Secret Shows and Secret Treasures

Bona Roba, The Patchwork Family (The Mooney Suzuki), Treasures of the Sea, Jonny Lives
@Sin-é
New York, NY – January 10, 2006

The Mooney Suzuki, a band that I have never had the pleasure of seeing live in their proper name, played a not-so-secret show (hence how I was there) at Sin-é to showcase brand new songs for the next Suzuki album. Playing under the name of the Patchwork Family (but not really), the band (really just the lead singer/guitarist Sammy and guitarist Graham, reunited with their original drummer, Will) took a light hearted approach to the night. The songs are definitely in the vein of previous work, and done live, they sound solid. The Suzuki are continually moving towards pop but it is still based in rock-n-roll. The question will be whether the album will be raw like Electric Sweat or slickly produced like Alive & Amplified. Either way, this promo-gig was done smartly and received generally enthusiastic support from the crowd, give or take 1 or 2 critics. The rest of the night featured excellent bands. Opener Jonny Lives is a power pop master. Sharp and tight, the band delivers the hooks how they have to be. Closers Bona Roba are a fine, hard rocking garage band, who already sport a song so catchy I remember the name: “Cunningham Park”. But the real treat of the night was Treasures of the Sea. Sporting a clarinet, a small drum kit, a National Dobro Resonator guitar, and a female voice out of the 1920’s, Treasures of the Sea offers America’s darling original pop music: Ragtime, Dixieland Jazz and its course through the 1920’s and 30’s. Firing off covers as random as “You Are My Sunshine” and “Putting On The Ritz”, this exceptional little outfit takes a road less traveled, to a music world far away from most contemporary music. Sensational!