Great Sand Waste band rocks the sand dunes

by Jen Houghton

The Great Sand Waste is a local rock band which, despite gaining a loyal fan base, just wants to focus on staying local and taking pleasure in playing music.

With the Richmond District's own Lew Stringer on guitar and vocals, Mike Dimmel on bass, Andy Thompson on drums, and Alec Silver of Berkeley on the keyboards, the group attracted about 100 fans at their debut CD release party held in early June at the Plough & Stars on Clement Street.

Not only does Great Sand Waste play locally, they practice locally. The group can be found perfecting their funky rock sound twice a week in an old military warehouse in the Presidio, only a few buildings away from where Metallica once practiced.

They also draw their name from the coastal part of the city they hail from.

Great Sand Waste was a term used in the 19th century to describe the Sunset and Richmond districts before it was residential and the area was mainly sand dunes.

"The Great Sand Waste is a historical, mythological place of San Francisco's past. The 'outside lands' was once inhabited by the world's largest grizzly bears, Victorian imperialists, and grave-robbing ghouls were seen as a 'waste,'" said Stringer, who works for the National Park Service.

"We're influenced by the neighborhood. We play here and are inspired by the place," he said.

Stringer and Thompson were classmates at the University of Colorado but ironically didn't play together until they found each other in San Francisco.

"Lew and I played a few songs together," Thompson said. "The clouds opened up and the sun came down and bam! We had a band."

Thompson brought in Dimmel, who was a coworker and the group played as a trio for two-and-a-half years.

"It took a lot of energy for three people to put out the sound," Stinger said.

They began looking for a fourth member and found Silver through Craigslist in November 2007. The three original members now can't imagine playing without him.

Stringer writes the lyrics for the Waste, being inspired by lyrical phrases that pop into his head, combined with what is currently influencing his daily life. Song lyrics are also written when Stringer improvises words during practice and records the ones that feel right.

"The best feeling comes from those spontaneous times," Stringer said.

Nearly half of the band's songs are born out of practice sessions.

"It's all very organic, the way it comes together," Dimmel said.

The Great Sand Waste's first show, before Silver was in the picture, was at Kimo's on Polk Street after six months of playing together.

"It's the classic first-time band spot," Stringer said.

They got a contact, Big Mike, through a coworker.

"Big Mike got us a big show," Thompson said. "He opened up the calendar and there was a spare Saturday, so we nabbed it."

They had 15 songs to play. Some of those original songs can be heard on their recent CD.

The self-titled CD holds 12 tracks with varying tempos, some lyrics being upbeat and others melancholy.

"We have a slightly southern sound, in a rock sense," Thompson said.

The front of the CD case shows an image of a house that's fallen in after some unknown disaster.

"There is an ominous sound throughout the album that lends itself to the disaster theme," Dimmel said.

The album was recorded nearly a year ago at the New, Improved Recording studio in Oakland.

"We were really lucky to get in that studio," Dimmel said.

They recently hit the studio again to record songs for a new album.

The Great Sand Waste is currently seeking a manager who can book shows locally and distribute their CDs.

Without a manager, the band members need to be motivated to book their own shows. The incentive is that whomever books the gig gets to keep all the proceeds.

"We're not doing it for the money," Dimmel said. "We all get a huge rush, a huge kick, out of playing for as many people as possible."

The band's debut CD can be acquired by contacting www.myspace.com/greatsandwaste. Fans can also learn of upcoming shows and when the new CD is due for release.