Those who have never experienced the pure joy of seeing a band in a small club before it breaks big may be running out of time to see rising garage/psych rocker Ty Segall at smaller local venues.

Segall first entered SF’s music scene a few years ago with the lo-fi surf garage band the Traditional Fools, who would’ve fit in perfectly on a bill with local heroes the Mummies and Supercharger, but came a decade too late. Segall then broke out on his own, literally, playing out as a one-man band like the underground legends Hasil Adkins (RIP) and King Louie (still with us) while also taking over drummer duties for noisy glam rockers Sic Alps.

Though he had already collected major accolades with his earlier albums Horn the Unicorn and his 2009 Goner Records debut Lemons (not to mention a prolific stream of now out-of-print singles for a variety of labels), it was his second Goner effort Melted that served as the introduction for his growing base of fans worldwide. On that effort, Segall turned down the levels on his lo-fi garage-punk influences while keeping the aesthetics, producing a collection of that songs that sound both modern but would fit right on the classic Nuggets compilation. Though songs like "Finger," "Sad Fuzz," and "Bees" might nod heavily to Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, and "Casear" and "Imaginary Person" at times tap into an admiration for the late Jay Reatard, the entire album sounds genuine and original. Melted is Segall in full force: loud, trippy and catchy as hell.

Segall has remained steady in his output since that album, issuing more singles, an EP of T-Rex covers and moving over to established indie label titan Drag City to release last year's Goodbye Bread, a collection that dialed back the garage-punk energy for his quietest, most pop-minded effort yet. Live, Segall remains a force of nature, conjuring a massive sound from his guitar with powerful backing from drummer Emily Rose Epstein, bassist Mikal Cronin (a longtime Segall collaborator who made noise of his own with his self-titled debut for Trouble In Mind Records last year) and second guitarist Charlie Moonheart. Goner also compiled many of Segall's 7-inch hits and rarities for Singles: 2007-2010, giving fans an overview of his crash-and-burn punk oeuvre.

This past year proved another busy one for the prolific songwriter, as the artist issued a total of three full-length efforts: a collaborative album with White Fence (aka songwriter Tim Presley) entitled Hair; Slaughterhouse, a recording with his current live band for In the Red Records; and Twins, his latest proper solo release on Drag City Records that ended up on numerous year-ending "best of" lists. Segall claimed in a recent interview that he planned to reduce his output in 2013 to a single album, but since then word has already surfaced of yet another band -- called Fuzz with guitarist Moonheart -- with an album release planned for this year. He plays a solo set at this benefit concert raising funds to help complete the short film Stepsister with frequent collaborator Mike Donovan (Sic Alps) also delivering a solo set.

Ty Segall
Saturday, April 20, 8 p.m. $15
The Chapel