Sleepytime Gorilla Museum/Spotlights/Ava Farber @ Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY 5/8/25

Oakland's recently reformed (as of 2023, after a 12-year hiatus) Sleepytime Gorilla Museum I saw last year and there was a free plus 1 ticket for me to see them again. I remembered they were long, and they played over 90 minutes of conceptual avant-garde rock rooted in Zappa and King Crimson with a bit more of a theatrical element. Everybody wears parachutes causing Nils Frykdahl to knock over his guitar off the stand after switching instruments. Nils let us know that wasn't the first time. He also mentioned that the band has finished recording a follow-up to last years Of The Laat Human Being.

Carla Kilhstedt's violin is another focal point of the band. Especially, if you were standing directly in front of her thoughout the entirety of the show like I was. Her costume has a bit of a hair cap that made me wonder if it's outline was directly a part of the cap or if it was drawn on to emphasize an outline like a monkey head. She also noted the length of the set list shortly after 10pm. This was roughly the mid-point. LPR has a nice leaning pole near the bar I like, but my friend that had the plus 1 likes his vantage point in the front on the other side by the soundboard. These always seem to be at longer avant garde shows like the Residents or the Faust/Pere Ubu epic night which means a full crowd and standing in one spot for hours. My legs aways get sore at these shows! Oh well, a small price to pay right?

I got to the show while Ava Farber's horror troupe were already on stage, but I got at least 20 minutes in of film and shrieks before the candles or candle looking torches went out. Spotlights were up next. I thought they were ok for a "new band" even though their brand of drone rock meets Helmet roc has been beat into the ground. Plus, from where I was standing the vocals were inaudible. With a 20-button pedal board, maybe that was by design. Now I know they are a veteran band over a decade in on Ipecac for multiple albums. I got to thinking while they were playing that this was a band where a single could make or break them where you hear it and either love it or are indifferent to it and that affects how your taste perceives the band when they do their first album. Since I managed to never hear them until last night, that analysis was wishful thinking as they now have 4 albums and a bunch of EP's and FLAC files to get a grasp on the music. What does it mean when you incorrectly think that a new band is ok but ultimately inconsequential. Do they go up and down in your estimation when you discover they are established over a decade with a deep catalog? It is interesting to think about. For good and bad assessments, sometimes concurrently. At least I waited until their very best "rock out" moment to get my 30 second clip.