Fun Fun Fun

I walked into the Firehouse 12 live room just as the Devron Douglas Quintent was starting to blow. And I mean it. These guys can blow. Nothing cute or weird, just cats with chops, swinging hard and fast. For some reason, the soundstage said it all. Sax and trumpet up front, piano at the back. Bass leaning against the curve of the Steinway concert grand. Drummer on the side facing across. Applause and hollers greeted the end of each solo. First song finished and I said "Damn that was fun."

They mixed it up after that, faster and slower. Bandleader Douglas on bass, introducting each song [Apology, Playground and more]. He was having fun, smiling and head-bobbing it was infectious. but it was that first song that set the tone. Trumpet and sax playing the theme together to begin and end the song. Lummie Spann impressed with every solo. Josh Evans with impossibly long fingers pressing valves impossibly fast. Curtis Torian unleashing waterfalls of sound from his drum kit, waves splashing across the room. David Bryant was perfect on piano, from lighting runs to Tyner-esque block chords. Devron Douglas played repetive drones and blazing fast runs.

Wow.

Worst Band Ever?

I go see bands play. Sometimes I leave a show thinking I didn't like it, then in retrospect it turns out to be the greatest show ever [Cheap Trick circa 1979]. I don't think that will happen with the X Pun X show I saw Wednesday night.

Two guys--dead ringers for Lenny and Squiggy--chanting over looped synth beats. Their big "hits" were Alien Dance Party, which apparently got some local college radio airplay, and Sex Machine, which got their five friends dancing when they played it the second time for an encore. I for one did not need to hear it twice.

When I walked in, i looked at the bartender and said what is this? He just shook his head. The guy next to me called it a nightmare. Maybe I didn't get the joke. I suppose if they had filled the room and everyone was dancing it could have been a good time, but there were only ten people there, and I figured half were for/from the opening act. Yes, Lenny and Squiggy were the headliners! They had an opener! At least there was no cover charge. I couldn't imagine paying for that.