Show Preview: Baked, Lost Boy ?, UNI at The Saint TOMORROW, 5/2

Baked at Austin's Velveeta Room

Get to the Gig

One of the things I'm pretty bad at is using this site to tell you about shows that CoolDad Music is presenting. Sure, I will happily spam your Instagram and Facebook feeds in the days leading up to an event; but, for some reason, I tend not to devote much blog space to that over and above the weekly listings. Maybe I'm just lazy and it's quicker to share an event or a photo. Either way, sometimes there's a mid-week show that I just really want you all to check out. And that's the case with tomorrow night's show that Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music are bringing you at The Saint featuring Baked and Lost Boy ? -- both from Brooklyn -- along with Manhattan's UNI.

I joke that I'm "not a promoter," which is kind of silly given the number of shows that get the "CoolDad Music Presents" stamp; but I, honestly, am not into booking shows as any kind of business venture. I just want to introduce you to bands I like by having them play really close to my house. It's that simple.

So...

Baked are kicking off their very long North American tour in Asbury Park tomorrow night. They're going on the road in support of their sophomore LP, Farnham, which is an enthralling combination of shoegaze, country, and straight-ahead rock and roll. I'm pretty sure the last time that Baked played Asbury Park was when they opened for Titus Andronicus (for whom Baked's R.J. Gordon plays bass) back in 2014.

Here's an interview I did with the band down at SXSW in March.



And here's a video for their song, "Stay," which has been kind of an obsession of mine since before Farnham came out.



Our good friend, Davey Jones, has been a member of Baked in the past (along with many other of our favorite bands around here like Titus Andronicus, The So So Glos, and Bueno). His main gig, though, is Lost Boy ? Lost Boy ?'s Goose Wazoo came out on Little Dickman Records at the end of last summer; and it's a quirky, left-of-center, and masterful collection of garage pop songs loosely centered around the blob-faced detective of the title. Davey performs solo on Tuesday, and it's rumored we'll get to hear some new material.

Davey Jones of Lost Boy ? at The Carousel

Here's "Born 2 Lose" from Gooze Wazoo.



Finally, UNI is the latest project of Charlotte Kemp Muhl, one half of psych rock act The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger. Muhl's collaborator on GOASTT is her partner, Sean Lennon. UNI, though, is something totally new; and, based on what I've heard so far, I'm excited to see them in this very early performance. You'll be hearing more about them after this one, I'm sure.

Uni by Nathan West

So there's your little preview. This is a show that I'd love for you to catch. No excuses about its being a school night or anything. Come out. Grab a stool. Have a root beer, and enjoy some great and interesting bands that don't come through Asbury Park very often.

You can RSVP right here. Doors are at 7:30pm and a paltry $5 gets you inside.

Primus Played Stone Pony Summer Stage w/ Dinosaur Jr. and The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, 7/24/15

Freak Scene

Just a few words on last night's Summer Stage show.

I am a huge Dinosaur Jr. fan, so going to this one was a no-brainer for me. CoolMom and I dropped the kids off at their summer camp for a perfectly-timed evening eat, swim, hang event. It only lasted until 9, though, which meant that CoolMom would have to leave me right after Dinosaur Jr.'s set. Having her there with me for their part of the evening was great as Dinosaur Jr. are one of the bands we bonded over early in our relationship.

Sean Lennon's and Charlotte Kemp Muhl's The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger opened with a short set. Psychedelic and weird, I really enjoyed them. They used an interesting code for the songs on the setlist.

I saw Dinosaur Jr. mastermind, J Mascis, lurking in the wings, and my pulse quickened. Dinosaur Jr. took the stage at about 7:30 and let out a roar of sound that had some unprepared folks up front -- CoolMom included -- sticking their fingers in their ears. During their 45 minutes, the band hit lots of high points including "The Wagon," "Start Choppin," "Out There," "Pieces," "Feel The Pain," and "Freak Scene." J's vocals got a little lost in the mix, at least from our spot up front; but his guitar sounded fantastic.

At the end of their set, CoolMom had to bolt to pick up the kids. I got a text from her a few minutes later telling me she had no car keys, and I had to give up my primo front and center spot to feed them to her through the fence. Once over there, a friend asked me, "Hey, are Dinosaur Jr. always that insanely loud?"

"Yeah," I said. "Awesome, right?"

I couldn't face fighting my way back up front for Primus, so I watched their set from afar as I walked around the venue. I found some friends and we ended up having a great time. The Primus fans in the audience told me that the set was one of the band's best; and, as far as I was concerned, the visuals and the musicianship were all there.

The high from seeing my favorite band with CoolMom on such a beautiful night carried me all the way through the set from Primus and, pretty much, until I fell asleep.

I took lots of pictures of the first two sets and got a few far away shots of Primus. Check them out below. See more at Flickr.



Addendum: True Primus Fan, Kenny Geiger of The Uncommonly Good and GPP Gives Us His Take on the Set by Primus.

Since 2010, I have seen Primus at least once a year. With this trip to The Stone Pony last Friday, I was officially seeing Les and the Gang for the 6th time. By now, I had a very good idea of what to expect with the stage show, songs, etc.

That was my mentality for a good chunk of the set, as the band managed to move into concert staples, such as the thunderous opener that was "Here Come the Bastards," and their magnum opus "Frizzle Fry," with ease.

However, I could feel an entirely different vibe from the band this time. They seemed to be feeding off the crowd energy as they ferociously attacked one song after another. I had a feeling something big was coming. The feeling only intensified when Les busted out the upright bass.

After playing the hit "Jilly's On Smack" from the Green Naugahyde album, the trio made their way into a cover of the Oompa Loompa theme song, giving it the perfect dosage of the signature primus wackiness. The song that came next, though, is where I was floored. They actually busted out the 1994 Pork Soda cut "Mr. Krinkle."

Now, for every other time I had seen Primus, I always hoped they would bust out a gem. "Mr. Krinkle" always topped that list of gems. When I heard Les Claypool play that opening riff on the upright bass, I felt as if I had transcended. My friends nearby said they had never seen me that way. One friend claims my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I cannot be so sure, as I was too focused on hearing one of my all time favorite Primus songs for the first time live.

The rest of the set was just even more icing on the already satisfying cake. I especially enjoyed the little nod they gave to The Good the Bad and the Ugly by playing the theme before doing "American Life." Only those guys could think to pay homage to such a film.

Many have said this is the best set they heard from Primus. Those people are like myself: The kind of folk that have turned seeing Primus from a concert to a family tradition of sorts. My dad and I do it every tour they have. So I can surely back up those folks by saying that last Friday’s was the best set I have seen Primus put on in my life.