After each song there was a little banter
between band members, usually between Derek
Kramer and Robbie Conaway,
who share lead vocal duties on different songs a la Steven Page
and Ed Roberts of the Barenaked Ladies.
More importantly, they also share much of the stage presence that tends
to be the highlight of Barenaked Ladies concerts. On stage the entire
band appears to jell with the intent to have fun with the music coming
in secondary.
A prime example is when Robbie (who also goes by "Reverend
C. Cobb") announced that they aren’t going off a play
list and he felt like annoying his band mates by doing a song they had
not played in a long time (it should be noted here that Robbie’s
shirt did, in fact, have the word “asshole” written across
the chest). Bass guitarist Matt Longbons was the final
member of the group to remember how their song "CHiPs"
(yep, about ponch and Jon) started, but in the end it was Robbie who couldn’t
remember the lyrics to the second verse and needed occasional prompting
through the rest of the song.
Reading this, it might sound like it’s easy to be
critical of the relaxed nature of the performance, but it only made the
whole experience that much more entertaining. The lighthearted mood of
the night was set with the comics and restated from the moment the Ghettobillies
took the stage, sharing laughs with the audience through their two quality
sets.
Between musical gigs Robbie and Derek could likely perform
an acoustic show in comedy clubs.
On stage, singers Robbie and Derek are absolute opposites of REM
front man Michael Stipe.
Stipe walks on stage to sold out arenas containing thousands of people
who paid $20 to $250 per ticket to see them play, and most of the time
it’s hard to tell if Stipe is awake throughout the performance.
However, the front men (and the entire band for that matter) of the Ghettobillies
this Tuesday night hit the stage in a small bar with an audience that
was primarily made up of comics who were just on stage themselves, and
they played hard for well over an hour. True, the night was probably little
more than a public practice session, but Mahoney’s drumstick twirling,
and the few choreographed moves were a fun accent to a performance that
didn’t miss a note.
It’s very easy to get lost in the fun lyrics, humorous stories,
and the rapport the band builds with the audience. What was as surprising
as the lyrics to their “Facts of Life” (which
they opened the show with the following Tuesday) remake was how strong
each member of the Ghettobillies was musically and how polished their
songs actually are.
It was like a light bulb popping on with the revelation, ‘there’s
more to these guys than presentation. They’re actually good too.’
As tends to be the case, the lead singers are by far the brightest stars
on the stage and other band members tend to get left in the shadows. What
bass player Longbons lacks on stage presence, he more than makes up for
with ability. He could likely keep up with the greatest funk bass
players. A song featuring an extended bass solo is in order. |
Click on the CD Baby logo (left) to hear audio streams of "Supersonic,"
"Mayday," "Light As Air" and "Autopilot"
from the album Cockpit.
left to right: PopeD. Lucious &
Rev. Cobb (pictures taken during a different show than
the one mentioned in the article).
