You will not find many kind words in big-time music mags about Cardiacs. Since its founding in 1979, this British prog-punk outfit has built a feverish, cult-like fanbase while provoking revile and scorn from most critics (and some listeners as well). The band's fearless blend of punk angst and prog complication — shifting time signatures, varied tempos, and crazy-tight dynamics — seems to break a lot of conceptions about genre, and that's partly why it's interesting — and maybe why it's hated. (Its adventurous sound is also why the band has been cited as an influence by Radiohead, Blur, and Faith No More.)
Despite their relative obscurity and polarizing music, Cardiacs have built a long-lasting career, releasing records through their own quasi-corporation (The Alphabet Business Concern) to this day. That is, until recently: Cardiacs singer Tim Smith, whose blaring (some have said “fucking awful”) vocal style is a signature element of the Cardiacs sound — and who writes a great deal of the music — suffered a major stroke in 2008. Since then, he has been paralyzed, and is unable able to work on new Cardiacs music. On Sunday, a bunch of creatively minded Bay Area musicians are gathering at Cafe Du Nord to perform songs by the Cardiacs in a benefit show for Smith.
