Photos By: Ava Pendl
By: Corey McComb
Opening DJ Ryan Bauer didn’t have time to say goodnight or flip the record before Boombox appeared. The music never stopped. They slithered onto the stage, preheated by buckets of light, and let their sounds stretch across the terrarium.
Zion Godchaux approached the pink feather boa wrapped around his mic stand, his guitar clawing at the speakers. Russ Randolphand his signature top hat drop the bass like an iguana’s tail swatting the floor. Over and over, louder and louder. Standing in front of the speakers I feel my adams apple vibrate which each swat.
The electronic funk band is here promoting their 4th studio release 2016’s EP Bits and Pieces.Primed and polished in the studio, but built around minimalistic grooves that allow the duo to dress the songs up or down live as they see fit.
Between loose interpretations of “Nothing to Lose”and “Saint Lou”,the duo stare out at the crowd ambivalently. They throw looks at each other, indicating the unspoken conversation that will decide the setlist and vibe of the night. The vibe is relaxed. Warm blooded music pulsing through two reptilian figures.
Everything suddenly goes dark as if a decision has been made. Strobe lights and applause fill the room. “Shakedown Street”starts and now Boombox’s fans begin to buzz. The crowd is perched up along the railing of the third floor, flapping insect wings and waving feather boas of their own back at the pair.
The conversation between Zion and Russ drift back and forth throughout the night, occasionally consulting the crowd with head nods and sideways glances. “Midnight on the Run”and “Stereo” are eventually blended into the set.
Boombox rolled through India St. like a mysterious fog, and for some of us, delivered a Saturday Night Fever of dirty disco dancing. The rest received a reptilian shakedown that turned skin to scales.