UPRISING: Ben's Imaginary Band

Ben’s Imaginary Band second full length album Trust drops this week. Trust is the culmination of eight years gigging under the Imaginary Band moniker, picking up where the band’s 2008 debut Nocturnal Fables and Illusions left off. Ben’s Imaginary Band's sole member –the Budapest born, Canadian raised, and current Victoria BC resident Ben Romvari wrote, arranged and played all the instruments on Trust’s thirteen tracks. A reflective, and at times -melancholy- record, the treatment of songs on Truth immediately draws comparisons to inverted songwriters like Elliot Smith and Nick Drake. The laid-back trumpets on “Connectiveness” invoke Sloan’s “All the Things You’ve Done Wrong” while the fleeting instrumental “Beautiful Dreamer” harkens to Elliot Smith’s piano solo “Bye.” On record, Romvari keeps his vocals within a limited range, which at times sounds like Thom Yorke in his more reclusive moments. Postal Service-esque instrumental flourishes bring colour to Romvari’s sombre musical canvas. A previously-released BIB track below:

Live! GOBBLE GOBBLE

Glowing polymers of high molecular mass.
Acrylic exterior redesigns.
Pinball machines.
Electronic tribal spontaneity.
Sweat.

Do you like what is described above? Then you like GOBBLE GOBBLE.

How to describe GOBBLE GOBBLE? Think of the band as being a cross between the The Living Theatre and a mini rave freak-out. The bearded band leader, dressed in a polka-dot smock with angel wings, tortures his soundboard that makes high pitched quelling sounds against the backdrop of heavy electronic beats.
They played The Cobalt, a former punk music venue that has recently been renovated, power-washed and sanitized for the hipster masses. The Cobalt is located in Vancouver’s Chinatown, near a Chinese import clothing store on Main and 15th with a giant sign that reads 10 SHIRTS FOR $5. [Sidenote: After driving past this seductive sign for several weeks, I finally succumbed to the temptation and went in to buy 10 shirts. Turns out it was 10 baby shirts for $5. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! I PAID THREE DOLLARS IN PARKING!DAMNITALLTOHELL]

Back to GOBBLE GOBBLE. While the bandleader stayed onstage, two shirtless band members dressed in tutus danced amongst the small but enthusiastic crowd like crazed shamen. An array of musical and non-musical instruments made an appearance: frying pans, snow shovels, disco balls and tambourines were all used in GOBBLE GOBBLE’s aural assault. At some point I recall a string of Christmas lights being thrown into the crowd.

Verdict: Definitely worth the $10 price of admission. The show itself was relatively short: A little over 30 minutes. Any longer and the band members would’ve collapsed from heat exhaustion.

Photo by Steve Louie