Air For Ants, aka Dominic Sahagun, has lived in some dynamic locales. He was raised in San Francisco, spent four years in Boston, then found his current sweet spot in New York City.
He has a solid gig there, playing every Wednesday at the venue Bite in Manhattan, which draws regular fans.
The momentum behind his diverse 2015 release, We Think It Was Raised By Wolves, was the end of a long-term relationship that unraveled as New York’s feeling of urgent movement provided a stressful backdrop.
The title track begins with minimalistic, electronic instrumentals, then takes a hard left at the chorus into gospel-inspired arrangements and heavy guitar. Sahagun’s often-echoing falsetto is reminiscent of Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke.
More Radiohead comparisons present themselves on the track “Why Did You Hit Me So Hard.” A midi keyboard keeps a constant electronic beat beneath an addictive rock melody on guitar, drums and bass.
“Small Talk” thrives on a funky, bass-driven beat, which seems unexpected until Sahagun shares that his influences include Al Green and Ray Charles. He sometimes begins sets by covering songs by both artists.
“Small Talk” laments a dissolving relationship: “Funny how people change/ when they give up/ people get colder.”
“Whenever I write a song, it’s about a person,” Sahagun says.
He is currently mixing Air For Ants’ next album, Once Again With Feeling, which will be released later this year.
“The songs are going to be more pop, shorter and tighter,” he explains. “It happened naturally, because while We Think It Was Raised by Wolves was about a long relationship, Once Again With Feelingis about shorter relationships.”
Air For Ants is stopping at East Village in Monterey as part of a West Coast tour, and Sahagun says he is happy to be visiting his home state, noting it feels different than the bustle of New York.
“As soon as I land at SFO, I chill out,” he says.
AIR FOR ANTS 7pm Friday, Aug. 4. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5. 373-5601, eastvillagecoffeelounge.com
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