.Best Electro-Acoustic Live Act

Ted the Block

Winston Goertz-Giffen of Saything (the atypical Oakland thought-rock
band) is Ted the Block, a one-man band that floats around the Oakland
art scene playing house shows, galleries, and “the occasional
neighborhood bar,” he says — fun shows that are free (or almost
free) for all who want to listen. His musical inventions, like a
crackly reverse-feed headphone-microphone, and unusual orchestration
combine to form soulful electro-acoustic pop that is accessible and
moving. In his most recent performance at a party house, he astonished
a crowd of do-it-yourself art punks, musicians, and flannel-clad bike
lovers with his free-jazz-style trumpeting and ambient synthesizer
tones. From the corner of the smoky and overly crowded attic, he poured
out waves of looped and distorted electric guitar and vocal melodies
that seemed to leave every onlooker starry-eyed and spellbound. That
said, instead of finding his songs on the Internet, find him at Mama
Buzz (he’s the one in the motorcycle jacket, with the big blue eyes,
smoking a cig on the patio) and get yourself a flier. MP3s pale in
comparison to the brilliance of this young rocker’s live show.

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