Space Monkey Mafia And The Von Tramps Tear Up The Cabooze

It’s Friday and I’m waiting for a response from Snoop Dogg’s people to respond to my request to shoot Snoop at Treasure island. I’m not the World’s biggest rap fan, but this is the Man, the Myth, the Legend and I can’t wait to get shots of him in concert. The day wears on and no response. I won’t be shooting Snoop. I’m really bummed. But I am able to go to the Cabooze and see/get shots of Space Monkey Mafia and The Von Tramps. I have heard greats things about Space Monkey Mafia and have been meaning to see them for a while. And I recently saw The Von Tramps for the first time and really liked them, so the evening wasn’t a complete loss. But come on Snoop, I was really looking forward to this and I get stood up?

The opening band for the evening was Bluehound. Bluehound is a local, 7 piece band that originated out of Augsburg College. I had not heard the band before, but they have a rhythm and horn section, which I really enjoy (if it can’t be metal) and Bluehound sounded fantastic. Their music ranged from jazz to soul with a bit of hip hop. They also had a great guitarist, lead singer and drummer. Keep an eye on Bluehound and be sure to catch them if you get a chance.

The second band was Flip Rushmore. Flip Rushmore is a local indie rock band. There were a number of fans in the audience and there was a constant banter between the band and the crowd. Halfway through their set, they were joined by some members from Space Monkey Mafia. Their performance was a blast, especially when joined by the Space Monkey Mafia.  Another good choice to see if given the opportunity.  So far, a great night and I’m starting to forget about Snoop Dogg.

Next up was The Von Tramps. I saw The Von Tramps for the first time a few weeks ago and was really surprised with their performance. I had high expectations going in and I wasn’t let down. Just trying to take photos of the Von Tramps is a workout. The ladies were all over the stage, in the audience and in the pit. Guitarist Chelsea Oxborough was in the air more than she was on the ground. Bassist Krissandra Anfinson was jumping off speakers, playing in the audience and rolling on the floor. Lead singer/guitarist Jenna Enemy was able to sing/play while jumping into the pit, singing with the audience, posing with the others and constantly on the move. Even drummer Kieran O’Donoghue was working up a sweat from the rapid fire drum beats. Along with their best and favorite songs (including one of my favorites – Beg Your Parton) they debuted a new song “L A”. I can’t say enough about The Von Tramps; I love them and they are on my don’t miss list. If you haven’t seen them, you need to.

Lastly was the Space Monkey Mafia. I didn’t see how they could come close to matching The Von Tramps performance, but they surprised me. Their music is all over the place – ska, punk, rock, blues, pop, nothing would surprise me. They were also very high energy – jumping, playing in the crowd – another workout for me. Throw in an appearance by a tootsie pop throwing gorilla and 2 bananas and you are talking real, bigtime entertainment. I was really impressed by their sound and performance – they are very good. I am going to see them again real soon.

You have got to see both the Von Tramps and Space Monkey Mafia. I love wind instruments and high energy shows. Both bands are a photographer’s dream come true. And at the end of the night, I wasn’t too upset about missing Snoop Dogg after all…