"It's like fucking Mardi Gras in here!!"
Truer words have never been spoken. When the Budos Band took the stage Saturday night at Brooklyn's Union Pool, I had no idea what to expect. If the size and diversity of the crowd was any indication, these kids were at least good enough to have pulled a following, but I had no clue what I was in for.
By 9:00 PM people were lining up to get into the show, eventually cramming the venue so tight that trekking to the bar for a refill was completely out of the question once the show got going. People were taking up every inch of space available, hanging off the railings of the stairs, sitting on amps to get a better view, and even climbing to the forbidden second floor balcony just to get a peak at the band and find some breathing room.
The show itself was high energy, soulful, and downright fun. It's unbelievably refreshing to see a band where every musician seems like they're not only having a good time playing music, but playing it together. Every song was better than the last, featuring neo-funk and jazz, mixing in afro-beats and a killer horn section. Each piece was entirely instrumental, and continually made me wish I was Foxy Brown or one of the chicks from Shaft.
Each member of Budos acts like they hit the jackpot just getting to be at the show, let alone be in the band. A twelve piece larger-than-life band, in Williamsburg of all places, with no ego or attitude? I quickly understood why the Pool was jam packed. They played songs from both albums—aptly named The Budos Band and The Budos Band II—a few new songs, were joined by special guest Neil Sugarman, and to everyone's delight kept on playing well past their time slot.
There's something so familiar about Budos Band, it's hard to imagine you're hearing these songs for the first time. Not in the "It's all been done before" way that kills most neo-anything bands before they've even started. But when I was listening to them, I was almost surprised that I didn't already know the songs by heart, surprised that I hadn't been playing their records since junior high. It's hard to point to any specific member of a band this good, but I have to say Daniel Fodoer on bass guitar blew me away. When bass guitar is good, it's really good and if Fodoer seemed like he was in a trance the whole show, he wasn't the only one. Between the band and the crowd, the whole night felt like a cathartic explosion of dance, music, and just flat out excitement. Something like Mardi Gras.
Truthfully, the shots above do not do the show justice. With a packed house and so many band members there was almost no place to maneuver, and no way to capture the energy. But take my word for it: they blew the roof off of Union Pool. You can, and should, check them out at www.myspace.com/budosband where I was happy to hear that their energy, skill and overall atmosphere transfers to their albums as well as a kick-ass funk show.
