Photos and Review by Stephen Bloch

It is safe to say that if the band is having fun, the audience is likely having fun too.  That was abundantly true for the incredible double bill at Milwaukee’s Colectivo Back Room on Thursday night.  Whatever dampening of the spirits from the rain was quickly washed away by the bombastic opener Mike Dillion’s Punkadelick and headliner Marco Benevento.  It would be a disservice to do a song-by-song analysis of this show as it was free flowing and must be remembered in its entirety.  Punkadelik’s sound comes from the vibes and percussion of Mike Dillion, the electronics and wind (breath) of Brian Haas, and the incredible drumming of Nikki Glaspie.  Their sound is mesmerizing and far-reaching with punk, funk, metal, jazz, and polka (yes, polka) influences.  I can only imagine what the band’s album collection/playlists look like.  They had the packed house grooving from start to finish of their opening set.  

The same energy came from Marco Benevento who was joined on stage by Karina Rykman on bass and Chris Corsico on drums.  Smiles couldn’t be wiped off the faces of each one of them for the entire set.  Their cheeks must hurt today.  Their sound can be described as an amalgamation of dance, psychedelic, jazz, funk, and rock, seamlessly moving and shaking.  

Miles of smiles were present for the band and the audience for the entirety of the evening.  Catch Marco Benvento and Mike Dillon’s Punkadelic on the road!