"Oops! You missed it!!!"

"Oops! You missed it!!!" -By Darius Jager I hop in my van and I'm out! Two hours until show time and the night is young. Tonight, I am on my way to Leonard Street for a surprise visit to see Martin Bisi at the Knitting Factory, downtown New York City. On the main stage this evening there is some extremely gothic super heavy metal band which brought it's host of minions and black eye-shadowed leather worshipers who showed up in droves, drawn to the smoke machines and flickering strobe lights like bugs to a zapper.

Downstairs, at what to common folk call the Old Office, a young man with Buddy Holly glasses and a gray suit strums out some original, Bob Dylan-esque, folk songs to his friendly crowd of 8 plus. I see Martin by some equipment, which he just lugged down the 3 flights of stairs, drenched in sweat. "A friend told me that it's the coffee that makes me sweat like this. I tried one gig, caffeine free, and it was a completely different story," Martin said as he greeted me.

Few people know this, but Martin Bisi has a severe addiction to coffee. It could be a hundred degrees outside and Martin will be like, "Iced coffee anyone?" I guess that this is necessary due to his line of work. Besides being a songwriter and performer, Martin Bisi is responsible for recording, engineering, and producing some of the most influential music in rock history. His credits include The Ramones, Sonic Youth, and Iggy Pop just to name a few, but I discovered his music personally with the release of his 2004 production of the Dresden Dolls on 8 Foot Records. They have gone international since then and are now signed to Roadrunner Records. Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione are amazing in their own right, but I can't help believing that Martin's magical touch boosted this group into the stratosphere, like so many others before.

Tonight though, it is Martin Bisi's turn to take the stage. His group is comprised of John Keith on drums, Brandon Hans on keys and backing vocals, while Martin's very own cousin Sebastian Corea, from the band Honor Among Thieves, on bass guitar. Sebastian is beaming with excitement as he takes the stage. "I learned these songs two days ago!" he says to me with a big smile, "Martin is a Genius."

Bisi sings and plays guitar through a number of effects pedals, which give him a sound like no other. He also sports a mint green baritone guitar to produce a lower pitch fitting his baritone voice and the melancholy drone of his songs. The music unleashed to the ears of the now 8-13 capacity crowd is new, unheard, and completely original. With strange metering and some chromatic shifts the band looks perplexed at times but the sound is unmistakably Martin Bisi. On stage, Martin shouts lyrics that appear to be a stream of consciousness ramble, but somehow complete a comprehensive tale. Some songs speak of love, good times, or even fantastic sexcapades. Often comical and always fun, those who were there will not soon forget what they heard.

Although the crowd was thin, and you obviously seemed to have something better to do on this Monday night in October, Martin Bisi's efforts are not going unnoticed. He has gotten some positive feedback from distributors and record labels around the globe and there are slight murmurs of tour being planned in Japan.

As we left the venue, the metal blared through the walls and smoke filled the hallways. The night air was sweet and cool so I fled for my van before the evil penetrated my flesh, drawing me in for an extended night of who knows what! My vehicle was ticket free and I decided to drive home with the windows down and a smile on my face. Better than any of the cookie cutter bands, replicas of ancient hits, or bandwagon fads, I experienced some new music that I can understand. It's about life and love and being what you are. Keep it real and I hope to see you there next time!

For more information on Martin Bisi visit:
http://www.martinbisi.com
http://www.myspace.com/theendcredits
http://www.dresdendolls.com
http://www.thievesrocks.com

Darius Jager

-posted to The Great Hoboes of New York, November 19, 2006