REVIEW: That 1 Guy & Boy Eats Drum Machine @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 5/15/10)

FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

I’ve been a fan of That 1 Guy and the Magic Pipe since seeing him a dank club in Cincinnati opening for Drums & Tuba in the early 2000s.  He’s toured incessantly throughout the decade, hitting some major festivals and being a supporting act for some big bands.  It’s been nice to see his fanbase grow, and at many times I didn’t think his music was growing all that much.  Well, he proves us wrong with his fourth record, Packs a Wallop.  He seems to have found a nice balance between the experimentation and the groove.  The lyrical silliness is still there, but that’s part of the charm…

The opener was Portland’s Boy Eats Drum Machine.  Boy Eats Drum Machine is a one man band made up of Jon Ragel and his musical toys. I was only familiar with the video for “Hoop + Wire” (see below).  It’s a clever video, but I didn’t think it gave any insight into his live set.  Well, the Eugene crowd was blown away, to say the least.   He put out an incredibly danceable mix of record spinning, drum machine, live drums, saxophone and vocals.  He has a great voice, passion, and energy.

Boy Eats Drum Machine “Hoop + Wire”

Well, no, his live set wasn’t stop-motion animation, but it was as full of energy and fun as the video shows.  Eugene ate Boy Eats Drum Machine.  Portland, you can’t have him back!!

After only a short break, Mike Silverman aka That 1 Guy joined the Magic Pipe on stage for almost two and a half hours of lights, smoke, lasers, and all around jam-worthy tom-foolery…

Mr. Guy played almost non-stop, busting through his catalogue… playing many tunes from his latest album…

Setlist: almost 2 1/2 hours

• Modern Man
• Packs a Wallop
• Buttmachine (with extended jam)
• How’s Bout Them Holes In The Moon (Butter Side Down)
• Heaven or Heck
• Jam
• Stones Throw
• Oranges
• Bananas
• Laser Beans
• Step Into Striped Light
• Mustaches
• Jam
• Rainbow
• Dig
• One
• “Magic Show”
• Credit Card Jam
• Lounge Outtro
• Encore: Weasel Potpie
• The Moon is Disgusting
• Word Up (Cameo cover)
• Lounge Outtro
  

Of the frequent stops through Eugene, this one seemed to be the most action packed.  He had full reign to play a longer set, and his light show has definitely stepped up a notch (I did miss the Mustaches & Laser Beams tour; so maybe this is just a continuation).  He pulled out the magic saw and magic boot near the end of the show.  He also treated the crowd to his magic card tricks and laser bows.  Ever the showman, he was soaking wet by the end of the night, yet still full of energy…

many more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

• That1Guy’s Site
• That1Guy on MySpace
• Boy Eats Drum Machine’s Site
• Boy Eats Drum Machine MySpace
• WOW Hall
  
• My Prior T1G reviews~
  • Sept 2007 @ John Henry’s (Eugene)
  • Mar 2008 @ McDonald (Eugene w/ Buckethead)
  • Feb 2009 @ WOW Hall (Eugene)
  • Sept 2009 @ Roseland (Portland w/ Porcupine Tree)
    

~Dan – np: Ben Goldberg Quartet plays Masada Book Two – Book of Angels, Vol 15: Baal

THAT1GUY & BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)