Material: With an experimental essence to their sound, Thumpasaurus performs songs that make it hard not to pay attention. “Dance Like It’s Your Life” and “I’m Too Funky” are iconic gems, with an upbeat pacing that makes it impossible not to dance. Each of their songs features a sense of funk along with a mixture of scatting and unconventional vocals. Their most recent release “Mental Karate” follows the theme of older tracks in its simplicity in getting a message across to its audience; lyrics like “mental karate choppin’ all the bad thoughts!” are short and simple, adding to the many layers of the band’s music as a whole.
Musicianship: Thumpasaurus are a tight unit, each musician a master of his craft. Henry Solomon’s saxophone played smoothly alongside percussion with striking and unorthodox vocals from Lucas Tamaren, who seemingly loses himself in his own David Byrne/James Murphy-esque singing. Throughout the performance, we became entranced by the insane funky jazz riffs that honestly didn’t seem natural from bassist Logan Kane and pianist Paul Cornish. Individually, each musician is his own entity, but collectively they embody what makes Thumpasaurus, working brilliantly in unison and time.
Performance: You’ll never get bored at a Thumpasaurus show. As an extremely over- the-top band, they are fun and constantly engaging. Beginning their show with a projected image of Mark Zuckerberg, then transitioning to an image of Jennifer Lawrence, Thumpasaurus projects an air of good humor and irony in their performance, making sure not to take themselves too seriously. The visuals were obviously made using Microsoft Paint and PowerPoint and that’s what gives them the upper leg: no one ever uses Microsoft Paint or PowerPoint anymore. Tamaren and the rest of the band showed their versatility as musicians, as they began playing in a hard-metal tempo to introduce “Mental Karate.” Ultimately, the band’s stage presence is enrapturing and you won’t want to look away.
Summary: If you ever see them live, which you probably will since they’re always playing shows, you’re in for a wild ride. Get ready to dance as if your life depends on it, and make sure you pay attention to their visuals when you’re not obsessing over the amazing riffs they’re laying out. Thumpasaurus is the funk band of your dreams, you don’t want to miss them.
The Peppermint Club Los Angeles, CA
Contact: Allegra Rosenberg, [email protected]
Web: facebook.com/thumpasaurusmusic
The Players: Lucas Tamaren, guitar, lead vocals; Henry Solomon, saxophone; Paul Cornish, keys; Logan Kane, bass; Henry Was, drums; Nate Lichtenberger, percussion.
Photo by Whitney Levine
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