Dunedin Brewery Spring Beer Jam: the Punkadelick variations

Dunedin Brewery Spring Beer Jam: the Punkadelick variations

[All photographs courtesy of Hunter Nicole Bryant]

This year’s annual Spring Beer Jam marked the 30th time Dunedin Brewery hosted a weekend chock-full of great music, food, friends, and, oh, yes… beer. The weather was perfect, and so was everything else!

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

A trio of titans held forth on the first night, three spectacular musicians who mesh together in perfect… well, some might call it harmony, but we’ll settle for brilliant musical bliss: renowned keyboard wizard Brian Haas, true force of nature Nikki Glaspie on drums, and The Vibraphone Destroyer himself, Mike Dillon.

This particular collaboration properly calls itself Punkadelick, and the name is most fitting. This is controlled chaos, punk metal jazz brilliance. They held forth for two jaw-dropping sets in the pub, with many favorites such as “Cremate Me,” “Leather On,” “Air B&B in Old Araby,” “Hey Landlord,” “Ball Soup,” “Quarantine Booty Call” and much, much more.

Frankly, the setlist doesn’t matter all that much, although huge shoutout for ending set one (I think) with “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” What does matter is the stunning interplay among the three titans. Glaspie is a monster on the drum kit while dropping in her vocals amidst the mania. Plus that glorious smile. Haas rules his electric piano with right hand and his bass synth with left, plus melodica. And Dillon is the vibraphone destroyer, his techniques fascinating, not to mention his armada of percussion toys. I hear so much of Ruth Underwood, George Duke, and Chester Thompson (Zappa band 1974), not coincidental given Dillon’s love of Zappa’s work.

Dillon sang something in the voice of Bill Anselmo (Pantera), then busted out his nod to Martin Denny and “tiki night here at the brewery” replete with bird whistle. Haas had a superb bass synth solo during “Ball Soup,” and Glaspie was… simply marvelous. All of that wrapped in the magic and mania that swirls around whatever project Mike Dillon is involved in at the moment.

Bless the power and might of Punkadelick! And thank Mike Bryant for bringing them to Dunedin Brewery on the regular. We are forever grateful!