At 8:00 p.m., the HUB’s Fireplace Lounge had a few people standing around and watching a show. By 8:30, the area was crowded by swinging groovers enjoying the steady stream of funky rhythms coming from the front stage. By 9:00, the entire lounge was a swinging sea of dancers that spread from the stage to the hallway, to the floor above. The occasion was a performance by the New Haven based band Psychedelic Breakfast on Thursday, February 27 that became an evening of long jams and musical camaraderie that the HUB hasn’t seen for a long time.
Psychedelic Breakfast, consisting of guitarist Tim Palmieri, bassist Ron Spears, keyboardist Jordan Giangreco, and drummer Adrian Tramontano (all of whom use vocals), displays an eclectic mix of instrumental and vocal harmonies to create interesting sounds. Tramontano plays on a gong in a way that makes it sound like a rain stick, Giangreco produces spacey and surreal sounds from the keyboards, and Spears plays his bass like a guitar and produces a wailing unmatched by any other instrument. Palmieri primarily sung, but Giangreco joined in at the end to produce interesting vocal harmonies. The vocals and the instruments were put together in a creative way to produce unique sounds.
Psychedelic Breakfast is a showcase of the best of ‘60’s style jam bands such as the Grateful Dead and its more recent incarnation Phish. The band’s songs were less five minute pieces than ten minute jams that started slowly with vocals and instruments, sped up to an almost frenetic pace, slowed down again, and then picked up the pace to a lively crescendo. The concert resembled a tribal ritual in its pattern of whipping the crowd into a frenzy and then letting them down softly. A nine minute drum solo that sounded like a drum circle, complete with its almost tribal sounding beats and mix of drums and cymbals, furthered this theme. The songs faded into one another and at some points, and it was hard to tell when one ended and one began. This pattern was lively at first, but it became tiresome by the end of the show.
The group kept stage banter to a minimum. There were only a few comments about their recent album, a few words about the passing of Mr. Rogers, and repeated encouragements from Palmieri to go to the merchandise table and peruse a vast array of hemp products. The band seemed relaxed, but passionate about their music and the skill that went into it. In the end, the large audience was rewarded by an encore that capped off this wild night.
Psychedelic Breakfast provided a unique mix of instrumentation with songs that sounded like the soundtrack of a ‘60’s rock festival. While the tone was slightly exhausting near the end, the band’s energy and skill has to be admired, as well as its ability to turn the Fireplace Lounge into a place where people can forget their troubles and just groove. Psychedelic Breakfast fans should watch for the release of the group’s third album Bona Fide on March 18.