Forty-three years after the band first played on the Bowery,
the Fleshtones returned to headline at the Bowery
Electric, one block north of the band's old CBGB's stomping grounds. Not
much has changed with the band's musical style over that time period, except
that the band is playing better than ever. The Fleshtones stuck to its patented
garage rock formula of high-energy, nearly manic express-rock, with Zaremba and
especially Streng charging into the audience frequently to electrify the crowd.
To establish a light-hearted attitude early on, the musicians did a few silly
antics like twirling in circles and then encouraging audience members to do the
same. Beyond that, it was all about a rowdy rock and roll party, and few bands
do this better than the Fleshtones.
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Thursday, January 31, 2019
The Fleshtones at the Bowery Electric
In 1976, two twenty-somethings rented a house in Queens, New
York, and found some musical instruments in the basement. That was reason
enough to learn to play music and form a rock and roll band. They rehearsed while
hosting frequent parties in that basement until the Fleshtones publicly debuted at CBGB's
on May 19, 1976, and rather quickly became a headliner on the local circuit. The
Fleshtones became among the first bands to perform at several iconic music
clubs, including Irving Plaza and Danceteria in Manhattan, Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey, and
the original 9:30 Club in Washington
D.C. The band was also one of the last bands to play Windows on the World on top of the World Trade Center. In between,
the Fleshtones had many adventures, including opening for James Brown and Chuck Berry,
backing actor Ian McKellen as he
recited a sonnet on Andy Warhol’s Fifteen
Minutes, and helping to inaugurate the first Wigstock drag queen street festival.
The Fleshtones survived many musical trends and remains the only band from the
CBGBs days that never broke up. Since 1990, original vocalist Peter Zaremba and guitarist Keith Streng have been joined by
drummer Bill Milhizer and bassist Ken Fox. The Fleshtones' 19th and most
recent studio album is 2016's The Band
Drinks for Free.
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