Foxy Shazam Ups the Quirk Factor At the Town Ballroom

Who: Foxy Shazam, Larry And His Flask

Where: Town Ballroom

When: June 25, 2014

In all honesty, a Foxy Shazam live show is well worth the price of admission regardless of the set list. While what I was looking for on Wednesday night at the Town Ballroom was a set littered with tunes take off their incredible The Church Of Rock and Roll album, what I got was a set filled with the bands entire Gonzo record, and I was more than OK with it.

For me, this show was a bit ironic. Ironic because I first fell in love with Foxy after seeing them open for the Darkness in Toronto, and now I have fallen in love with their opening act, Larry And His Flask, a perennial Warped Tour favorite who are a unique act in their own right. Their blend of garage punk and American bluegrass is a sight to behold and, even though this was my first time hearing these guys, I was impressed to say the very least. Seeing Jamin Marshall playing drums standing up was a highlight for me as was Jeshua Marshall’s work on the standup bass (he was, at times, somehow managing to play it like a normal bass).

Foxy didn't waste much time in getting to the stage, and this smallish crowd (by comparison, the last time they were in town they sold out the Mohawk Place) was eager to see them. They proceeded to perform their entire Gonzo album from start finish, from the opening title track all the way through to closer “Story Told.” After that the band evenly committed their time to tracks off their other albums, Introducing Foxy Shazam (“Yes! Yes ! Yes!”), Foxy Shazam (“Oh Lord,” “Killin’ It,” “The Only Way To My Heart”) and perhaps, at least in this reviewers eyes, most surprisingly, only three tracks off The Church Of Rock And Roll (“I Like It,” “Holy Touch,” “The Temple”). The band chose to end their set with Major League Baseball’s postseason anthem “Unstoppable” as opposed to their hit single “I Like It,” an interesting choice for sure, but the crowd didn't seem to mind at all.

Like I said, Foxy is a sight to behold regardless of what songs they’re playing. From the Mick Jagger/David Bowie-inspired spastic maneuvers of enigmatic frontman Eric Sean Nally and shirtless dance skills of horn specialist Alex Nauth to the maniacal keyboard work of Schuyler Vaughn White (seriously, at one point he was carrying the keyboard on his back whilst playing), this band is one that needs to be experienced live.