When punks play jazz inside a carnival tent after closing, loony warbles, ritzy tophat-tweaked shuffles, hi-hats over haunting drones, irreverent lyrics of nightmarish frivolity, saxophones like heffalumps and woozles whirling up and down checkered Escher-ian stairwells, drums keeping the heart beating and the pulse steady as we swim through celestial planes of punctured pop and grimy gardens heavy with the fuzzy moss of organs warming otherwise ominous feedback growth.
Something like that...
This is the kind of band I would pull out of my back-pocket for the jaded types who think there's nothing refreshing to be offered on the current platter of Detroit music. It could very well not be your thing, but, truly... dubious as this phrase can be, I employ with with sincerity: don't knock it till you try it... 'Cuz this punk-satellite's orbited way off course, past Pluto. It's not like most things. I really don't know what to call it. But it's noise, it's strange and scary noise, has some kind of uncanny allure. Whatever it is, a summit of bass/organ/drum/sax/yowling-scat-croon-vocals and lots of other instrumental eccentricities, whatever...it...is...it's got a groove.
This quintet ((Jeremy Franchi -sax/vocals, Patrick Robinson -elec-piano/guitar/vocals, Pete Steffy -bass, Jeff Else -drums, Patrick McGlew -lead vocals/clarinet, Brandon Robinson -synth/organ) have been bouncing, collaboratively, in and out of various avant-acerbic-skewed-viewed-musical projects for five years.
Last week, they put up some new songs you can stream (-HERE-) recorded with the trusted/esteemed ears of Collin Dupuis (Zoos of Berlin) and Danny Tomczak. They're hoping for an eventual vinyl-pressing of this 11-song album, but are leaning towards throwing together some CD's and Tapes to offer for attendees at their next show:
August 16th - Beekeepers / Pink Lightning / Dread Wings / Kit Oh Nein / Lenny Stoofy and the Garbage Boys
PJ's Lager House - A Benefit for Furever Full Food Bank Inc (a 503(c) non-profit to feed the hungry animals of Detroit)
A proper record-release for Beekeepers-2012 is forthcoming.
