Ever go to a show stag?
A full on show, for hours, spending it with yourself-actually people watching, semi-socializing and anticipating the conversation you will have with the band you know you're about to meet?
Waiting and watching-drinking, and then waiting some more.
It can be a hellish time if the event sucks-the bands blow and the crowd is uncomfortably awkward. To my surprise the spirit and momentum of the crowd became infectious at the CD release party for TJ Kong and The Atomic Bomb at Fishtown's Johnny Brenda's. This new Philly folk rock band either has a lot of loyal friends, or has well hidden drug-induced subliminal messages in their music to have such an effect on people's minds to attract them to attend their live show in such numbers.
TJ Kong should really thank that well-brewed beer-induced hippie girl frolicking around with her pink scarf and short shorts (We all know who she was if you were in attendance May 5). She was the happiest girl in Philadelphia and everyone wanted to feel like she did. I swear, if every band paid a small group of girls to sing along to all of their tunes and dance their drunken little hearts out front and center at shows - wow... the music scene will get so much more entertaining in this town!
The festivities were eclectic to say the least. Throughout the night Needles Jones, a recognized cross-dressing MC in the Philadelphia club scene who raps about his elicit drug use, sexual exploits and angst that has lasted way past his middle age paraded around entertaining the crowd all night, or at least was an entertaining distraction to stare at. Grandchildren, Skeleton Breath and The Chimeras also played. Skeleton Breath, the opener was a completely instrumental band with the lead-a violin. With eerie sounds and creepy riffs, and the one super tall dude with the mad scientist hair sawing at his violin violently made for an excellent opener. Skeleton Breath was the highlight of the opening bands and should definitely get checked out.
Kong played a full one-hour set and came on second to last, which was perfect for TJ Kong to still party after they performed. Come to think of it, even though the band admits getting the final CDs printed minutes before getting to their CD release party, the night seemed like it went pretty smoothly (minus the fact that I spent the whole night playing cat and mouse- hunting the band down to do our OV interview).
TJ Kong and The Atomic Bomb have a pretty simple story: The lead singer, Dan Bruskewicz wanted to be in a band. He asked a fellow co-worker in the restaurant industry if he wanted to get involved with a little music project he was working on. Drummer Dan Martino had been in a punk band called War Time, for about four years prior, and was typically entertained by the crappy music people would pass along to him to critique. Dan thought what (singer) Dan was producing was pretty good and decided the project would be worthwhile.
They were a two-piece band for almost a year before posting a listing on Craigslist to find the missing link - Joshua Willis (whom, according to the band's Facebook page is already leaving the band for unknown reasons).
Once the band formed they were on a simple music composition plan. Singer Dan would write the lyrics and then drummer Dan and Joshua would lay the music down to it. TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb write some pretty damn good songs and after a couple listens to their material, it's very easy to appreciate. When throwing ideas around to name the band, the winning pick was derived from a reference to the movie Dr. Strangelove.
On a side note, when I met up with the band Josh had already managed to get punched in the face. He stumbled drunk out of the bar and the interview. But hey, somebody's gotta be that guy.
The guys definitely had a successful night as it pertained to the CD release party and the doorman Dylan even said it was the busiest he'd ever seen the place the night of a show-unless of course he was just making small talk. Which I later confirmed he was.
Let's play a game of Band to Get the Most People Dancing Wins.
At their CD release show on Friday, local punkabillies TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb had whole of Johnny Brendas' fricking moving. Now, we could point to the free-flowing Dogfish Aprihop or Yards Tavern Spruce. The trio of shithammered ladies gyrating wildly in front of the stage, shrieking the words to every damn song from Kong's new full-length Idiots. Maybe their uninhibited enthusiasm made the rest of the crowd more comfortable with the whole Let's Jump Around idea - at one point Needles Jones, standing near me at stage left, conceded "I can't remember the last time I saw the girls go this crazy."
But what was the driving force behind it all? The slammin', amped up bluegrass spitting offstage. Dan Bruskewicz's gravely, throaty vocals. Mosh-tempo washtub jams like "Helena Handbasket." Kong got the people dancing. They win.
News, news and more pews. We are pissing ourselves to report that TJ Kong has been handpicked to play Truck Festival's first annual U.S. edition, to be held at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY from April 30th-May 2nd.
