I was able to attend the sold out Ty Segall & The Muggers show at the Neptune Theatre and I am glad I ventured out in the Seattle rain to do so. Ty has been on my list of artists to see and this was the right show for a first experience. Local power pop band Bread and Butter opened up the show with a tight set that brought to mind a mixture of Foghat, Joe Jackson, Raspberries and Spoon. Ty Segall collaborator, band member, tour mate, etc. Charles F. Moothart’s band CFM came out next and blasted through a great set of garage psych fuzz.
Then came baby faced Ty Segall with his gang of garage rock superstars the Muggers. Guitarists Kyle Thomas of King Tuff and Emmet Kelly from the Cairo Gang, Mikal Cronin on bass and saxophone and Wand drummer Evan Burrows and keyboardist Cory Hanson were all decked out in outfits that added to the weird goodness that was to come. I especially liked Cory Hanson’s new wave suit and tie. Channeling the Lizard King, Steven and the Gris Gris Man, Ty was vocalist, performance artist, and tour guide for a drool and sweat filled psychedelic trip. He spent a good portion of the concert expressing oddities, touching, drooling, walking, rolling and landing on the crowd in a very interactive performance. At one point my hand instinctively went up as he stepped off into the crowd simply assuming that everyone would offer up a path for him (which they did). Shannon Perry of Gazebos came out to help (or birth) baby Ty as he held his umbilical cord and yelped for his mommy. She too ended up in the crowd and I helped pass her along. If Ty’s goal was performance art, he succeeded. The show still dwells in my mind and set a high bar for 2016 like the Savages did for me on the exact same day in 2015.
The Muggers come to my hometown of Salt Lake City to play the Urban Lounge on March 12. The Neptune holds 2,800 people and Urban 300. The stage is ground level so I imagine Ty will perform most of the show from the crowd.