Dead End Kids Club fuses friends’ diverse sounds
When Z Berg first saw Marin County native Nick Hinman, he was playing a solo show under the moniker Palm Springsteen at a Los Angeles bar. Hinman’s set, opening for another artist, went for 50 minutes. “He literally didn’t understand that, like, that’s not how things work,” she says.
Her review, posted on Snapchat: “There are no words.”
“I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is the best or the worst show I’ve ever seen, but I think it’s amazing.’ ”
Now, as they chat on the phone in advance of the Dead End Kids Club show at Café du Nord on Monday, Oct. 28, there are plenty of words — the two converse like the oldest of friends, telling stories and cracking jokes in equal measure.
And the two make up only a portion of the touring caravan that is the
Dead End Kids Club, which comprises four acts: the dark folkrock of Berg, the synth pop of Dan Keyes, the throwback rock of Panic! At the Disco cofounder Ryan Ross, and the alternative dance of Hinmanfronted Palm Springsteen.
But to be clear, on tour, the stage is more of a laboratory for alchemy than a platform for individual showcases. Berg plays with Ross, who plays with Keyes, who helps out Berg, who is a member of Palm Springsteen. There are no set breaks, as the musicians switch instruments and configurations on the fly.
“It’s a little bit more like putting on a play than putting on a traditional concert,” Berg explains. “Everyone must be waiting in the wings and totally prepared to jump in and change music genres and change bands and change instruments.”
“Basically, we are masochists,” she
7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, $20. Café Du Nord, 2174 Market St., S.F. swedishamericanhall.com