Georgia’s white flesh, the peachy southern soul band, has gotten round and fuzzy, and not in a good way. The band recently regrouped after a long hiatus, and casual observers learned who was actually in charge all these years. You might have thought it was frontman Singing Sam, but Sam got sacked, as did keyboardist Chris “Cringe” O’Leary. Married rhythm section of Pete and Mary Papadumus hold the reins, which includes the rights to the band’s far from worthless name and mailing list.
In reviving the GWF, Pete and Mary are going the showbiz route, hiring a new keyboardist who’s really big on special effects, impersonations and really bad jokes. Last Wednesday at Hamilton’s he even pulled a rubber chicken out of hits top hat, we kid you not. This guy sings when he’s not doing magic tricks, but most of the vocals go to new rhythm guitarist Mal Hohner. The band’s old guitarist, Benny Rabbit, is back pin boats. And when we say old, we mean old; he announced from the stage that he’d just turned 72. Other returnees: fiddler Lady Min and all- purpose hornman Patches Smith. We got the feeling that Rabbit and Min weren’t on board with some of the changes—they didn’t join in the kickline (!) or comedy routines, for instance. But we weren’t able to ask them directly, since the Papadumuses, sensing how appalled we were at some of the theatrics, warned their bandmates (pawns?) to steer clear of us after the set.
That’s OK. We’d seen and heard enough. We know an overripe peach when we bite into one.
Asian fusion act Dip Noi and experi-instrumentalists Telesstei at the Bullfinch, for an unshakably calm end of the week… The Audax (featuring Arch Elon
and Ishie Rose) plus Style Mys, slinging the hits at Hamilton’s… Aging boy band Testudo, on tour with the hitmaker-of-the-moment who will soon overtake them in the public’s affections, Chrys Emys. Go to D’ollaire’s just for the kiddie catfight…