Tel Aviv's Gravel Toothbrush

Lat night Action Pap, Gaydro and I went to the Prefuse 73 / Battles / Beans show and let me tell you, it was intensity in ten cities. Without a doubt, it was one of the best shows I've ever been to. Beans was tight, sporting a flow whose quickness should make Twista just get out of the game. Battles were just sick. I had only barely heard of them before this (Action Pap had mentioned them a time or two) so they came as a complete surprise. They played a brand of funk infused post-rock (that's the best I can do to pin them down as they elude genre classification) with such conviction and, some might even say, gusto that you couldn't help but be amazed. But for me, Prefuse stole the show, no small feat considering the acts he had to follow. I had never seen him live before so I didn't know what to expect. I never would've guessed he'd be rocking a live band, complete with a bassist, a drummer (two if you include when he was on the skins) and two guys (as well as Prefuse) working the turntables, samplers and keys. For the record, there are few things as incredible as watching a drummer play along with glitch tracks and do it well. They played everything I wanted to hear and more. They played almost all of One Word Extinguisher, which is awesome since it's one of my top ten favorite albums of all time, and a lot of cuts off of Extinguished Outtakes. It was almost too much. If these guys (either Prefuse or Battles) roll through your town some time soon, you have to go see them. They will blow you away. Trust me.