Concert review: Congratulations at the Boiler Room in Denton (April 24)

by Hillary Early of My Denton Music

Denton loves Congratulations. You can see pride in the smiles of the smelly, sweaty dancers crowding the floor. There's a sense of shared ownership among the crowd. This is our band. We helped to shape this sound. We're the environment and Congratulations is the organism. You can borrow them for a few weeks, West Coast, but when they finish playing, please put them back on their bio bus and send them home, because they are from Denton, F*ing Texas and we need them here.

The best time to see this band is when they come home after a tour. April 24th at the Boiler Room was a prime example of the effect the road has on this band. They are playful and happy to be home. The music is a spicy sonic stir-fry. Nobody really thinks it's a good idea to mix polka and metal, until you realize Congratulations just did it and you kept dancing. It's the norm in the jam scene to mix funk, blues, jazz and rock. Been there, done that. No one cares unless you have some surprises planned along the way. More like Zappa, less like Panic. Slightly Ween-like, not so much Grateful Dead-ish. They like to use musical quotations a lot. It's uber-nerdy. Like that guy who throws in a phrase of Latin next to a Kafka quote in conversation. Normally that makes me roll my eyes. When these guys do it, I roar with triumph and then look around to see who else got it. Was that Herbie Hancock? No, man that was Stravinsky… I mean... Prince? Don't feel bad if you can't understand the words. That isn't how people talk. It's how Gaah(n) thinks. "Ostensibly covert, responsitorially old. Fastidiously preachy, ostentationally fervent. Conveniently peachy, humbly your faithful servant." Yea, I don't really get it either. But that doesn't stop people from singing along with Riga. "That riga sure to mean a tendril eight." I've been singing this for years and have no idea what it means.

Daniel Forrester (Nine Dollar Word) has taken over for Mike Beall on Bass. Is this a permanent change? Not necessarily. To be honest, I did miss Mike's killer tone. That sound created more than a few puddles of Bass player drool on the floor for some hippie chick to slip in. But Daniel is no slouch on the instrument. His playing is exciting and powerful. I'd only cry for a little while if this means no more Mike. If you are looking for a band that wants you to cry with them about their past relationships, go see someone else. If you're looking for madness, ear candy, and narwhals perhaps you should try Congratulations.