Last evening, the Brooklyn Bowl hosted a unique array of musicianship from Brooklyn-based bands: Gowanus, Sprocket, and Escaper. Billed as the “Brooklyn Bowl Jam Jar,” the night held a few surprises for those in attendance.
Escaper kicked things off with their signature space funk, which pleasantly interlaced with soaring melodies. The band performed at Brooklyn Bowl for the 20th anniversary celebration of Phish’s record Billy Breathes last fall, sharing the bill with Aqueous, Jimkata, and Teddy Midnight, so their return was worthy of celebration.
Sprocket started their set with a lighthearted gag: the band were playfully still looking for their keyboardist, Angelo, who left their January Brooklyn Bowl show early. Miraculously he appeared, and they completed their January version of “Super Mario 2.” The crowd’s energy began heating up as Sprocket delved into a jam of Phish‘s “The Lizards”, which was executed beautifully. Afterwards, the band decided to perform an older cut, “The Glen”, that covered plenty of ground as it shifted from heavy rock to jazzy piano to electric shredding. Sprocket tactfully segued into a lengthy version of The Who‘s “Eminence Front,” which included a lyrical tease of Scott McKenzie‘s “San Francisco” from guitarist Tom Tompkins. After “Womp,” a Sprocket original, the band covered The New Mastersounds‘ “Make Me Proud” before closing out their set with “Showtime.”
Experimental rock outfit Gowanus finished off the evening with a slew of originals. Halfway through their set, Sprocket’s guitarist Tom Tompkins sat in on the tune “Grass.” This band kept the crowd moving into the night with their heavy hitting jams.
Gowanus is continuing on the road, playing in Boston, MA tomorrow night (4/6) at The Middle East. Sprocket will be playing a late night show in Manhattan at The Bitter End on April 22nd. Next month, Escaper has a gig in Manhattan at the Rockwood Music Hall on May 12th.
Thanks to taper Matt Moricle, you can listen to full audio of Sprocket’s set below:
[photo by Arielle Bendory]