Gil Mantera's Party Dream @ Knitting Factory: Ultimate Smurf Power
Warning: This post contains photos of guys with bulges in their pants.
It's safe to say that the 2nd Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks show didn't have a guy wearing a leather vest and a cape and dancing like the red Kool-Aid guy. Yup, welcome to MusicSnobbery.com, where I bring you the best the music world has to offer.
I've heard the stories so I had to see the party dream, so to speak. I wouldn't even suggest reading this post if you are planning to see Gil Mantera's Party Dream for the first time. I just won't do it justice. The Party Dream is not really a band, but a theatrical, comedy, dance troupe from Ohio who take minimalist flamboyance to the edge. If they had a larger budget, they could give Of Montreal stiff competition.
The music is secondary to the experience. People come to mosh and let out their aggression to some ultra-cheesy 80s synth pop. They could easily double as a Mike + The Mechanics cover band. Kind of like G.W.A.R, G.M.P.D. is made to tour and doesn't need to make albums. Albums are made for the merch table.
The two guys, Gil and Ultimate Donny (not real names), just ham it up on stage. They look like they belong in some 1980s Nordic gay porn adventure. Donny has all the fairy dance movies while Gil is more into the novelty dances.
What made the experience for me was Gil's stage banter. It's very much in the vein of the Pittsburgh rap duo, Grand Buffet. It's just a bunch of non-sequiturs, but the delivery makes it hysterical. He would say something like, "We all know a picture is worth a frog and frogs have nine hearts." The best was when he turned around, saw the drummer and said, "Who the fuck are you? Where the fuck did you come from?" The topics of banter included that "faggot Frogger" and the show needing more Smurf power.
Again, go to see the party to be part of the party, just don't think to deeply about it.
On the other hand, I think we have one of the headliners of Siren Festival 2008 right here.
Kids, don't try that at home.
I think maybe you have them reversed - Gil is the blonde and Donny is the one with the nonsensical banter.
Either way, they are AWESOME.
Posted by: A | April 02, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Yea thats true Donny plays guitar and lead vocals and Gil plays keyboard and vocal distortion. Gil Mantera rocks I've been watching them live at Skully's on OSU campus twice a year since 2004
Posted by: Adam | May 13, 2008 at 02:26 PM