On Friday, May 2, Bill Manspeaker, the frontman of Green Jello returned to Buffalo to celebrate his birthday at Nietzsche’s. Rowdy concert goers filled the small venue, impatiently waiting as they moshed through four opening acts: Cruix of Tournament, Abandoned Trains, Bastard Bastard Bastard, and Living Brain Dead. Around one in the morning fans erupted with shouts of “Green Jello sucks” and “Happy Birthday Bill” as Bill Manspeaker strutted into the venue.
Green Jello, with their Halloween inflatables too big for the stage spilled out into the crowd, immersed the fans in a one-of-a-kind punk show experience filled with pool noodles, puppet masks, mosh pits and complete darkness.
Green Jello is a comedy punk rock band that formed in 1981 but didn’t rise to fame until 1993 with the release of, “The Three Little Pigs” from their album Cereal Killer Soundtrack. The album included Danny Carey on the drums and Reverend Maynard James Keenan as the voice of the Three Little Pigs who shortly after started their own band Tool. Unfortunately, as their fame grew the owner of the Jell-O trademark decided to sue Green Jello for infringement and won. Green Jello then became Green Jelly and re-released their albums with the new name.
Today they are still officially Green Jelly but you can find flyers, merch and the like with the Green Jello logo. His album Cereal Killer Soundtrack is back on Billboard, making it to number six directly under “Weird Al.”
Utter chaos erupted in the venue as the crowd adorned puppet masks made into characters from the band’s music and other popular icons like: the three little pigs, the big bad wolf, the Cow God, Rambo, Toucan Sam, and Sponge Bob to name a few. The participating puppet mask wearers were encouraged to be a part of the show, then the lights went out and the entire room erupted into a violent mosh pit. Pool noodles were tossed into the crowd and Bill urged everyone to wave them into the air and hit the band with them.
Green Jello tours nationally and can be found at small venues and private parties where Bill brings the puppet punk show to your house, boat or location of choice. Bill Manspeaker has a core band that travels to all the shows but has different band members all over the globe. Performing in shows that are local to them and sell merch to help pay for their travels, making Green Jelly / Jello the world’s largest worst band ever.
Opening the night at Nietzsche’s was punk/thrash band Bastard Bastard Bastard from Buffalo. Consisting of Maximo Melchiorre on vocals, Leland Allen IV on bass, Dave Ligammari on drums, and Brandon Glosser on guitar, the band was formed in 2014 by Glosser. Together they are celebrating the band’s 10th anniversary. Maximo Melchiorre reflected that, “The line up we have now is interesting. We all have very different influences and it comes together to make something that’s really interesting which can be heard in the newer music we are writing.”
Filling the venue with fast-paced punk/thrash songs with hard-edged melodies. The band commanded attention from the concert goers who quickly dropped everything to see who was playing. Bastard Bastard Bastard was adorned in a campy wardrobe, often wearing costumes that reflect their mood. On this evening nostalgia was evoked with childhood characters, Leeland wore a Mario mask and Brandon wore a Chuck E Cheese outfit. This enhanced the vibe of the show as Brandon threw a cheese slice piñata into the crowd to destroy, leaving candy and middle finger puppets on the floor.
They can be seen out in Buffalo and Rochester, with their next show they will be playing next at Philly On The Rocks in Philadelphia.
Setlist: Demon seed, Debt penalty, Existence is pain, Diseased, Headhunter, Bastard 40 hands, Premature evacuation, Shredder, Breaking point, It’s looking fucked
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