Getting to know Jaws of Terror, Alley Cat Street, Champ, and more

These are the most recent band pages in the Local Music Database, including old acts newly added and brand new ensembles.

Jaws of Terror is fronted by Leighton Koizumi, who first came to local notice singing for garage band revivalists Gravedigger Five. After that group disbanded, he and fellow 'Digger Ted Friedman moved to the Bay Area where they founded the similarly retro-minded Morlocks.

Incorporating the elements of fear of the unknown, hedonism, time travel, and better living thru science, Koizumi just recently launched Jaws of Terror. A multimedia musical project that incorporates many different mediums, the group also features Tito Fabio MacOzzy (Tito and the Brainsuckers, the Electric Flashbacks ). A video for the song “I Know You Cried,” directed by Ivan D'Antonio, is playable on their Reader page.

There's Nothing Here But Hate, formed earlier this year, is Curtis Gagnon's one-man dark beat poetry indie hip-hop project. Based in East County, he cites his main influences as Owen, Prawn, More Than Life, Spreading Evictions, and Sadistik. His Forgetting the Former EP was just released and is available at BandCamp and elsewhere.

Drop 3, based in Poway, is an ambient prog-space rock outfit formed in the late ‘80s from the ashes of Side Street. The group includes Jan Ault (keyboards, synths, samples), Sam Hallmark (guitar), and John Henderson Kirby III (percussion). With a sound influenced by and akin to Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, and Camel, their full-length Salton Sea Suite (Desert Wind Music) was released in 2006.

A video from the album for “Sundowner – the Song” captures in sight and sounds the sublime beauty of decay found at Califormia’s Salton Sea, created in 1905 when the Colorado River changed its course for over two years, resulting in the saltiest body of water in the world. The video is highlighted by shots of the abandoned ruins of the Sundowner Motel, an early 1960s era structure whose neon sign was an exceptional example of Googie architecture.

Chris Goldsmith, one-time bassist for North County island rockers Borracho y Loco, is a producer and songwriter best known for his collaborations with the Blind Boys of Alabama, Aaron Neville, Chrissie Hynde, and others. Aside from his work on several Grammy Award-winning albums, he's also been associated with the Belly Up for a number of years as the venue's music consultant.

Earlier this year, Goldsmith worked on a collaborative album by Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite.

CJ Hutchins has been part of the local music scene since appearing on one of the KGB Homegrown vinyl albums, going on to play with Peter Frampton, Ronnie Montrose, and others. The singer/guitarist has been playing since he was 12, with his first professional gigs coming at the age of 16. He plays slide, acoustic, electric, and bass, specializing in Mississippi style blues, but his repertoire encompasses rock, jazz, and even western.

He also restores and repairs musical instruments, primarily guitars and fiddles. He can be seen frequently around town at venues like the Wild Note Café, as well backing up Gregory Page and performing with Irish dance band Cobblestone Ceili. His CD Out of These Hands was produced by Ronnie Montrose.

Champ features singer Ferran Nicolls, along with Greg Theilmann (Hills Like Elephants), and River City’s Andrew Armerding. After they released their video for

“Real Cool Kids,” they made their concert debut September 6 at the Soda Bar in City Heights.

Caskitt, formed in Autumn 2012 and based in North Park, is a pop-punk band featuring Matt Caskitt (drums and vocals), Steffen Long (guitar and vocals), and bassist Ricky Schmidt (ex-Beside Myself). Their new EP Don't Tell Anyone was recorded at Earthbound Recordings in Chula Vista with Chris Hopkins.

Finally, while Grateful Dead tribute bands are more common ‘round here than tie-dye t-shirts at the Black, a new group called Alley Cat Street will debut on Saturday, December 7, in – where else? – Ocean Beach, at the newly-muralized Winstons. Members include two players from local grampa jammers Electric Waste Band (Paul Bell and Drew Lantz), along with Andy Braunstein (the Maykers) and D.J. Bonin (Jetwash).

To add or edit a band page in the Local Music Database, begin at Band Page Edits.