Going Under with Tribal Baroque
Underpasses don’t generally lend themselves to good, wholesome fun. I, for one, experienced in a Dolores Park underpass an “Egyptian baptism” by a man wearing a gold turban and claiming to be King Tut in a previous life. He sprinkled me with bottles labeled “opium,” “sunlight,” and “holy water” that he carried behind him in a rolling suitcase. While I’d like to say the experience was fun, it was mostly just uncomfortable, not to mention stupid on my part.
In any case, I have also managed to stumble upon some truly mind-blowing fun in an underpass near Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers. On any breezy Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you’ll find a pretty unique musical experience through the tunnel that runs under JFK Drive (roughly around Arguello). Tribal Baroque, a two member band decked out in a tight corset (her), loose loincloth (him), and ankle bells (both), draws a crowd of wanderers sucked in by the strange and haunting sound. Freshly and rather harshly turned down by America’s Got Talent, Thoth and Lila’Angelique sing to a more appreciative audience each weekend.
Classically trained in opera and violin, Tribal Baroque shrieks and chants incomprehensible and bizarrely beautiful songs about…well, I have no idea. According to Tribal Baroque’s website, much of their work centers upon the mythological world of Festad, which Thoth invented at an early age. Listening, you might imagine a camera cutting from a stampeding herd of purple bison to a swooping hawk to a pasture full of elves gathering an autumn harvest of rutabagas. Needless to say, it’s the kind of music that seems really profound on a lazy sunny day.
Tribal Baroque
Saturdays and Sundays, 2pm-5pm
Conservatory of Flowers Underpass
Golden Gate Park
Photo Credit: Tribal Baroque
