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A funk dub rising out of the primordial stew of noise rock, their music, about 70 percent improvisation, leaves you rocking on your heels.

Their sophomore release Host , a foray into the psychedelic world of ambient happiness, is both catchy and trippy.

Released on Stone Gossard's Loosegroove label, Critters Buggin's jazzy music, replete with both natural and electronic instrumentation, draws from the talent of Skerik on saxophone, Matt Chamberlain on drums and Brad Houser on bass -- both electric and upright. In addition to their regular instruments, all play at least one drum on the album, creating a layered, textured sound that suits all moods.

Chamberlain, formerly of Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians (when he first played with Houser) as well as Pearl Jam, explained that after he moved from Denton, Texas, to Seattle in 1992, he got back together with Houser, and slowly Critters Buggin formed.

"Somehow, Brad and I ended up moving to Seattle, and we started jamming around," Chamberlain said. "Then we met Skerik, and we have been playing since."

Though each member has his own projects, the band stays in close contact. Their last tour, a short, two-week stint down the west coast, was in support of their debut release, Guest .

This latest tour brings them all the way from California to Louisiana by way of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. Their grueling schedule means that they will play 32 shows in a little over five weeks with only four days off.

"It's like 23 hours of work and one hour of fun. Getting to the gig and then setting up is the work. The gig is the fun part," Chamberlain said.

Watching the band set-up and run through sound check at Fitzgerald's before their recent show gave me the impression that these guys care a great deal about music. They have no huge crew to carry or set up their gear for them. Instead, they do it all themselves. And they even seem to like it that way.

Because their music is somewhat inaccessible, the band does not get airplay on major radio stations and goes on unheard by the average listener. Critters Buggin will always play to a small, exclusive audience.

In performance, the small setting did not seem to affect them. Their extreme pageantry forms an experience both visually and aurally. Skerik came on-stage dressed in a cape and mask resembling those of 1970s Mexican wrestlers. In the frenzy of the moment, just before the band begins, you realize you are in for a true show.

"The way we write [music] is improv," Chamberlain explained. "Then we go through the tapes and write stuff off of the tapes that sound like songs. Rehearsals are to figure out the songs that we [already recorded]."

On stage, their style mutates as less and less of the music is pre-formulated or from memory and more of it comes straight from the heart.

Their improvisational style is difficult, yet they managed to pull it off flawlessly, never faltering through their nearly two-hour set. They weaved the songs of Host into an ornate tapestry of melodies that faded and reappeared throughout the set.

Spellbound by the music, you don't even notice the small visual cues -- the nod of the head or momentary eye contact -- signaling a tempo or rhythm change.

This go-for-it free spirit also translates into incredible intensity as Skerik dances madly around the stage, pounds mercilessly on his keyboard and plays his saxophone, which is so distorted that at times it sounds nothing short of a guitar.

The sax is fed through guitar effects which translates its sounds from slight reverb to complete distortion. In Skerik's hands, this often means sudden switches from melodic grooves to intense squeal sessions.

All the while Houser mesmerizes with his mantra-like bass. Chamberlain and John Dillon, also a member of funk gurus Billy Goat, combine talents to lay down a steady beat, which multiplies and dies out as Chamberlain adds electronic percussion or other looped effects to complete the sound.

Dillon joined the trio for the tour to help out on percussion, playing everything from xylophone to timbales.

"We can't play all of the stuff that we recorded. Especially on the new record -- there are a lot of drums," Chamberlain explained. "We are like a marching band on crack."

If you really probe the members for a description of what their music is, you get only vague answers such as barracho (Spanish for "drunk") music.Pressing the trio for a description of their sound means listening to a catalog of their music library and understanding that Critters Buggin works like an artist's collective, drawing influences from everything.

"Look at our record collection, and that is who we follow. A lot of jazz, a lot of funk, a lot of rock, a lot of world music, even soundtrack music," Chamberlain said. "We can start at A and go to Z."

It is rare to find music as moving as that of Critters Buggin. Churning in chaotic circles of beauty, you are at the epicenter, pushed from all sides and loving it. Drifting in a sea of sounds, you realize this music is not only alive, but that these guys are truly buggin'.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the April 11, 1997 issue.