That 1 Guy @ Fly By Night,Fremantle (24/11/10)

Mon 29th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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When the blurb to a gig says that the main act plays a Magic Pipe, you can safely assume you’re in for a night of novelty. American Mike Silverman, aka That 1 Guy, plays not only the aforementioned Pipe, he plays a Magic Boot as well. Plays a what? Yep. Better yet, he made them.

The story goes that Silverman started out as a shit-hot double bass player, and made quite a career out of it in the jazz scene. Being experimental by nature, and starting out with a percussion bent, Silverman tinkered around until eventually coming up with a seven-foot contraption he named the Magic Pipe. Shaped much like a harp, this bizarre machine has trigger points all over it and can be plucked, slapped, tapped, played with a bow (and probably more) to create, literally, a one-man-band.

On tour to promote his new album, Packs a Wallop, Silverman drew a comfortable sized crowd for a school night at the Fly By Night. Ambling up to the stage in his uniform of black pants, black tee, black fuzzy hair and black hat, he did some strange wolf call (aroooooo) and jumped straight into it. And that’s literally jumping, by the way. Stomping on a stomp box, tapping this, banging that, playing the Magic Pipe and the other bits and pieces he throws in looks like a total physical challenge. Then factor in that his timing is bang on, he is ‘playing’ the parts of a full band of instruments, and that half the time he is singing as well, and the most appropriate response is “woah.”

The audience was appreciative, if a little quiet at first (with the notable exception of Drunk Heckler, who was later removed by Big Bouncer). Silverman has quite a cult following in Australia, apparently, and there were many nods of recognition at his better known tracks like Buttmachine , and The Moon Is Disgusting. More “aroooooos,” and a bit of banter, most of which was decidedly odd – which is totally in keeping with the odd song names, and odd instruments.

There’s more on the odd-front. At face value, Silverman’s Magic Boot may appear just like any old cowboy boot, worn from long, hot days mustering in the Wild West. However, as you may have already guessed, this is no ordinary boot. When Silverman plugs it in, it becomes apparent that this boot is in fact a veritable bevy of instruments. To cap it off, magic tricks are also part of Silverman’s stage repertoire.

All this quirkiness may well lead one to think that That 1 Guy is simply a novelty act, but it appears that the truth lies closer to him being some kind of musician/inventor genius. Keeping in mind Silverman’s classical training and his session work with the best of the best (Tom Waits included), it would seem that the novelty factor in his music and presentation is due to his being rather a novel character himself. And on that note, it’s “aroooooo,” and good night.

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