The Fleshtones
Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY
November 13, 2005
By Kevin J. Hosey
A Sunday night in November in Buffalo; what better time to snuggle under an afghan with your loved one, right? Well, not this particular night, because the Fleshtones, possibly the most fun retro/garage/punk rocking band in the land, were playing at Mohawk Place in town. Those of us who attended the show, and there were plenty of us who have been seeing and hearing the Fleshtones for 20 or more years, made the right decision in missing some sleep before the work week started (although your favorite photographer/web mistress, Val, smartly took Monday off of work). Some people may wonder why we still rush to Fleshtones’ shows after this many years; well, the band, led by singer, Farfisa organist and harmonica player Peter Zaremba and guitarist and vocalist Keith Streng, still rocks from start to finish during its sets of 20-25 (or 30, I lost count) songs, not including encores, enjoys and acknowledges the audience and brings smiles to faces as well as movement to our legs, hips and so on. The band has experienced self-released, major, large and small independent label releases and shows little, if any, sign of stopping any time soon.
The Fleshtones kicked off their set with Zaremba playing harmonica on the floor in front of the stage and Streng, bassist and vocalist Ken Fox and drummer and vocalist Bill Milhizer playing on stage as the band launched into “Hard Drivin’ Man,” with Streng and Fox later joining Zaremba on the floor. After thanking rock and roll chef Marty Boratin (self-promotion: I recently interviewed Boratin in Buffalo Spree Magazine, www.buffalospree.com) “for some home cooking” and the openers, the Roadhouse Gypsies, the Fleshtones ripped into one kick-ass rocker after another, causing the usual results of dancing and sweating. Among the standout songs was a blazing version of “Do You Swing?” with Streng trotting through the crowd while soloing; Zaremba played some seriously hot harmonica on “I Want the Answers,” followed by Streng singing “Pretty Pretty Pretty” (the last two songs off the Fleshtones’ new Yeproc Records’ CD, “Beachhead”) while Zaremba played the organ. Streng and Fox climbed on top of the bar and Zaremba joined Milhizer on drums while he sang “Alright.”
Things continued on a frenzied pace (despite Zaremba’s no doubt tongue-in-cheek remarks that this Sunday show would be a bit calmer than normal) on the stomping “She Looks Like a Woman,” and “I’m Back Again” also cranked. The Fleshtones opened their encore with an oldie but goodie, “I’m Not a Sissy,” and were joined by several members of the Roadhouse Gypsies while singing from the crowd, including on “I’m Not Your Baby Any More,” on which Zaremba, Streng and Fox snaked their way through the audience. Zaremba was particularly charming after the show to Val and I, and we were also happy to see so many friends out, including musician, Home of the Hits main guy and scene supporter Eric Van Rysdam, who laughed when he saw Weez, former Irving Klaws drummer, standing up front near him: “I’ve got my dance partner tonight.”
The Roadhouse Gypsies, playing hard-edged, bluesy rock and roll, showed a lot of improvement during their opening set. The band started with a guitar and piano-driven cruncher highlighting the vocals of Bobby Boye, who resembles a younger version of Dollywatchers’ guitarist and Mohawk Place bartender/sometimes booker Mike Doktor (no coincidence that Dollywatchers’ vocalist Terry Sullivan has worked with the Roadhouse Gypsies). The band members showed not only punchier playing but much tighter overall performances, with lead guitarist Eric Wienclawski in particular having a good night. The Roadhouse Gypsies also played some originals that seem to be heavily influenced by “Exile on Main Street” era Rolling Stones, not a bad thing, including the set-ending “One Track Mind,” which followed a better than expected cover of “Hoochie Coochie Man.”