The Auditory

And now for something completely different.  You’re all familiar with my affinity for folk and jazz music, in all forms; generally, the music I post on here tends to be stripped-down and mellow.  But I have to throw you all off my game somehow, and so I give you: Not Blood, Paint.

I had the privilege of seeing this Brooklyn-based band perform a few songs in Williamsburg this weekend. If I’m being honest, my first impression of these guys was that I probably wasn’t going to enjoy their music.  I tend to have a distaste for music that relies solely on spectacle (see: Lady Gaga), and so when these guys came out dressed in sparkly leotards, with their faces painted, wearing what looked liked over-sized beekeeper hats, I wasn’t completely thrilled by the prospect of hearing them play.

However, there’s something different about this band, that sets them apart from the Lady Gagas and Ke$has of the music world: they have talent.  A lot of talent. Imagine for a second that in some alternate universe The White Stripes and David Bowie had a love-child, and that baby somehow came out of the womb with the astonishing ability to sing Queen-like harmonies. That baby would be Not Blood, Paint. The band is the perfect mix of completely absurd and supremely talented.

Unlike Gaga and her contemporaries, this band surely has enough talent to entertain a crowd; the spectacle, in this case, is just an added bonus.

-Leah Creary