Once upon a time, many many years ago, when I had a bit more hair and less of it was graying, I must have made a wish. I don't remember doing it, but I certainly must have walked out into the cold air late one night and released a wish into the heavens, expecting nothing in return. And on that night I might possibly have wished that there were TWO Blue Oyster Cults, because I loved my favorite band so much that one of them was not nearly enough to keep me satisfied.

Or maybe I just stepped out to take a leak. I don't know, it was so long ago.

But anyway, on December 26th, with my head and belly still full to bursting with Christmas cheer, I popped into a little club in Ithaca NY called "The Haunt" to watch former Blue Oyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard and THE BRAIN SURGEONS perform live. I had seen The Brain Surgeons live before when they were the sole performers doing several long sets, but I had never seen them perform just one standard set, sharing the stage with other bands. Two other bands set the mood for The Brain Surgeons and warmed up the crowd. A local band WEEP opened things up, and then HELEN WHEELS took the stage. Helen has written many a Blue Oyster Cult and Brain Surgeons tune, and if you ever get the chance I HIGHLY recommend catching her live, though the diminutive Helen has enough on-stage chutzpah that "catching" her might be a poor way to word it.

The Brain Surgeons are guitarists Billy Hilfiger and Peter Bohovesky, bassist David Hirschberg, drummer/vocalist Albert Bouchard, and vocalist/guitarist (and part-time drummer) Deb Frost, a woman with a voice that can swing effortlessly across many extremes. The five members took the stage last and opened up with "St. Vitus Dance", a severe little rocker that set the mood and got us all up and cavorting. The quality of sound was just perfect, and even at point blank range to the amps the music never became painfully loud as it blew my hair back. The band played 14 songs in total, with a nice mix of Brain Surgeons and Blue Oyster Cult material from BOC's "Albert Era". Although the song order probably isn't even close (I was too busy hooting and howling to write down a proper set list) the set consisted of:

Highlights include "Laura's Plastic Swords", a favorite of mine from the BOX OF HAMMERS album, and a song that is just so much fun live, with the band exaggerating the slow, drawn out pauses in the song's structure. Most Brain Surgeons songs, both in lyrics and overall mood, dive head-first into gloomy and murky depths, and at the very least dangle their toes in it. But on-stage the Brain Surgeons are out to have fun and to make sure the audience does as well. When a band is having a great time, it's very obvious to a crowd cheering them on. Regardless of whether you are a fan of their music or not, you can't possibly come away from a Brain Surgeons show without a smile on your face. It did my heart good to see Guitarist Billy Hilfiger, an incredible performer who is currently battling some health problems, on-stage and just ripping it up. The vibes from the rest of the band and the smile on Billy's face is more proof that someone doing what they do best and enjoying every second of it is the best possible medicine there is.

During the crowd-pleaser "I Play the Drums", Albert Bouchard slapped out an incredible drum solo that was born on his drum kit, and had a long and rhythmic life on every hard object in and around the bar. Table-tops, barstools, glasses, bottles, floors, support beams, and every other item that got in Albert's way came alive with rappings and tappings and poundings. A one-man version of STOMP, there was no stopping Albert as he wandered drumming about the place like a madman possessed, and certainly nobody wanted to see him stop. A bit winded and bubbling with sweat when he finally made it back to his throne, he needed no breaks as he stormed and bashed his way through the rest of the song.

The band showed off a new song "Needle Gun" from their latest album MALPRACTISE, and it was an instant favorite. Loud and thundering enough to crumble sidewalk slabs, "Needle Gun" was intense enough that I'm sure somewhere the late Rob Rudich, whom the latest album it appears on is dedicated to, was tapping his feet and clenching his fists. "Donkey Show" found Guitarists Peter Bohovesky and Billy Hilfiger on vocals doing a wild & crazy version of this hilariously warped little ditty, and they make as good a team comically as they do musically.