Peeping Tom – the Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA – April 10, 2007
Posted by Jesse Coy on 04.19.2007
A trip-hop, urban 70’s retro, alternative, crazy chowder mix like this never sounded better live... served up by your friendly neighborhood Peeping Tom.
I really needed to get out of the house, both for air and for space. Since I couldn’t take the train down to see this show, because the last return train is 12:24, I had to drive. I felt like the Rain Man character as I gathered all I needed, mumbling to myself due to a stress induced state. Don’t forget the booze! No, I wouldn’t drink it as I drove. But I made sure I’d have ninety minutes in that parking lot under Boston Commons... parked, listening to music, and mixing drinks, as I sought to get caught up with my journal, before walking off to the show. So the portable bar was trunked in the car.
After being properly served, I headed out. The Paradise Rock Club was directly on Commonwealth Avenue, so there was no problems finding that. Once more, I needed to use a pisser early on. Being a bit hungry, I figured I’d stop somewhere for a bite to eat, and use a restroom that way. I’d brought the last mixed drink along with me, and finished that in there, too. I don’t know what was in that burger (got a double patty, and only picked at the bun), but I was quite charged when I left there.
The venue… first, I have to get used to shows around here. The place was jammed (sold out). It’s situated right in the midst of Boston University. At first, they didn’t have my name on the list, but then another list was consulted. “Go right in. Sorry about that.” I had a photo pass, too, but there was no designated area for photos, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to squeeze up front. I can’t stand being crowded in. Makes my skin crawl.
I missed the first opening band, but caught Miho Hatori, originally from Japan. It was her last day on tour with Peeping Tom. This was a three-person act, with her, a guitarist, and a gal on keyboards and drum machine. I guess I’d categorize it as alternative trance, or some funky category defying category. I liked the one piece she half-narrated, the sci-fi story. other tunes sounded interesting. I was close to getting their CD, only it was $3 too much for me. If it were $10, I would’ve grabbed it. $12? Possibly. $15? No. I wonder how many other fans think along these lines. And if opening bands selling their CD’s lowered the price a bit, would they make out better in the end, because they’d sell a lot more?
Anyway, before they started, and then before Peeping Tom, I worked on editing The Galaxy Phobia. That’s right, with pen and highlighter in hand, there I am in the middle of a very packed venue editing my fiction while drinking a Pabst (large can for $3).
Okay, so this is the third incarnation of Mike Patton I’ve seen. I saw him with Faith No more in ’92 and Mr. Bungle in ’95, and now it’s Peeping Tom. I can say without a doubt that he always entertains, and this was no exception. Being out of the loop, so to speak, I hadn’t heard of Peeping Tom until I saw a listing for the show. Got me a copy of their 2006 debut, and it’s funny, because as I did a bit of research, I saw that this was pegged as his most accessible of projects for a while. Yet oddly, it took me a while to… I won’t say get into it. The music was good. It was just a little… inaccessible to me, compared to Mr. Bungle and Fantomas (that’s saying something about my mental landscape… ha!).
The two tracks that really stuck with me were “Your Neighborhood Spaceman” and “Sucker,’ both of which they performed, which isn’t much of a surprise, considering they only have one album, so likely they’d play nearly everything off that album, which they did (I don’t think they did “Celebrity Death Match,” and that’s about it). And what are you gonna do for an encore, too, right? I’ll get to that.
So as I said, Mike (Patton) is as impressive as ever, using his voice as a crazy instrument, and this time he had a partner in crime on that account in the form of Lady Butterscotch, a 21-year old human beatbox machine, and she had a chance to do a voice solo deal that was incredible. How many of those sounds that you thought came from the keyboardist came from her and him? 90%?
Anyhow, it was Mike (decked out in a bullet proof vest), her, the backing band (from Brooklyn, I think they said, who also got their chance to do an impressive jam), another gal who did vocals and played violin on occasion, and the keyboardist.
How to describe the sound? It’s kind of like a trip-hop, urban 70’s retro, alternative, crazy stew. Or since we’re talking Boston here… how about chowder?
Mike was a bit chowder obsessed, being in Boston.
So what other songs were there? I already mentioned my two favorites, which they performed. There’s the louder, more intense “Five Seconds,” or “Mojo,” framed in a drug addict’s perspective. “How U Feelin’?” has a decadent, apocalyptic party vibe feel, and that they saved for near the end. Mike played on sports rivalries between Boston and NYC to get the whole place to throw their middle fingers up in the air and wave them around for “Don’t Even Trip.” What else? “Getaway,” “Caipirinha,” “Kill the DJ,” and “We’re Not Alone.”
For an encore, they did Shadow Morton’s “(Remember) Walkin’ in the Sand” and “Across 110th Street” from the 70’s flick. Great show in general, and I have to wonder with this band, will we see more, or will there be yet another entity as Mike and his collaborations continue to evolve? Whatever the case, as long as he’s putting new material out, it’s all good.
And now my journal is sounding more like a concert review. Anyway, I slipped right out of there, and soon, I was walking the streets of Boston, heading for Boston Commons, late on a Tuesday night. The walk back took far less time than the walk there did.
The 411: When it comes to Mike Patton, whatever he's involved in, you really can't go wrong. From band to band and show to show, it's always something new and good, and maybe unexpected.
