Acid Jazz aficionados will recall the San Francisco Bay Area acid-jazz-funk
quartet, Junk. Three incredibly funky albums (Faffco Records ‘94-‘97),
a few Bay Area Music Awards, a two-year residency at the legendary Up &
Down Club and a lot of touring and what remains is post junk trio.
David Robbins (Baritone Sax) and Frank Swart (Bass) were founding members of Junk and Ian Herman was the band’s drummer during its last year. After Junk’s demise, which left them a trio, their destiny seemed clear...to be post
junk trio. Their sound has been likened to '70's porno music, Miles a la his Bitches Brew period, instrumental Morphine, MMW & Tortoise. They have four CD releases, Reservoir Fish (2001), Piano (2003), Live at Enrico's (2004) and Chinatown (2007).
Frank Swart, Bass, Producer, Miscellany
Frank is a veteran of the fertile and legendary Boston Rock scene. He has been involved in several bands such as Who Be Dat?, an Acid Funk group, who Flea (RHCP), Jeffrey Clemens (G Love and Special Sauce) and Joe Bowie (Defunkt) all recorded with at one time or another, The Immortals, the seminal Roots Rock band which was fronted by Angelo (Grammy nominated songwriter / producer; Kings of Leon, Trisha Yearwood) and Candy Bar, a band with Mark Sandman of Morphine where Mark played guitar and the only rule was, don’t play guitar. (Frank would later appear on the Morphine releases; Yes & B Sides & Otherwise.) Frank also recorded the very first Pixies demos in his rented studio in the basement of a hair salon. In 1991 Frank moved to San Francisco, where he, Robbins and a former WBD? Guitarist, David Schumacher, formed Junk. As well as keeping being busy in the studio, Frank is currently the bassist for Patty Griffin, The Billy Nayer Show and Rag Man Son Revue. He most recently appears on Patty Griffin’s Grammy nominated album Impossible Dream and the Mark Sandman box set, Sandbox. Some other people Frank has worked with are Blackalicious, Bush, Chumbawamba, Johnny Clyde Copeland, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Harrison, Live, Tracy Lords, Bijou Phillips, Kim Richey, Smashmouth, Philip Steir, Steppenwolf, Phoebe Snow, Pete Townshend, Narada Michael Walden and Bernie Worrell.
Ian “Inkx†Herman, Drums
Ian “Inkx†Herman was the house-drummer at the legendary Shifty Records in Johannesburg during the Anti-Apartheid uprising of the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Shifty Records recorded mostly anti-establishment and politically active artists who the mainstream media wanted silenced like, Mzwake Mbuli, Lesego Rampolokeng with the Kalahari Surfers and Vusi Mahlasela. In 1994 Ian left South Africa for New York City. At that time he was working with Ray Phiri, a South African producer who co-wrote and produced some of Paul Simon’s Graceland album. Ray hooked him up with Paul and he spent the next 3 years living in New York working with Paul Simon. In 1997 he and his family relocated once again, this time to San Francisco where, among many other gigs, he began working with Junk. Ian has been touring internationally with the WOMAD festival playing with Tananas, a band from South Africa and Mozambique. He is also currently the drummer for Hamsa Lila. Some of the other artists Ian has worked with are Abdullah Ibrahim Dollar Brand, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Duran Duran, Sting, Manfred Mann, Vusi Mahlasela, Habib Koite, David Hidalgo, Taj Mahal and Sebongile Khumalo.
David “DR†Robbins, Baritone Saxophone
David Robbins has played baritone saxophone in thousands of performances, in all styles of music, for over 25 years. As co founder/lead voice of Post Junk Trio, and it’s predecessor, the award winning, critically acclaimed quartet Junk, he has toured the U.S. and Canada, performing in jazz festivals, as well as opening up for funk legends like Larry Graham, War, and George Clinton’s Parliament. He has played with an eclectic group of artists, including Narada Michael Walden, Henry Butler, The Violent Femmes, Joshua Redman, Morphine’s Mark Sandman, Warren Gale, Sonny Simmons, Peter Apfelbaum’s Heiroglyphics Ensemble, Charlie Hunter, Red Rodney, Lalah Hathaway, Ed Cherry, Steve Turre, Paula Cole, Dave Valentin, and many other great musicians. After a long stint in Oakland California, he now freelances in New York City.