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The Hotel Utah Open Mic
(hosted by JJ
Schultz - jj@theutah.org)
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SF Bay Guardian reader's poll "Best open mic" |
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| #5 on about.com's rank of the best open mics in the United States |
 2006 |
 2007 |
 2008 |
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Every Monday Night
Sign-up by 7:30pm
House Guitar, Piano and PA
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500 4th St. (at Bryant)
San Francisco, CA (map
it!)
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MySpace! http://myspace.com/theutah
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Facebook! 'The Utah' Facebook group
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If you want to call The Jonah Kit's hard-bitten acoustic music "folk," you have to qualify it - this is acerbic Aggressive Folk that's just as at home in a raunchy barroom as it is in an intimate coffeehouse; this is folk music with blood in its veins. It's a refreshing spin on the singer-songwriter tradition that draws inspiration from the indignant, inflexibly at-odds-with-the-world misfits of decades past: Hank Williams, Fred Neil, Townes Van Zandt, Lou Reed. A sound that blends folk, punk, country, and rock with literate, honest lyrics to create something new, impassioned, and real.
From the unpredictable vocals and guitar of Jonah Watchman (age 26)—soft-spoken one minute, explosive the next—to the dynamic grooves of upright bassist Dave Herman (29) and drummer Taylor Still (27), The Jonah Kit is unique in their attention to stylistic range, expression, and boldness. Each song conjures its own scene, a combined evocation of character, location, atmosphere, and emotion that is reminiscent of the dark, immersive grit of old westerns or film noir.
In fact, The Jonah Kit will catch audiences off-guard if they're expecting a milder brand of acoustic music. But when an audience catches on to what the band is doing—when it sees that the trio is taking folk traditions to their outer limits—that audience responds with the kind of cheers and howls reserved for only the most original genre-benders. 
