Tula Vera at Our Wicked Lady (06-24-2023)

A Tula Vera set always begins without warning. One second the band is meandering through a banter-free tune-up, displaying little urgency or concern, seeming at least a few minutes away. The next moment, a few sudden crisp and familiar notes arouse the audience from its intermission shenanigans, and eyes are drawn forward to the stage, where the adventure has begun.

Tonight’s show has an even sweeter start than usual for Tula Vera stans (sup!): the band’s effervescent 2017 debut, Sunspot.

It’s become something of a special occasion song in recent years. It requires guitarist Dylan Drummond to bring an alternate pedal board with him to properly execute the song’s slick intro, and it’s a pedal board he can’t always bring.

But tonight is one of those special occasions; they’re busting out all the tricks for the debut of their new EP, “The Moon & Her Creator,” out a day earlier.

It’s also Tula Vera’s first-ever show with a brass section, including from the get-go with “Sunspot,” sung by Clay Parcells.

“What the f— is up New York! We’re Tula Vera!” Parcells declares after a triumphant “Sunspot.

They do so over top of the next song. Tula Vera is keeping it rolling, shifting right into the frenzied “First Thing,” a Drummond singer.

“The First Thing” is also a frequent showstarter in itself; they like how the gang vocals get the whole band involved right away, and how the burst of energy transfers from stage to floor. Both opening songs signal a fiery set is on hand.

They take a breath after “The First Thing,” with some shuffling around the stage for the horn players. Parcells the emcee briefly re-christens the band, as Joe Jansen trades in his bass for a tuba.

“I’ve been wanting to say ‘Tuba Vera’ for a really long time, and now it’s a reality,” Parcells jokes. Jansen receives an ovation of “Tu-ba Ver-uh” chants while settling in with the sit-down instrument.

Parcells checks on some microphones for the horn section, who have to share. “Is this thing on?” Parcells asks.

“They’re all on, and they’re all hot as f—,” says the sound guy.

Everybody is hot, on a humid and stormy Saturday in Brooklyn. But a good-luck crescent moon occasionally peeks out from the clouds, and the rain holds off for the show.

Parcells then introduces the rest of the horn section, which includes a special guest on trombone: “This is my dad! Fred!”

Drummer Margaret Marino slams the skins for a proper roar, and then leads into Clay’s ballad “Gone With the Leaves.”

(The mercenary Fred Parcells has played countless gigs himself, particularly in the New York-based, Celtic rock group Black 47: “He is not a plumber or a hit man, although his trombone case might suggest otherwise.”)

Also in the house is Clay’s mom, both parents longtime supporters, proud and excited for the group. “When they first started, none of them could drive,” Fred joked of his chauffeur days

“Yo what a stacked f—ing bill!” Clay says up on stage. The band compiled the lineup themselves. “Trophy Wife! Skorts! And Shred Flintstone, hell yeah.”

Friends of theirs from the New Brunswick, NJ scene, Shred Flintstone played third and were a featured highlight in their own right, playing a typically ferocious set. Frontman Dan Barrecchia added a second guitarist this year to the band’s new four-man lineup, with a new EP of their own arriving this June 30th.

(Midway through Shred Flintstone’s set, I found myself standing next to Tula Vera bassist Joe Jansen, and turned to him and said, “You know, this is a tough act to follow.” Shred was really cooking. Jansen looked over and with a wary smile said, “Yeah!”)

Drummond next takes Tula Vera into “Reality/Fantasy,” a mini-medley. It’s unreleased and not on the new EP, though maybe it finds a home someday.

He sings “Reality” soulfully, with both Parcells and Marino singing Motown-style falsettos in the verses. Coincidentally, it features perhaps the best horn execution of the night. It breaks in the middle into its bluesy second half, “Fantasy.”

Then comes a run of the five-song EP, beginning with the live debut of “Daisy Road,” another track with blues roots and sung by Drummond. The blues has some sway in Tula Vera’s repertoire - “spooky blues” is one of their self-ascribed flavors, and Drummond previously cited Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Sister Rosetta Tharp as favorites.

