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Hitting the Pipe With That 1 Guy.
Wednesday, November 28th, the HOB Parish Room.
By McClain Johnson
“The Magic Pipe is going to take a solo,” That 1 Guy said while grinning from ear to ear. The Parish audience there cheered rabidly during the Pipe’s silent solo. The connection between That 1 Guy and the audience was so strong that everyone was in on the joke.
That 1 Guy is the most bizarre one-man band ever. His magic pipe is a large piece of metal tube that creates different pitches and when hit in different areas. Throughout the night, he would play a beat off of a sampler and then play over it on the pipe. He played the pipe like an upright bass from the future. The pipe consisted of two segments held together by duck tape.
The music had a very industrial, electronic feel to it. Many songs sounded like Les Claypool fronting Nine Inch Nails. The set began with several extended electronica-based jams showing off That 1 Guys prowess on his contraption. These sent the crowd in a spastic dancing frenzy. He also displayed his jazz bass abilities on several interludes. Lyrically, the songs covered all the usual topics, from weasel potpie to oranges and bananas.
Even though the magic pip is what he s known for, That 1 Guy also showcased his skills on several other instruments. He hit the bottom of an amplified boot like a woodblock. He then produced a saw and played it wildly, bending and twisting it to create new sounds.
The encore ended in an appropriately weird fashion. That 1 Guy connected a fog machine to his pipe and fog spewed out of the top of it as he sang Cameo’s “Word Up.” It was a hilarious and wonderful moment.
Wednesday night helped me to understand the awesome power of That 1 Guy. I can honestly say that That 1 Guy is, hands down, the best magic pipe player of our generation. Join the revolution now or get left behind.
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