Peter Blast - Live In NYC
By Victoria Cross
“Dive Bar Tour” was silk screened in bold white letters across the back of the black T-shirts veteran Chicago rocker Peter “Best of the Worst” Blast had printed to commemorate his late June return to New York City in support of his roller coaster of a new CD “A Plush Horse…with a Monkey on a String”(Big Bang Entertainment). And all it takes is a quick look around Desmond’s Tavern, the first of Blast’s two Big Apple gigs to realize the Dive Bar tour bus had pulled up in the right place. Brightly lit, hard core Irish (leave your Union Jack t-shirts at home) and some of the best poured pints of “black & tan” in town make Desmond’s a must for any connoisseur of down to earth drinking establishments. And thanks to its small stage, occasionally working PA and band-friendly booking policy, Desmond’s is one of the few joints in this once rocking city where original groups with less than 250,000 MySpace friends can plug in and ply their tawdry trade. So what better place for Peter Blast to kick off the first hollow leg of his NYC lost-weekend?
“I love how New York is cool enough to have live original music in a corner tavern,” Blast said “Chicago's got the North Side where you'll find original music but in most parts Chicago is power pop and corporate rock and of course it is home of the blues, but as far as punk or glam, it's really more of a fashion statement instead of a way of life.”
Accompanying Blast as they did last time he played NYC in October of 2006, were Charles Liss of local glam punks Detox Darlings on tastefully seared lead guitar, Spyder “No Sleep Til Detox” Darling relentless thumping his gold-top Gibson bass and Blast’s longtime drummer Dr. Dan Curry marking hard 4/4 time on drums. Interestingly “Dr.” is no nickname as Curry when not pounding skins is picking brains as an actual real life neurosurgeon. Though established in his practice it’s always good to have the drums to fall back on in case the whole medical career doesn’t pan out.
The band’s Desmond’s set went amazingly well considering Blast was battling a sinus condition; the group had just rehearsed once the night before and hadn’t played together in a year and a half, which is of course one way to keep practice costs down. Excuses be damned, however as Blast’s rock’n roll express left the station with the freewheeling frustration of “On a Derailed Train” a bonus track from the “Plush Horse” CD that also appeared on his 2006’s anthology “Pure Organic Junk”. With the ice broken and the amps warmed up Peter and company picked up momentum as they tore through “Sharp as a Knife” and embraced the subtle nuances of “Butterflies & Damsels in Distress” Blast’s musical warning to those who might get too close that it’s best to “fly away” before anyone’s wings get clipped.
“If I Only Had a Crystal Ball” continued the set’s turn for the exotic with a “Marrakech Express” style Middle Eastern groove during which one can practically smell the incense and scented candles. Next up was “Orange Sunshine” Blast’s extended opus about a five day LSD excursion that returned the show back to a heavy rocking furrow, reminiscent of Deep Purple, complete with extended flashback inducing solos courtesy of Charles Liss while Spyder and Dr. Dan locked in a bass/drum groove so tight Mary Kate Olsen couldn’t fit in sideways.
“My Right Arm, Wrong Vain” followed with a slow two note swing and though the title might make one pigeon hole it a “drug song” especially as the chord progression brings to mind the late great junk enthusiast Johnny Thunders’ mournful “So Alone” Blast insists the song is actually about a voodoo doll. Pincushions apparently are the theme one way or another and worth a spin regardless.
“The Last Word” though not the last song of the set followed next and was perhaps Blast’s best shot at mainstream radio play as it rocks along in a sturdy mid-tempo Tom Petty/Smithereens kind of way, which Blast and band made interesting with conviction in their playing and Peter’s lyrics about dead men telling no tales, and prayers being said on one’s dying day. Happy stuff yes?
Maybe not, but to paraphrase The Simpson’s sax-man “Bleeding Gums” Murphy “The blues ain’t about feeling good, it’s about making other people feel bad.” Moaning right along, the next tune of the night was appropriately enough “It’s a Cruel Cruel World” a traditional Chicago style blues as interpreted by one of the Windy City’s own wayward sons. Smoky and meaty as a prime porterhouse steak the band delivered the meaty 12 bar goods in Top Chef style, whilst the audience sopped up every note with rapt attention. The only thing missing was a dry martini and side of frites.
But Les Halles, the French bistro down Park Avenue from Desmond’s where celebrity chef /author/ travel show host Anthony Bourdain used to rule the kitchen with an iron apron, would have to wait as Johnny Thunders’ “Dead or Alive” Blast’s lone cover song of the night was about to liven the joint up. Though Steve Conte of the New York Dolls who played on the “Plush Horse” version of “Dead or Alive” wasn’t around, Charles & Spyder, longtime veterans of the Gotham City music scene gave the song all the local grit it needed to go with Blast’s dead on vocals, which eerily recalled his old pal Johnny’s nasally sneer.
And lest anyone think Peter Blast has a death wish of his own, what with his dark lyrics and associations “I Ain’t Cursed” puts those thoughts to rest with a gravely prejudice and up-tempo crunch that defies anyone to put him in pine box just yet. Lastly “Hurt” brought the set to a broken heart shaped close in a classic rock style that Keith and Mick would be proud to call their own. And hey Peter’s rooster hair and silk scarves ain’t bad either, so if Ronnie Wood doesn’t watch his skinny back a new “new guy” is just half a world and a shot of whiskey away.
Sunday, Peter and the band’s performance at Otto’s Shrunken Head rocked equally hard and showed the benefits of already having one solid show under their studded belts and cowboy boots. Additionally Otto’s tiki-bar atmosphere and beat up backroom where bands perform always packs a potent Polynesian punch with a punk rock twist, especially on promoter Frank Wood’s long running “Wind Down Sunday” nights.
Due to a typically power pop-punk-metal packed roster including Jana Peri, the She Wolves and Bowery Boys, Peter Blast’s set was cut a few songs short, but Peter, Charles, Spyder and Dan made the most of every note while the audience which outnumbered the well attended Desmond’s crowd showed their appreciation with applause, hoots, and merchandise sales after the show.
Later Peter reappeared on stage and performed a short unplugged “VH1 Storyteller” style acoustic set that was a relief from the of high decibel action that had been going on in the backroom for the previous six hours or so. Blast was joined by guitarist/producer Michael Santoro for a bit of the ol’ blues in A and a version of “Cruel Cruel World” that included a verse and chorus of Muddy Waters’ “Champagne & Reefer” which was recently seen in Martin Scorsese’s must-see Rolling Stones concert film “Shine a Light.” Following the unplugged goings on Peter, Michael, Spyder and friends retired to the bar where in short order and into the wee hours the empty beers, shots and souvenir tiki glasses were not easily counted.
“I hail playin’ and just hanging out in New York City. There’s really no place like it.” Blast said later when asked about the latest Dive Bar Tour. “I feel NYC is my home away from home. It’s like the crossroads of the world, real music for real people.”
And when can the unsuspecting rock’n roll barflies of NYC expect the tour to come around again? “I'll definitely be back again faster then ya can say “Jumpin Jack Flash". Well, maybe not that fast but with a little help from "A Plush Horse...with a Monkey on a String" I'll be back soon.”