Thursday, March 8, 2012

Bobaflex - National Cattle Congress

While the name Bobaflex invokes "Star Wars" type thoughts in the remaining goo that is my brain, it became apparent that there was a pretty decent possibility that the two really weren't the same.  Sure that creepy bounty hunter "Boba Fett" was still flopping about the synopsis' as I wandered into the National Cattle Congress but that was merely a fleeting memory as Bobaflex took the stage.

Obviously the movies of my youth were bopping about as I thought of the aforementioned "Boba Fett" and most certainly these connotations were only a passing thought but I have to admit I was really amused by those them.  With some amount of certainty I can tell you that the two are nothing alike, well I can now at least.  Bobaflex became another of the the bands I saw at the National Cattle Congress on March 3rd, 2012 that I had no knowledge of beforehand.  Bobaflex might have had the distinction of being a band I had never seen or heard before but that thankfully has changed.

When Bobaflex began playing the crowd erupted with a fervor that was astonishing actually.  It was impressive how the crowd reacted but as the band began to play what was truly impressive was how the band fed off of the crowd.  I've said it so many times my fingers hurt but this is exactly how a band is supposed to be in concert.  I've been to many, many shows, of differing genres and different time periods but the crowd for Bobaflex was almost like the Elvis shows of old (yes I saw Elvis when I was really young).  As Elvis got nasty sweaty he would towel off with a scarf and chuck it into a frenzied mob of the estrogen filled crowd.  As the women would dive after that nasty crap it almost makes me think that it was the source of the very first mosh pit.  While they dove over, fought, scratched, clawed, bit and screamed some one grabbed that slimy, sweaty scarf and the energy they drove forward to do so would scare even the most seasoned "mosher".

That's what this crowd seemed like and interestingly enough Bobaflex wasn't throwing anything to the crowd that was DNA covered ickyness either.  It was so fun to watch all of these people just having the most incredible experience.  The crowd was made up of so many different ages and appearances but no one seemed to care, they just were enjoying the night.

Whilst the band played the individualism of the performers shined through but what took over was their music and their extremely talented musical chops.  Obviously not having heard the band before I was under no "spell" where I knew what their music was supposed to sound like so when I arrived home I began to seek the band out actively using the instruments of destruction I had at hand (oops, sorry wrong blog).  I found the band on YouTube and began to play their music over and over and I came to the realization that this band sounds nearly spot on live as they do on their studio recordings.  Keep in mind that the band came on later than expected (slight, major PA problems) for the band preceding them (Royal Bliss - see their review here) and that there was plenty of time for them to get tired and there was no effect on their performance.

There was so much to take away from this performance that was truly impressive but I believe the most important thing I took from it is how great this band is.  Their music has made quite an impression on me and I seriously can't hear enough of it.  Right now for example I am listening to three songs over and over again (Bury Me With My Guns On, Chemical Valley and Home) and they each show off a talent that isn't only because of the skill of the musicians but also the writing ability and the vocals.  I seriously recommend that you take a listen to this band and when possible see them live!

Bobaflex has done a couple of things for me I think.  The first being I'm a fan, a really big fan now, secondly they proved how important it is to actively seek out bands that you know nothing about and thirdly support local music.  Without an open mind or tunnel vision you can miss a band the quality of Bobaflex.  Great job guys!!!

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