The Slippery Slope

The Slippery Slope is a San Francisco band dedicated to the creed of "soul jazz noir." Lyrically, taking notes from razor-tongued bards, band leader Kendon Walker Smith's muse ushers his pen and guitar beyond his indie-punk roots, onto the peaks and valleys of popular music, clawing and digging his heels into that slippery slope of melodic and poetic expression that can either result in creative triumph or go up in flames. It’s a sonic adventure…and you are always invited to the party.

It is not… Show more uncommon to find Kendon waxing upon the accomplishments of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, who inspired his idea to step out of the narrow conventions of punk rock, and walk toward Latin rhythm on his own terms. This might include conjuring the sultry cool of Astrud Gilberto, warping into Siouxsie Sioux war paint, or re-imagining Dionne Warwick, liberated from the demure instrumentation of Bacharach/David, running headlong into the folds of Nick Cave's black leathery wings.

While The Slippery Slope may be the brainchild of Smith, he steps back into the ranks, so that the spotlight may illuminate the incantations of Miss April Dawn, a vocalist chosen for her expressive range that recalls the feline tones of the jazz greats, yet also guns the motor and drives right into the heart of rock and roll.

With a full-blown brass and woodwind section, Smith also tips a hat to the funk and disco that was so elusive in the punk years. Band mates jokingly refer to him as 'maestro' and he jokingly refers to himself as "a poor man's Quincy Jones" which might give you a clue to what he aspires to: leading his band out of the conventions of jazz, punk and R&B to create an altogether new, dynamic, slippery, soulful sound.

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