It was a topsy-turvy night of live music in Red Bank, NJ where the visitors became the hosts as headlining tribute act Pink Talking Fish rolled out the welcome mats for a couple of Jersey Shore locals. First, it was psychedelic funk fusion quartet Fungkshui who joined in for an opening set before Phish lyricist Tom Marshall made a guest vocal performance during “Run Like An Antelope”, a song whose lyrics he is credited with having written.
Fungkshui—Jack Reed (guitar), Max Vitale (guitar), Jon Schepis (bass), and Kyle Donovan (drums)—is easy to listen to and even easier to dance to, and the nearly full room was easily seduced into an early groove by the Fungk’s hip-shaking hooks and toe-tapping downbeats, not to mention earworm guitar riffs that easily bested the extended Presidents’ Day weekend. During their hour-long set, the Asbury Park natives put on a genre-bending display with at times heavy builds that gave way to fresh funk, soulful guitar play, and shredding dual guitars.
Fungkshui – “Ready To Go” – 2/17/23
[Video: Marc Komito]
Pink Talking Fish, whose source material covers the time-tested catalogs of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish, would put the emphasis on Pink during a first set that celebrated the 50-year anniversary of The Dark Side Of The Moon by playing the album in full for the first—but hopefully not last—time this calendar year. It’s not often one has the opportunity to hear this classic treasure live and PTF paid faithful homage thanks to keyboardist Richard James’ hauntingly accurate vocals. To be perfectly concise, Dark Side is great music and PTF rose to the challenge by playing it greatly.
Related: Roger Waters Has Rerecorded ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ Without Pink Floyd
After a short break, Pink Talking Fish put the latter half of its band name to work as Phish’s “The Curtain” got the second set opening nod. A lovely “With” eventually followed, though the fact that it was preceded by Talking Heads’ “Girlfriend Is Better” was just the type of thoughtful (and playful) setlist shenanigans that makes PTF the ultimate fusion tribute band.
A true Pink > Talking > Fish combo of “Young Lust” > “Nothing But Flowers” > “Run Like An Antelope” ended with guitarist Cal Kehoe inviting Tom Marshall to the stage to sing the climactic lyrics, ones he wrote himself while attending high school with Phish’s frontman Trey Anastasio right here in New Jersey in the early ’80s. By way of thanks, Kehoe would sing, “You got to run like Tom Marshall, out of control!”
Pink Talking Fish w/ Tom Marshall – “Run Like An Antelope” – 2/17/23 – Partial
[Video: Marc Komito]
Another true-to-its-name run of “Astronomy Domine” > “Cities”, “My Friend My Friend” was punctuated by a set-closing “2001” before a “Once In A Lifetime” > “Eclipse Reprise” encore.
Check out image galleries from Pink Talking Fish and Fungkshui at The Vogel in Red Bank, NJ on Friday courtesy of photographer Taidgh Fitzpatrick.
Pink Talking Fish heads out west for a series of shows beginning next week in Bend, OR. Find upcoming tour information here.
As for Fungkshui, the band announced during its set that it will perform opening duties for the supergroup known as LaMP (featuring Scott Metzger, Russ Lawton, and Ray Paczkowski) on that band’s upcoming tour next month with stops in Asbury Park, NJ; Albany, NY; and Burlington, VT. Ticketing information is embedded in the links.
Setlist: Fungkshui | The Vogel | Red Bank, NJ | 2/17/23
Didn’t Know Anything, Vested (Original Debut) > Blue Rat Bastard, Ante Up, Ready To Go [2], Orange Cadillac, That’ll Do
[1] Debut
[2] w/ “Hotel California” tease
Setlist: Pink Talking Fish | The Vogel | Red Bank, NJ | 2/17/23
Set One: (The Dark Side Of The Moon): Speak To Me > Breathe > On the Run, Time, Great Gig in the Sky, Money, Us and Them >, Any Colour You Like> Brain Damage> Eclipse
Set Two: The Curtain> Girlfriend is Better> The Curtain With, Young Lust, Nothing But Flowers > Run Like an Antelope [1], Astronomy Domine> Cities, My Friend My Friend> 2001
E: Once In a Lifetime> Eclipse Reprise
[1] w/ Tom Marshall
