Tampa Calling

Photo of Magadog by Phil Bardi.

CONCERT REVIEW

BY WADE TATANGELO

WMNF 28th Birthday Bash
w/Kim Richey/Grupo Fantasma/Bogus Pomp/The Zydepunks/Rebekah Pulley/Magadog/Rocket 88, Sat., Sept. 15, Cuban Club. Ybor City.

WMNF has played an integral role in bringing diverse, exhilarating bands to town for nearly three decades. We’ve come to expect it from ’em. Might even take it for granted. The public radio station’s 28th Birthday Bash on Saturday took place on three stages at the Cuban Club in Ybor City. Resident Zappa-phile Eric Snider enthuses about Bogus Pomp’s set below, but for my money, the show was just about stolen by Grupo Fantasma, an act most people did not know before they took the courtyard stage around 7:30 p.m.

The Austin-based ensemble entertained with a taut, celebratory mix of Latin, funk and classic rock marked by the guitar acrobatics of Hendrixian ax man Beto Martinez. The guitarist made fine use of the wah-wah pedal during extended solos that wouldn’t have sounded out of place at, say, Fillmore West circa 1971.

Grupo Fantasma’s 10 accomplished musicians appeared to range in age from 20s to 50s. The four-man horn section was led by the staccato trombone work of Leo Gauna. Charismatic, chrome-shades-wearing vocalist Kino Rodriguez manned center stage, dancing and playing percussion. He addressed the crowd in English but sang in Spanish.

My only complaint is that Grupo Fantasma went on too early. The sun was still in the sky and many people had not yet arrived when they took the stage. The dance floor was just heating up when it came time for the set to end. Headliner Kim Richey had the unenviable task of following such a fantastic group. The singer/songwriter displayed a gorgeous voice, and sweet melodies carried her smart lyrics, but one couldn’t help but feel the excitement level drop during her set.

The reunion of nationally recognized Tampa ska revivalists Magadog took place on the upstairs ballroom stage. The room was full of revelers: old-school fans, newbies and swing dancers who couldn’t resist the propulsive rhythms. The eight band members appeared to be as geeked about the reunion as their longtime enthusiasts — so much so that a publicity release was issued by the band Monday announcing a new album and shows.

Bogus Pomp at the WMNF Birthday Bash

I was front-and-center for Bogus Pomp’s debut show on Halloween night, 1994, when they opened for Deloris Telescope at a long-defunct joint on Madeira Beach called Mr. Joe’s. The quartet’s renditions of Frank Zappa’s intricate and challenging compositions dropped my jaw. I became an instant fan, and probably was in the house for the first eight or 10 of their periodic gigs. I wrote a lot about them. Over time, though, I lapsed into an unofficial Bogus Pomp hiatus. Who knows, maybe I needed a break from all those notes. At any rate, I caught the band for the time in quite awhile at the WMNF Birthday Bash, and, man, I’m glad I did.

Refreshed from my hiatus, I was again rendered slack-jawed by the now-10-piece ensemble’s mastery of the daunting Zappa milieu. The band blew through those ever-shifting melodic motifs, crazy time signatures and labyrinthine ensemble passages with something that looked like ease.

They were having a blast. Guitarist/ringleader Jerry Outlaw does an admirable job of re-creating Zappa’s glib and sarcastic vocals. He’s able to tap into the music’s subversive, take-no-prisoners sense of humor. Outlaw also played a series of frenetic solos that buckled the knees of those in the crowd.
I loved it all, but was particularly happy that BP played “Montana.” I never get tired of hearing those line, “Moving to Montana soon/ Gonna be a dental floss tycoon.”
—Eric Snider

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