Photo Gallery: Preening / Dead Dads Club / Zarin Micheal / Dog Gamm!t at The Snake Tank

Preening

This past Friday, a modest crowd -- its potential size impacted by an attractive gig in St. Louis -- gathered at The Snake Tank for a highly eclectic evening of music. Oakland no-wave punks Preening were in and out in just 15 minutes, but in that time, they stuffed more off-kilter grooves and sax riffing than most dare. If you were to shake down an Oakland rocker and ask them what their idea of punk sounds like, they'd likely throw a Preening 7-inch at you and run off with their studded jacket flapping in the wind.

Alice Ryan ended the evening with a solo Dead Dads Club set, a break from her recent string of full band outings. Her short and giggly performance may have bewildered new eyes, but those in on her jokes -- some of which were aimed at your humble music blogger -- were having a ball.

Kansas City rapper Zarin Micheal preceded Ryan with a set that tackled old favorites like his Gee Watts collaboration "Autograph" and ended with all three songs from his latest EP, "Power." Zarin began his set donning a ski mask, staring down the basement's crowd, but in 20 short minutes had ditched the mask to drop emotional rhymes about his close bond to his mother as he gripped the mic stand. It may also have been the first hip-hop performance to take place in the Tank.

The evening's opening set came courtesy of one of the city's newest punk bands, Dog Gamm!t. Fronted by Kimberly Igla and backed by members of the Liquid Swords/Anti-Seed camp, the band offered an unruly and fundamental-driven take on the classic Midwest hardcore punk sound.

Full photo gallery here.