Skerik’s Syncopated Taint Septet played Tractor Tavern last night. It was the CD release show for their album, “�Husky”�, out on Hyena Records. A rock show, it was. There were golden showers, screamings, and huge guitar solos. Only, without the guitar. The Willie Wonka theme was heard and somewhere in there they hit the Darth Vader music too. “Bom Bom Bom, Bom beh Dom.”�

Skerik is the Kublai Kahn of sax, a brass Zappa / Mingus / Beck leopard. No one actually got peed on. Skerik only threatened the golden shower. The crowd wouldn’t let him take a set break.

The band is a 5 man horn line backed by Hammond B-3 organ and drums. Don’t be scared because it looks like jazz. It’s more funk and hip hop than jazz. Shit, they can play. Take the Sanford & Son and the What’s Happening themes and put them to beats by DJ Shadow and The Damned.

The night began with a set by The Septet's drummer, John Wicks and organist Joe Doria. They have a duo known as Dos. Wicks is more a DJ than a drummer. You don't even realize he's really playing drums. He's so on and effortless it's like his kit just makes sounds. He put two trashy high hat cymbals on his floor tom and played 16th beats on them that Crystal Method would swim in.

Doria does his Al Capone all solid. He's omni present. The Hammond B-3 is his whale and it sings. He's the backbone holding it all down.

The horn line is Craig Flory on baritone sax, Dave Carter on Trumpet, Hans Teuber on alto sax and flute, Steve Moore on trombone and Wurlitzer electric piano, and Skerik as Dr. Love, on tenor sax.

They pack harmonies and weave through beats. The 5 as 1 sound is a mile wide tunnel of polished brass and gold. You slide down as they scatter with solos and run. When's the last time you saw a trombone solo and liked it?

Skerik started the show and said, "Welcome to Ballard."�

Early on there was a Deerhoof cover. The show was relentless. One 2 hour set. Moments were quiet and open, others were loud and crushing. These guys have stamina and skills.

With definite nods to Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie and John Coltrane, The Syncopated Septet doesn't get bogged down in rehashing the classics.

At one point, Skerik stopped the set when the owner of The Tractor gave him a note. He read it out loud, "Spencer, you did not finish your homework. You are to come home immediately."� Spencer apparently was there, and did leave. Skerik said, "I tried to give everyone plenty of notice about the show. We all need to finish our homework."�

Skerik is psyched about the release of "Husky."� He says nowadays, it's really hard to be successful with instrumental music. But he's undaunted. The tracks for the album were recorded at The Sound Factory in Hollywood where artists like Beck, Tom Waits, Brian Wilson, Los Lobos and The Doors have made some of their best music. It was recorded by the Grammy-award winning engineer, Husky Hoskulds, who has recorded Elvis Costello and Tom Waits. Everything went straight to two-inch, analog tape.

Skerik says, "For me, the recording of Husky is that rare combination of everything lining up perfectly at the right time. You're lucky if you get one of these in a lifetime." "The band had been on the road touring, so we knew the music inside out. We had a day off in Los Angeles, so we went into The Sound Factory, which is a one-of-a-kind studio out there and cut the entire record that day."

The list of Skerik's involvements is long. Skerik bands are Critters Buggin , The New Orleans Garage a Trois, and Crack Sabbath. He's in Les Claypool's band, he's played with Roger Waters, Mark Eitzel, Ivan Neville, and Peter Buck to name a few. He lives in Brooklyn now but is a Seattle native, and spends much time in New Orleans. His output is constant and unstoppable.

I don't think Skerik sleeps. He's in the process of writing an article for the NY Times on top of everything else. And he just got satellite radio installed on his tour van. But he doesn't really like it. He doesn't like all the classifications. The way they break it down.

They should have a "˜Skerik' channel. Nothing would be boring on the Skerik Channel. He would break down the break down.

Skerik will be back playing Bumbershoot with Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk.

The Syncopated Taint Septet is heading down the west coast. East coast is next. Look out.

Pictures by: Dan Tyler.