Yanni Papadopoulos (pictured above) isn't exactly a guitar player. He's more likely to be caught strangling or humping his guitar against a wall in order to create weird textures high-end wailing that sound strangely organic and artificial at the same time. The instrumental band he shares with his talented brother Alexi on upright electric bass and Cheshire 'Agusta (one of the more kickass drummers I've seen), Stinking Lizaveta, plays for the first time in Chico on Thursday, Dec 17 for an all-ages show, 9:30 p.m. at the Blue Room.

Representing the underground scene from West Philly, these folks were voted by Request magazine as one of the few indie rock bands that truly matter due to their unique meld of punk jazz and angular, alternative metal. Having played with the likes of Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Zeni Geva, Crash Worship and homeboys from VA like King Sour and Mao-Tse Helen, this group of would-be anarchists is well-known for the intensity of its live shows, which move from brooding King Crimson and Black Sabbath textures to full-on sonic assault, building vibrant moods without any vocals.

Fans of the Dennison/Kimball Trio or Sonny Sharrock could certainly appreciate the wild compositional energy this trio deploys: but thankfully, they don't come off as your average math rock band. Their first album, 'Hopelessness and Shame' produced by Steve Albini showed that these players are more interested in raw emotion and a collective aesthetic than impressing people with time signatures and technical bravado. What they do best is play live, where they can hit you with clearly resonant sonic shapes that are eerily hypnotic and always potentially explosive.

Young musicians out there into progressive stuff should take advantage of the opportunity to see some heavy players who truly put their heart into their sound. Smack, a band from Vancouver that nobody seems to know anything about, opens the show. One more thing: The Blue Room will be recording tonight for its upcoming compilation CD, so everybody show up and let your applause be heard. -- CHRIS BALDWIN ------------------------------------------------------------------------