by saint mykal d'archangel
August, 1999
md_archangel@hotmail.com
Quijibo Website

(Show and CD review) 

The Magical Attraction of Booty!Live at BW-3’s March 28th Indianapolis, Indiana

If there’s any band in the Midwest that’s more deserving of your money, it simply has to be The Magical Attraction of Booty! (here after referred to as TMAoB! for my own typings sake). Why should you give this relatively unknown group your hard earned cash?
1) The Name. Come on people! You can’t deny the simple truth that the name brings to mind. Be it sex, cash, or just plain old ASS, booty does indeed have a lure that none can resist!
2) The Music. Diva funk. You heard me! It’s funk, I say! TMAoB! lays down a nice and heavy groove, full of bottom end, slick guitar lines and chops so sharp you could cut your ears on them. Not only that, lead vocalist Kristy Awald has a voice that will melt your heart and then serve it up to you steaming on top a pile of mashed potatoes!
3) The Act. On stage, the band is tighter than "Bobs" wallet. They have their moves down and know how to rock with out killing each other on a small stage. Get all of these kids jumping up and down and things are bound to break, but it sounds so good when it does. I must admit that I had some ulterior motives for showing that night to catch TMAoB! in action. One of the guitar players of the group is actually my supervisor at work. So, yes, I was brown nosing. BUT REALLY- I looked up the group on mp3.com (as you should do also do) and found from the samples posted there, that they rocked. So I was indeed eager to hear the group live.For those who haven’t seen one yet, BW-3’s are popping up like Starbucks. It’s a "hot wings and beer" joint, if you can call their over cooked pigeon meat drowned in some sort of sauce "hot wings". The place was packed due to there being some sort of big sports event on the big screen televisions that dominated the bar area. I found a nice pillar to support as I waited for the music to start. Surely, gigs like this are the worst. Not only did the group have to contend with sports fans, they also had to deal with announcements over the intercom for various parties food being ready. Smartly dressed in tasteful velvets and blacks, the group seemed rather out of place for this sports bar. Little did I know that they would make the house shake with their irresistible funk. Luckily the game ended with out any sort of overtime, as one team beat the other. Spaces cleared out and I was able to sit at a table to enjoy the show. All banter and introductions aside, the quintet geared up and started into an hours worth of mind blowing groove. Like turning on the ignition to a new car, the group cranked right up, all launching into the air (well, the drummer stayed seated, but he did his best) as they exploded into their own brand of funk-rock. Drummer Chris Clephane snapped out a tight and stylin’ beat while bassist Rich Barker and guitarist Jason Hendrickson took full reign of the ultimate groove machine. Lead guitarist M. Sommers kept the licks tasty and always ever so fresh. On the mic was, of course, the lovely and talented Kristy Awald. Now, I really want to say that I was there for the music, and to brown nose, but really, when it comes down to it- you spend a year as a hermit and try not to constantly stare at the female singer of a band; especially when she wears a nice tight black top with a matching ankle length skirt slit nicely up the side.But I digress. The woman certainly has a voice on her and she uses it well. Unlike most female singers of late, she is no one trick pony like many of the women of popular rock today. Possessing a decent range, Kristy kept up with the quick rockers and crooned well with the slower grinds. The entire group lent it talents in the backing vocals department. Even Jason, the whitest boy up on stage, got on the mic for a well executed rap which flowed behind Kristy’s vocals. A very nice touch indeed! TMAoB! spent the rest of the evening blending quirky rhythms with sampled beats, stuffing tempos and rhymes where any other band could not put them, and generally putting on a great show. The band did take a moment to thank everyone who showed up, including a party of Canadians in attendance. (Over heard to say, "This is beer? This isn’t beer, it’s water!") And darn it, Booty is a friendly lot. When asked to turn down the music by the upstairs neighbors of the bar, Jason was quick to step up to the mic and invite the upstairs dwellers down for a beer. By the end of the evening, everyone was hot, everyone was sweaty, and everyone was smiling; even the Canadians. They had all bought CDs from the band like good Canadians should.Anyone who gets the chance to see this act live, should go out of their way to do so. It is almost certain that this group will be playing much larger settings in the near future, so check them out while you can still get close enough to feel the booty! ~saint mykal d'archangel

The photos and images for this review were blatantly stolen from The Magical Attraction of Booty!’s web site. Original photo credits belong to one of four people, we’re not really sure who. But we certainly didn’t take the pictures and really don’t make enough money from this ‘zine to warrant a lawsuit.We highly suggest that you visit the official TMAoB! web site by going to www.fire-house.net/booty. There, you will find pictures, audio clips, and you can pick up their CD Perfect Rocket, for only five bucks!