Jersey City's WFMU-FM has a concert space known as Monty Hall, also in Jersey City. It has a decent-sized stage, carpeted floor, fairly good acoustics and two gentleman selling beer cans (Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn Lager, etc) out of two coolers behind a small table. It has a welcoming, relaxed and funky vibe.
Brooklyn, NY's Big Huge started the night off and I was surprisingly captivated by the bands natural cohesion and the lead singer's easy confidence. Since they arrived late, they only played a few songs. All of which were pretty great.
Next up was Power Pop legend and ex-member of The Nerves, Paul Collins, with a new version of The Beat. His band sounded great and Collins himself also sounded like he wouldn't know how to phone it in if he tried. He was enthusiastic and had an easy rapport with the audience. He performed "Rock N Roll Girl", "The Kids Are The Same", "Walking Out On Love" and "Working Too Hard" - all Power Pop classic standards, written by the man himself. He also belted out a version "When You Find Out" from his days with The Nerves. If you have the opportunity to see the good man in person, by all means do.
I spent the majority of Dirty Fences' set talking to my friend Susan in the back of the venue. The band had a fairly generic, hard-rock sound informed by mid-late 1990's MOR guitar rock.
I've seen The Fleshtones at least a dozen-times since 2001. The band is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. And if their performance at Monty Hall is any indication - they're nowhere near retirement. The band, with their easy showmanship and stage moves and who are all in their fifties, put bands in their twenties to shame.
Count Peter Zaremba - who also has a program on Little Steven's Underground Garage - came on stage in a cape, played Farfisa Organ, blew harp and sang like a virtual garage rock legend. Bassist Ken Fox and guitarist Keith Streng's synchronized moves recalled Paul Revere And the Raiders. And drummer Bill Milhizer was as reliable and rock steady as always. The biggest surprise of the night was the return of sometime Fleshtones saxophone player Steve Greenfield(!).
The Fleshtones are a band that sound even more ultra-stupendous with a saxophone. A portion of their brand of freak-beat garage-rock basically demands it. Greenfield played on "I Was A Teenage Zombie" and "Theme From The Vindicators". The band played such latter-day classics as "Bigger And Better", "Feels Good To Feel" and "Let's Go". They encored with the classic single "Shadow Line" and "My Kinda Lovin'". They were phenomenally tight this evening. Great show. Also, I hung out withYo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan and author of Sweat! The Story Of The Fleshtones, America's Garage Band biography author, Joe Bonomo. All in all, an awesome night.
You must go to a Fleshtones show to truly experience The Fleshones.
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