Improvised rock music that doesn't adhere to any rules or normal rock music expectations (beyond whatever the musicians themselves feel like making at that moment) can be experienced tomorrow night (Friday, March 12th) firsthand at the Idiomatic Improv Rock night at 21 Grand in Oakland, CA. Shudder, Lost Planet, and The Ava Mendoza Quartet are all playing live in an all ages, affordable night of entertainment.

The opening act Shudder, who is substituting for rock band PG13, is described as "less idiomatic" than the other two bands, but most intriguing, nonetheless, with a lineup that includes the two reed players Phillip Greenlief and Kyle Bruckmann, guest guitarist John Shiurba, and electronic instrumentation by Lance Grabmiller. They are expected to start playing sometime shortly after the 8pm showtime.

At 9pm Lost Planet, who "improvises compositions using a vocabulary of idioms," will take to the stage. Their line-up includes (Amoeba) Marc Weinstein on drums, David Slusser on sax, keys & electronics, Len Paterson and Steve Clarke on guitars, and all four artists sharing bass duties. Lost Planets' members have been playing together for 27 years now under various names. In the early 1990's they achieved brief notoriety as Pluto, with the 1994 CD Shoehorse Emerging (Rastascan).

The Ava Mendoza Quartet, who will go onstage at approximately 10pm, close the night of idiomatic improv rock with a line-up that includes guitarist Ava Mendoza, drummer Vijay Anderson, alto sax player Sheldon Brown, and Lisa Mezzacappa on acoustic bass.

Idiomatic Improv Rock happens Friday, March 12th at 8pm at 21 Grand at 416 25th St (near Broadway) in Oakland near the 19th Street BART station. All ages show. Admission is on a sliding scale.