Going to the Casbah on a Wednesday night is not something I often do, but for PAPA it could’ve been any day of the week and I would’ve been there.
The opening acts were entertaining, but you could tell that the crowd was saving its energy for the final act of the night.
I’ve seen PAPA once before at a Outside Lands a few years back, but never in a close intimate setting like The Casbah. This experience was something else. In a freakishly un-crowded Casbah, PAPA unleashed their sound and the feet couldn’t help but move along with it. Lead singer and drummer, Darren Weiss, slowly transformed his “hums” into words as his drums infused with the rest of the instruments, created the sound that is PAPA. They played recognizable songs like “I Am the Lion King” and “Ain’t It So” as one might expect, but continually mixed it up with some of their older jams.
PAPA’s live performance is on another level from their studio sound. The live grittiness of the guitars and bass, smashed together with Weiss’s dual drumming and singing is something to be reckoned with. PAPA brought the energy that was missing in that freakishly small crowd making it a little less small and a little more freakish. See them live. I promise you, it’s worth it.
Photos By: Will Holder
Review By: Seth Wellens