Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, the Psyatics, Ted Rader's Magic Family at Backstage Bar and Billiards, Sunday June 9, 2019

I haven't seen Kid Congo perform since back in his (second) stint in the Gun Club and I have wanted to see Slim Cessna's Auto Club for years (as people have compared my band, the Swamp Gospel, to them) so of course I jumped at the chance to play with the Psyatics on a show with these two great acts. I would have been there no matter what, but always all that much more fun to play with other super bands.

I was unfamiliar with Ted Rader's Magic Family before this evening and while they were a tad incongruous on the bill, I really loved their Hawkwind/heavy Pink Floyd-ian sounds. Although just a three piece, they put out a massive amount of sound with a terrific rhythm section providing driving rhythms behind a 12-string guitar through multiple effects with some added help of a synthesizer here'n'there. Even the vocals were treated with effects, but it all worked within the confines of the songs. I will definitely keep an eye out for more shows from this trio!

The Psyatics came on second and we were augmented by local sax-master Gene Howley for our first three songs - he has made appearances on Psyatics' albums and has sat in live now'n'again and he is always a great addition to the squawkin' sound. Besides the usual numbers from the various records, we also threw in a new original and our first performance of our cover of the Scientists' "When Fate Deals Its Mortal Blow". Fun set!

(as usual, thanks Nikki Ruffling for the pix!)

Slim Cessna's Auto club was a true tour de force - with 6-string bass and terrific drums backing a fine (female) steel guitar/keyboardist, a double-neck-guitarist (baritone and "regular", with a Virgin Mary icon on the pick guard)/banjoist and two singers, one of whom also played banjo! The sound was amazing, with plenty of effects running through the instruments, but again, with just the right touch - never to the point of overpowering the songs. Seeing a steel guitarist play with a bow was a treat, as was the banjo player using controlled feedback and playing slide. The two singers - Cessna and the oddly named Munly Munly - were incredibly animated throughout - never stopping, always interacting with each other and with the audience - jumping into the crowd to pray with the anointed or give their blessing or just wallow in the insanity or dance in the Holy Spirit. Really a fantastic show and more than a little crazed! I love it when a band teeters on the edge and these cats do it exceedingly well. I hope they don't wait another ten years before returning!

Kid Congo Powers is truly a living legend, having played with the Gun Club, the Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, as well as several of his own projects, including, of course, his latest, the Pink Monkey Birds (named after a David Bowie song, natch). Here, he fronts the band, playing guitar and singing lead, with an incredible guitarist (throwing in tasty licks on his classic Mosrite) and another fab rhythm section. It turns out that Kid is a fantastic and captivating frontman and with a powerhouse trio behind him, he can put on a real performance, emoting'n'gesticulating as well as adding his own unique guitar work - including wild slide squeals and hip feedback - along with some minimalistic electronic theremin-ish sounds - sometimes while still playing guitar! His sound is pretty darn individualistic, as well, mixing 60's garage'n'soul, soundtrack music (particularly David Lynch-ian shows), horror movies, kitsch, blues, 50's rock'n'roll and way more. The band did their Dracula Boots album in its entirety, along with a number of other tunes, including "New Kind of Kick" (a song'n'performance that Kid rightfully is quite proud of) and the Gun Club's "For the Love of Ivy" and "Sex Beat", with Kid on slide, of course, and the bassist picking up a 6 string bass for extra coloring. Kid's theatrics came out even more at the end of the set as he donned a sparkling cape for the finale, playing guitar and theremin/synth.

Brian Moy's Dirty Rock'n'Roll Dance Party really outdid himself on this line-up - fun from start to finish with two extraordinary co-headliners! There are some phenomenal acts coming to Vegas this year (surprisingly!) but this show will be a hard one to meet or surpass. See this tour if you can!