DS Show Review & Gallery: The Riverboat Gamblers, The Mizzerables, The Figbeats, Wrong Life and Publicity Stunt celebrate The Kinks (Chicago: 12/17/2022)

Mike Wiebe is, indeed, a dynamic frontman. The Riverboat Gamblers, comprised of Wiebe, Fadi El-Assad, Ian MacDougall, Rob Marchant, and Sam Keir, put on an electrifying performance. Wiebe was non-stop from the first note, climbing down from the stage, climbing up a side bench-like area to the side of the floor, Crowd surfing, and crouching down with fans only to have them all jump up in unison. On stage, he repeatedly jumped around and tossed the microphone in the air and twirling the cord like a lasso. He did not always catch the mic but that did not put a hitch in his step or cause a missed note. The rest of the group kept the music pulsating just as vigorously as their bandmate’s movements. The set list included: “Let’s Eat,” “Don’t Bury Me…I’m Still Not Dead,” “The Curse Of The Ivory Coast,” “Blue Ghosts,” “DissDissDissKissKissKiss,” and “A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology.” The band’s cover of “Father Christmas” was appropriately timed, even if the lyrics evoke a mood the polar (pun sort of intended, sort of not) opposite to the mood expressed by Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.” This is NOT a bad thing.

The Figbeats, a garage punk band out of Valparaiso, IN, are comprised of Brad Skafish, Felix Baeza, Jim Senderhauf, and Adam Hazlett. The group’s fizzy performance was quite welcome as it ripped through “Uaviolet,” “Your Ghost,” “Bootstrap Paradox,” “Radio Killed Radio,” and “Phillip’s Lament.” Covering “Apeman” for the tribute album, The Figbeats dialed up the verve for a fun take on a classic.

Publicity Stunt, another group on the bill hailing from the Hoosier state, is also where you will find Mike Paniccia, the founder and sole employee of Wicked Opossum Records, on drums. Starstruck: A Tribute to The Kinks is the first release from the new label and Paniccia is responsible for putting this show together. If this particular evening was a bellwether, the label has a promising and exciting future. Paniccia, and fellow Publicity Stunt members Adam Lingenfelter (vocals/guitar), Josh Claussen (guitar/vocals), and Dru Sheffer (bass) performed, with gusto, a set which included, “First Crush,” “Things To Think About,” “Tail Whip,” “Half-Way Written,” and “Pineapple Dandy.” Publicity Stunt’s entry on the tribute album was “Love Me Till The Sun Shines.”