Dominy Leans Well Into The Holiday Spirit at Boot & Saddle

On Saturday night, Boot & Saddle hosted an out-and-out Christmas special with live music from Dominy, Slomosapiens, and Madalean Gauze. The Boot was the place to be to kick off the holidays, because each band really went over the top for their sets. Slomo was decked out in ugly sweaters and kitschy string-light necklaces, while Dominy went for a more classy-Christmas vibe, with white tuxes and velvet jumpsuits. Madalean Gauze, ever the cool girl group, were joined onstage by a handful of drag performers like Onyx Ondyx and Plexie Glass. If your holidays are anything like mine (i.e., chaotic) then this was the perfect way to get them started.

(Full disclosure, I came to see Dominy). I checked them out at RFA’s Halloween gig in October, and this band is like the bit that keeps on giving. Last time they were a full-on vintage sports team onstage, and this time they were a caricature of themselves, but like Christmased-out times ten. Their entire persona is usually a little bit Western, a little bit Americana, and a little bit indie. They have their feet in several different doors, but a constant through each of the performances that I’ve seen is their enormous sense of humor and personality. Frontman John Dominy is an absolute joy to watch. He’s funny, charismatic, and his twangy, crooning vocals helped make this holiday show something of his own.

Their setlist, like the rest of the bands’, consisted of mostly holiday covers. I walked into a countrified version of Elvis’s “Blue Christmas,” which is surely what the tousled black wig was for. Then they led into a passionate version of “Little Drummer Boy,” which truly got the crowd rolling. Throughout the set, there was a constant discourse about a “Joey Jingles” character, and, if you don’t know, here you go. Either way, hilarious. This show was all around a bit. They played an original, “Leather Jacket Song,” subbing the word “leather” for “Christmas” of course. Everything was all a part of the performance, and it was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to this month. They ended on a - and I do not say this lightly - CLASSIC: Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”

I had a great time, and what I’ve learned after seeing this band twice is that it’s not really a Dominy show without a heaping dose of humor. If you aren’t laughing along with the band when they start to get a little weird, then you aren’t really experiencing their show the way they hope you will. That’s not to downplay the talent that each of these musicians has by any means. They’re incredibly skilled in the way their original songs seem to be comprised of so many genres, and the obvious companionship between the band is also so much fun to watch. Even when they’re laughing, they’re still tight and together, never missing a beat. That’s not an easy task.

Dominy is playing Milkboy on New Year’s Eve for a no cover decade send-off.

Concerts, Artist SpotlightEmily HerbeinComment