The Mike Dillon Band rolled through the lovely Whirled Pies in downtown Eugene, Oregon at the tail end of his summer tour on Wednesday, August 22nd. New Orleans’ eccentricity was represented well on an otherwise quiet Wednesday night. Accompanied by Nathan Lambertson on upright bass, electric bass, and bass synth, and Andre Bohren of Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes on drums, Mike face-melted Eugene’s hippie population with his special blend of vibraphone/percussion jazz and punk rock. As if things aren’t rare enough when it comes to Mike’s unique sound, the themes of wicked, harmoniously discordant New Orleans are the okra on top of a culturally-rich performance.
Mike, Nathan, and Andre floored the audience with exceptional skill and tightness to one-another. The setlist was fortified with originals such as “Cremate Me,” “I Wanna Be as Big as Primus,” and “Leather On,” to which the crowd always delightedly chants “Motherfucker!” But of course, fully aware of his shared love of Ween with many of his fans, Mike scratched the itches of those still glowing from Ween’s recent visit to Edgefield by playing an instrumental version of Ween’s “Happy Colored Marbles” into Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.” Many a satisfied customer left Whirled Pies that night. Undoubtedly, it will be no time at all before Mike returns to Oregon with another one of his extraordinary projects.
