Artist Venice Gas House Trolley

Madison’s Adam Gregory Pergament (a.k.a. Flowpoetry) and his band Venice Gas House Trolley lean more toward Funkadelic than toward your stereotypical wannabe snapping his spoken word over a stylishly swingin’ jazz combo. Pergament’s spoken word is just as odd and rambling as what you’d expect from a guy who was “poet-in-residence” at the now-defunct King Club. Synapse Lapse And Reblast! proved the band as a whole can keep up with that eccentricity via slinky-funky bass and drums, flute, and a variety of careful, melodic, and atmospheric interjections. The band’s latest, Burst Open, finally finds the music taking on some eccentricity of its own, embracing diverse styles.

Updated 12/12/2011