Selkow Tonight at Joe's Mill Hill Saloon

Saw Selkow at Joe's Mill Hill Saloon in Trenton, NJ. Although the venue borders the wealthy and desirable part of Trenton, the old historic Mill Hill area, it butts up against a high-rise apartment that advertises having a social worker on premises. Odd pairing. I have to street park, and walk past inner-city youth to enter what could be mainly considered a college bar. Odd, truly odd. You would barely know that Trenton is the armpit of New Jersey, which is considered the armpit state of the eastern coastal states. Not necessarily a dangerous place like Camden, Newark, or Patterson . . . just unpleasant like parts of New Brunswick or Elizabeth.

The band Selkow is an odd mix of aggressive folk and rap. Trip hop? Not quite. More like a Jason Mraz or G. Love mix. Tonight Ben Selkow, the man behind the band, was on fire. He has such stage presence, a winning smile, and puts all his energy into his show (like a younger Springsteen). The lyrics are intelligent, and pay tribute to rap’s style of word play and use of poetic devices. Tony, the drummer, has a sharp and steady drum beat; the type you would expect to back old school rappers. The new edition, Matt, laid down some intense bass lines that paid tribute to rap / R&B. I was really impressed with the new bassist, as he really dug into the bass and made a musical statement rather than lay down root notes or a repetitive bottom line. Good times. . . well worth the $5 admission.