RENO – Those looking for a departure from the dinner and movie dates, romantic comedies and other traditional Valentine’s Day activities can head to the Grand Sierra Resort casino to watch a musical performance by Sound Tribe Sector 9 on Sunday.

Also known as STS9, the quintet is recognized for its live performances, often incorporating long jam sessions and instrumental improvisation. STS9 borrows sounds from a handful of musical genres, including funk, jazz, psychedelic rock and hip-hop. A recent article in SF Weekly by Tomas Palermo says STS9 can’t seem to shake the “jam band” label with the “dreaded hair, patchouli, hemp clothing, and smelly baggage” of the fans, but has a sound closer to Radiohead or Chemical Brothers.

"At this point, it's like, 'Call us what you will,' " STS9 bassist David Murphy told SF Weekly. "We've got people coming to our shows, we're selling records, we're here to stay."

STS9 has released five studio albums and one remixed album on its own label, 1320 Records. Along with its album releases, the group has also done extensive touring, performing in both small clubs and large music festivals including Bonaroo in Tennessee and Coachella in California.

STS9 was formed in Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1990s, but relocated to Santa Cruz, Calif. in late 2000. The band's name has changed over time. It was originally called Sector 9, but due to copyright conflicts with a pre-existing longboard company of the same name, it was changed to Sound Tribe Sector 9 and eventually shortened to STS9. Sector 9 also refers to the current era on the Mayan calendar and the group often incorporates Mayan cultural elements in its performances.

Many of its songs have digital elements and vocal samples, but for the most part the group is purely instrumental since the vocals are usually limited to a few lines within one section of a song.

Without any one decipherable melody, songs like “Oil and Water” showcase the band’s unique electronica style. It begins with a series of simple discordant sounds, but quickly becomes much more complex with a slew of different digital sounds, punctuated by a steady drum beat. 

“Oil and Water” is off of the band’s newest album, “Ad Explorata,” which was released in the fall of 2009. With a similar sound to “Oil and Water,” “Phoneme” was the second single released.  Like “Oil and Water,” “Phoneme” incorporates several different melodies to create one sound.  Each section of the song, which runs just under eight minutes, blends seamlessly into the next. 

The music from STS9’s most recent album features a lot more electronic influences than previous albums. The songs of “Interplanetary Space Vehicle,” released in 1999, have a more reggae feel. The song “Wika Chikana” begins with a syncopated bass line reminiscent of The Wailers. Similar to other STS9 songs, “Wika Chikana” does not fit in any one category. “Wiki Chikana,” which is entirely instrumental, features a lengthy organ solo, later joined by sounds of the electric guitar and drums.

STS9 is also known for its work with nonprofit organizations. Sometimes, they partner with organizations while on tour to raise money.  According to the group’s Web site, the group has partnered with Conscious Alliance in the past to bring food drives to concerts on their tour.  Audience members who brought canned goods received a limited edition poster.  In 2009, they put on a concert and raised $20,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims. 

Tickets for the Reno show are $27.50 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.  The show begins at 8 p.m.  For more information, visit www.grandsierraresort.com. 

For more on the band, visit www.sts9.com.