Dan Beaver & The Potatoes of the Night

​Dan Beaver & The Potatoes of the Night

My Love Was A Lizard 
self-released; 2016

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
 

The band Dan Beaver & The Potatoes of the Night Dan Beaver is Dan Beaver (vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitar, upright bass, bass, shaker, synth, keys, drum machine pads, sample). There are three potatoes. Matt Snyder (guitar), Tara Ryan (background vocals) and John Kozitzky (Drums). The band's first EP on bandcamp is entitled MyLove Was A Lizard.

Some of the music is kind of silly. Silly in the same way Ween is. It's good fun and luckily backed up by some pretty solid songwriting. Up first is a highlight an personal favorite “Pink Shell”. The song is soulful and smooth. It’s one for the ladies except for what he is singing about on “Pink Shell". Maybe you kind of see how I was thinking of Ween. Great opener.

Up next is “Squaw Song” which has a distinctly different vibe but I this song is also pretty fantastic. There a bit of a CCR vibe here. Beaver deliver a solid vocal performance and Ryan back hims up brilliantly on the chorus. More successes is to be had with” King of the Forest”. I say this as a compliment but there was something about this song that made me feel like I was trapped a casino in the 1970’s surrounded by questionable company.

“Love Lizard” is all about a fuzzy bass and synths. The singing is on point like it is on all the other songs. I need to say something about this song reminded me of Beck when he released Midnight Vultures. Score. Next up is “Funk Inside the Eyes of the Moon” which is a great name by the way. This song is another smooth one relying on some great guitar playing and vocal harmonies.

He closes with the seven minute plus “Hey Bud”. The song has some of the best vocal melodies which felt Beatles-esque and sort of fades into white noise haze and dissonance.

​I thoroughly enjoyed My Love Was A Lizard. It's a fun EP. My only complaint is in regard to production. I just wish the drums sounded better. That's really it. Overall, Dan and his potatoes have a good thing going.

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