Ron Gallo “Stardust Birthday Party” 2018. New West Records, signed, limited edition yellow with pink splatter vinyl (“Bday Cake variant”).

Ron Gallo performed last night at High Noon Saloon in Madison, but – sadly – we didn’t go (weather has been horrible and the drive didn’t seem safe) so I’m consoling myself with a spin of his latest release, which we preordered for its October ‘18 release. Starburst Birthday Party is Gallo’s second full-length album and has him going deep. Apparently he’s out of a relationship with a heroin addict and is doing some serious introspection (as Allmusic states he’s “examining his own neuroses and looking for spiritual and philosophical truths as he bashes away at his electric guitar”), but still with a hearty dose of humor (we saw him perform in 2017 at Mile of Music and he was hilarious). The lyrics to the song “Always Elsewhere” are inspired by philosopher Alan Watts and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle but then on the track “Do You Love Your Company?” (one of my favorites on the LP) he sings “When you think of yourself when you drink with yourself; self-help book on the couch, do you love your company” indicating that he’s not taking his navel gazing too seriously. Same goes with the track “’You’ Are the Problem” which I love and am in total agreement with (“because 9 out of 10 times ‘you’ are the problem). Side B’s “Om” is so damn funny – yogic “om” chanting with an irreverent little voicemail from the mind reminding the meditator – Ron – that “you can never, ever stop me. I cannot be stopped, I cannot be silenced. But you can sort of change your relationship with me and not believe everything I say.” Gallo then promptly explodes into a hard-stomping garage punk shred on the excellent ass-shaker “It’s All Gonna Be OK.” Just as great is “I Wanna Die (Before I Die)” which, despite its title, is super-uplifting in a raucous 60′s garage-rock style. He channels – sort of – John Coltrane on “Love Supreme (Work Together)” though with significantly more funk. I’m guessing he played most if not all of these songs last night, I’m just hoping he’ll be coming back this way again soon.