“When I say ‘Too Many,’ you say ‘Zooz,’” Leo Pellegrino, saxophonist of brasshouse trio Too Many Zooz (TMZ) commanded the audience of the band’s show at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth this past Tuesday night.
“Too Many…”
“ZOOZ!”
“Too Many…”
“ZOOZ!”
3S Artspace’s compact dance floor was filled practically from the back doors of the performance area up to the stage with fans of the band. From 8-year-old children to graying adults, the diverse fans of TMZ danced (and sweated) together all night.
The trio – made up of Pellegrino on saxophone, Matt “Doe” Muirhead on trumpet, and King of Sludge on bass drum – began their show at 8 p.m. on the dot and played with no breaks for an hour-and-a-half. With expectations in the crowd set high, TMZ came through with a high-energy and exciting show, which marked the first of their current tour.
One woman in the crowd, originally from Hampton, N.H., first saw TMZ six years ago in the subway system in New York City, one year after the band officially formed and before they achieved greater popularity as artists. She said that she has been following the band on YouTube ever since.
“I left Leo my number that day, but he didn’t call me,” she said, referring to a piece of paper she had left in one of the band member’s instrument cases with the money they had collected. “I don’t blame him. I could have been a creepy old man serial killer for all he knew.”
Pellegrino’s energy was contagious during the performance. His dance moves, which he claims have been stolen by the game Fortnite, were promiscuous for an all-ages event. With every solo line he played on his sax, he would swivel or thrust his hips in rhythm with the music, eliciting applause and laughter from the audience.
King of Sludge, who dressed up as President Donald Trump, kept the rhythm throughout the night. Focused on the music and feeding off of the energy of the night, his eyes would roll back into his head every so often, exposing the whites of his eyes.
Muirhead’s calm and collected energy was refreshing. His trumpet-playing chops were strong, as he hit innumerable high notes throughout the night.
As an avid fan of Too Many Zooz, this show exceeded my expectations. The energy that the band portrays in their music videos is exactly the energy that they put out on stage. I have been waiting a year and a half to see this band, and I was not disappointed. They are as talented in person as they are online; I highly recommend seeing them live.