The horn section bows out for the night after “Daisy Road.” Parcells next sings a tribute to faraway love in “Miles Away,” a second ballad that’s also making a live debut.

It’s followed by a rocker in “I Hurt You,” which was first released as a single in April. Compelled by some heavy single-note riffing, “I Hurt You” would feel right at home on a Black Keys record. It's also treated with some classic, Tula Vera-style ethereal yearning, sung by Drummond: “Why you goin’ round, messing with a Gemini??”

Parcells then ditches the guitar for “Liar Bitch,” a spine-tingling broadside built for a live set. The audience joins in with the namesake chorus, calling out the liar-bitches in their own lives. It’s no doubt a keen addition to the Tula Vera stage act.

This is a band that embraces the style game alongside their tunes. “In terms of that performance element, we care about the visual stuff,” Parcells said pre-show. “There's a reason you go out to see it live. And a big element is the music, but I know I like having something to watch.”

“Dress Fancy” was even an invitation on the show flyer. On stage, Marino wears a purple silk dress, Drummond a burgundy blazer, and Jansen a white dress shirt with black tie and suspenders.

For Parcells, they say they recently discovered a closet full of opera dresses owned by their aunt Elizabeth, an opera singer, and tried them all on, thinking an occasion such as this EP release show would be a suitable time to honor her.

They close out the EP portion of the show with “I Sang To The Moon,” featuring an appearance by performer April Gloom. Gloom sidles on stage mid-song and reads a spoken-word letter that Parcells had written, also credited on the EP.

It gets a strong ovation, and it’s time for one last Tula Vera explosion. Parcells celebrates the culmination of the show, hollering “IMMACULATE VIBES!!!!” as a test of the delay just added to their microphone, for the revved-up finale, “Truck Driver.”

Truckers love it (they actually do, on truck driver Tik Tok (so I’ve heard)). And it’s a final number that lets the band go just absolutely nuts on stage.

Marino takes both drumsticks in her right hand, throwing all of her might into the last handful of cymbal slams, rising out of her seat as she does. Parcells climbs atop amps and gear, howling at the overcast moon above the Our Wicked Lady rooftop. Jansen is bent over at the waist, headbanging and playing with the distortion settings at his feet. Drummond though stays a little stoic, content to just keep raising hell on his green Gretsch, watching over his bandmates like the foreman of a possessed construction site.

Afterward the band is exultant, breathing heavy and breaking out in smiles. The EP is officially released. They play just shy of an hour, ending a little past 11:30 on this Saturday night in Brooklyn. Many friends came out and many are lingering longer on the hot and humid rooftop, with the bar still dishing out its frozen pina coladas. Yeah, those were necessary, have to admit.

It’s another show in the books with the mighty Tula Vera band, always a treat for the audience and for the band too. “We all love playing shows,” Parcells said before the show, of the band. “We've always been kind of a live band, and we are all really itching to be on the road more.”

They’ve got nearly a decade of shows in the books already, including in tons of basements all over the Northeast. They’re now making their way deeper into the club/venue world, but DIY roots are very important to Tula Vera, Parcells said. And they remain so, including on their upcoming tour.

They have a few days off before starting a 15-show-in-17-nights-stretch, beginning on Thursday, June 29 in Burlington, VT. It then moves to upstate New York for two shows, then on up to Canada for one (international tour, baby!) and back down through Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, a Tennessee two-fer, then Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland and finally D.C. on July 16.

There’s also a Friday, July 21 date at the Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ, and a July 30 date in New Paltz, NY. Go see ‘em!

Setlist, June 24:

Sunspot (Lead vocal: Parcells)
The First Thing (Drummond)
Gone With the Leaves (Parcells)
Reality/Fantasy (Drummond)
Daisy Road* (Drummond)
Miles Away* (Parcells)
I Hurt You* (Drummond)
Liar Bitch* (Parcells)
I Sang To The Moon* (Parcells)
Truck Driver (Parcells)

*From the new EP “The Moon & Her Creator,” released June 23rd. The EP is available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with Tula Vera by following them on Instagram. To learn more about the project’s origins, you can revisit our podcast interview with the band from 2019.