Taco Taco Tacos

There are some bands that, no matter how many times I see them, I get little butterflies in my stomach when I get another shot to experience their magic live. Peelander-Z is one of those bands. I don’t fully recall the first time I saw this otherworldly act, but I know it sparked an obsession within me. Sure, I’m not a huge fan of their music. It’s a bit rough around the edges for me, and, truthfully, the songs start to all kind of sound the same, but the passion and fun that comes with one of their live performances has made Peelander-Z one of those bands that I will drop anything and everything to go see.

The backstory of Peelander-Z is as insane as the band is. They are self-proclaimed extraterrestrials hailing from the “Z area” of “Planet Peelander.” The members of this band are referred to by their “color” rather than their name. You have Peelander-Yellow at the helm on vocals and guitar, Peelander-Pink on the sampler, auxiliary percussion, and recorder, and then Peelander-Tiger (at least I think that’s who it was) on bass for the show on Tuesday night at The Turf Club in Saint Paul. The colors and members of this band do swap every so often (outside of Peelander-Yellow and Peelander-Pink, who seem to remain constant). The members wear clothing that matches their colors and, at times, wear these intricate and hilarious rubber-style wigs. It’s a sight to see and a colorful one at that that just adds to the fun of this band.

Although they seem to always be up to the same antics, they never get old to me. There was a full-venue limbo, where two members leaped from the stage with a rope in hand and scanned the edges of the venue, creating an inescapable limbo game for everyone in the audience. Then, during “Armadillo,” Peelander-Tiger got on a boogie board of sorts and literally surfed through the crowd. There were a few points where the band handed out what looked like small metal dog bowls and drumsticks for the audience to become the rhythm section of the band and, in the end, even gave up their own instruments, allowing three lucky fans to “become the band” in a way. Oh yeah, and how dare I forget the human bowling where Peelander-Yellow wore a bowling pin costume and crashed into a set of nine bowling pins that Peelander-Pink had set up on stage. Like I said, it’s always the same schtick, but it never gets old because, honestly, it’s always just pure fun and brings a sense of child-like creativity to the forefront.

As I mentioned, the music of Peelander-Z isn’t the reason I love this band, but it is just as quirky as the antics. Their nine-song set on Tuesday featured fan favorites such as “Mad Tiger” and “So Many Mike,” but it also had a serious tone to it as Peelander-Pink sat at the edge of the stage for a moving rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” done entirely on a plastic, pink recorder as audience members held up sheet music and light for Peelander-Pink to follow-along to. The show ended with their signature cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” but it was done in a style that can only be described as “late-night karaoke.” Again, you don’t go to a Peelander-Z show for the music; you go for the fun, and part of that fun is the music that talks about everything from tacos to how there are too many people in this world named Mike.

I wish I had more to say about this quirky and truly otherworldly band, but truthfully, this is one of those shows that I just cannot put into words. Now that I re-read this and try and look at this review from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about Peelander-Z, I realize how bat-shit crazy I sound. Do yourself a favor and through inhibition to the wind. Go see Peelander-Z the next time they come to your area. Grab one of the metal bowls and a drumstick and drum along to their set. Be one of the first people to raise your hand when the “Bassist Wanted” sign comes up, and, most importantly, remember what it’s like to have fun again. In a world where everything kind of sucks right now, and everyone is stressed out to the max, a couple hours spent with Peelander-Z is truly all you need to remember that there is still beauty and whimsy out there in the world if you know where to look.