Post blackout, Danny Boy, S.O. and I braved the hipster nightmare that is Piano’s to check out the glam man known as Saphin. First a little back story: A few years ago, while killing time at Luna Lounge, Danny Boy, Tom (excuse me, THOMAS), and I stumbled across a band playing what sounded like the soundtrack to VELVET GOLDMINE (The best soundtrack for the worst movie). Intrigued, we watched their entire set. The singer, who is Saphin (nee Jeff Saphin or JEFF) had the best elements of Ziggy-Era Bowie (including costume changes and a dressing room “tent”) and the band itself was INCREDIBLE. They had a guitar player who out-Bauhuas-ed Daniel Ash, a drummer who looked like he belonged in 25 Ta Life and a bassist who could best be described as an Israeli New Romantic. And this worked!!! And of course, they looked fantastic, so totally different, yet it all fit. This was one of those special bands in which you knew that if one element was different, it would flat-out suck. Together, these guys rivaled any major label band out there. Glam is a delicate beast to do properly and these guys tamed it and in my humble opinion, modernized it. Danny Boy was even E-mailing Saphin to make sure they would play their now classic I’M NOT GAY. Let me tell you, you have to be an amazing band to get someone like Ash to listen to songs like SEX IN THE NAME OF GOD and DAYGLO HALO. Nuff Said. They, like Saintface, became the band to see, and we were all huge fans.
And then, at one gig, JEFF announced “he” was going away to record an album and would be taking some time off. We were sad, but we couldn’t fault him (hopefully them) for wanting to make a record, at least now we could have the songs on CD! Plus, you could always surf their site, where you can learn all about JEFF, but really none of the other guys, which was annoying. Brandt ran into the guitarist, Evan Evangilista, one day in a train station and he ran away when approached. Then Evan started showing up in a band called Essex. Not a good sign…
Well, who knows what happened in between, because they did the record, and it was mediocre (and a total rip off, ask Matt Gentile, who, like me paid something like 30 bucks for a cd-r of this album). I don’t know if JEFF fired the rhythm section of they walked or what have you, its not my place to speculate as I don’t know the circumstances, but the record reflected none of that wonderful band we followed around for a year or so. Like Saintface, the frontman is the main driving force, but unlike Saintface, the band was made the frontman a star. No offense to my friends in Saintface, but the Saphin band had a unique chemistry straight off the bat that was tight and fierce. The songs were GOOD, but GREAT when that band played them. Saintface luckily has great songs (and not enough on CD, PETER!).
Then JEFF started playing again, but acoustically, which I didn’t go see as I am loyal to that band, then new band members started appearing on the website, and I wrote them off immediately. Then the decision was made to check out the all-new live band JEFF had assembled on Saturday night…It started off promisingly enough, as Saphin, in orange jumpsuit, went into the crowd offering people chips. And then the band played…
Well, S.O. didn’t make it through the first few songs, and quite Frankly, I couldn’t blame her. JEFF has a really good keyboard player (who actually adds to the material), a really decent guitarist, and a solid drummer, but that’s the problem. They’re all individually solid, but they are NOT Saphin. And to add insult to injury, Evan Evangelista was playing BASS. What the hell is that? It’s like Mick Ronson playing bass for Bowie. You don’t want the great guitar player who defined these songs playing BASS!!! UGH. The new guitar player lacks the style and substance of Evan. He is a power chord guy, and he can rock out, but the point is, Saphin is not power chord rock. I want Evan, not some guy who looks like Matthew Lillard. The problem is, these guys are good, REALLY good, but they have to compare to the previous incarnation, which was magic. Maybe they will develop in time…though probably into something different, and not something I would find interesting.
And what can I say about JEFF. He was once a glammed up androgynous alien half-breed that exuded irony like none other. Now he just seems pissed and looks like he wants to be in Interpol. The sexy innuendo is replaced by angst and it doesn’t suit those songs at all. He did show some signs of life during I'M NOT GAY, but it was too brief. Honestly, he appears to be an egomaniac, and I hope he didn’t piss off the other band members or did something stupid like fire them cause then I would be REALLY pissed at JEFF.
The costume changes are there but the fun is gone. Are Essex any good?
F
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