J Lee • Jen Shag • Danny • Kurt • Steve

Discography/mp3s

Mission Accomplished
dill records 1997

cd complilation

reviews

SF WEEKLY 1997
Zingy Clingy
According to Static Faction guitarist J.Lee,
their first gig- a show at the Purple Onion-
clocked in at a sparse 19 minutes. Now a year old
the band had more to play at a recent Friday night
show at the Peacock Lounge. The ultra-comfy
confines of the venue made it feel like a
backyard kegger, and the filled to capacity
room had people sitting at tables,standing in
front of the makeshift stage, and lying on the
floor. Arriving midset, I found that there were no
more bottles of Heineken at the bar, only cans of
Bud and Miller. Many seemed well on there way to
a sloshy good time as Static Faction charmed the
crowd with fuzz-pedalled sweet nothings, chords
and burbles from the farfisa and a moog-type
organ, and a whole heap of artistic temperament.
Organ player Steve Ackerman's style more then
once recalled the Who's "pinball wizard," with
fast and furiousarpegios, most noteably on
"Flyhunter". Lee's guitar work creaked and
reeked of noise soaked damage. And moments
before their noodling grew tiresome, Static
Faction took the crowd into a tranquil bridge
and then busted out of the stoney psychedelia
Drummer Jennifer Shagawat offered halftime
beats to allow the crowd to trance a bit.
They did. Lee's guitar lines in these moments
held the crowd in puppet strings. The circus
porn of "transcience" used Ackerman's
chromatically ascending and descending farty
farfisa bass line figures and Lee's seemingly
tuneless guitar leads to spin the listener
into a mini-chasm of nausea. Each beat of
Shagawat's snare registered like a can-can
dancer's kick.
Static Faction puts its music first. Lee's
voice is little more than mush mouthed bratty
prattle, with an occasional falsetto thrown in
for variety, but it adds wonderfully to the mix.
The band was all smiles when it coaxed its
instruments to sound out, and the resulting din
that rose seemed to be it's defining mark,
a sonic fingerprint.
by Howard Myint

images

J Lee, Eugene,OR 1997

Static Faction 1996