23 coveted the San Diego Music Award for “Best Funk/Hip-Hop Band” three consecutive years. And we can hear why, especially on tunes like “Big in El Portal”, with its temper-fueled lyrical passages reminiscent of Zack de la Rocha from Rage Against the Machine, and the chilled-out, cerebral “Dovetail” that features chugging guitar grooves, tasty keyboard notes à la D’Angelo, and a righteous organ solo.

Fri., June 13, 8 p.m., 2008

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