When Banyan plays, you should go. Mike Watt is the best bass player ever. You could try to argue with me, but you’d be wrong. The guy grooves like no other and knows how to solo—something most bassists aren’t very good at. But it’s not just Watt—and his famous closed-eye pucker faces—that make Banyan so good. Each member adds an element to a band with a sound like nothing I’ve heard. They play rock and jazz at the same time, but it’s not fusion. I’ve never liked Jane’s Addiction, so the thought of seeing drummer Stephen Perkins up close doesn’t thrill me as much as it did the handful of smoking-hot girls standing on their tiptoes, but Perkins’ role in Banyan demonstrates exactly what Banyan is about—an opportunity to ditch repetitive rock music and let loose. I wouldn’t have said this after listening to Jane’s Addiction, but Perkins can flat-out play. And how the hell did Nels Cline get so damn good? He’s in Wilco, but he should list Banyan at the top of his musical resume. His spastic soloing complimented Watt like peanut butter does jelly. And don’t think for one second that trumpeter Willie Waldman can’t hold his own because he hasn’t done time in an alternative rock juggernaut. This can guy blow. He pumped his fist and smiled and helped plug the gap that would be filled by a lead singer. Then there’s painter Norton Wisdom, whose artistic interpretations of Banyan’s tunes came to life in the shape of a green surfer riding a large wave, a mouth that turned into a woman spread eagle, and a bassist riding some sort of monster while using an umbrella. They played fast, they played slow—as Watt screamed during their version of the Stooges’ “Funhouse,” they came to play. Their “TV Eye” blew the 2007 Stooges away. That’s by far the most blasphemous thing I’ve ever written, but it’s the truth. Hey Stooges, more Mike Watt. Trust me.