Frank Festa
If you didn’t know any better, you might’ve thought you were watching a worm wearing a wig wriggle around on stage Saturday night at The Foundry.
Rather, it was the equally entertaining Bardo Martinez, frontman of Chicano Batman. The four piece outfit from Los Angeles – comprised of singer and guitarist Martinez, bassist Eduardo Arenas, guitarist Carlos Arevalo and drummer Gabriel Villa – took the stage a hair before 11 p.m and didn’t disappoint, currently on tour promoting their 2nd studio album ‘Freedom is Free.’
Though all four musicians brought presence and skill to the stage, Martinez was infectious. He bounced about – voluptuous hair bouncing along with him – connecting with the audience, shaking hands and climbing into the steel support beams on either side of the stage. The band blends a variety of influences into an indefinable sound, unique, closest to psychedelic soul. The radiate positivity; in their lyrics, their instrumentation, and their personalities.
The Foundry has been dubbed The Fillmore’s ‘club within a club,’ equip with a bar and comfortable lounging area, capable of holding 450 people on the venue’s second floor. It’s an intimate place to catch a show within an intimate place to catch a show; except with a more likely chance to catch the next big thing before they blow up. Chicano Batman, on the cusp of stardom themselves, is one of the more well-known bands to play the venue – but openers Sadgirl and 79.5 were both impressive and deserving of attention in their own right. Head over to The Fillmore’s website for info on upcoming shows.