Karen Ponzio Photos
Phat A$tronaut.
Five years ago, musicians Mark Lyon and chad browne-springer met up at a D’Angelo tribute gig, and shortly thereafter a band, Phat A$tronaut, was born. On Wednesday night that band came together with two other New Haven-based acts to celebrate its fifth anniversary with a pre-Thanksgiving show that had been an annual event up until last year’s Covid-19 shutdowns.
The mood was one of anticipation, as family, friends, and fans gathered to see the live debut of WEAREBISON as well as the always entertaining and ever-rocking Glambat added to the celebration.
WEAREBISON.
WEAREBISON — Jennifer Dauphinais and Rory Thomas Derwin — came to the stage first while the screen behind the stage showed changing stills of photos and artwork created by Dauphinais, many of them offering a mirrored or kaleidoscopic vision of nature, animals, and often even Dauphinais themselves. The duo contributed to the vocals and music through soundboards that melded to form an auditory kaleidoscope that matched the visuals — often psychedelic, sometimes metal, and mesmerizing throughout.
They began and ended chanting “We are bison,” but kept the chatting to a minimum — as did the audience, who was held enraptured by the duo’s set. Whether it was a burst of smoke, a tap of the tambourine, or a flash of pink light, the elements aligned to accompany the band to such songs as “Relief in Wires,” “Lion’s Jaw,” and yes, a song called “Kaleidoscope.” The audience responded with elation.
Next to the stage was Glambat, another duo consisting of Emily Rose Alderman on guitar and vocals and John Romano on drums. They chatted extensively between songs and shouted out the audience as well as Alderman’s parents.
Glambat.
Romano introduced the duo before they began, followed by a request from Alderman.
“People are far away, and people have been far away for a year,” she said. “Since I know you’re all vaxxed” — referring to The State House’s vaccination policy — “you can come closer.”
Closer they came, and Glambat responded with an onslaught of sound with lots of joking in between while the movie Pan’s Labyrinth played behind them.
“I can’t stop thinking about Metallica,” said Alderman, after Romano mentioned they had listened to a Metallica podcast, later adding that “we’re like Metallica because our songs are 15 minutes long, we have no bassist, and we have the best drummer in the world,” which garnered laughs from the crowd.
There was also talk about Nexium (yes, the drug for heartburn) and Alderman’s parents, whom she credited with influencing her as a musician with their love of the band R.E.M. Not unlike that band, Glambat has a knack for smart, incisive lyricism that never spoon-feeds the audience. We don’t need to know exactly who the subject of the band’s latest single, “Elm City Jesus,” is; we all know that guy, whether you are from New Haven or New York or Newfoundland. Glambat was raging, but also smiling. It was easy to rage and smile along.
chad browne-springer.
Before Phat A$tronaut took to the stage, browne-springer offered a short solo set, saying they needed to “warm up my instrument.”
“Can I play you some stuff I’ve been working on?” they asked the audience, who responded positively. Accompanied by their soundboards, they gave the crowd four songs including one called “The Silent Treatment.”
Many in the audience moved along to the music, though some remained ensnared by the mystical, moody feel of the music. Browne-springer talked about the “epiphany” he had while working on recent projects with Julliard in New York City and Nightfall in Hartford.
“I found confidence in myself, in the scene, and being in this band five years,” they said.
The final song of the set, “Something About You” — off Phat A$tronaut’s first album The Fifth Dimension — found the rest of the band members making their way on to the stage to begin their set. The crowd began to dance almost immediately as the band laid into the groove with each and every tune, including its latest, “Good Pain,” and one that browne-springer introduced as “kinda comical” called “There is No Mayo In Heaven.” This prompted guitarist Mark Lyon to shout, “Where my mayo haters at?” He got quite a few positive responses, though with this band the constant give and take of band to audience and back again always felt like a circle of joy and love.
The mood rose and stayed elevated as the band — who all performed as if their instruments were a natural extension of themselves — made their way through an extensive set list, including a song they had never played live before called “Digital World,” “The Artist’s Struggle,” and their final song, “Dancer Girl.” A few moments after it was over, the familiar bass line of “Motherland” kicked in, prompting browne-springer to say, “OK, one more song. Sing along if you know the words. Let your ass move if it wants to.”
The audience did both, as did this reporter, who has learned since covering her first pre-Thanksgiving show with this band that there comes a time during every Phat A$tro show when you have to put down the pen and the camera and let yourself celebrate.
