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Krenshaw Kicks With added flash in its live shows, Krenshaw could be the complete deal By Sarah Quelland KRENSHAW AND THE STUMPS made for a solid lineup at the Usual last Tuesday (Feb. 29). When it comes to sexy, straight-up rock & roll from the South Bay, it's hard to find any band doing it better than Krenshaw. Featuring Kelly Dalton on vocals, Richie Gilbert on guitar, R.J. Newkirk on drums and Jimmeh on bass, Krenshaw claims artists like Pink Floyd, Queen, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, the Kinks, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix as influences. The band's sound lands more in the vicinity of Alice in Chains, however, with powerful, heavy melodies and rich, expressive vocals. Dalton's voice is an amazing instrument that resonates beautifully, whether pushing forth pure, clear tones, teasing rock grinds or heavy screams. Sometimes compliments aren't perceived as such, but this is one of the highest compliments I can pay a rock vocalist: Dalton reminds me of Sebastian Bach. See, despite the inevitable turn of tides in the music business that brings bands in and out of favor and up and off the charts before filing them into the kiss-of-death "has-been" (or worse yet, " '80s hair band") category, some things are unarguable. I consider Bach to be one of the finest vocalists in the genre (plug: he's performing at Maritime Hall on March 31 with American Heartbreak), and Dalton echoes his ability. He has remarkable range and control of his voice, which is fairly rare in heavy rock & roll. Vocals aside, the band sounds great live. If there's one area I'd like to see Krenshaw--and plenty of other local bands--develop, it's image. Unlike other genres, where the music is allowed (even expected) to speak for itself, image, style and vibe are huge parts of the rock & roll machine. Though their styles differ, locals like Spitkiss, Operator: Generator, Stunt Monkey, Triple Seven and Party Casket try to make their shows as much events as concerts, and that's key. Work whatever angle you have, whether its leather-clad rock-god sex appeal, überdork chic, pimp-daddy funk or fiery chaotic mess. Krenshaw could take cues from respected rockers like the Cult or Aerosmith (minus the scarves) and make its live show even better. Even so, the band is definitely worth checking out, and it's been increasingly busy since the release of Triple 3 EP, putting in two appearances last week (the one at the Usual and another last Saturday at the Gaslighter's Music Hall in Gilroy). Krenshaw has another show coming up at the Gaslighter with Stitch on March 25 and landed a spot with M.I.R.V. on April Fool's Day (April 1) at the Cactus Club. The Stumps fit really well with Krenshaw and have a similar musical style. The group seems to stay pretty low-key on the local circuit, and its website (www.thestumps.com) is no help at all when it comes to keeping tabs on these guys. ... Which brings me to my next point: Why don't bands keep their websites current? It drives me positively batty. Lineups change, singers are replaced and new albums come out--and yet the website exists months, even years out of date, leading to all sorts of false assumptions. I'd just like to remind everyone that it's the band's responsibility to maintain its official website, and that keeping things updated can only benefit them. ... Papa Roach (whose website is current) filmed its video for "Last Resort" last week. The band has a show coming up at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz next Thursday (March 16) with Loadstar, No One and 7th Standard. It's also doing an all-ages LIVE 105-sponsored Local Lounge show March 22 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Tickets for that are $5 and can be purchased in advance at www.paparoach.com. According to its management, the band is also confirmed for at least 20 Vans Warped Tour dates, including San Francisco's Pier 30/32 stop on July 1 and Lake Tahoe's Boreal Ridge on July 2. Green Day, NOFX, Long Beach Dub Allstars and Snapcase are among those scheduled to perform. PLAN AHEAD: No Use for a Name, OuttaLine, Limp and HBA, March 10 at the Cactus; the Specials, March 10 at the Fillmore and March 10 at the Cactus; Salmon, March 11 at the Cactus; Spitkiss, March 14 at the Usual; Methods of Mayhem, March 20 at the Fillmore; Incubus and Ultraspank, March 28 at the Fillmore; Lit, Save Ferris and Fenix TX, April 4 at Maritime Hall; Patti Smith; April 15-16 at the Fillmore; Beck, May 2 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium; Ricky Martin, July 24 at the Oakland Arena. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]