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[PREVIEW]
Bird Brains Tossing turkeys with Bassamp and Dano, St. Louis’ premier party punks Written by
DANIEL HILL Bassamp and Dano Second Annual Turkey Toss
9 p.m. Wednesday, November 22. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Avenue. $7. 314-3525226.
T
he most effective way to hurl a frozen turkey across a field, it would seem, is shot-put style. The frigid, formerly flightless bird should be held with one hand and pressed against the cheek of the thrower; when it’s released, the motion is more of a push, really, than a throw. The power comes from the momentum of the pitcher’s body shifting from the back of his heels to the balls of his feet. There are other methods, of course. The reverse granny toss, in which the bird is hurled backward in an underhand fashion, over the thrower’s head, can also be rather effective. But it is more risky — frozen turkeys are slippery, and if you’re at a point where you’ve decided that throwing one as far as you possibly can across a field is a good idea, there’s a reasonable chance you already have a few drinks in you. One wrong move, one slip, and you’re simply smashing yourself in the face with a turkey. These findings are based on research by the members of long-running goofball St. Louis punk act Bassamp and Dano, who met with RFT in Tower Grove Park on a recent sunny Wednesday afternoon with bird and beer in hand to discuss the band’s upcoming Turkey Toss show at Heavy Anchor. Or, as the members of the band insist on calling it, “Bassamp and Dano’s All-American League of American Beer Drinkers Of America Presents: Bassamp and Dano’s 2nd Annual Night Before Thanksgiving Turkey Toss & Beer Party Featuring Bassamp and Dano
DK employs the shot-put method of hurling a bird as Bassamp and Dano cheer him on. | KELLY GLUECK Sponsored By Four Hands Brewing Co.” Goofballs, meet Butterballs. Now, in spite of that exceedingly long and redundant title, the band explains that last year’s event didn’t even involve any tossed turkeys. It consisted instead of acoustic performances of the band’s songs, a series of drinking games featuring terrible prizes, and a lot of what the band calls “flabongos,” which is when you take a pink flamingo lawn ornament and turn it into a beer bong. The group even has a “beer ref” they call McAlpine on their roster, who wears a striped shirt and keeps the booze flowing into the flamingos at all the band’s shows. At a recent Halloween event, McAlpine apparently dispensed 42 beers to the crowd in this fashion over the course of a twenty-minute set. But aside from those pink ones, there wasn’t a bird in the building at the first annual Turkey Toss. In fact,
not one of the band’s members has ever tossed a turkey before today’s practice session. “It was just a name,” drummer Dan Kelley explains. “We couldn’t toss anything inside the Heavy Anchor because it would smash everything with a frozen turkey,” guitarist Bassamp points out. “And they won’t allow us to shoot off fireworks in there either,” laments bassist Dan Lawless. “They have all these rules.” “The first Turkey Toss, Jodie at the Heavy Anchor told me: No fireworks. No meat,” Bassamp says. The reason Jodie — co-owner Jodie Whitworth — had to be so specific, he explains, is that the band had tried both things at the venue before. The Heavy Anchor subsequently smelled of ham for a minute. Further complicating things: Bassamp and Dano is not a duo. Nor is Dan Kelley the “Dano” represented in the band’s name. That would be riverfronttimes.com
the other Dan, Dan Lawless — Kelley goes by “DK” for short. Bassamp, who confusingly plays guitar, insists his real name is Bassamp, and won’t budge on the matter. Bassamp and Dano can perform with anywhere from two to nine players — these three represent the core of the group since 2010, though. Recently they’ve been playing as a four-piece, but their second guitarist was unable to make it to the park today. His name is either Brian or Jason. There seems to be some confusion among the members of the band, on account of the fact they branded him “Ernie” at their first practice with him and have been calling him that ever since. Bassamp points out that it is very easy to join the group. Just hit them up and ask, he says, and you’re in. “And they’ll give you a nickname you don’t want,” Kelley — DK — adds.
NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017
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