Band on the Run

The band opened with “Roxy,” a tune
currently available only on Gonculator’s Myspace.com Web page
(www.myspace.com/gonculator). A fittingly groovy and manic opener, the
number is a conversation with a transvestite female who seems to have
taken a certain medical plunge (“You’re a bigger man than I could ever
be/ Watch out for daddy’s little boy,” the lyrics scream). Similar
tunes throughout the set seemed to set the high-water mark for the
decidedly ironic and metallic songs that the band has written since the
release of its 2007 debut album Gonculator’s Family Restaurant (SubCat). 

The group later harped on a variety of
instrumental jams, which at times beckoned references to the stoned-out
subtlety of Crosby, Stills and Nash’s “Wooden Ships,” while at other
moments they came across like the progressive, pseudo-jazz tunes of
Phish’s first release, Junta. Especially convincing were the synchronous licks of vocalists and guitarists Jake Kodweis and Sean Greif,
which darted and dived into complex harmonic structures that never
drifted too far from the tree trunk that forms Gonculator’s rock base.

Drummer Cameron Griffith and bassist Derek M. Stoll
form a rhythm section that operates like a well-oiled rock clock, an
effect that resounded in tunes like the pocket-centric groove
“Doppelganger.” Yet that mechanical discipline doesn’t detract from
Gonculator’s Queens of the Stone Age-reminiscent guitar work, such as
in the group’s live portrayal of the quixotic riffer “Dana Novocaina.” 

Gonculator made light of the club’s
lackluster attendance by poking fun at some drunks and a pair of
inebriated hippie chicks who bubbled up to the stage to flirt with the
band. While the band’s Web page, www.gonculator.net, doesn’t list any
current, upcoming gigs, check The New Times Club Dates section to keep an eye out for a performance from a band that deserves a much livelier crowd. 

Jake Kodweis: The lead singer of Gonculator, pictured during their Oct. 24 Shire appearance. MATT MUMAU PHOTO