Psychic Friends Network

But with the release of I Am Spoonben-der’s debut recording, Sender/Receiver, the group unleashed a psychic shock wave that caused a fissure in San Francisco’s musical lineage by combining a myriad of influences stretching the world over, and morphing them into one electronic sound.

Since 1997, Dustin Donaldson (vocals, drums, synthesizers), Robin “Cup” Iwata (vocals, synths), Marc Kate (lights, synths) and Brian Jackson — later replaced by Chad Amory — have fused a heady mixture of synthesizer-driven rock that looks back to a future lifted straight off the pages of a Philip K. Dick novel. Taking their name from Israeli-born psychic Uri Gellar — who used mysterious mind powers to bend cutlery — I Am Spoonbender combines new wave rhythms, distortions and bittersweet vocals, coupled with a visual sense to create an evocative, self-described “Op-art ambiance” (a show strong both visually and aurally) best described as “Op-wave.”

On IAS’s second release, Teletwin, recorded at the group’s own Seismic Séance recording studio, songs like “Clocks Grow Old,” “Frozen Dog Futurist” and a poignant rendition of Berlin’s “The Metro” (re-titled “Where Do Words Go?”) show a much more refined approach to the group’s music without ever bringing a guitar into the mix. Drawing upon influences from such varied acts as Can, Devo and Brian Eno to more contemporary groups such as Coil, Brainiac and Trans Am, IAS weave bits of musique concrete and droning ambiance with spastic, electronic convulsions to forge a mesmerizing, post-modern perplexity.

For its live performances, the group adds a visual dimension to its presence by using telephone receivers as microphones, arranging the instrumentation onstage in unique configurations (e.g., drums are placed off to the side near the front of the stage) and performing around a series of images projected onto a screen, generating a “total” cinematic and musical environment.

“No one ever says, ‘I went to hear this band last night,’” says Donaldson. “They always say, ‘I went to see this band.’ When putting together I Am Spoonbender’s live show, we took this into consideration to create a ‘total environment.’ The goal being a more impactful fusion of eyes, ears, mind and body.”

In addition to his work with IAS, Donaldson has toured as a drummer with guitar luminary Link Wray, played synthesizers with Damo Suzuki and Michael Karoli of Can and has done remix work with Jay Lesser of Matmos on the Locust’s Well I’ll be a Monkey’s Uncle remix EP. When asked if working with such a wide spectrum of influences has had any affect on the group’s synth-driven modus operandi, Donaldson replies, “Only in affirming a dedication to ruthless creativity. Can shaped certain ideas about rhythm and Devo shaped certain ideas about concept, packaging and presenting something totally subjective [in IAS’s music], but I think you can be similar to [your influences] without sounding like them. We know about these groups and have records by them all, but I think we have the same influences as they do: 20th-century composers, Dada, film, psychology, etc.”

Morphing an amalgamation of genres and influences, the spellbinding Spoonbenders continue compressing electronic-rock through synthesizers and a cinematic environment. A new full-length recording is slated for release in the months to come, as well as the European release of Teletwin, and a handful of singles and compilation tracks. But as unexplained sights and sounds from the past, present and future long have plagued the visions of psychic sightseers, the particulars of the group are not easy to predict. Expect the unexpected.

I Am Spoonbender play MJQ Thurs., March 22. Doors open at 11 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, call 404-870-0575.??