The Flamin' Groovies at the Bowery Ballroom

The Flamin' Groovies helped create a new music scene in San Francisco in 1965, predating even the more successful Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. The Flamin’ Groovies released several albums between 1969 and 1979, developed a cult following, and inspired the late 1970s power pop movement. The band made a brief comeback in the late 1980s and, after revising its lineup many times, disbanded in 1992, although since then there have been several brief periodic reunions. Ensuing solo and splinter group albums had minimal success. Now nearly 50 years since it all began, the Flamin’ Groovies completed a tour of Japan and Australia and still is having a blast without ever having achieved major success. The present lineup consists of original member Cyril Jordan on guitar, long time members Chris Wilson on guitar and George Alexander on bass, and new member Victor Penalosa on drums.

The Flamin’ Groovies returned to the United States for a brief tour that included the Bowery Ballroom tonight. The band held strong onto its musical roots — 1950s American rock and roll and 1960s British pop — with simple metered singing backed by simple chord changes. The band reached back into its catalogue to perform its best known songs from the 1970s, including “Shake Some Action”, “Teenage Head”, “Tallahassee Lassie” and the anti-drug song “Slow Death.” Throughout its career, the band was a bit of a 1960s revival group, and tonight was no exception, with the inclusion of “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better,” first recorded by the Byrds in 1965. Onstage, it all came alive with energetic enthusiasm. Most importantly, the musicians enjoyed themselves, joking among themselves and with the audience throughout the show. The Flamin’ Groovies last area show will be tomorrow night, July 7, at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey.