I have been seeing postings for this  infamous  Tom’s Place underground house venue for a few years, and never managed to venture out there for a gig, Packed up the Decaywheels and  blazed out, after walking around in the dark Berkeley streets for a few minutes, I found what was “Tom’s Place” My first (and only real) critique of the show/venue was they need a S I G N. I scrambled to  find the  address before neighbors  began calling the  5 0  on an unsuspecting show  goer in all black and a leather jacket, “were not In Oakland anymore”  is all I kept  saying.  right, anyways, once I found the right spot, I was  greeted with  delicious snacks, a  small but attentive and passionate audience (which is a delicacy in the bay area these days)- After years of  seeing/playing/hosting underground oddball music/noise/sound performance in the  mold encrusted basement, This  clean warm home was a wonderful setting to soak up the warm, sputtering, slow heating tones and cassette pulses of Donkey Disk ‘s head honcho BLACK THREAD.

Thread offers up a shiny, sticky, moist,sputtering masterly level of subtle tape  manipulations, climbing distant ringing tones, Ancient ships lost in the controller’s fog tunnel, send morsecoded hymns of cracking tapes, and choking whispers of feedback. The artist warmed and encrusted the room  through magnetic fingers- encapsulated the controls, subtle pulsing loops, oozing and plushing  the house speaker  system into a dream wash of well crafted minimal  compositions. Top  notch, get the  video here….

Next up was the  CBD trio. Top notch free jazz  undertones with dynamic and  interesting improvisation  from Chris Brown on piano and electronics, Donald  Robinson on drums, and Biggi Vinkeloe on reeds. Subtle,  well done free  jazz  with an ear  for  space, dynamics and  tension.  All  flowed like a  brook of  subtle percussion, intense piano hits and  swelling dynamics.  Not  my genre  forte but these  cats are  clearly well  versed in the game.

A great and  unique show  overall.  check TOMS PLACE happenings in the future.  Come help on the  jigsaw puzzle.