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Lubriphonic's weekly show passes the test with flying colors.

Monday Feb 26, 2007.     By Ben Rubenstein

Music Feed

As I watched Lubriphonic lead singer and guitarist Giles Corey whale away on his instrument last Thursday night, my first reaction was to cheer him on. My second went something like this: "blue, red, yellow, blue, yellow, green." That's what happens when you spend an hour watching friends play "Guitar Hero II" on Playstation 2 before heading out to a concert. Before even setting foot in AliveOne, where Lubriphonic holds court once a week, I'd already heard amateur renditions of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and "Sweet Child O' Mine"; it was going to be a challenge for the real band to measure up.

Playing a show at AliveOne must be a daunting prospect for anyone, as everywhere you turn there's a reminder of a legend. From the Bob Dylan tribute by the bar to the memorabilia posted on every available surface in the main room (not to mention the jukebox chock full of live bootlegs), the bar is a mini-Hard Rock Cafe. (Though I don't think it sells keychains.)

My friends and I could hear Lubriphonic's funk jams clearly as we made our way toward the bar's Halsted Street entrance. Inside, the even louder sound jibed oddly with a muted Jimi Hendrix performance on the TV as several twentysomethings lingered around the bar and pool table.

We headed towards the smaller, more artfully-decorated back room, where the quintet was playing from a "stage" (it's really more of an oversized booth) in the corner, lit by three chandeliers overhead. A word of advice: If you're going to spend most of the night in the music area (and you can, thanks to a second bar and several available seats), bring earplugs. You may look a little over-prepared, but you'll be the only one not still hearing the Gillespie-cheeked trumpeter's microphone-enhanced solos at your desk the next day. As if the hangover weren't enough.

You won't want to drown out the music too much, though. This is some good stuff that gets even the most staid audience members up and dancing. I spent a good chunk of the night trying to make sense of an apparent love triangle on the dance floor, the unlikely crux of which was a short, rhythmically-challenged guy in a sport jacket. The three were among those who cheered lustily for originals like "Go Down," an ode to oral sex, just one of many lighthearted songs during the night.

Based on the band's Phish-esque logo and AliveOne's jammy reputation, I had steeled myself for a bunch of noodling solos and nodding hippies. But Lubriphonic is a versatile outfit that can tackle a blues joint as well as a Dead jam, though apparently there are rules for the latter.

The only beef I heard the whole night came after the second set, when a friend of a friend complained to me that the band wasn't showing the proper respect to Dead covers (I guess it's written on a piece of hemp-paper somewhere that "China Cat Sunflower" must always be followed by "I Know You Rider.") No one else seemed to mind too much, and Corey and co. accurately covered several other songs, including Traffic's "Mr. Fantasy" and The Wailers' "Lively Up Yourself."

Following that last one, Corey addressed the enthusiastic crowd, saying, "I've got plenty more two-chord songs like that one." I was all ears; if I actually participate in the next Guitar Hero session, that's undoubtedly where I'll have to start.

Lubriphonic funks up AliveOne every Thursday night at 10 p.m.