Before I get into this recap, let me set the scene with a quick disclaimer. I’ve been a supporter, fan, and (indirect or direct) employee of Colorado’s independent musicians since transplanting to Denver almost six years ago. But a venn diagram of my “local music scene” and Pink Sofa’s expansive community of artists would basically look like two separate circles. So even though I’ve seen more concerts than breakfasts in my lifetime, I walked into Thunderboogie’s magnum opus Boogie Inferno like an Earthling landing on Mars: bewildered by this brave new world, but excited to be there. And given the experimental, theatrical nature of Boogie Inferno, it was more of a baptism by fire. (Perhaps even an inferno…of the boogie variety…)
On my way up to Boulder I inevitably ended up behind an accident on I-25, so tragically by the time I got to the Boulder Theater the first set (from Keddjra) was finished. That was a bummer, because I heard tons of people marveling at how great her set was, and Keddjra’s Pink Sofa Hour performance is one of my favorites. Plus, the rest of the night was pretty heavy on the testosterone, so I would’ve appreciated a little variety in that department. That’s not on Thunderboogie, though–it’s my own fault for thinking I could get to Boulder without hitting traffic.
The October 19 presentation of Boogie Inferno was my first time attending a show at the Boulder Theater, and it’s a beautiful space to house live music: bold use of an eclectic color palette, twin floor-to-ceiling paintings on each side wall, a reasonable proportion of standing room to sitting areas, and obviously a killer sound system. I overheard multiple people throughout the night saying it was their favorite venue in the area, as they pointed out the little details that made them fall in love with the place. For me, it was literally love at first sight, because the downward sloping, tiered floor meant I actually got to see the concert no matter where I was standing. (If you were as used to only being able to watch a wall of lower backs as I am, you would understand how much this means to me.)
An embarrassing confession: I was certain that Phoebe Nix was an individual woman, and simply did not expect them to be a band full of dudes (I was 100% confusing them with a different artist with a similar name). Shame on me for not doing my research, and for making gender-normative assumptions! Bathed in red and blue lights, Phoebe Nix’s lead singer expressed the band’s gratitude towards Thunderboogie for inviting them onto the lineup, and called the headliners “an inspiration.” Beckoning the crowd closer with the thump of a kick drum, Phoebe Nix followed with a real barn-burner, interspersed with lengthy instrumental solos from each member. Lucy Wild joined them for a funky tune appropriately called “She’s So Wild,” which Lucy herself apparently inspired. Unfortunately her mic wasn’t quite as loud as everyone else’s mics, but someone must have fixed it before her second song with the band, “Girl.” Once I could hear her better, I thought she was adorable, bursting with energy and showing lots of personality on stage. And I’m a sucker for a duet.
Before Phoebe Nix played their new, upcoming single, they invited the audience to mosh, which is usually my cue to take several steps back. (More midget problems, womp womp.) Reining in their elaborate keyboard riffs, the single focuses on guitar, with suitably aggressive drums and brash vocals lending it more rock flavor than their folkier or funkier tracks. Then, the lead singer called his best friend/neighbor up on stage to accompany them on the cowbell, promising something spooky. Organ keys straight from Transylvania melted into almost Arabian-esque synths, with the cheerful friend/neighbor tapping out the beat on his pride and joy, the cowbell. This man put his whole back into playing the cowbell with the utmost enthusiasm. I am quite sure he trained his entire life for this moment. Phoebe Nix punctuated almost every song they performed with an explosive flurry of instruments, where everyone seemed to play as hard and fast as they could, individually and all at once. For their final song, the members stretched each of their respective instrumental solos as if they were all vying to have the last word (or note). Just when you thought one was finished, someone else would start up again, like a self-contained encore.
Boogie Inferno itself was an out-of-body experience, sort of like an acid trip without any acid required. Since it took place smack dab in the middle of Halloween season, a good amount of people came in costume, but even more may or may not have been in costume–it seemed impolite to ask. (I eventually realized that many of those folks were indeed wearing costumes for their cameos in Boogie Inferno.) Pedro in his signature pink suit (not a costume, he put that on later) took to the stage to introduce Thunderboogie, explaining their special place in the Pink Sofa/Couched Media canon and revealing that they will be the inaugural guests on the first new Pink Sofa Hour episode since the show’s hiatus.
At long last, it began: Thunderboogie’s “First and only presentation of Boogie Inferno.” A man in a zebra-print bathrobe, metallic silver pants, and a fedora delivered a cryptic prologue in an ominously deep voice, introducing himself as “The Maker, and The Breaker.” He teased the imminent production as the tale of, “The day the Boogie was stolen, and the arduous journey to get it back,” then exited the stage as the lights rose on the band members set up behind him outside of the “Thundercave.” Jake, the lead singer and bassist of Thunderboogie, stood center stage in a Dune-like getup and announced that their first song was called (shockingly) “The Beginning.” After an elaborate bass solo accompanied by psychedelic swirls projected on the walls flanking the stage, he adds that he’s loving the “Fresh new vibes of Marley on vocals,” referring to Thunderboogie’s recent newcomer, vocalist Marley.
