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A wild acoustic trio that play what they call "modern-day campfire songs" with the bare-wire energy of punk rock. There's mandolin, a beat-to-shit upright bass, acoustic guitar, and calamity. At times fast and furious, at other times soft and sweet, they kick around a variety of genres from bluegrass to klezmer, to rock n' roll. Playing such diverse venues as street corners, Taco Bell, musical saw festivals, and punk rock clubs, they've developed a reputation for zany stage antics and solid picking and slapping.
"Imagine if Ralph Stanley, Calexico and The Reverend Horton Heat got into a bar fight and they were all pretty drunk..." --Nerd Litter
"Bay Area acoustic-punk trio Kemo Sabe closed out the Porch Stage with a raucous set, starting with a rapid-fire cover of Rocket From the Crypt's anthem "Hippy Dippy Do." The surly bass player's ridiculous, feather-adorned top hat and beat-up, sticker-strewn upright bass were fitting for a band so fun and reckless. A group of bike-messenger types (for lack of a better term) were hanging out up front, drinking beer and enjoying the band as the last of the afternoon sun slowly set behind them. It was a quintessential Hardly Strictly Bluegrass moment." --Post Hardly Strictly Editorial
"Next time you're driving down highway 1 in California in a '69 convertible Jaguar, put on Kemo Sabe, it will all make sense - unlike this analogy. They play a mix of Americana / folk / rockabilly that will have you singing along and loving it long before you catch yourself realizing you thought you were too cool to like anything that isn't hipster punk rock in white belts. Nice!" -- Shannon Corr , rock photographer
"Punkgrass, for example, is maniacal, high-spirited down-and-dirty music performed by lively local trio Kemo Sabe. Using traditional bluegrass instruments, Cary Kirk (mandolin/vocals), Simon Olson (guitar/vocals) and Nick Mitchell (standup bass/vocals) banged out swift, sleek songs surging with irregular tempo changes that picked up and dropped out without notice. Lighthearted lyrics, such as those in "Dirty Boy," endeared listeners. "Better wash your mouth and wash your hands / No one likes a dirty boy." And the chorus: "Cleanliness is friendliness and dirty boys don't have no friends." Playful yet intellegent lyrics, masterful mandolin playing, solid guitar work and vengeful bass beatings gave clout to wildly fun and frenzied showmanship" --Performer Magazine, December 2006