From the moment we entered the theater, it was evident that Mamapalooza was clearly going to be a different kind of show, with a different kind of crowd. The lobby was filled with booths from local artists and designers, selling jewelry and kid's clothes.
Mamapalooza was very mom and kid-friendly, and the place felt a bit like Romper Room. There were kids everywhere, from infants on up; 50 percent of the crowd was probably six or under. It gave a new meaning to the term "all-ages show".
The Candy Band
As we waited for the show I noticed that when kids are tearing through a club there is a higher energy level than many older crowds at punk shows I've been to. That, and security doesn't know what to do. Some of the security guards looked rather bored, and some just looked anxious.
Things settled a bit when the Candy Band took the stage. They are a four-piece band composed of moms who were sick of boring kids' music, and decided to start a punk band, playing music for kids that adults can get into as well.
Their set consisted of punked-out versions of kid's standards, including a street-punk version of "Skip To My Lou", and revved-up takes on the theme from Scooby Doo and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". There was also a mix of original tunes as well; they played songs about Playdough, getting up in the morning and they blasted through a song about playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. They were a big hit with the six and under crowd.
The Mydols
Next up, the Mydols brought the mom-laden psychobilly to the stage. First, they invited all the little ones on stage with them, which made for some surreal imagery as they rocked out.
They opened with "Roller Derby Queen", and they had built-in fan base for the song; members of the Detroit Derby Girls rollerderby team were in the crowd, in skates, cruising through crowd. It was really impressive to see them weaving through.
The Mydols played a fun, fast set, hitting all of their best tunes, including "Gimme Your Paycheck" and "Mydol Twist", closing their set with "Hot Rod Your Home".
The Detroit Women with Motor City
The Detroit Women with Motor City was an interesting group, and an odd combo for the festival. Playing R&B, Southern rock and blues, the band had eight vocalists! Each singer traded off lead on the song, while the others supplied backup.
They were powerful; their sound was huge. They weren't the best fit for the evening, though. They broke up the flow, and even though the music was upbeat, they seemed to lower the energy in the place a bit - or perhaps the little ones were just getting tired.
Kathy Valentine and the Impossible
Kathy Valentine and the Impossible has an all-star lineup of new wave musicians, including Clem Burke from Blondie (who was briefly known as Elvis Ramone) on drums, Abby Travis of the Bangles on bass, and when they took the stage, they blew right into some great music.
She has a beautiful voice, and while it may be a common comparison to make, she really sounds a lot like Chrissy Hynde. She was also very friendly with the crowd (which had fewer children by this point in the evening), informing them when she dropped her guitar pick that "I almost lost my pick in my cleavage." She talked a bit about the Go-Go's, and in honor of their 25th anniversary, played "Can't Stop the World", the first song Valentine did with the Go-Go's.
Her whole set was very post-punk; a bit heavier than the Go-Go's, but elements of the harmonies and instrumentation of the Go-Go's are definitely there. It's a bit more drum-driven (Burke pounded out drum beats and tossed his sticks spinning high into the air), and occasionally, as when Travis played lead and sang a song, a bit '50s influenced.
Kathy Valentine is definitely still making great music, and it was a great night out for a lot of Detroit moms, and a bunch of Detroit kids.
