Warlander @ TV Eye, Queens, NY 4/12/26

Joe Baxley had his triumphant return to NYC Sunday night with his new multi-media extravaganza Warlander. He's got a new album coming soon but for now the mystery is part of the Warlander experience. Since he was in the Barnyard Playboys, he got his old bandmate, the session player extrodinaire John Lyons on bass run through a multioctive processor that created a Godlike deep pulse and he also recruited proto metal Mirror Queen guitarist Kenny who played from highly complicated guitar charts that exploded into bursts of psychedelic space filling. Since they could only practice a couple times, the changes were signified with a secret number code. Due to the complexity of the chord structure, the headgear, the drum triggers and the blinding video content (at least on stage, sunglasses were considered but tossed at the very last minute), this was an amazing feat to pull off. Due to the last minute nature of this performance, the elaborate live drum set up surrounding the drum machine was replaced with recorded, pre-programed drum hits. Joe was telling me due to amorphous genre nature of Warlander, he can invade any scene whether jam band or psychedelic band or tonight's more goth tinged lineup and get a good response. That proved to be correct.

Somehow I didn't realize Sons of Leo were on stage until I went in to check them out. I saw a song and a half so and I was thinking they had a good drummer that obliterated what appeared to be a weak front line. Watching the clip this morning, that might have been where I was standing in the room, but I also see why I thought that. That said, I didn't see enough to have an real opinion beyond this. I was curious about Fotocrime, but damn it again I was catching up with people I hadn't seen in a bit and by the time I walked in the last song was announced, so I have no fair opinion either way. It didn't seem like I was away that long, the changeover must've been fast. They came all the way from Louisville and the front man was from Coliseum who remain another curio I've managed not to hear all these years. Usually when I'm in the same room, I scratch that curiosity itch, but tonight was not that night.

Since Warlander will be performing in NYC again for a soon to be announce major event, the keyboard amp had to be stored in NYC to avoid a trip back on a crossbreed horse. My neighbor came out as he heard me wrestling it up the stairs at 1:30 in the morning but I really didn't need any help with a half dozen steps to go. When I left the combo amp was liftable with one hand! "That gets tougher when you get older" the neighbor noted as I bid him goodnight to make the last set of grunts and weighted foot thuds. That amp is now in my kitchen and soon it will make it into a room. We can only imagine what will happen when it unearthed again.

FOR FURTHER REVIEW:

Land-Line @ Tom Fruin's Studio, Brooklyn, NY 10/11/25

Land-Line @ Tom Eurin's Studio, Brooklyn, NY 9/29/24

Towncryer @ Cowgirl Seahorse, New York, NY 2/10/26

Towncryer @ Cowgirl Seahorse, New York, NY 8/25/25

Towncryer @ Cowgirl Seahorse, New York, NY 5/20/25

Towncryer @ Pangea, New York, NY 5/3/25

Towncryer @ Cowgirl Seahorse, New York, NY 4/7/25

Towncryer @ Cowgirl Seahorse, New York, NY 1/20/25

Roger That! @ Cowgirl Seahorse, New York, NY 4/7/25

Roger That! @ Sleepwalk, Brooklyn, NY 2/10/25

Roger That! @ Sleepwalk, Brooklyn, NY 10/25/24