You need some Herculean vocals to stand up to Thunderboogie’s instrumentalists without being overpowered, and I trusted that Marley was up for the challenge. However, I wish her mic was just a bit louder, because her voice did get a little muddled at times, whereas I could distinctly hear Jake’s every word. But when the instruments would pull back for a moment, she absolutely held her own, and after making some hand gestures to someone off stage, I could hear her much better. Thank you, anonymous sound person! Speaking of, I have to tip my hat to whoever was responsible for the lighting design–they really understood the assignment. This truly was (if you haven’t gathered this by now) a full-scale theatrical production. The theatricality of it all really lent itself to conveying the band’s quirky personality– especially Jake’s, as he took on the protagonist role for the evening. There’s so much character intrinsic to Jake’s voice, both when singing and when speaking, that I would suspect he’s quite the character on and off stage.
I do have to say, I nearly spit my drink out when I heard the girl behind me say to her friend, “The music is good, but I wish he would stop talking.” Clearly, she had no idea what she was in for with Boogie Inferno. (Reminds me of when my friend turned to me in horror and asked, “Is this all singing??” while we were watching Cats…the musical.) This concert has a plot, ma’am! A feral pilgrim described as the “dirty little Shaw-Man” appears on stage, challenging Thunderboogie to “Show me something that the eyes can’t see.” Until they fulfill his enigmatic request, he plans to hold Marley and “the Boogie” (in a pirate-like chest) hostage. And so our hero’s journey begins.
As the band attempts to follow the Shaw-Man into his “Shaw-Man’s Layer” to retrieve the Boogie (and Marley), the gatekeeper blocks their way, demanding that Thunderboogie plays him a theme song as a full band. So they do. Because I don’t have a solid handle on Thunderboogie’s discography, I can’t say exactly which moments of the evening’s score were improvised versus which were composed. But I can say that while the whole show was obviously rehearsed (I mean it literally had a script), much of the music itself still had the whimsical ethos of an impromptu jam. At least, it felt more like a jam band-style approach to performing, allowing the audience to lose themselves in meandering stretches of instrumentation peppered with standout solos. Besides “The Beginning,” no individual songs were named, instead introduced and contextualized by the surrounding narrative dialogue. Because the songs were also (generally) lyrically sparse, these interspersed scenes were critical for establishing the plot, whereas the music more so set the story’s atmosphere and tone. However, Thunderboogie’s labyrinthine instrumentals, interrupted by sporadic moments of intentional discord, do often mimic a narrative arc.
After delivering an epic theme song for the Shaw-Man’s Layer guard, Thunderboogie is met with their second hurdle: a king leading his entourage of jesters on “a promenade.” Accepting the “bard’s” offer to play music, he parades through the whole audience with his royal court while Thunderboogie provides musical accompaniment. The band is able to pass, only to be thwarted by yet another roadblock: a troll with a nylon guitar, who the band says, “Always lurks outside of the Thundercave trying to come in and jam with us.” Even with the wig, fake hook nose, and nasally voice disguising, I knew immediately it was our dear Pink Overlord Pedro (and come on, if anyone shows up with a nylon guitar demanding a jam, it’s probably Pedro). Troll Pedro has a fairly reasonable request: play a song with him in order to get through, or die. Okay, maybe the second part isn’t so reasonable, but luckily Thunderboogie picks option one.
Traveling through deeper and deeper chambers of the Shaw-Man’s Layer, Thunderboogie is ambushed by a trio of wood nymphs. Guitarist Bryan manages to interpret from the nymphs’ gestures that they want to dance, and Thunderboogie obliges with a groovy interlude. Satisfied after a choreographed jig, the nymph trio moves aside. In case you’re not picking up a pattern here, the moral of the story linking all of Thunderboogie’s trials and tribulations is that their enemies just need a little music to become friends. How sweet!
But then, Thunderboogie encounters the dreaded final boss: Satan himself, covered in red body paint, wearing nothing but a black leather vest and matching chaps. Wielding a red and black guitar (the color-coordinated instrument was a nice touch), Satan challenges Jake to “a guitar solo battle for the ages.” This was probably my favorite scene, with both Satan (who I believe was played by the lead singer/guitarist of Phoebe Nix, Chris Robert Klauss) and Jake pulling out all the stops during their duel. Whether he is actively fighting for his survival or not, Jake plays with a frenetic urgency, the music sending him into full-body spasms as it seemingly overtakes him. Even Satan was moved by his passionate playing, reluctantly deeming Jake his equal.
Finally, Thunderboogie makes it into the inner sanctum of the Shaw-Man’s Layer, where the Boogie sits in its chest. But before they can reclaim it, three ancient necromancers materialize with a riddle: “The Beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. As Above, so Below, and Everything in between.” It’s a callback to the opening scene of the show, which now feels like a lifetime ago. They must reprise their performance of “The Beginning” to open the chest, and as they do, they’re joined by all the previous characters. The Boogie, revealed to be a pink glowing orb, is now resurrected and returned to its rightful home.
The zebra-clad narrator reappears for the denoumount, and Marley returns to sing the final song, “Boogie Inferno,” with the whole cast. The Broadway baby in me loves a traditional, full-ensemble closing number, and with everyone gathered on stage, you really got a sense of just how many people were involved in creating this production. Jake thanked pretty much every single one of them (and some folks off stage, too) by name, which was a very sweet way to bring the night to a close.
What a whirlwind. Thank you to Thunderboogie and Pink Sofa Hour for having me as one of the privileged few witnesses to the first and last showing of Boogie Inferno. I’m excited (and only a little bit scared) to see what wacky collaborations you cook up next. And let this be a lesson to other musicians: as long as you know your audience, you can get as weird as you want, and they’ll go with it–even if it means following you into the depths of a Shaw-Man’s Layer.
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