Wubakia profile picture

Wubakia

About Me


When no other name fits, invent one... and make it fun to say.
Defined as the inverse of deja-vu, this experimental psychedelic fusion band's name conveys how you'll feel at one of their shows. You're doing something familiar yet somehow, it's completely fresh, like the first time - that's wubakia.
Fans who've witnessed this quartet interweaving Balinese Kecak chants into Isaac Hayes' Shaft or hauling a Hammond organ into a eucalyptus forest for a Pranksters-style test (complete with coordinated multi-layered video projection) will attest that this group lives up to its name.
Wubakia features four musician/vocalists: Larry LeBron on drums, Adam Schwartz on guitar, Maitland Vaughan-Turner wielding the bass, and Kris Yunker on an array of keyboards. These players bring to the stage a passion for experimentation and a diverse set of influences, ranging from Yes and Pink Floyd to Britney Spears and Sun Ra. This adds up to a widely varied catalog of songs and a live experience that's constantly pushing new ground.
On a given night, they'll share a soulful Grapefruit Sunset, laden with dynamic improvisation, and segue smoothly into a retro-funky rendition of the Sesame Street Pinball Number Count. The jam will resolve into the anomalous Traci Malone, in which listeners are submerged on a sonic journey to probe surreal watery depths. This all transpires without a pause in the sound, as the crowd dances in a fervor and the musicians' smiles grow. Everyone in the venue knows things won't unfold in quite this way again.
Wubakia has been thriving in the Santa Cruz scene for nearly two years, captivating crowds at Moe's Alley, the Catalyst and Don Quixote's. Now, they're actively embracing more listeners and locales, so keep an ear out.
If today's feeling new in an uncanny way, they’re nearby.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 10/12/2006
Band Website: wubakia.com
Band Members: Standing on the ceiling is our fearless leader, AdaM: a UCSC grad, main composer and vocalist, wielding an enchanted Les Paul knock-off. Adam calls upon a staggering array of effects, which, combined with his humble yet lofty stage presence and no-holds-barred observational commentary keep our friends in the audience feeling right at home and thoroughly entertained.On the left wall, stands our fabulous leader, Maitland Vaughan-Turner: a 7th year UCSC student, currently working on his third major, and the other main contributor to Wubakia's original repetoire. A chamber-violinist turned rock-bassist, Maitland embodies the band's exploratory spirit while simultaneously overseeing our hefty sound-engineering demands.Holding strong in the basement, Kris Yunker, our fashionable leader, harnesses a mind-bending collection of keyboard sounds spanning the range from a shredding hammond-leslie to computer-sampling-triggers. Drawing from his Cabrillo studies and experience journeying through the realms of jazz, funk and Gamelan music, Kris continuously fills out Wubakia's sound with grooving melodies and supporting rhythms that keep the crowd awed.Stationed outside the venue in the alleyway, Larry, our fun-loving leader, takes an exacting and methodical approach to craft creative and unique rhythms that breath a whole new level of creativity and originality into the songs. His steady presence keeps everyone grounded and locked in, both onstage and off, despite the fact that he is a goofball. With an evident jazz influence, Larry makes the utmost use of his expansive kit (and occasionally things beyond his kit)Bak ia!
Influences: Sun Ra, Zappa, Britney Spears, Phish, MMW, Antibalas, your mom, my dad, ALO, Critters Buggin, King Crimson, magic music from outerspace, Grateful Dead, Niel Young, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, the voices in our heads.
Sounds Like: A handful of sand getting thrown at a plateful of beets, amplified several hundred times, with feasting monkeys in the background...
Record Label: Lopsided Universe
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Wubaka and Blue Turtle at Moes Alley

Yes, yes, dear friends!  It is the triumphant return of Wubakia at Moe's Alley!!  It's been a while since we have graced this lovely venue, but we are back and we are badical!! So, come on o...
Posted by Wubakia on Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:27:00 PST

PYITE from LA!!

Hey ya'll!  Here is a nice little youtube video of us playing Punch You in the Eye in LA!  Enjoy!Wubakia -- PYITE -- Youtube video And remember to come see us tomorrow night at the ...
Posted by Wubakia on Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:17:00 PST

Wubakia @ The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz!!

Howdee ya'll!  We want to remind all you fabulous, sparkling lovely people that we are playing a show with Acorn Project @ The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz this Friday, Galactic Wind!  Come and play with...
Posted by Wubakia on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:13:00 PST

New track, Backdoor! And a show on Fry-day!

Hi there, boys and girls!  It looks like we have another fine Wubakia tune for you to play this evening!  Please take a listen and tell us what you think!  And remember that we are playing at the Wind...
Posted by Wubakia on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:18:00 PST

ustreaming now! show in Santa Monica, later

we will be playing a late show (11:30 PM to 1:30 AM) at TRiP in Santa Monica, CA.But, right before the TRiP show, we will be playing a couple of sets at a beach party we are throwing in LA. We will t...
Posted by Wubakia on Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:14:00 PST

Riverside and LA shows

Good morning to you, myspacecats!  We have some SoCal shows over the next couple of days.  We are playing too night at   The Pharoah's Den in Riverside, CA. Too morrow, we will be playing a late show ...
Posted by Wubakia on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:31:00 PST

Riverside and Santa Monica shows!

Greetings lovely people!  Just wanted to let you know that we have a show at The Pharoah's Den in Riverside, CA tomorrow!The next day, we will be playing at TRiP in Santa Monica, CA. These shows are s...
Posted by Wubakia on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:22:00 PST

the wubakia show tonight!

hello fabulous people. we are gonna play a little show for you in about 30 minutes. click here to watch.:)
Posted by Wubakia on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:13:00 PST

Badical Webcast tonight!

Wubakia will be sharing a badical webcast tonight at 8:30pm Pacific Time. Be there and be fabulous. And, by be there... we mean click here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-wubakia-show.And... make a...
Posted by Wubakia on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:58:00 PST

Dr. Benway

Alright kids, it's tomorrow from the last time we posted a new track, and you know what that means!!This time it's a pornadelic Dr. Benway from the first day of this wavespell.  (we here at Wubakia th...
Posted by Wubakia on Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:58:00 PST