|
Doc's
Kids CD release Party - Betsey's Back Porch 11/15/02 Sometimes I'm surprised when people take my advice. But sometime good things come of it. A few weeks ago after tracking me down through my website and setting up a meeting with me, Brian Zirngible, a.k.a. BPZMAG, the trombone slinger with a crooner voice, Jim Carrey look-a-like and half of the duo Docs Kids, presented me with their press kit at Anodyne Coffeehouse in Minneapolis. The full kit, in a white shipping box with "Fragile: Handle with Care" on it (a song title from one of their EPs) contained the following: - A plastic Sesame Street bag with Ernie on one side and Bert on the
other Oh, and it contained their two EP's, "Shenanigans" (the red one) and "Tomfoolery" (the blue one), press materials and photos and a postcard announcing upcoming gigs. I immediately understood why Brian had asked to deliver it in person to save postage. And all this was ostensibly to promote their CD release party at Betsy's Back Porch? Impressed by the package, I asked if Brian hadn't sent it to Chris Riemenschneider at the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He hadn't, so I suggested he do so. Although I semi-religiously read everything he writes, I've never actually met Chris, but I thought this press kit was so damn weird it couldn't help but catch his attention. So Brian took my advice and Doc's Kids were rewarded with quite a lovely mainstream media write-up in Chris's Random Mix [here]. Do check it out (it's at the bottom.) Just to be clear, kids, I'm not suggesting you all start sending Chris R. boxes of junk; all I'm saying is that real creativity in matters of marketing never hurt anybody. And Doc's kids are far from lacking in creativity, on several fronts. As the lights went up on their show at Betsy's Back Porch Friday night (yes, they even brought there own light show) Brian (who goes by BPZMAG) emerged dressed as a zany troubadour, his cohort, guitar player J. (Justin) Bell wearing a handsome yet lounge-lizardy double breasted tuxedo with a leopard print shirt underneath. (You may be familiar with Justin Bell from his involvement with Urban Rust (1997-2000), as part of his other current involvement with the group known as Lazy Susan, or from his numerous solo appearances in local Twin Cities coffee houses.) Over the course of the next hour or so, the "Kids" played numerous songs from each of their new EPs. Why they chose to release two 6 song EP's simultaneously instead of one full length 12 song album is a question I don't really need to ask after having received the zany press kit. But I do think there is some sort of social commentary underlying the weirdness here, as evidenced by the fact that each CD instead of having an "acknowledgements" list has one called "Name Droppin'." They opened with "Orion" a pun on "Oh Ryan" to the accompaniment of a recorded chorus behind them that sounded as heavy-handed as something you might find on Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Then it breaks into a poppy guitar groove in which they greet many people by name, presumably all real people (except maybe for Wally and Beaver Cleaver.) Like many of their songs, it is quirky, but soulful at the same time. In fact, sometimes the quirkiness of a song is a direct result of the childlike honesty of the lyrics. Adam Green and the Moldy Peaches often achieve the same effect, producing music that is both silly and heartwarming at the same time. And They Might Be Giants are another inescapable comparison. The Doc's Kids' show at Betsy's was one part stand up (or in some cases
fall down) comedy and one part an exhibition of music from their CD's.
Other songs included a medley of the Smith's "Panic" melded
with Suzanne Vega's "Luka." It also featured numerous outfit
changes by BPZMAG who at various times throughout the evening was wearing
the aforementioned troubadour outfit (complete with tight black tights),
a flower print dress, and ultimately a grimy looking white t-shirt bearing
the words "Bob Barker's Beauties" or something like I can't believe it took me this long to get to the fact that many of
Doc's songs featured BPZMAG's competent trombone playing. Competent? Wait.
As a trombone player myself, I must say he's very good.) One trombone
song included a bluegrass number that they said they wrote to demonstrate
to the Homestead Picking Parlor that the trombone is indeed an essential
bluegrass instrument. J. Bell commented that they also wrote it because
bluegrass was becoming a more popular music form again, saying, "If
that's the way the winds are blowing, let it not be said that Doc's Kids
do not blow!" J. Bell's sense of humor, if not immediately obvious
from his willingness to lend his considerable vocal talent and expert
manipulation of his Epiphone acoustic to playing with such a zany outfit
as Doc's Kids, was also obvious from comments such as a Doc's Kids public You can experience the comedic brilliance of the interaction between these two guys yourself if you listen to "Enid Said" from the blue EP, uh "Tomfoolery" as BPZ and J. take pot shots at each other over the top of the trombone solo at the end of the song. I know I'm in the habit of over-emphasizing what I consider to be essential
music, but my life would be less rich if I did not now own Doc's Kids
two new EP's and their previous full length album "Relaxed by not
too slow: an anthology" (2000.) They don't have an MP3.com site yet,
but you can grab MP3's for "Come on Down," "Snack Pack"
and "Granola Hotties" from http://www.zatchymusic.com/docs/mp3.html
and that'll get you started. CD's are also available on their website,
or at their shows. Their upcoming shows are at Dunn Brothers on 34th and
Hennepin in Uptown on December 12th and at my favorite neighborhood coffee
house,
Doc's Kids - Dunn Bros. 34th & Hennipen Minneapolis Dec 02 by: David DeYoung www.howwastheshow.com
One attendee at last night's Doc's Kids show complained after the show
that her face hurt from all the smiling and laughter. I'd have to agree
that the positive effects of happy chemicals are still flowing through
my body today as the show was a veritable smile-a-long for a good hour-and-a-half
as Doc's Kids tore up the uptown Dunn Brother's on 34th and Hennepin with
their famous and zany trombone pop set. Last night's gig included a serenade
of an unsuspecting customer named Stacy who got a sticker penned to her
sweater and then was asked to wait and listen to the full rendition of,
what else but one of Doc's best known songs, "Stacy." The show
also featured the welcome percussive addition of opener Tom Adams playing
one of the Dunn Brother's Guitarist (Justin) J. Bell was not as dressed up last night, opting for a yellow t-shirt with the word "Louder" on it instead of his black tuxedo. Bell himself is gearing up for the CD release of "you…up in lights" by his other project, Justin Bell and Lazy Susan which is coming up Friday Jan. 10th at the 400 Bar w/special guests Clovis and Copy. BPZMAG still went through a few costume changes, starting out in some
kind of bizarre pink Pikachu top type thing that I'm not sure had any
relevance to the music at all. He attempted to change into a dress during
a song and had a little trouble getting into it, taking about two full
songs to get it all the way on. He finished out the set in his Bob Barker's
Latin Beauties t-shirt, which is really starting to look the worse for
wear now. Oh, and I mustn't forget the Krispy Creme donut hat. You don't
need to try to visualize all this from my lame descriptions In some ways this performance was tighter and more musical than the
last Doc's Kids show I saw, their CD Release party at Betsy's Back Porch.
That show on November 15th, which was quite well attended, yielded them
some excellent press: A plug from Chris R. in the Star Trib, a full-length
show review by yours truly right here on howwastheshow.com and a shortened
version of that show review appeared in this month's (December) Lost Cause
magazine. This is the kind of stuff, of course, that binds musicians and
critics together.
|