Review: Breedlove

Breedlove
Mondays @ Midnight
St. Jerome’s, Lower East Side

On the Lower East Side, you can be anything that you want and still be fabulous, and St. Jerome’s Bar between Clinton and Suffolk is a whole mess of beautiful, “mess” being the key word. Going there on any given night, there’s cheap beer, pretty girls, and a DJ spinning rock n’ roll roll, but Mondays at midnight is when the “filthy glamour” takes over, with weekly sets by New York singer/performance artist Breedlove.

While on the subway headed to St. Jerome’s, a friend said to me “Don’t bother trying to take any pictures in there, there’s absolutely no light in the place, and if there is, it’s coming from Breedlove’s sweater.” Not only does this explain the lack of photos, but it’s spot on with Breedlove’s whole persona. Think about the weird guy at your local bar who is scarily good at karaoke, likes bedazzled sweaters, and frequently takes his pants off. Breedlove is that weird guy, and the whole beauty and hilarity of it is that he is aware of this, and it might even be intentional. On this particular night at St. Jerome’s, Breedlove showed up in green plaid boxer shorts and a big jeweled sweater, ready to hit the bar’s tiny stage with a bottle of beer and a pair of pretty young dancers after a leave of absence to tour with Semi Precious Weapons. These “Magic Mondays” are half-hour sets that include six songs, props, dancing, comedy, shots, and general awesomeness. Watching Breedlove at times is like watching a retro/70′s/80′s-inspired Broadway show unfolding, just switch out the bar for a theater and multiply the dancers by four. His voice is definitely suited for musical theater, and though it’s strange to say, Breedlove is a powerhouse. All of the songs performed during Magic Mondays are catchy and danceable, and could easily be scenes from a musical, painting perfectly clear pictures of the adventures of Breedlove and friends in “New York City Rooftop” and “Okay By Me”. The numbers combine elements of 70′s pop, classic rock, 60′s doo-wop/soul, and glam, all wrapped up in a neat little package and delivered by the self-proclaimed “guy in the creepy sweatpant outfit” with props such as telephones, hand-mirrors, and two colorful, energetic dancers in tutus. Aside from his music and look, Breedlove is a good performer because he’s hilarious and likable. “Can I get a seat up here on the bar? This song is about how pathetic and lonely I am, so it helps to be surrounded by… complete strangers,” and “As we all know, I’m campaigning to be the new face of Bud Light,” are just a few of many memorable Breedlove quotes from the night. Mondays at St. Jerome’s has no cover charge and the crowd is usually full of good and interesting people, so there is no reason not to go see the man with the light-up sweater himself, Breedlove.

Links:
BreedloveNYC.com
Monday Magic

Photos