The Janks and P L a N E T S @ Art After Hours
By Vivian Ponte-Fritz
The Pomona Museum of Art frequently (every thursday) opens its doors for a extended bit of time and allows students and the general public to roam it’s pristine floors and take in the culture they have displayed on their walls and in crystalline glass cases at night. The art and the fancy snacks set out on table clothed tables invite the public to come, ponder, meander and embrace their inner patron of the arts. This scene sets the stage for last week’s performance. The Janks were down two of their four men as they set up their small projector displaying their band name in finger-painted quaintness. The two brothers decided not to wait any longer for the other half of their group and played a set of covers and originals with only their voices and two guitars ringing in the cold night air. The sound was clear and sweet and their harmonies were pleasant and folksy. When the drummer and bassist arrived the band’s whole feel became amplified and energized. The drums and bass created a much more bluesy and rolling feel. People were tapping their toes and dancing towards the makeshift stage area as the music got louder and louder and the boy’s voices crooned and spooned with each other in rising and falling melodies. The small but engaged crowd exchanged glances in between songs, as if to say, “Why didn’t I know about these guys before?, Where is the rest of the crowd that could be enjoying this too?, and What was that weird joke the singer just made about abortion?” Yes, there were weird jokes made between songs, some very off-putting, but not so bad. The overall set and experience was still quite enjoyable.
Second on the menu for this epic night’s Art After Hours was the delectable band, P L a N E T S. Hailing, proudly from Alhambra, California, this band knows how to set up. They began by rolling in earlier than expected, tons of people all crammed into a dark and menacing van. Like clowns they spilled out, seemingly multiplying before my eyes. Face painting was happening to the side of the stage during the Jank’s set and once they were done, a huge sheet display was set up and a shining light illuminated wonderful shadow puppetry throughout the show. This band’s comprehensive and astounding number of artistic mediums created a show to enthrall all the senses. From thriller-esque dancers, crawling up to the stage to dramatic werewolf theatrics, this band put on the show of the night. It is difficult to some up the experience, but I can certainly say that the long and sharp fingernails of the raspy-voiced front man and his team of burlesque performers took me far far away from Claremont California and into a world they call the Dark Woods. These guys know how to let their freak flags fly high and proud, and I mean that in the best way. By the end of their time in the blue and purply spotlight, P L a N E T S invited the still strangely small audience into the performance in a very tangible and atmospheric way. They handed out strange pamphlets, imprinted with their logo but containing nothing but ancient textbook pages about the renaissance. During the last song, a pumped up rendition of the Black Key’s Lonely Boy, the audience and the actors all began to rip the pamphlets to sheds and throw the pieces into the air. This bizarre snow storm of paper, choreographed and ecstatic dance, and giddy smiles and shrieks concluded a very great night.
Paper Throwing Festivities!
Final Photo- we all felt like part of the band by the end of the night!
For more information on either of these bands you can check them out online:
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