Fuzzy Shrapnel and Heylady Funk Out Arlene's

This past Friday I played a gig with Julian and Andrew Beale's love child (ew!) Fuzzy Shrapnel. If you haven't seen Fuzzy Shrapnel, it is a spectacle worth experiencing. FS's songs are slightly disorganized - 2 of their 7 song set being little more than introductions to other songs - however the energy that the Beale brothers bring to the stage serves to raise event the most solemn spirits. The spontaneity of Julian's vocals combined with Andrew's keyboard antics - one song contained a keyboard distortion solo which had Andrew lifting his keyboard off its stand - keep your eyes glued while Ross, drums, and I, bass, were holding it down tight in the back. Krauss, guitar, even has his moments when he smiles ear to ear at the audience as if they've handed him a wad of 100s. Fuzzy Shrapnel is a riot; but don't take my word for it, I do play with the band after all. Come see for yourself.

Before Fuzzy Shrapnel was a band that I had never heard of called Heylady (one word). Heylady played a funky soulful set that had me bouncing around like a school boy on a snow day. Frontwoman, Nina Zeltlin, sang out melodies with her "earthy, soulful" voice, backed by vocals from Micah Shapiro, who also accompanied the rhythm section with a set of cowbells and bongos. Nina and Micah represent an impressive vocal duo, especially when belting out Talking Heads favorite Burning Down the House. Dave Cohen on the keys covered an important element of the funk sound with his excellent keywork aided by the always fresh sounds of a Nord. Guitarist, Josh Green, provided another layer of support with his fantastic guitar work and tone, supplementing the music with an occasional, and effective guitar solo.

The backbone was the pinnacle of the show. Drummer, Daniel Gould, and bassist, Jesse Andrews, were so f-ing tight I didn't know whether to dance or worship. Jesse's bass sound stayed fantastic as he ripped out appropriately complex rhythms and melodies. Daniel kept it simple for most of the show. However, his skill did not go unnoticed as an occasional flick of the wrist would fruitfully result in a flurry of snare, tom and cymbal hits that perfectly prepared the listener for the next section of the tune. All the while, the two where dancing, in Daniel's case as much as the set would allow, and singing along bringing the whole band together visually as well as audibly.

Heylady is playing Crash Mansion, 21+, on February 5 at 9 pm. I will definitely be there so come introduce yourself and dance with me. See you there.