COUSIN FUNGUS | 06.10.01

The band contemplated their future, and after a little down time decided to continue on as a three piece act. For those who do not know, the band consists of three brothers. Tom Stanziale, the eldest brother plays bass and contributes on vocals. Chris, a.k.a. "Bach" plays drums for the trio. To make up for the void of keyboards, guitarist Hank would take up duties on the synthesizer, as well as expand his role as vocalist.

There was no one questioning the future of Cousin Fungus after Sunday night's show at Mulcahey’s. In their fourth show as a three piece, the band played a great blend of Fungus’ classics as well as newer material to a feverish crowd. Dogwood provided some good tunes in their first ever performance at Mulcahey’s, and warmed the crowd up for the mayhem that was about to ensue.

Taking the stage a little past 11, Cousin Fungus opened their set with the island-inspired "Como Estas." This happy number set the tone for the evening as all cousins in attendance got their groove on. Next up was "Dosia," which is one of Fungus’ staple songs and a real crowd-pleaser. The funk-inspired jam was only further enhanced by Henry’s work on the synthesizer. This was followed by the second-ever performance of "Magic Hour." The country-rockin' song "Ok Then" segued nicely into the hypnotic number "Neckbones," which had every head in the building rocking back and forth. Following that was the instrumental "Superman," this spacey jam had heads spinning everywhere as things were really starting to heat up. Great vocals by Tom and Henry made for an exciting version of "Almost Out," which was only made better with Mulcahey’s own Billy O’Sullivan contributing on washboard.

As if things weren’t already off the hook, Cousin Fungus had a surprise in store for those in attendance. Joining the band on rhythm guitar and vocals for the remainder of the show was long-time friend Mike Sanchez. Mike’s playing with the band enabled them to pull out many Fungus classics which haven’t been heard in awhile. The opening notes of "Share the Air" were met with a mighty roar from the audience, as Henry and Mike laid down the guitar riffs which sent all in attendance into a frenzy.

After a nicely placed "Perfect World," the band busted out a promising new number tentatively titled "Hasta Proxima Nunca" which was penned by Fungus’ long-time friend, Pete Whit. After a rocking version of "Bake and Eat," the band was hitting on all cylinders and was about to blow the roof off the place with a amazing one-two punch of songs. The Fungus' classic, "Whoosh!" was the highlight of the night. With a nice groove laid out by Chris-Bach, the band went to work on a jam that had everyone in attendance breathless. Following that was the quiet beginnings of one of Fungus' newest songs, "Restart." This catchy number keeps getting better with each and every performance due in part to it’s clever lyrics and slow building melody.

Fungus then played a nice rendition of the Allman Brothers' classic, "Blue Sky" which was the only cover song played all night. Closing the set was the epic, "Corner of my Eye." The crowd couldn’t get enough, and after a deafening applause the band returned to the stage to perform the catchy "Magic Shades" as an encore.

The news only gets better for cousins everywhere as the band has a string of shows scheduled throughout the summer including two sets in the Wetlands Lounge this Saturday night on the 16th for Adam Foley's Birthday Bash.

Dan Delaney
JamBase Long Island Correspondent
Go See Live Music!

For tour dates, MP3’s and more, visit the official site: www.cousinfungus.com

For lyrics and setlists check out the Fungus Archives at: www.fungusarchives.com

^ w/ Billy O’Sullivan on Washboard
*w/ Mike Sanchez on Rhythm guitar and vocals.