Every Wednesday we publish a Song of the Week in the Morning Report to spice up your week with some local tunes.
San Diego is rife with “almost there” bands. Groups that pushed against the velvety film of stardom only to dissolve back into themselves and gently beach on our sandy shores. There are so many creative “what if’s” in a town like this, where talent is abundant but opportunities less so. What if we could’ve afforded that tour? What if we could’ve kept the band together? What if we had committed to the grind just a little more?
I don’t pretend to have any insights into those philosophical inquiries, or if any of them actually apply to The Donkeys. I also don’t know if the members would agree with the following assessment: the band always struck me as the kind of group that was for years just on the brink of mainstream success. The Donkeys honed its sun-soaked mix of folk and garage rock for more than a decade, in the process spawning a loyal following, of which I am a part. It’s been about six years since the band’s last release, but one of the silver linings of bands like The Donkeys returning to the warm bosom of home is that we’re lucky enough to be treated to the continued sonic musings of some of its former members.
Calcutta Kid, “Peace (Clouds Scrape the Sunroof)”: Since leaving The Donkeys, multi-instrumentalist Jessmeet Gulati has struck out on his own, putting out a handful of releases under the moniker Calcutta Kid. Much of the handspun and intimate feel of his work with The Donkeys is present on his 2021 release “The Natural Frequency,” but there are some big pivots. The seven songs on the release are sparse, ambient and meditative, ditching vocals in favor of sitar plucks and meandering organs. The gentle acoustic picking and slowly morphing synth on “Peace (Clouds Scrape the Sunroof)” puts on full display Gulati’s ability to conjure, well, peace, and put listeners in a sublime, dreamlike state.
Like what you hear? Check out Kate Calcutta Kid at Soda Bar on Monday, Feb. 5.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists!