Smidgen

About

Melding jazz and punk songwriting with strange noises and undeniably dancy rhythms, Smidgen was “the band,” for Southern Oregon in the early 90s. While somewhat comparable to better-known alt-rock groups like Mr. Bungle or early Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smidgen’s style was their own. They wowed audiences with their ability to seamlessly meld complex and innovative rock music with funk beats and Sesame Street singalongs, influencing many a young Oregonian not just to pick up an instrument, but to dare to play it in a new way. It was a feat made all the more impressive by the band still being in high school when they formed.

Too alternative to ever achieve commercial success, the band served as a launching point for its members into other projects like Libby Roach's Fractal Quintet, and A Million Fingers.

(Josh Gross, August 2011)

Smidgen are:

• Libby Roach - guitar, vocals

• Warwick Varaday - bass

• Kai Strandskov - trumpet

• Shawn Evans - sax

• Ken Frink - sax

• Adam Rafalovich - drums

Links

Fractal Quintet (Libby Roach Band)

Fractal Videos on Tingle Tube