Giant Kings, Ass-Pinching and Feeling Sexy and ALIVE! (take THAT, Pilgrims!)

Monday, February 22, 2010
Giant Kings, Ass-Pinching and Feeling Sexy and ALIVE! (take THAT, Pilgrims!)
Note to surveillers: Almost no "revolutionary" content here, so you can move on to your next "client", unless you wanna read about me getting my ass pinched while watching the Giant Kings play in Cambridge...

So, ladies, it seems if you are in need of having your ass pinched or fondled, do NOT miss the next Giant Kings gigs at Lizard Lounge in Cambridge (St. Paddy's Day, and the 2 Wednesdays following). My own derriere received such special attention Wednesday night, and again at their show in October 2009.

I don't know WHAT it is, but this band seems to bring out some wild earthy energy in the attendees. OK, yes, I'll admit it. I do have a pretty amazing ass. But the Boston area is not Milan or even Montreal. In fact, this area is so uptight and priggish, the spirit of those back-stabblng murderous Early Settlers pervades the very air (yes, white folk DID wipe out the native population--this was a HEAVILY populated area long before Europeans showed up here with their guns and yellow fever and smallpox blankets and lying cheating ways…oops, surveillers, I guess I'll just never get away from that pesky social commentary that runs through my brain. Google "King Philip's War" as a start if you want to get more familiar with the back-stabbing murderous ways of the first settlers here).

Where was I? Oh yes, the murderous lying priggish Pilgrims. Well, somehow I am convinced their grimacing faces still haunt Boston. How else to explain the extreme obsession with rules and the unrelenting uptight priggishness of this place?

So, ladies, (and gents) if you desperately need a break from Boston's censuring vibe, and crave some earthy vital energy flowing through your veins for a couple hours, go see the Giant Kings at Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, March 17, 24 and 31. http://www.lizardloungeclub.com/main.html

Aside from the ass-pinching energy they somehow magically create, these guys are just amazing, top-level musicians. And I am a pissed-off feminist, studied music with men who really resented my intrusion into their "territory" so if I say they are great, believe me, they are. I can even experience their greatness through the filter of my own anger at old and recent male condescension and one guy who stole my riff for his solo. That says something.

The music is old school Soul/R&B/Country/Roadhouse. Covers of tunes previously covered by artists such as Wilson Pickett, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Bobby Womack. The set list is FANTASTIC!!!! A good mix of upbeat, foot shuffling tunes, and edgy lost-love laments. A really tight rhythm section, fab sax section, soulful belted vox. I love Duke Levine's lead guitar, especially when he grunges out into a dirtier sound--whiz kid meets growl. It's a great combo. And Kevin Barry is a truly gifted slide guitar player.

For those who love sax but never get to hear it (I'm one of them), Giant Kings features Baritone (my personal fave) AND Tenor Sax--Mark Earley and Paul Ahlstrand, respectively. Oh, the heck with it, all the players are amazing. Chris Cote, vocals (and vox trombone!), band leader and guitarist Duke Levine, upright and electric bass player Marty Ballou, drummer Andy Plaisted and Kevin Barry, slide guitar player (who is occasionally replaced by some really great pianist or another). One local reviewer referred to this configuration as a local "super-group" and I'd say that about sums it up.

My only suggestion for improvement would be that perhaps the next time Kevin is not available, some amazing local FEMALE honkey tonk pianist be invited to sit in. Yep. Six Kings and One Queen. Sounds good to me.

What else? Oh yes, that set list. Here is a selection from last Wednesday night: Trail of Tears (Nick Lowe), Such a Night (Dr. John), Go West (Geraint Watkins), I Found a Love (Wilson Pickett), River Stay 'Way From My Door (Frank Sinatra and Others), Pouring Water on a Drowning Man (Elvis Costello, others), We're Gonna Make It (Little Milton, others).

So you can see why I am happy to dance (yes they will make you want to MOVE your body), eavesdrop on the comments of female admirers of Chris Cote ("Oh, he's so CUTE! I just LOVE him." Sorry girls, he's engaged!), and wait for the next guy to pinch my ass. And I won't even smack him for it. Or maybe I will. A nice bar brawl would surely add to the wild earthy energy. But, smack the ass-pincher or not, I'll still thank the music muses that inspire the Giant Kings to infuse that cold Cambridge air with a little lustful misbehavior for a few hours. I walked into Lizard Lounge in a sulk and walked out feeling sexy, alive and really full of myself. Couldn't ask for more (other than a female band member or two…).

Catch them for a reasonable cover charge ($7-$10) while you can. I figure sooner rather than later they will record an original tune, which will of course be a hit, and then you'll be paying a LOT more to see them in a much less intimate venue.

Note: to get on an email list for notification of future gigs, you can contact Duke Levine via MySpace. Also you can check out a few videos on YouTube. But best is to get the vibe LIVE. Absolutely no substitute.