A Weird Evening
With Weird Wives, Nick Klein, Dead Slow, Keith Karch, and Yahtzee Guy
Snooze Theatre, Lake Park
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Better than: Just reading another article about new captivating music. Thanks to Surfer Blood/Weird Wives guitarist Thomas Fekete, if you go to his solo music BandPage, you can read this article and listen to new, captivating music at the same time!
You know that feeling you had as an angst-ridden teen of withdrawing into your bedroom, closing the door, and finally being able to feel the freedom of playing your own music as loudly as you wanted? Last night in Lake Park, the Snooze Theatre hosted an opportunity to peek in on such an array of "bedroom time" experimentation with a "Weird Evening" featuring members of the Weird Wives, the experimental West Palm Beach troupe.
Too progressive to be coined "living room sessions," the show was more like what you'd see when band members individually have a chance to close the door and play whatever their voices tell them to. By last night's showcase, it seems as if they've each discovered that connection to their unique voice, then decidedly put it on a loop track. Or at least, that seemed to be an obvious theme connecting their solo efforts as a whole.
Guided by loop tracks, keyboards, guitars, and voices, it's amazing to hear how each used said ingredients and, like a master chef, served a buffet of sound in such varied and flavorful proportion.
Weird Wives' lead singer, Nick Klein, and bassist, Brian Black, began the journey unannounced, helping transition from the reggae music wafting out of the Snooze house speakers and into an electronic audible transportation station that everyone was free to travel on -- imaginatively speaking, of course. In actuality, it cost five bucks at the door.
The first song came to a length of silence that had attendees wondering if they should clap to acknowledge the end of the song or stand quietly and wait in case there was more. Just as a few people began to clap, the answer was revealed that the silence was indeed a chance to explore the reverberating space between the raucous drones of digitally infinite walls of sound.
The "Weird Evening" continued as Fekete prepared for his solo set. It was difficult not to notice his colorful guitar that was the talk of the room. What's weird is traveling the world as Fekete has with Surfer Blood only to find a new favorite personal possession so close to home. Fekete told us this was the case about discovering his new neon Ibanez guitar in Stuart earlier in the day. The guitar even has a handle for ease of transport after the supernatural string-thrashing performance is finished.
Weird Wives drummer/keyboardist Marcos Marchesani performed "Dead Slow" solo material featuring mostly his expression of the keyboard and looped tracks. When he switched to a guitar for one song, he prefaced it by saying, "This is something dorky I wrote." I don't know that anyone would ever use that summation with Marchesani's efforts. He's got too stylish a head of hair for that.
With the noise-ordinance cut-off time of midnight fast approaching, it was time for the culmination of individuals to ban together as Weird Wives. Klein's always unpredictable nature didn't disappoint during his performance on Tuesday at the Snooze. Klein stepped up to the mic and requested the audience to raise a glass to "The Church of Chill." The congregation of mostly sneaker and pin-stripe-hugged sweater wearers obliged, while the indie-kid holy water, PBR, flowed freely.
Black and Klein played the set almost in its entirety with backs away from the audience, as if worshiping the single light that emanated a yellow gel glow over the kick drum. The seemingly devotional experience Klein displayed was highlighted by his waving arms in the air with shaking hands as if exorcizing all bad vibes from the room with priestly ardent fervor.
Despite Marchesani's comment of "Fuck. You guys, it's midnight," the crowd in full spirits expected more. With one last effort, the full Weird Wives outfit played in celebration of an evening of weirdness. This in the end is only as weird as your voice of objectivity.
To test this theory, we'd like for you to check out this video of Nick Klein and weigh in with your opinion. Is this weird? Comments appreciated:
Personal bias: This is truly What's Weird?
Random inquiry of the night: Guy: "Can you zoom in with that camera? Can you see if those are colored pencils in the ceiling?" They were not.
Overheard: "Play a fast one..." audience member jokingly heckling Marcos' already furiously paced drumming. "Fuck you" was Marchesani's quick reply.
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