Most bands carve their own niche in the music business. "Royal Fingerbowl" seems determined to have their own stall. They are the kings of the "Bayou Bathroom Blues," and their throne is porcelain. But these boys definitely have their shit together!

On this beautiful fall evening they played two ninety minute sets, acting more like a house band than an imported act. This trio out of New Orleans belies their background as college grads with music degrees, sounding like a band that's been playing blues clubs for a generation longer than they've been alive. Alex McMurray's voice has a terrific growl, and can he make his guitar howl. Andrew Wolf on the upright bass looks like a kid who left a whoopie cushion on the teacher's chair, and is just waiting for her to sit down. Drummer Kevin O'Day does a better "Rainman" than Dustin Hoffman, and plays with the otherworld intensity you'd expect of that idiot savant. This band takes you for a tour of a side of New Orleans that the Chamber of Commerce wouldn't recognize, but reminds me of a James Lee Burke novel set to music. Playing nearly thirty songs, I found myself wondering after each one, what dark and twisted alley we'd go down next. As Alex said, "We know lots of songs. We're trying to play all the ones we don't know!" Humor that doesn't take a few beers to appreciate, yet this band could drive you to drink "Millions and Millions of Bottles of Beer" as they "Let The Good Times Roll." After all they had "Nothing But Time To Kill," singing about loving an ugly woman. And what other band would write an ode to Prozac ("It's A Beautiful Day")? Or about kidnapping, "Manahawkin?" Terrence Stamp in "The Collector," or Jack Nicholson as the "Joker," would envy Alex, who finds his victim too appealing tied to his kitchen chair and not leaving her alone to use the phone.

Alex is hardly the Marlboro Man as he sings "Smoke Cigarettes," followed appropriately by "Ain't Never Gonna Die Again." The band can play straight blues and jazz as they show on "Wish I was In New Orleans" and "C'est La Vie (That's Life)," with Alex working the guitar over like a mad surgeon with a deft and daft touch.

In honor of some "friends" in the audience, they played "Bad Apples," an ode to trailer-trash love, followed by "Drunk And In Love," and "The Eggplant Will Be My Undoing," finally bringing the first set to an end with the screaming guitar riffs of "When I Make My Money."

After a nice long break, which most crowds would have gotten restless over, but which the laid back and mostly well-oiled audience just took in stride, the band returned and resumed their trip through the bowels of New Orleans blues with "Fine-Ass Sleaze," and a tourist's guide to bathrooms with "Hey Man It's Time To Be Dealing With Your Can." It's "Potty Time" in New Orleans!

"Let's Go get Stoned" was another exhibit of the talent Alex has with the guitar, and after "Me And My Bad Luck," Andrew Wolf finally got a chance to shine with "The Universe (A Little Waltz)," a science lesson in 4-4 time, Stephen Hawking eat your heart out. Keeping down with trends, they sang "Otis Goes Postal," and then showed they can run the gamut as they played the Ramone's "Sheena Is" as punk as the best of them, only to be followed with Alex on the kazoo on "Useless Without You." They were then joined onstage by bassist/guitarist John Moody, and proceeded to do some jammin' with cuts like "Salvation," "No Buts, No Maybes" and "Kiss Me Baby." Treats like "Cup of Coffee," "Put A Thing On Me" and "On The Bayou" made me feel like I had been invited to some after hours session at a New Orleans club. Alex and John took turns singing and playing lead, trading riffs on "Vandrowki's Turban," "Don't Mean A Doggone Thing," finishing off with "Country Boy," in a flurry of guitar excess.

They closed the show with another tour south of the waistline as they sang those "Colostomy Bag Blues." The final song, "The Rosy Fingered Dawn," was as slow as the movements of a hung over reviewer rolling home in the wee hours of the dawn.

Artist: ROYAL FINGERBOWL
Title: "Happy Birthday, Sabo"
Label: TVT Records
Reviewed By: Donn Jehs
Rating:

While this album gives ample evidence of the songwriting and singing skills of Alex McMurray, the selection gives little clue to the wide and varied talents of this trio. It's missing a lot of the guitar riffs, and more upbeat humor, that comes through in their live performance. However, it does contain several noteworthy cuts, including "Otis Goes Postal" and "Manahawkin." This is certainly one of the most talented bands to come out of New Orleans in the past several years, but this is not a band that is going to get any airplay. Instead they'll have to rely on live performances and word of mouth to turn people on to them. Then again, maybe you can find them recommended on your nearest bathroom wall.