Buzz Bands

Size matters

The effects of Natural Afrodisiac’s homespun brew of funk and soul are spreading. After gaining notice on its Orange County home turf, the multi-racial octet is picking up fans in other cities, including San Francisco, where it made its live debut in September. But even with a growing fan base, it’s difficult to sustain an eight-piece band. “We’re hustling just to get it together and even just to keep our rehearsal space,” says percussionist-vocalist Anthony Gonzales. “I don’t think people really see us as a marketable group, but I’d like to have some tour support so we can get our music out there and show we can make it happen.” Still, the goods are in the grooves. “The One is the Three,” the band’s debut, is so accomplished that casual listeners are stunned to learn that it’s self-produced and self-released. War is the best reference point, but there are also echoes of Lenny Kravitz and Seal and a homage to Marvin Gaye with the hidden-track cover of “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler).” The band performs Nov. 8 at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa and Nov. 13 at the Troubadour.

Whale of a tale

Captain Ahab is a rebel embraced in Los Angeles for his dada-esque raps and cheapo-but-catchy laptop computer rhythms. His 12-inch single “Bot Pirate” got radio play on KXLU and big response at clubs like Roller Derby Superstar at the Parlour Club. He also got a rude awakening during a recent tour of the Bible Belt. “They didn’t get it in the South. They just stood around,” said Captain Ahab (real name Jonat8han Snipes; he started using the unique spelling several years ago). The exception was a rowdy reception at spring-break hot spot Myrtle Beach, S.C. Amid wild cheers, a woman pulled Ahab’s pants down in the middle of his show. Club management was not amused and threatened to cut the show short. “I didn’t talk to anybody who was actually angry,” said Ahab, 22, who performs Sunday at the Parlour Club. “They didn’t have the courage to talk to me.”

Fast Forward

Incendiary rockers My Ruin celebrate the release of their debut, “The Horror of Beauty,” when they headline the Troubadour on Saturday night.... The Mello Cads’ new album, “Gentle Explosion,” was released this week in Japan; local audiences can catch the band’s new material Friday night at Spaceland.... Brandon Jay and the revolving cast of musicians who make up Quazar and the Bamboozled have finished an album, “The Lovely Lunatickle Revue,” and play the Troubadour on Wednesday.

-- Kevin Bronson, with Craig Rosen and Andrew Asch

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