A listing and brief reflection on past shows we've
had.
Asterisk gallery with Morticia’s Chair.

On March 18, 2005 we played a show with Morticia’s Chair. It was my first time at the Asterisk art gallery. We did one opening
set while M.C. entertained us all the rest of the evening. It was a wonder night with good weather. I really enjoy doing shows
with only two bands on the bill. The relaxed environment makes the performance far more enjoyable and allows a performer to
focus on the dynamics of the performance.
The wide-open spaces and hard wood floors of the gallery made for an acoustically live room. This can be hazardous for an
inexperienced group of musicians. Drums have a tendency to sound as if they were the size of houses and played by a giant.
Amps with heavy reverb will quickly turn murky and overbearing. So needless to say it took a few adjustments before we
began to sound acceptable. Moticia’s Chair, on the other hand, were well ready for such circumstances. As a result they
sounded pristine and under control.
Our show began with an instrumental titled “Flight”. A very good opener with its quiet classical style finger picking that grows
into a soaring wall of sound. The choice of songs followed this trend of gradually getting bigger and more threatening. I hope
to do more of this in the context of a show in the future.
This show was also my first time seeing Morticia’s Chair. A few of my friends told me that I would enjoy them. They were
correct. Their sound had a nice amount of Celtic influence. These fellows certainly hold firmly the rewards of well-seasoned
musicians. That is to say “excellent musicality”.  They also had their audience 100% engaged in their performance. That is
something very few acts can lay claim to. If you haven’t had the chance to see this talented crew you should not hesitate to
treat yourself to an evening with them.
Metaphysical Zoo - Live!

02/16/07 @ Phantasy Nite Club w/ Glue
01/20/07 w/ Audio Euphoria @ The Happy Dog
12/23/06 @ Verlies w/ Smiley Baldazar
05/20/06 personal party @ Ray's house
03/04/06 @Phanasy nite club w/Slither Monkey
02/10/06 w/This Present Expression, & Mad Bunny @Pat's In The Flats
09/16/05 w/Morticia's Chair@Pat's In The Flats
08/27/05 w/Smiley Baldazar@The Winchester
06/04/05 w/Burning Sage@The Maple Grove
05/14/05 w/Morticia's Chair & about 30 other bands@Peabody's
05/06/05 w/Hetmana & Betamen of Judea@Capsule
04/23/05 w/Slither Monkey & Lightning Fingers@Pat's In The Flats
03/18/05 w/Morticia's Chair@Asterisk Art Gallery, 2393 Professor, Tremont
02/26/05@Recycled Rainboww/Fuzzhead & A Host Of Other Folks
02/05/05 w/Angwish@Pat's In The Flats
10/15/04 w/Colorforms, 9 Volt Haunted House, Volta Sound & many other talented ExBe
performers@Recycled Rainbow
09/02/04 w/Leroy's Frosted Rocks & The Last Show@The Grog Shop
07/31/04@Private Party
05/22/04@Pat's In The Flats
04/18/04@Pat's In The Flats
03/13/04@Pat's In The Flats
09/27/03 w/Burning Sage & Elliot James and The Snakes@The Maple Grove
09/20/03@Pat's In The Flats
08/30/03 w/Caribou Foot, Echo Canyon Players@Nelson Ledges
07/05/03 w/The Francii & The Trippers@The Phantasy
04/05/03@Doubting Thomas

metaphysicalzoo@yahoo.com
With Slither Monkey and Lightning Fingers at Pat’s in the Flats

After a lot of talk and very little planning we finally had a chance to share the stage with Slither
Monkey, a band featuring my brother Danny on vocals, as well as my old friend and former guitar
student Phil (on guitar of course). Slither Monkey’s former bassist, Brandy, made her debut on
drums that night. She had only been practicing for a few weeks and sounded quite good. Another
old friend of mine, Stan, had stepped in on bass. I had played in band called Shaman’s Circle
with him a few years back and it was great to see him again. He is indeed a great musician.
The show opened with the wild antics of Lightning Fingers! I truly believe that there exists no one
on this Earth that knows how to have fun more than Steve Barret. Whether it’s Lightning Fingers,
Beta-men of Judea, or any other performance art creations of this mad genius, you simply don’t
know what to expect. He began by slow dancing to a gentle Strauss waltz while wearing a feather
mask and tossing broken 45 rpm records in the crowd. His set progressed to jumping off ladders,
playing air-guitar, beating cardboard boxes, and breaking stuff. The patrons of Pats had water
poured on their heads and black lipstick on their faces. Steve in turn received many looks of
dismay.
Unfortunately earlier that evening I had assured two of the spectators that no such thing would
happen and that it was perfectly safe to sit close the performance area. Sorry? Although many
people were not sure what had just taken place, I have to believe that they all enjoyed the
uninhibited feeling of being a silly child again. I, for one, loved it!
Doubting Thomas Gallery.

Our drummer, Shawn, landed us this show. I was more than happy to find that our first show together as a full band would
be at an art gallery opening. Nothing could be more appropriate for the premier of an art rock / progressive rock band. The
works of Timmie Boose and Cloe Galvanic were on display. Grim and surreal images of unearthly faces created an inspiring
atmosphere for our short sets filled with a lot improvisation (give us a break it was our first show and we were the only act).
By the end of the night we were all very happy with the crowds positive response and encouraging words.

I have provided here an video of one our improvisations from the evening that I feel turned out fairly good. It’s called “You
wrote it too”.
You can find it on the sounds page.
The Davenport in Parma with Humphry Clinker and
Boomlet
06-08-07
We were surprised at ourselves for being able to pull
this gig off when we had not practiced in over two
months. We are very grateful to Humphry Clinker for
giving us this chance to shake the dust and rust off.
We were all impressed with HC's sound. They have
become an incredibly tight band. We all remembered
hearing them when Jon and Ben did their first show at
Pat's in the Flats. They have truly evolved into
beautiful wall of sound that caresses the listener into a
euphoric state.
As for the Davenport  the staff was freindly, the drinks
were reasonable but the venue itself was hard to find. I
would love to play there again, or see another band
there soon I hope this venue will be around for along
time.