Legendary singer GARY FLOYD is back in the saddle with his new rock band, BLACK KALI MA. This San Francisco based outfit mixes punk, blues, and Southern-tinged arena rock into one no-nonsense package. On their debut LP/CD, You Ride The Pony (I’ll Be The Bunny), BLACK KALI MA capture the power of dual guitars, bass, drums, and Gary’s freight-train vocals, releasing a rabid masterpiece. The band hurls their songs at you in a simple, raw fashion. With Gary belting out an evocative commentary on the state of American society, backed by the hard-driving music, there is no need for adornment. It’s a startling and refreshing release from a group of rock veterans that actually have something to say.

GARY FLOYD first made his presence felt in the seminal Texas punk band, the DICKS. Formed in 1980, DICKS relocated to San Francisco in 1983. The band broke up several years later, and SISTER DOUBLE HAPPINESS arose from the ashes, bridging rock and punk. Gary went on to form THE GARY FLOYD BAND, which took a more classic blues direction. In 1998, Gary teamed up with other established SF Bay Area musicians, many of whom played with him in prior bands, to start BLACK KALI MA. Drummer Bruce Ducheneaux (BOMB, WAYCROSS, THE GARY FLOYD BAND), bassist Ed Ivey (RHYTHM PIGS), and guitarists Matt Margolin (SMOKIN’ RHYTHM PRAWNS), and Danny Roman (SISTER DOUBLE HAPPINESS, THE GARY FLOYD BAND) round out the all-star line-up. They have created a new flavor of rock, incorporating the rootsy sound that characterizes all of Floyd’s work.

BLACK KALI MA borrow their name from the Hindu goddess Kali. This wrathful warrior queen often appears with a winsome smile, wearing a garland of heads, and standing on the dead body of her husband. To those who do not know her well, Kali is a paradox. She can be simultaneously beautiful and seductive, while terrifyingly brutal. Kali’s power to both create through illusion and destroy through love seems incomprehensible; yet to her devotees, she is always faithful. The title and artwork for You Ride The Pony (I’ll Be The Bunny), when juxtaposed with the music, offer an enigma similar to that embodied in Kali. The cover of the album (by Gary Floyd), with its cartoonesque, childish qualities, presents a sharp contrast to the rough, rock power contained within. The duality serves as a reminder of the many opposing forces contained within the human mind.