Mike Silverman has been That 1 Guy since 1994: one-man band, handmade instruments, 150 to 200 shows a year, coast to coast. The centerpiece is the Magic Pipe (a seven-foot structure of aluminum pipes and orchestral bass strings with electronics wired throughout), alongside the Magic Boot and the Magic Saw. Billboard described what comes out of all of it as “slamming, futuristic funk” where “the normal rules of biology just don’t apply.” The Salty Snacks Tour stops at Funk ‘n Waffles in Syracuse on Sunday, February 7.
About the Show
Silverman is a classically trained double bassist who studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and worked as a freelance jazz bassist before developing the sound and persona that have defined his career for three decades. He built the Magic Pipe himself after commissioning it proved prohibitively expensive, then rebuilt it in 2007 with different metals, describing the upgrade as reflecting “that adventure seeker that I am.” His music draws on funk, jazz, folk, and electronic music, filtered through what one profile describes as a “gonzo sensibility influenced by Frank Zappa” — with lyrical subjects running from cheese to weasels. One critic called the overall effect a “Primus/Beck/Ween/Frank Zappa/Reggie Watts/Keller Williams conference call.” Parliament is in the DNA; Silverman has just bent it somewhere considerably stranger.
He incorporates stage magic and illusions into his live sets, and the line between the two doesn’t always hold. “So much of my music has miraculous qualities to it,” he’s said, “because it’s hard to tell what’s going on.” Albums include Songs in the Key of Beotch and The Moon is Disgusting (2007). He has collaborated with Tom Waits and with Buckethead (together as The Frankenstein Brothers), and had music placed in Showtime’s Weeds. Festival credits include Electric Forest, Wakarusa, the Montreal Jazz Festival, High Sierra, Summer Meltdown, and Big Day Out. He won the Tap Water Award for Best Musical Act at Edinburgh Fringe and has built a cult following that crosses rock, electronic music, folk, funk, and jazz.
No support act is listed for the Syracuse date. The Salty Snacks Tour plays Pittsburgh on Feb. 3 before arriving at Funk ‘n Waffles, then continues to Buffalo on Feb. 9.
Venue & Logistics
Funk ‘n Waffles is a 200-capacity bar, music venue, and restaurant at 307 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse, part of the central New York live music corridor. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.; the show begins at 7:00 p.m. This is an 18+ event.
Tickets
Tickets start at $23.63. Buy tickets