Thing-One Performs At Court Tavern

Zach Lichtstrahl / Inside Beat Staff Writer

Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: Inside Beat

Fans posted-up at The Court Tavern in downtown New Brunswick, waiting to see trip-hop, funk-punk-fusion group Thing-One. Thing-One, a band whose roots stem from playing hip-hop inspired by Nas, Common, and Jazz moguls Steely Dan, has evolved quite a bit since their first incarnations of the group more than three years ago. Elements of hip-hop such as spoken-word style flows, mixed with excited dance, break-beat-worthy rhythms drive this Glen Ridge, NJ band into the realm of seriously fun, groove-laced performances.

The show kicked off smoothly with the Syracuse University crew, The Sister Lovers, as the opening act. This band of six with good rapport was most colored by their synth keyboardist, Kevin John, who played crazed cosmic-electro-tech sounds and melody on what was their epic song of the show, "I'm Still Waiting," while proving to be a fine intro to the evening.

Shortly after, Thing-One grabbed the reins and ripped out-of-the-gates, with their kickin' psychedelic dance tune, "Move It." If you gulped up the last LCD Soundsystem album, then Thing-One will be good to you. A cross between accentuated dance beats and Gang Of Four distorted guitar licks (Adam Scherer), the chorus has the feeling of George Clinton and P-funk. With fast tambourine (Joey), and funky syncopated-claps, this tune is to be listened to while in some kind of gambling-frenzy, or while rolling down the Vegas strip in your Caddy convertible, Super-Fly style.

The tune which followed, "Bedford Falls," has a catchy, slow-but-solid beat, syncopated lax-guitar-licks, and a nostalgic melody. "Goodnight Jenn," a love song with a slowed-down drum and bass backbone will stay confined to an iPod's romance mix. Though slower than the rest of the show, both songs were performed with what felt like a comical energy, not to be confused with what could have been a sappy emo lament.

Thing-One got back to dance with "930." On this track, Timothy Alworth, the drummer and human beat machine was joined with trance-like keyboard rifts, and funky bass-lines (Spencer Miles), and psy-alt guitar grooves (Adam Scherer). This is all laid over by Joey Palestina's animated singing style that sometimes appears as if he is captured by the music and possessed. "930" is surely a homegrown pop-fix.

They finished the set with debatably their best song , "The Kid With The Pointy Shoes" by Joey and Spencer, about being abnormal in school and a bit of a slacker, too. The song's melody is proof that this band has been doing their homework. The tune starts out slow, but jumps off midway through, and seeing it live gave me a genuinely good feeling. The melody is haunting, but the lyrics, "Who's that kid with pointy shoes?" makes listeners feel the humor, so it balances the tune out.

Thing-One is currently touring around the Tri-State area, and these shows should be tons of fun once the audience lets the music take them away. Thing-One is coming back to the Court Tavern on Sept. 20th as well as playing upcoming gigs like the Williamsburg Freedom Festival in Brooklyn on October 27th, plus a new CD soon.

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