Returning to play Denver for the first time in who knows how long, New York’s City’s (JBSE) blew up the on Saturday night. Last year, after a lengthy hiatus, the band released their first album in eight years, “Meat and Bone.” Based on Saturday’s riff heavy, powerhouse 90 minute set, they look to be fully recharged.
They roared into their set, almost sounding more like Jon Spencer’s Blue Cheer than Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion early on. The tight, taut, hard and nasty playing trio of Judah Bauer on guitar, monster drummer Russell Simins and guitar/mad preacher vocals (think early Elvis Presley or the Cramps’ Lux Interior) by Jon Spencer are a sight to behold and hear live. JBSE’s ’90s records may have took a few listens for some to wrap their heads around, but Saturday night, it was a ferocious, relentless steamroller of a performance. It grabbed you, shook you and took you over, under, sideways and down. No need to think, you just moved your ass.
The extended instrumental freak-outs were well-timed and well-played. Spencer’s featured theremin solo produced an entirely different kind of vibration than Brian Wilson ever had in mind. Theremin solos not being something you see every day, it was hard to judge his technical expertise, but most everybody ate it up. Maybe, like Robert Johnson, Spencer sold his soul to the devil, except Spencer wanted to be the world’s greatest theremin player.
The beginning of nearly every song they played was instantly, noisily approved by someone in the room with yells, yelps, grunts or screams, and soon thereafter, by the entire crowd. Infectious, killer riffs dominated JBSE’s set. Funk, glam, blues, whatever — it worked. Even the few times you felt the frenetic pacing was about to drive the whole thing off the rails, the band would swerve into yet another groove you couldn’t resist. Personal favorite: a fuzzy, scuzzy “Get Your Pants Off,” from their latest album had Spencer in full tent revival mode, preaching the healing power of JBSE’s music. No doubt, more than a few in the crowd had accepted Spencer as their savior for the past 90 minutes. Savior or not, here’s praying the band doesn’t wait another decade to come back.
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Mike Long is a Longmont-based writer and comedian and a regular contributor to Reverb.
Michael McGrath is a Denver area photographer. His work is available at . Visit .