Mercury Rev (accompanied by a chamber orchestra), White Rabbits, Hopewell, Here We Go Magic, The Silent League and many many more will be on display.
This Friday! Giant Mind and The Arts Garage of Philadelphia are throwin' a Haiti benefit with Doctors without Borders. A great show, a great cause, plenty of booze = your mother would be proud.
9:00-9:30: Giant Mind 9:50 - 10:30: Power Animal 10:40 - 11:10: Andrew Lipke 11:30 - 12:00: Skyship 12:20 - 1:00: TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb
The Arts Garage: 1533 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130 Doors @ 8:30, Show Starts @ 9:00 sharp, $10.00, 21+
All proceeds go toward Haiti relief through Doctors Without Borders
Want to help? Have questions? Contact GiantMindMusic@gmail.com
KUNG FU NECKTIE is an ancient combat strangle hold developed to fool English colonizers in the 18th century.
Eastern Asia was very much rallying for sovereignty at this point and soldiers developed a technique where in they would invite an English military man out for a taste of the local cuisine under the guise of inviting the English into their culture. The Englishman, knowing nothing of eastern culture, would invariably become shocked to find the restaurant as "Mao Chun Yeoh" (Dinner Jacket Required) and would be forced, out of sheer english guilt, to don the house jacket and tie.
At this point the combatant would switch out the tie for a ravenous Asian Python snake and the deadly maneuver soon became known as the "Kung Fu Necktie".
Though their sound seems more fitting for some dusty barroom in an old Western town, TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb's lyrics are crafted by someone who has seen the world (at least the lowdown parts of it). TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb's music can be most singularly described as evocative. Listening to their music, you're drawn into a vivid world inhabited by wanderers, dreamers, and drunks. Beneath all of TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb's songs, you can hear the faint sizzle of highway asphalt.
Half singing, half growling, TJ Kong likes to lay lyrics on thick. In a style akin to Bob Dylan, Kong weaves cynical tales that are uplifted by well-crafted wit and turns-of-phrases. In the nihilistic lament 'Making Up For Lost Time,' Kong croons, "you got a plan, I got nothing to prove / we've been waiting for someone to start the next move / you can study the lies and fight for the view... say what you want, either way you're a fool." Kong's lyrics are clever without coming off as pretentious; he seems to shrugs them off as second nature. This naturalistic songwriting is similar to the view on love expressed in 'The Trail of the Lonesome Hobo:' "I don't know what love is, but I can feel it in my veins."
During most songs, you're not sure whether to laugh or cry, though it's probably just best to dance along. While the lyrics are heavy with the blues, the rhythm section remains lighthearted and sometimes jaunty. The refreshing editions of the occasional harmonica or banjo are the finishing touches on TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb's unique folk sound. And any band featuring a skillful banjo picker, with his rollicking solo on 'The Trail of the Lonesome Hobo,' is just fine by me.
Track Pick: 'The Trail of the Lonesome Hobo'
by Emily Currier
"Winding around the labyrinthine pathways of The Magic Gardens the sound of rousing country blues follows after us, softly building as continuous waves curve along the living corals of Isaiah Zagar's artwork to bring us to the fore where the band - part of TJ Kong and The Atomic Bomb complemented by members of Jubel Jenkins - stands under an ornate wooden carapace."
"Sans microphone, Kong's froggy voice, rich with character, powerfully projects outward with relaxed ease as the accompaniments - cello, violin, accordion, and standing bass - rise together with mirthful glee, the synergy at its height on the track, Everyone We Know, where the cello weeps in slow measure throughout while Kong leads with trilling guitar rhythms as his harmonica busily sings to the frenetic dance of the violin."
"A chorus of subdued melancholy rises up from the string pieces while Kong softly strums on a slow number, singing, "I'll trample the flowers by my own grave, but they'll only bloom again," his signature vocals instilling nuances through expert tonality. Fittingly, the music is tinged with malaise during this song about "the whole world going dry," while Magic Gardens' plethora of repurposed beer bottles surround us. Though not too dour, the pulse quickly shoots back up on the next track, the music returning to an approximation of convivial times one could imagine Mr. Zagar and his friends experienced in emptying all those bottles."
band@tjkongandtheatomicbomb.com
422 Watkins Street
Philadelphia,PA 19148
United Stated of America
