TALL JUAN CELEBRATES NEW ALBUM AT BABY'S ALL RIGHT

There are two ways that you can celebrate Mother’s Day evening — either with your mom or at a punk rock n’ roll show. For my Sunday I chose the latter and spent it with the wonderful Tall Juan at Baby’s All Right as he celebrated the release of his highly-anticipated album Olden Goldies, a 15-track selection of high-energy garage-rock with a Latin flare. With equal parts party and motivational speech, Tall Juan captivated all.

Juan Wauters was our DJ for the night, helping to set the mood for what was to come with zesty, dance worthy tracks.

TJ

Ben Katzman’s Degreaser was first on stage, giving us a punk-heavy stroll through the astrological calendar. Ben Katzman’s funny, upbeat stage banter loosened up the crowd while he and his band powered through their energetic set.

Ben Katzman’s Degreaser

The Wild Yaks were up next. This band was a pleasant surprise and after seeing them tear up Baby’s I hope to catch them again. They were an impressive presence onstage with vocal harmonies galore. The room erupted into a dancing mosh pit while the fans sang along.

Wild Yaks

Tall Juan’s performance was spectacular — if you haven’t seen one of his shows before his stage presence is one of a kind. He brought with him his own light show for this special occasion which was very fitting of his style — he was bathed in red and golden flashes of light as he thrashed about the stage. In between each song he spoke words of wisdom and importance, touching on many areas politically, such as the importance of staying awake in these trying times, the importance of treating women with respect, and taking care of the poor and homeless. He also brought tears to my eyes as he spoke about Mother’s Day — saying that for those of us who didn’t have mothers we could see, or if they had left us already that they are still with us here in spirit. And that we also had each other right now in that moment. Tall Juan as a human is complex and full of talents in many areas but one thing is for sure, he brings people together with his words and his music, all while sharing bottles of red wine with them.