A Jazz-Funk Firestorm

Through a confluence of fortuitous circumstances and fate itself, Oakland natives Ryan Schaeffer, Isaac Schwartz and Ian McArdle banded together, combining their musical wizardry and devilish good looks, to form High Standards. Their unique sound – a nonstop jazz-driven, funk-fueled party, tinged with R&B, and mixed with notes of Hip-Hop, Blues and Pop – is a clear reflection of their diverse influences, which include but are not limited to taco trucks, Soul Live, and baseball, as well as the rich culture of the area in which they were raised.

High Standards draws from a constellation of different songs and genres, seamlessly blending the new with the old, the classics with the club bangers. They play, for example, the rich, timeless sounds of an old jazz standard, only to be followed by something fun with the Jell-O-booty-jiggling vibes of a modern hit from someone like Nelly or Outkast. This wild, unorthodox, and ostensibly reckless combination of genres is what makes High Standards so fresh, devastating, like a flamingo savagely consumed by lava from an exploding volcano.

Stookeys Blue Room is a super intimate art deco lounge, and you’ll need reservations in advance.

Get tickets on Stookeys site.