What's that? If BuddhaKowski is so very San Francisco, then they must either be a drum 'n' bass DJ, or an indie rock band. You guys are so smart! BuddhaKowski is so very indie rock, in fact, I would dare say that they put the in in indie rock. No, I don't know what that means, but that's not the point. The point is, that BK has got all their little indie rock ducks in a row; They've got (and this is important) a female cello player (the lovely and talented Mica Pollock), they've got a hard-rocking, but skillful lead guitar (the lovely and talented Philip Mars), they've got a tight song-writing team (bass player Andrew Stess and lead singer Matt Langlois) they've got a drummer (Thomas Greene), and, a tres important ingredient in the indie-rock soup, they don't have a recording contract--yet.

Most important, they've got the indie rock sound. No, no. Not in a lo-fi-recording, poised-and-ready-for-the-cover-of-CMJ kind of way. No, I'm talking pop songs that re-invent themselves every eight or ten bars and folk and blues roots set just exactly deep enough beneath their it's-only-rock'n'roll-but-I-like-it veneer. Oh yeah. That's it. The whole indie rock thing is just rock 'n' roll, but you know...you know how tempting the indie-rock label can be for music critics. Especially when we hear songs like "Great Tales."

Oh yeah. "Great Tales" is the coolest song on BK's self-titled, self-released album. It's a pop/rock anthem thing with a slow-hand guitar lick opening, and hard-driving punk chords, but it also has a slightly disturbing cello descant, and Langlois' high, melancholy vocals--giving the whole thing a Grant Lee Buffalo feel. No slouch, "Cafe Cuvee" is a schizophrenic little number--with its dance band base-line and rock-a-billy guitar tweak--that aims a cynical squint at the San Francisco coffee shop scene. (You know where Cafe Cuvee is, don't you? Me either. I think it's downtown.) Speaking of cynical songs that drip with acid sarcasm, "Great Town" takes a great big BK knife and stabs San Francisco in the back, lashing out at the high rents, homeless, SFPD, and, most astute, at the colorless, khaki-ness of this town. Oh, you know what I'm talking about...you know what they mean when they talk about the "beige outfits...beige cocktails...[and] beige sunsets." (Hey, we're a Gap kind of town.)

Did I say they were so very San Francisco? Yep. They bitch about our beloved town, just like we do. And they've got a few things to bitch about. For example, where the hell are they? No one's booking them. Why? Who knows. They're good enough to play LA's Viper Room on July 29th. You know, The Viper Room! An indie-rocker's wet dream. But if you were someone like myself who wanted to see them play in this city this summer, you were out of luck. Times change, however, and if you want to catch them live, BuddhaKowski is playing an afternoon Saturday BBQ show at Bottom of the Hill on July 31st. If you want to check out their cd, go to their website.