Sometimes you have a moment that just makes something click. I've talked quite a bit here about the fact that the first post on this blog was a review of the Titus Andronicus / Screaming Females / Diarrhea Planet show at The Stone Pony back in March of 2012. That was a great night, and I love all of those bands.
Then, about a month later, CoolDaughter #1 and I went to see Bruce Springsteen at The Izod Center. We won the lottery and got spots right up against the stage. She grabbed Bruce's boots and sang into his mic. I even got a little choked up at being so close to one of my heroes -- so close that I got to help hoist him back up onto the stage as he surfed back from the rear of the crowd. It's an experience that I will never forget.
But, if I'm being honest, the moment that really set me on the path to what I've been doing here for the last two-plus years was when that can of PBR landed on my head at the last King Khan and The Shrines show at Asbury Lanes. I can't remember the last time I'd been to the Lanes before that; but, at that second, as a half-full can of beer bounced off the top of my head, something happened. I realized that there is an amazing world of music happening right in our own backyard -- both touring acts and excellent local bands. As King Khan made his way through the crowd and the lights came up that night, the sweat poured off of me; my head ached a little; and I rode a high like nothing I'd experienced in a very long time.
That's what I was thinking about as I walked into Asbury Lanes last night to see King Khan and His Sensational Shrines once again. There was the great local band, The Von Mons. Like King Khan and his tourmates Red Mass, The Von Mons play pure garage rock and roll. They decked the stage with kitschy props and had the crowd moving, even in the pre-summer, non-air conditioned Lanes.
Montreal's Red Mass, a musical collective led by Roy "Choyce" Vucino that cites as many as 60 contributors, performed as a quartet last night. They dripped sweat along with much of the crowd throughout their set. The band's bass player eventually removed his shirt, revealing a pair of f-hole tattoos designed to make him look like a cello or, more likely, a hollow-body guitar.
The Shrines took the stage and vamped as guitarist, Mr. Speedfinger, called out an introduction for the King. It was an impostor that took the stage first and did an amiable job on the first verse or so of the opening song. The real King Khan eventually took his place and launched into a set of psychedelic soul that sent the crowd at the front of the stage into convulsions of dancing and gyrating.
Over the course of the 90-minute set, keyboardist, Fredovitch, hoisted his instrument above his head several times. Band members climbed down from the stage and moved among the crowd, shaking tambourines, blowing a sax. Khan talked of sex, drugs, and childhood run-ins with the law. We screamed; we got down on our knees; we exploded off the floor.
For the encore, Khan emerged in purple spangled shorts, a wig, and a cape. A trio of masked accomplices joined him -- a rat, a goat, and a donkey. Fredovitch stripped down to a pair of bright red briefs on stage. Khan dangled his mic over the crowd like a fishing line. And then it was done.
We filed out into the night; and the cool air, smelling of the ocean, felt wonderful. I was smiling, riding that same high again. It's different for different people. Some people love jazz or hip hop or country or folk or opera or classical music. For me, it's a communal rock show like last night at the Lanes.
It's been a little bit less than two years since King Khan nailed my noggin with that PBR. Before that, I probably hadn't thought much about Asbury Lanes. I've been to A LOT of shows since then -- all over Asbury, Manhattan, Brooklyn, LA, Albuquerque. Last night, though, I sat on the steps of Asbury Lanes before the show started and snapped a picture of the cracked bowling pin sign that hangs outside for the CoolDad Music Instagram. I captioned it, "Home away from home?"
Here are some pics of King Khan and His Sensational Shrines. There are more up at Flickr, and watch this space for pics of the other bands.
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