Friday night was the Fort Worth Music Festival, and it seemed like there was an “after party” at every joint in town that had a PA. For me, the only game in town was The Wherehouse, where Jeff Dazey’s new project, Gunga Galunga, was performed.
I was a little worried as I walked up to the door. The crowd seemed thin, and there was no music filtering down Hemphill Street the way there usually is for a for a Wherehouse show. Inside, they were getting a late start, so I sat down on a speaker cabinet and waited.
The first band up was Roaming Soldiers. While I didn’t hate these guys, they were a bit on the generic side: there was a lot of Black Crows to their sound, and a tad of Allman Bros to give it that southern rock vibe. The vocals drifted towards Bon Jovi at times. Granted, they were tight and polished, but on the whole somewhat forgettable. Twenty years ago they would have been huge, but these days you gotta work a little harder to stand out.
While waiting for band number two, The Birddogs, to take the stage, I wandered into the room next door and sat down with Scott Vernon (of Sally Majestic) and Lucas White (of Misslemen, Villain Vanguard and Gunga Galunga). It was a pleasant, living room kinda vibe until we heard a steel guitar fire up. We tried to ignore it, but it was just overpowering and the normally peace-loving Vernon leaned over to me and said “This music makes me want to punch someone in the face, and you can quote me.” He then headed out the door and down the street on foot, leaving his girlfriend behind. I retreated to the back patio and prayed for a train to come by.
When the coast was clear we emerged to find an empty building. Gunga Galunga took the stage to maybe a dozen people, the rest having fled for something more rock-and-roll. Vernon returned, and the crowd moved lounge chairs out onto the main floor to watch in comfort.
Gunga Galunga is an strange hybrid consisting of Jeff Dazey on keyboard and saxophone, Lucas White on drums, John Shook on bass, and DJ Databass on the turntables.
Dazey is an amazing force in local music, playing with Dazey Chain and the Josh Weathers Band. White plays with Misslemen and Villain Vanguard, and DJ Database is a well known local DJ. Put it all together, and I’d wear out my hyphen key if I tried to create a genre to describe these guys. There’s some jazz in there, some funk, some hip-hop, and just of a touch everything else (except for steel guitars, thankfully). The groove these guys lay down is infectious, a rhythmic mix of the vinyl Databass' spins with Dazey's keyboard and horn, and the rock solid backbone laid down by White and Shook. I’m not a fan of DJ’s in general, and I went into this fearing I would hate it. But gradually I found myself seriously digging the improvisational nature of the whole thing. It reminded me of the late night jam sessions I’ve taken part in, where everyone just made up their own part until we were all too tired to play. Indeed, the show didn’t break up until nearly 4 A.M.
It’s a classic mistake for a booking agent to make – booking acts too diverse to make a cohesive show; The Wherehouse after-party fell victim to just this sort of thing. With so many shows going on around town, the crowds were already spread thin, and while there is certainly an audience for steel guitar country, this wasn’t it. But Gunga Galunga hosts a house party at The Wherehouse every Wednesday; you owe it to yourself to check this glorious mess out.
