On Wednesday, June 13th, I got to experience one of the best shows I’ve been to since starting this blog. Bumpin Uglies, Tropidelic and Samurai Pizza Cats tore apart Amityville Music Hall! Every band came on stage ready to play their hearts out. The bands were animated and engaging, the crowd was lively, and the music was amazing. If you haven’t of any of these three bands that you are sorely missing out!
The night started off with Samurai Pizza Cats, a Long Island Ska/Punk/Reggae/Funk. The band consists of Travis Ryan (guitar/vocals), Frank Stark (keyboard/organ/trombone/vocals), LT Christie (bass/vocals), Kevin Peterson (lead guitar), Timmy Diaz (drums/vocals), Jimmy Hayes (trumpet/vocals), Mike Alvarez (tenor sax), Andrew Smith (baritone sax), and Mike Reilly (trombone). If you’ve ever been to a show at Amityville Music Hall you are probably thinking exactly what I thought when I first saw the band take the stage; “How the hell are they going to make it work with nine guys on stage?!” Luckily for us, Samurai Pizza cats killed it and made a fan out of me and the rest of the crowd!
Samurai Pizza Cats had an action packed set that included songs both from their early releases and their most recent EP, “Anxiety”, that was released this year. When you listen to the band’s discography, you can hear the growth the band has gone through from the beginning to now. This growth was clearly evident in their performance. The set began with songs from their 2013 release, “Cheers”. The band’s performance of the songs Mirror Mirror, S.O.L., and Out of Sight sound much clearer and more defined during this live performance than when they were recorded years ago. The band amped up their sound with edgier instrumentals and vocals. When they performed Mirror Mirror, the lead song for the night, the crowd’s energy immediately picked up. The jam session that bridges the chorus and the verses were so well played. The sound from each horn was amplified through the music hall. Have you ever heard an instrumental that resonates with you so much that you can’t help but smile and dance to the rhythm? Samurai Pizza Cats does exactly that!
I have to give Samurai Pizza Cats so much credit for putting on the performance they did. How they were able to fit nine guys on stage AND have every band member dancing and moving around still baffles me. The energy they put forth during their performances will ensure that they skyrocket to the top. Similar to ska bands such as Streetlight Manifesto, Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake and reggae bands like Dirty Heads and Sublime, Samurai Pizza Cats is sure to build a substantial following that will see them reach great success.
Samurai Pizza Cats ended their set with Barb and Paris, two songs from their 2018 release. The band knew exactly what their fans wanted to hear and made sure they made it a memorable night. During these final two songs, everyone in the crowd was singing and dancing along with the band! With just one performance, Samurai Pizza Cats turned me into a HUGE fan. Their originality and nonstop energy is something that every band should strive to duplicate. Make sure you check out Samurai Pizza Cats when they play at Great South Bay Music Festival on July 13th along side Sublime with Rome, Dirty Heads and Less Than Jake!
Tropidelic hit the stage next and they were so dope! I had been waiting to see them for months at this point and was so eager to see what they could do live. If you are familiar with the blog, you’ll know I wrote an album review of their most recent album, “Heavy is the Head” earlier this year. Because of this, I won’t go into too much detail about the band other than that they are a kick ass Funk/Reggae/Rock/Hip Hop band out of Cleveland, Ohio. Since the release of their new album, Tropidelic has been touring around, playing as many shows as their bodies will physically allow them. I’ve had to enviously watch their sets through social media videos/stories for months. Finally, I was able to see this band that I had been following for months do their thing!
Tropidelic put on an astonishing performance. Their stage presence and natural comfort when interacting with the crowd was great to see. I always look to see if a band is able to interact with a crowd on a personal level and ensure that their fans are pleased and Tropidelic made sure that happened almost immediately after stepping on the stage. A lot of bands are so into their music that they often lack the interaction with the fans that is so crucial, especially when playing small local venues. Fortunately, all three bands had no issues with this!
Two songs that stood out to me the most were Highs and Lows and Dollar Saved, both off of “Heavy is the Head”. Highs and Lows was such an amazing song to experience because the band invited out Long Island’s own Reggae artist Vana Liya. Vana Liya was recently signed to LAW Records and has been making waves in the music scene! Hearing her beautiful voice singing along with the guys of Tropidelic was surreal. It was like the entire music hall turned into a family with everyone singing along in harmony. The band played Dollar Saved later on in their set and this song had the crowd moving! Tropidelic shows off their diversity on this song, ranging from the soulful reggae style to full on hip hop verses that pack a punch! Being known as one of their most successful/popular songs, there wasn’t a voice in the crowd that wasn’t singing every single word right back to the band! Tropidelic is one of those band that you just HAVE to see. They put on one of the most fun shows I’ve seen and will put everyone in a good mood! Make sure to follow them as they continue to climb to the top!
The night ended with Bumpin Uglies, a dope Ska/Punk/Reggae band. The band consists of Brandon Hardesty (guitar/vocals), Dave Wolf (bass), TJ Haslett (drums), and Chad Wright (keys). I had never really listened to Bumpin Uglies much prior to this show so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As soon as they started playing I realized how foolish I was for never listening to them before. This band is so sick! They played an amazing eighteen song set and had the crowd engaged the entire time! It isn’t always easy to keep a crowd engaged for eighteen songs straight, especially after they have been watching other acts for a few hours already. Bumpin Uglies knew exactly what to do to keep everyone rocking and having a good time!
Something that I loved during their set was the variety of songs that they played. Some songs were filled with ska vibes, something with acoustic reggae vibes, and others with some hip hop style to it. No one song sounded the same. For a lot of bands, their songs sound similar to keep consistency and please their fan base. Bumpin Uglies has had the unique ability of building a fan base that is in love with their diverse sound and style. Throughout their entire set, there wasn’t a soul in the crowd who wasn’t dancing and singing along. The fans knew every word to every single song that the band played! Now that is a dedicated fan base!
Bumpin Uglies set was packed with unforgettable performances of some of their most popular songs. A few of my favorite songs from the night were Crazy, Hard Liquor and Hallucinations. Crazy was such a fun song to rock along to because it has those fun Ska/Reggae roots that people know and love. The song reminds me of a mix between Reel Big Fish, Goldfinger, The Expendables and Tunnel Vision. It is the song that you’ll see people flailing their arms and legs and letting loose without a care in the world! Hard Liquor was probably my favorite song of their performance because of the cool surprise guests they brought on stage. Bumpin Uglies had some members from Long Island’s own Oogee Wawa join them on stage for this performance. This song has a Reggae/Hip Hop flow that is so catchy it’s almost impossible not to move your body to the beat. Bumpin Uglies finished their set with Hallucinations, a song off of their 2011 release, “Free Candy”. I love this song because it incorporates every style that the band touches on their albums. Hallucinations has the Ska horns, the reggae acoustic vibes and the hip hop flow that makes you nod your head the entire time!
Bumpin Uglies, Tropidelic and Samurai Pizza Cats put on a show that will be talked about for years to come. Each band put their all into their performances and made the night of every person in attendance. I don’t know if these three band’s will ever play on the same bill again, but I sure hope they do. This was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to! Make sure you follow each band, get your ass to a show, and check out their music on the blog’s Spotify playlist; After Hours Review!