Mr. Quintron and Miss Pussycat & The Black Lips – 3.14.08, Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA

I’ve been a Quintron fan for a long time. While Quintron has always sounded great on albums, nothing compares to the live Quintron experience. Mr. Quintron’s self-constructed Drum Buddy¹ and his operation of it while simultaneously playing the organ and percussion, was a feat unto itself to watch.

The crowd at Johnny Brenda’s unfortunately may not have felt so. Miss Pussycat would suggest as much, comparing Johnny Brenda’s to the Olive Garden. Mr. Quintron would end the set by saying, “I know I seem like an asshole, or a comedian, but I’m not. We love this, and we love that sound.”² In the early 90s when Mr. Quintron first appeared on the scene, it might have been difficult to hear a similar statement as one that was sincere. Over a decade later, and with countless albums behind him, all exploring a similar swamp funk sonic, it is impossible not to believe the man or see him as anything but a visionary. While the fans may not have recognized this, Quintron played like a prophet, his sheer energy doing the impossible of upstaging The Black Lips performance.

Impossible, because the Black Lips put on one hell of a show. Possibly one of the most violent concerts I’ve been to in recent memory, I’d be willing to wager even the Lips would have felt it was borderline too jail-break. When a drunk fan jumped onstage and threw bassist Jared Swilley in a headlock, the look on Swilley’s face was not one of camaraderie, but of shit-my-pants-get-mugged-fear.

Fun was still had by all though. Typical Lip antics, such as spitting into the air and catching back in the mouth, ran throughout the show. Amid the chaos and oil-wheel light spinning, if the crowd didn’t see the genius of Quintron, all were thrown into that Black Lips state of mind, blurred somewhere between fear and great music.

Images from Quintron are here and the Black Lips are here.