DOOM GONG / THREE PIECE MEAL – RADIO BEAN – BURLINGTON VT
By Eric Rauert
DOOM GONG brought their “denim psych” music to the Radio Bean in Burlington, Vermont with Three Piece Meal for direct support.
A cold and rainy night in Burlington Vermont had me seeking shelter inside Radio Bean right as doors opened. I guess being fashionably late in Burlington is the style and I’m the lame one, but I did get to catch the Three Piece Meal sound check just a few minutes before show start.
Zack Brownstein (Drums), Van Garrison (Keyboards) and Lucas Medina (Guitar) of Three Piece Meal cooked up a spicy little six song set at Burlington’s take on an Organ trio. A classic jazz cover by Ahmad Jamal started the set but it was all originals to follow. William Joyner (Keys/Trumpet/Vocals) from DOOM GONG jumped up from the audience onto the stage to add his brass in a “Four Piece Meal” rendition of “War Time”, “Impunity”, “Gunky” and “Wiz Kid” were three kicking originals from an unreleased EP, the first for the band.
The calm collectedness of a funk band was present on stage with enough heat and improvisation to drive off the rain. The jazz love is apparent with these three. It’s smoother and silkier than the louder organ driven beats I’m used to from acts like the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. The crowd called for one last song, which the boys were happy to oblige.
Three Piece Meal Setlist:
Poinciana – Ahmad Jamal cover
Wartime
Stutter
Impurity
Gunky
Wiz Kid
In a cerulean flash, the band members of DOOM GONG filtered from the audience and piled on to the stage. And pile they did: with seven core musicians and quite the instrumentation to play an oversized coffee shop like Radio Bean. The spread included two guitars (bass and lead), two sets of keyboards/synths, two drum kits conjoined at the kick, a percussion kit, and two trumpets. The inanimate eighth member of the band, “Zildjian” GONG hung ominously stage left.
DOOM GONG bills themselves as the founders, pioneers, and (for now) only band in the “denim psych” genre “a hodgepodge of psychedelic rock, jazz fusion, prog rock, bedroom pop, lo-fi, contemporary classical music, as well as blood, sweat, and a lot of denim.” Formed by seven of University of Louisville’s finest music nerds after what I can only assume was a founding meetup at the Levi’s outlet store, I was excited to see how the new MEGAGONG album (my entry point to the band) would maintain its enormously massive but distinct sounds translated to the live space.
With a short introduction from John Anderson (Guitar/Lead Vocals), we were quickly into “I Wanna Get Dim Sum (With My Friends)”. Out of the genre laundry list, this includes “bedroom pop and lo-fi” with a catchy jazz backbone. The shift of tone was immediate into the driving rhythms of “Bridge of Doom”, with airy vocals and excursions into prog rock. This tonal shift would continue through nearly every song transition in the first half of the set. Sonic whiplash in the best way possible.
It was apparent from the get go DOOM GONG’s live experience exudes a genuine and infectious energy. The familiarity these seven artists already have together since forming in 2022 shows the mastery of the genres they eagerly bash over the head with a 2 x 4. Brass wailed from Joiner and Jay “Dino” Hall (Percussion/Vocals/Trumpet/GONG), with Dino also gong-ing in time. Kenny Tace (Drums) and Matthew Griffin (Drums) somehow share an impeccable beat while on the same kick drum. Sam Kernohan (Bass) was always in the pocket, smiling, or both, with Misaki Hall (Keys/Synth) the unflappable conductor on the Omnichord.
As a reimagined cover of ‘My Favorite Things’ concluded the jazz package, I braced for immediate impact into 2025’s album MEGAGONG starting with “The Perilous Rise”. Guitar picking reminiscent of a sitar and dreamy vocals from Anderson collapsed suddenly into the sultry sounds of DOOM, black metal, and stoner rock. “The Perilous Rise” became “Annihilator” and a burst of energy overtook the room. A short lived mosh opened up under the disco ball, which I eagerly threw myself into.
Transitioning into an orchestral like movement, the beginning scales of “Spiral Dance of Imminent Doom” continued the set. Pausing between songs only for a short ambient interlude the band cascaded into “MEGAGONG” then “DOOM GONG III” to conclude the MEGAGONG album performance.
This would have been more than enough for me but the band had one massive jam left. “DOOM GONG I” was expertly sandwiched around an incomplete cover of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”. A solid rendition of Ozzy’s (RIP) vocals by Anderson was cut slightly short as they careened back into the refrain of “DOOM GONG I”, concluding their seminal 13 minute masterpiece.
DOOM GONG brings to the stage just about every motif and sonic influence that made me fall in love with the broad genre of “psych” and its extensive family tree. Even as such a young band their confident stage presence is here and it’s full of animated, unforgettable moments. The homage to modern acts like Kikagaku Moyo, All Them Witches, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Oh Sees, and too many others to name is amalgamated without being an imitation. Coltrane, Gong, Black Sabbath, and Frank Zappa are some historic sounds I hear lovingly kicking me in the face. This massive list of influences is indicative of the musical love letter this band pens every single performance.
This band won’t be for everyone: they are best experienced through the live experience and full LP’s rather than any one single. “Perilous Rise” “Annihilator”, “Still Hoverin”, and “Bridge of Doom”, however, will give you an excellent example of their breadth of sound, as will the entirety of 2025’sMEGAGONG. The ability to switch genres on a dime at such a driving pace will be back breaking and overstimulating for some, especially those looking for a consistent sound. But this intense exploration is what I crave and I can’t wait to see the technical and creative heights this band reaches with “Denim Psych”: The Gong Rings On!
DOOM GONG setlist:
I wanna get Dim Sum (with my friends)
Bridge of Doom
Never Crossed My Mind
The Gong Rings On
Still Hoverin’
My Favorite Things – John Coltrane cover
The Perilous Rise
Annihilator
Spiral Dance of Imminent Doom
MEGAGONG
DOOM GONG III
DOOM GONG I
Paranoid – Black Sabbath Cover
DOOM GONG I
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