THUNDERCAT
Thundercat is a cosmic waverunner. A charming trickster deity. An undefinable chimera sporting the swagger of a jazz legend, the glamor of a rockstar and the unapologetic obsession with video games, anime and manga of an Otaku.
Over the last several years contemporary music has developed a sort of double current. The usual progression towards new and experimental sounds and subgenres now flows over the top of a musical renaissance looking to music from decades passed. Some of the most influential artists of the decade have embraced this mingling of old and new: Kendrick Lamar dove headfirst into jazz on To Pimp a Butterfly, the late Mac Miller leaned more and more heavily on R&B on The Divine Feminine and Swimming, and Erykah Badu blended hip-hop, electronica, spoken word and soul on New Amerykah.
One thing all of these forward-thinking stars have in common is a long history of collaboration with Stephen Lee Bruner, also known as Thundercat.
The Kridel Grand Ballroom is cavernous and lavishly decorated, dominating the interior of The Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building. This 9,000 square foot room easily accommodates up to 1,000 attendees, and tonight everyone is standing, swaying, snapping and screaming in appreciation. It’s the 2020 BIAMP Portland Jazz Festival, a month-long celebration of black history and musical culture, and Thundercat is one of over 100 artists performing in venues across the city. I’ve never seen a turnout like this in my 5 years of attendance. The anticipation is palpable in the packed-out ballroom, and it boils to deafening applause as Stephen Lee Bruner, the coolest anime nerd, proudest cat dad and best bass player on the planet steps onto the stage.
Thundercat glitters from every angle. Furry leopard-print cat ears pair with diamond-encrusted Gucci earmuffs, which in turn match a diamond dermal piercing and a thick handful of golden chain necklaces. His massive pink bass guitar is emblazoned with a Gundam sticker and a glow-in-the-dark enamel pin featuring the NERV logo from Neon Genesis Evangelion, two of the most popular giant-robot-anime of all time. His red silk short shorts are a dense tapestry of patches from across the Otaku spectrum - Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon and of course Thundercats are all heavily featured - and a pair of plushie Vaporeon socks spill over the top of his glossy red converse. His tattoos continue the endless parade of culture, and when Thundercat smiles sheepishly two massive emeralds glisten where they encrust his upper molars.
For a moment Stephen seems out of his element on that massive stage, Justin Brown buried in drums to his left and Dennis Hamm similarly entombed in racked keyboards to his left. His eyes travel to massive room, the enthralled fans. “Uhhh, what’s up everybody” he says into the mic. “Something something.” Another sheepish smile, then “Let’s go!”
His fingers explode into motion across the expansive fretboard as his band kicks into a future-jazz groove that evolves constantly, traveling at breakneck pace. Heads bang as the music approaches the tempo of death metal before careening down into the atmosphere in an elegant progression of complex chords. “I feel weird,” Thundercat sings into his mic. “Comb your beard, brush your teeth!” the audience roars back. “Still feel weird!” he replies.
“BEAT YOUR MEAT, GO TO SLEEP” we all scream together as Captain Stupido, the opening track off the latest Thundercat album Drunk grinds to a momentary halt. Glancing from drums to keys, Thundercat leaps back into the fray, alternating between a teeth-gritting shred and a soulful falsetto sung with eyes closed. The energy veers wildly, frenetic jazz spiraling away into deep-groove R&B, landing upon a moody ballad to Bruner’s cat, Tron. “I do actually spend a lot of time just in my house writing songs about my cat,” he admits during one of the frequent breaks for oxygen and banter. “She sits way up on her cat tower - I’m starting to figure out what that means, that it’s her house and I’m living in it.”
During another short break, Thundercat grows somber, listing musicians that passed in the last year. Mac Miller, Nipsy Hustle, the young JUICE WRLD.
“That was hard. But you learn. And you grow. And I guess that’s what you’re watching right now, for me. Anyways, here’s another song - you’re probably all wondering why the fuck I would play Friend Zone after talking about death, but hey.”
Dennis Hamm speaks up from the keys - he actually thinks Friend Zone is a sad song, and fits the set. “It’s a song about jerking off and playing video games,” Thundercat laughs. “Which I’m just now realizing is kinda sad.” Laughter lightens the room considerably, but the honest emotion doesn’t flee the atmosphere. We all dance a bit harder for it, marveling at the humor and the beauty woven in with the pain.
That’s the kind of music Thundercat makes - absurd, yes, blazingly technical and needlessly complex, maybe. Highly intelligent and emotive in a way that doesn’t take itself too seriously? Definitely. As the set thunders into the night, we’re treated to the hit song Them Changes and everyone in the room floats a few inches off the floor for their dancing. What I thought would be my favorite moment of the show is quickly eclipsed, however, when Thundercat takes the mic one last time, to play us all out.
“If you’re listening man, this one is for you. We all miss you.” My heart knows what’s going on a split second before my brain, and the tears are in place as the trio drops into Mac Miller’s What’s The Use?
