Words by Dan Schaffel

New York City – Mike Dillon and his comrades did as their captain conducted in a tiny venue called Zirzamin on Tuesday night. Resembling your parents’ unfurnished basement, the back room of this ‘subterranean music parlour’ in New York City hosted the jams of Royal Potato Family’s resident madman percussionist. Dillon & Friends spread the fever with songs off his upcoming album Urn, available this September 25th.


www.facebook.com/TheMikeDillonBand


The highlight of this show was the young Kim Basinger-looking trombonist dressed similar to a girl scout troop leader. On this night, the crowd saw how her instrument could help mold together transitions between opposing genres. From punk rock/ska to hip-hop with a two-step beat, this solo player equated an entire brass section, showing the crowd just how to blow without ever sucking (no pun intended. No, seriously, no pun.)

Stapling “Go-Go’s Theme (Song No. 2)” smack in the middle of the show seemed to center everyone’s attention on this musical experiment. Another segment that gave the attendees some familiarity was a song with a verse alike that of “Psycho Killer”, which contained a breakdown that peaked during an intense improvisational duel between vibraphone vs. trombone.
With a jam that began as one fan claimed, “like Kirby’s dreamland”, the mood morphed into a calm, soothing, collected outro before another jam showed signs of a transposed “On the Run” feel to build upon.

What Dillon proved: his sound is far too big for such a small venue. It’s hard to correspond vibes openly with space when the crowd is mushed together. Allow for the music to carry and reverb with some more breathing room – and like creatures in the wilderness, they will adapt and evolve in their new environment.


www.facebook.com/TheMikeDillonBand


TheWaster.com | Royal Potato Family
08.21.12