The Queens/Western Massachusetts-based Show Me The Body have been kicking up a cloud of sludge punk for a little while now. Their recent EP, Yellow Kidney, was equipped with images of aimless wandering, empty warehouses in Queens, and the destruction and decay of urban life, specifically New York City. The EP was a big step for the trio, whose sound has evolved into a genre crossing mix of progressive punk with hints of funk and r&b; Harlan Steed’s pedal flipping mania is certainly an attribution to this, his ability to turn his bass from a death machine into a groove maker is becoming a signature of the band. SMTB is a part of the collective, Letter Racer, which Ratking belongs to, and has been slowly gaining recognition from their tour with the experimental rappers and the insanely high energy shows they put on which can usually be found from the dregs of some basement to an alley way in Queens.
They’ve just released a video for the song “One Train”, which features singer/banjo player Jay Cashwan chilling with his own kung-fu master by the name of David Kaplan, an American kung-fu mentor who trains in China Town and was a teacher under Shi Yan Ming who trained RZA, Wesley Snipes and Rosey Perez to name a few. Cashwan’s presence is always settling in a strange and dissonant way; as we watch him roam around the city bumming cigarettes, I can’t help but think this is an animal in his natural habitat.
Stream Yellow Kidney here.
You can also catch Show Me The Body at Palisades with Heeney, The Gradients and Honduras next Thursday (10/2). Event page here
