Partman Parthorse Rocks Comet, Infuriates Inept Centaurs

Caution! Inaugural post–read at your own risk…or something…

In eager anticipation for the past few weeks, the lady and I met up with some fellow audiophiles at The Comet Tavern this past Saturday night (11/3) to check out local sex-punks, Partman Parthorse.  Oh sure, they were the third act of a quadruple bill, but who were we kidding?  It was PMPH that truly piqued our interest.  The band’s fractured funk, augmented by the stage theatrics of front-dude Gary Smith, are not necessarily new to Seattleites with a keen ear and a Wednesday night at the Funhouse to kill.  They’ve been on the scene since 2006 (I was only introduced to them several months ago, after being blown away at the Funhouse and subsequently again during a High Dive set), so I will admit that I expected a slightly larger turnout for a balmy Saturday evening with an extra hour.   I suppose this poor showing might have been a function of the venue–while steeped in the tradition of local dive-bar-badassery, as an audience member the Comet leaves a bit to be desired.  Didn’t stop us, though.  Seven pints of High Life and one twisted ankle later, LeDon’t was totally into it.

In any event, it was Smith’s red underoos and the frenetic tempos of bassist/keyboardist Rachel Ratner that made the mostly female crowd’s hips quiver.  Not to mention the steady percussion of Lisa Smith and the angular stylings of guitarist Marshal Nall.  The real treat, however, came when said underoos were dutifully put on display two songs into the set, after which Smith could only be seen three quarters-naked, holding his monitor aloft as if it were a boombox and he was strollin’ through a SoCal (neighbor) hood.   I’m sure you can probably YouTube it.

I was mildly disappointed that only a few (“Partman Parthorse”, “Bang!”, “High Five Heaven”) of the seven or eight songs they played were from their lone LP, but the new tunes definitely sounded slick and the band was eager to exhibit.  I welcomed them unconditionally.

I would advise anyone itching for a radical sound and a unique spectacle to not look any further.  Just check out their next show, for chrissake:  Thursday, Nov. 8th with Pwrfl Pwr at temporary venue Pony (former space of the Cha Cha Lounge).  You can also catch them at the Wild Rose with The Intelligence Dec. 7th.  Be there or be square.

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