On Saturday night, Kevin Dailly, lead singer of Tacoma-based, party-funk group Booboolala, walked up on stage wearing his signature straw hat, swimsuit, and muscle tank, and welcomed the full audience to the show:
“Good morning everybody, and welcome to your 10 a.m. pilates class.”
What their set turned into, though, was less like pilates and more like a foray into wonderful, drunken Tabata.
Celebrating the release of their new album, Swimwear, Booboolala came to get hype. Kevin and his sister, Madisen, front the group with an incredible amount of positive, fuck-tha-haters energy. From the time the whole BBLL gang steps on stage, it’s impossible not to sway, jump, throw up your hands, and imbibe with them. Through the course of two rounds of shots sent to the stage (three for Kevin), a bag of balloons, two beach balls, and an hour-and-twenty-minute set, there wasn’t one moment where the energy lulled.
Kevin and Madisen are an impeccable team; while Kevin runs back and forth on stage, endlessly hyping the crowd, Madisen sits back in the groove, funking it up with her stank face and dancing that just makes you want to move.
When Kevin threw a cd vertically into the crowd and it started spinning like a throwing star, Madisen (half) jokingly yelled, “watch your eyes!” Before their new tune, “I.H.W.,” which stands for “Independent Hustle Woman,” both Daillys thanked and called out their mom in the front row, and, as Kevin went to start the song, Madisen shouted out bassist Byron Thomas’s mom, who was also in the front row. Madisen is the blue flame to Kevin’s orange; they’re both hot, but as Kevin barrels ahead without looking, Madisen secures the barrier.
While the Daillys front the band with their sultry, low-down, r&b-style vocals, guitarist Jordan Neal, drummer Taylor Cryder, and Thomas carve out their own spotlights of in-the-pocket funk. Neal, especially, seems to get better with each performance. Whenever he stepped forward and wailed on his guitar, he had the crowd feelin’ it. His rapport with Madisen and Thomas, too, was infectious. Behind Kevin’s mania, the three of them played, laughed, and danced together, all the while keeping the groove hot.
Supporting BBLL were Biddadat, Decent at Best, and Mōtus. A group of self-proclaimed “jazzstronauts,” Mōtus opened the show and was the surprise of the night.
Unfamiliar to me, all I had to go off of before Mōtus’s set was Kevin’s sentiment that their sound check sounded pleasant. What I was hit with was an incredible amount of bluesy-jazz musicianship that held me rapt until the last note of their set.
Frontwoman Monica Parshotam has the aura of a New Yorker in the best way. Instead of the epic gloom of a Seattleite, she commanded the stage with whimsical and powerful effervescence. Wearing tie-front, wide-leg, black capris with a slit up the sides, black Birkenstocks, and big, white, swoopy earrings, Parshotam looked and felt like a natural blues artist plucked from the 40s and dropped gently into 2019.
The other standout from the group was trumpet player Daniel Lombard. Always on top of the beat, Lombard added to the performance not only through his horn, but also through his undeniable passion for the music he was playing. Much like Madisen did for Booboolala, Lombard acted as the audience’s beacon throughout the set, mouthing along to Parshotam’s lyrics and getting down to the beat between trumpet lines. While the whole band was tight, I’d love to see what Parshotam and Lombard could do on their own.
Also worth mentioning is second vocalist Jeanie Marinella, who easily kept up with Parshotam’s full sound. While Marinella was a little too hard-hitting on her tambourine, she added great texture to Parshotam’s beautifully eccentric vocal lines, like “free like rainbow sprinkles on your birthday.”
While it’s clear Parshotam leads the group, the vibe of Mōtus was singular. They all clearly take an equal stake in what they’re doing, and it’s compelling to watch. As I walked through the audience after their set, I heard one audience member exclaim “that was dope!,” and, when Kevin walked by me, he said their set made him intimidated for his own.
After Mōtus, Decent at Best took the stage. Also sponsored by Papa Bueno Tequila and out of Tacoma, DAB often performs alongside BBLL. DAB was a solid opener for BBLL; they have a similar — but much more chill — party vibe. Clearly a product of the times, DAB’s set was all about the media, from laptop player Andrew Richards to their Fortnite montage on the screen behind them.
Unfortunately, compared to the deep musicianship of Mōtus’s set, DAB didn’t hold up. Frontman Andy Rupert has his eyes closed almost the whole set, and none of the other members — Richards, keyboardist Jack Wigboldy, and drummer Steven Bingham — picked up his lack of energy. Their beats were tight and the crowd was dancing, but there wasn’t anything about the set that pulled me in. Their last song, too, was a slow burner, and it left me underwhelmed when they left the stage.
Closing the night was Biddadat, who killed it. Guitarist and lead vocalist Cameron Brownell, bassist Kyle Miller, and drummer Remy Morritt came on stage and got funky with it. After Booboolala’s high-energy set, the drunken crowd was just in the mood to dance, and that’s what Biddadat gave them. No nonsense, just music.
Brownell’s voice was sweet as sugar as the band played their new single, “Anything,” a track about if you would really do anything for your significant other. The melody was funky, and they brought Lombard and Mōtus saxophonist Rebekah Way back on stage for a breakdown.
Other highlights from their set include a mashup of Kool & The Gang’s “Get Down On It” with MGMT’s “Electric Feel,” and, in general, Miller’s bass playing. On a six-string, his hands glided across the bass in a way I’m not sure I’ve seen before. He had all the gusto of a lead guitar player while he held down the rhythm end like a boss.
The musicianship of and camaraderie between these groups made for a fully satiating night of tunes. The kids of the hour, Booboolala, have the ability to turn negative energy on a dime. Wherever they go, happiness follows, and they’ve got a long way to go.
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