Alexcaliber at Arlene's Grocery

Alexcaliber, the brainchild and alter persona of Alex Gulla, is more than music. Perhaps it is performance art rock. Mostly it is meant to shock or arrest the viewer’s attention. Often clad only in red underwear with a target pinned to cover the groin area, he sings to aggressive hard rock music and incorporates props and wild athletic gyrations into his live show. He has a Monday residency at Arlene’s Grocery throughout March, and admission is free.

Tonight at Arlene’s Grocery, the stage was once again littered with props that were utilized in various songs. Singing to prerecorded tracks, Gulla jumped and rolled around the stage and through the audience. The music was a blast to the head, a cross between Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Joy Division and Suicide. The lyrics were Jim Morrison-styled, dark and mysterious. The performance was not limited to the stage, however. For most of the set, Gulla traveled as far as his microphone cord allowed, which was nearly to the back of the room. Audience members kept a cautious eye on him -- or risked getting kicked in the head during one of Gulla’s wild spins. Oh, and he kept his pants on tonight.