The Love Shamans dazzled in the second spot of a hump day’s bill at Midway Cafe on the night of Wednesday, 18 January 2023.

FEEP opened, Klugman held down the middle, and Wetsuit saved the day for late cancel Answerman.

There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that runs: Wait in Midway Cafe long enough and the bodies of FEEP will get on stage and play a set. Or something like that. Hump Day News has been tracking the movements of the Boston rock quartet all over town, trying and failing to catch a show. When it comes to the prolific giggers, the trick is to wait in one spot and let the band come to you.

In this case FEEP was lured to the Jamaica Plain club, reliable honey trap for the underground rock n roll scene in Boston and beyond. Who can resist the $3 PBRs? The peanut butter & jelly shots? The dusty bin of “free merch” left by bands no longer in existence? The sticker battle raging in the bathrooms (which band can plant their flag closest to the urinal piss target)? The bartender who’s got such a bad case of tinnitus that he can’t sleep at night without the white noise of a fan? The Elvis bust and all the rock n roll memorabilia? FEEP would show sooner or later.

FEEP

FEEP delivers a little curveball in the traditional rock quartet, substituting a keyboardist in the second guitarist spot. It makes all the difference.

Instead of packing songs with guitar layers and hot lick solos, the band packs a more primal six-string punch and makes space for the keys to add extra psych flavors.

FEEP alternated between jammier noodlers and more direct garage-damaged burners, sounding comfortable in both modes. Shades of Lurid Purple Flowers meets Tongue Love.

Extra points for a keyboard setup that looks like Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory.

The Love Shamans

The Love Shamans started a bit slow, but really warmed up about two songs into the set. The local trio keeps it simple with three-chord progressions and minimal fuss. 

Sometimes when you listen to bands, you’ll hear a form of sonic wrestling, with all the band members battling for control over the style of music. The lead guitar wants to be in a hair metal band. The drummer wants to be an afro-pop legend. The bassist wants to be in a powerfunk trio. It’s not always a bad thing – the legendary Sonic Youth never quite had a musical center, with Thurston, Kim, and Lee (sorry, Steve!) all penning very different kinds of songs. But it can be jarring for the listener, and adds an extra hurdle for the uninitiated.

On the other hand, sometimes bands like The Love Shamans have all their horses pulling in the same direction. And it sounds great! One quiet ditty pulled the drummer up front for vocals for a nice change of pace.

Klugman

Klugman played as a three-piece. The frontman for the rock trio delivers nice Bowie-inflected vocals and the band has a warm alt-Americana vibe. Shades of Fastball-meets-Pavement. Shades of The Michael Character meets a stripped down Class President.

The drummer sported a Dukakis/Bentsen ‘88 t-shirt, which is a deep cut. The presidential campaign produced one of the best Vice Presidential Debate zingers of all time.

Sen. Bentsen (to Sen. Dan Quayle):

“I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”

Didn’t win Dukakis the race though.

Wetsuit

Wetsuit is basically Velvet Underground, if Velvet Underground was a one-man Boston busker with a house lamp. He was a late add, due to the Answerman cancel.

All the remaining heads in the house pulled up close to the stage for a set with strong strange uncle vibes. Beneath the lamp was a table with all his essentials: capo, 9V battery, wallet, asthma inhaler, keys, a glass of water, and more.

In between songs he waxed poetic and obliquely reported on the cause of Answerman’s cancellation. A bizarre freak skiing accident? 

Hump Day News is still fact checking that one.

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