It’s always fun to watch the faces of an audience when a band they’ve never heard of turns out to be a classical ensemble. We’ve witnessed this phenomenon several times, and while the reaction’s visceral, it’s not what you might think.
It’s expectant, not exasperated. Nobody’s expecting to be bored. Nobody thinks the band lost their way to the concert hall cross town. (How do you get to Symphony Hall? Practice!)
There is an air of anticipation, though, truthfully, there are really just two ways this will play out: the ensemble will either do an elaborate, classically tinged cover of a familiar hard rock song, or it will do a crazed, quasi-cacophonic new-music piece.
The Clown Classical did something different at the Bullfinch Sunday afternoon at the open mic, something that nearly got kicked out of the place. Rather than assuming the usual classical-in-a-club posture of groveling for acceptance, they showed off. They studied the four acts that came on before them, then improvised a medley of those prior songs. Only one of the adapted tunes was a well-known cover. The others were originals, which the Clowns had already processed and memorized and mentally arranged so they could recreate them virtuosically.
The quartet was extremely proud of itself when it finished its brief, beyond-impressive set. But they made the inexcusable error of appearing smug. They did nothing to acknowledge the composers of their impromptu concert. They didn’t say anything at all. They overdid the bows. They left right away, too soon even to see some of the more sensitive punks in the rooms reaching for their proverbial pitchforks.
More is to be heard from The Clown Classical. Maybe they thought they were doing a clever classical hit-and-run routine. But they’re too clever by half. Go to the back of the class.

Tonight: Barry Blatz, back with a new name and pick-up band, at the Bullfinch… Feature Creature at Hamilton’s, a ghoul-rock tribute… One Long Song at D’ollaire’s…