Jagwar Ma in San Francisco – A Concert Review

     Yesterday, Jagwar Ma visited Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. The performance was an early sellout, and deservedly so. The trio from Sydney, Australia experienced an explosion of recognition during the European festival season. The brand of music is difficult to identify, but we’ll go with indie-dance psychedelia.

     The three members of Jagwar Ma are Gabriel Winterfield (lead vocals, guitar), Jono Ma (guitar, synths, drum machine, samples), and Jack Freeman (bass, backing vocals). The band’s name is a combination of Ma’s last name and a painting of a jaguar that was found by a friend and given to Ma. 

      At Rickshaw Stop, the band didn’t hit the stage until about 11:30. They professed to having a low energy level, with frontman Winterfield asking the people in attendance to provide an enthusiasm from which they could feed.  But there was no basis for any complaint. It was easy to understand why Jagwar Ma is a festival favorite. A number of the songs started with an enlivening beat and good intensity, progressed through a significant portion of the song at that intensity, and then abruptly picked it up a notch or two. Each time this pattern occurred, the crowd responded appreciatively.

     Jagwar Ma is returning to San Francisco for a show at The Independent on December 11, 2013. We recommend taking advantage of the opportunity.

     “The Throw” by Jagwar Ma

     “Come Save Me” by Jagwar Ma

     “Man I Need/Exercise” by Jagwar Ma

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JagwarMa

Website: http://jagwarma.com/