Steve Conte is the backbone of Rock n’ Roll. From Company of Wolves to filling Johnny Thunders’ shoes in the reformed New York Dolls to being the engine in Michael Monroe’s band, Conte has forged a career as a champion of the guitar-driven rock celebrated on Little Steven’s Underground Garage. On a June Friday, Steve Conte, joined by LSUG DJ Palmyra Delran and The Zamboni’s, tore the roof off of New Haven’s Cafe 9 for the perfect summer kickoff.
Please scroll below for the MisplacedStraws Steve Conte live photos and review.
Hockey rock band The Zambonis kicked off the night. You read that correctly. The Zambonis are a band that only plays songs about or referencing hockey. Don’t let the gimmick fool you, these are seasoned musicians that rock the crowd with catchy, memorable, garage rock. The band puts on a fun show that got the crowd dancing and laughing.
Palmyra Delran is the undisputed Queen of trash-pop. Perhaps best known for her show on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage channel, she also has a long career of writing and playing perfectly crafted glam-punk-pop songs that were made to be heard live. Delran’s band was tight as they accompanied her through set filled with her surf-tinged originals. Palmyra was clearly a crowd favorite, with many knowing her from the Underground Garage Cruise. Delran’s set felt both familiar and original, a true throwback to New York rock of the 60s and 70s that served as the foundation for so many bands, but few do it as well as Palmyra Delran.
Steve Conte, joined by bassist Ben Toro and drummer Rob Youngberg, took the stage at 11pm with the packed house more than ready for them. The set kicked off with Steve’s dynamic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight”, probably the best show opener this side of “Detroit Rock City”. Throughout the set, Conte and his band would slide seamlessly between gritty, greasy punk to the glorious power pop of his recent record The Concrete Jangle.
In addition to his original music, Conte peppered his set with well-loved covers including Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz”, Michael Monroe’s “Ballad of The Lower East Side” (written by Conte, recorded by Monroe on his 2013 Horns and Halos record), and of course the club-shaking set closer of the New York Dolls’ “Pills” mashed up with the Bobby Freeman-via-The Ramones classic “Do You Wanna Dance”. But it was the originals that truly made the night great. Conte co-wrote half of The Concrete Jangle with XTC’s Andy Partridge, creating some of the best music of Conte’s career and songs that immediately get the crowd dancing and singing along.
It’s no surprise that Conte mentioned the recent passing of New York Dolls frontman David Johansen, Conte also paid tribute to two other departed legends. A chorus of Sly Stone’s “Everyday People” made an appearance as well as a verse and chorus of The Beach Boy’s “Surfer Girl”, written by the late Brian Wilson.
Rock N’ Roll has the unique power of turning a club full of strangers into friends. Artists like Steve Conte are the catalyst for that. Conte and his band, as well as Palmyra Delran and The Zambonis, spent nearly the entire night in the crowd. Conte manned his own merch booth, and all artists spent time chatting with everyone who said hello. As packed as the club was, Conte could easily have played one of the bigger venues in the area, but it was clear that, outside of an actual underground garage, the best place to experience the power of rock exhibited by Conte and the rest of the bill is a small rock club that is a true throwback to the CBGB days.
