Penguin Prison Plays in What Feels Like a Prison

Ozomatli had posed the question earlier in the evening during one of their songs: "¿Dónde está la after party?"  For me, it was a DJ set by Penguin Prison (Chris Glover) at NYC's newest nightclub, the Wall.  After catching him a month ago in Las Vegas, it was time to check one out on his home turf.  While Commonwealth was a nice escape from the glitz of the Strip, the Wall was like a place from which you couldn't escape.  Waiting to enter in a narrow black corridor with stenciled instructions (EYES UP FRONT. HANDS TO YOUR SIDES. NO SPITTING.), I heard someone say, "I feel like I'm going into a rollercoaster ride."  Once finally past the checkin podium, the venue felt a little like Sleep No More's McKittrick Hotel in that there were no directions as to where to go in the coal mine darkness.  After wandering around in an upstairs area, I made my way down to a bar, where four dim chandeliers provided the only light.  Around the corner from the bar was a dancefloor.  A DJ with a laptop was on a raised platform at the far end.   A woman in lingerie danced in a birdcage beside him.  You'd occasionally spot patrons hitting C0₂-filled balloons into the air.  That is, until they were popped on the disco ball ensconced in razor wire.  (You read that correctly.) I wasn't digging the DJ, so I waited patiently by the wall for PP.

He took over right before 1am, getting things started with his brand new remix of Hockey's "My Mind," posted just two days prior on his Soundcloud.  After his remix of "Blue Jeans," he grabbed the mic to sing "Hollywood," acting out the lyrics with his hands.  Shifting back into DJ-mode, he programmed a little Fleetwood Mac.  While he'd condensed his live vocal performances into a mini-set at Commonwealth, he interspersed them throughout the night here, continuing with new song, "Callin' Out Your Name."  After singing about his car called Jenny on "The Worse It Gets," PP announced, "Now I'm gonna do this song. This is a song about Prince."  While I'm still partial to the surprise Vegas version, his take on "I Wanna Be Your Lover" was excellent.  You could just tell he was having so much fun, coming out from behind his setup to sing unabashedly to the gyrating mass below.  That joy carried over into "You Can Call Me Al," where Glover didn't sing, but made sure to conduct the crowd on the horn hits, and save a miniature freakout for himself during that infamous bass solo.  "I hope you guys know this song," he said, dropping "Don't Fuck with My Money" on us for his final number.  It didn't reach the heights of the live version, however, with the omission of the screamed lines about "squeezing it 'til the eagle bleeds."  Penguin Prison was prepared to pass the platform to the proximate performer, but pleas from the people persisted.  "I could try one more," he said, firing off "Fair Warning" for an encore, slapping hands with those in the front as he sang.

PENGUIN PRISON - 07.27.13 - THE WALL

SET (with vocals) -
Hollywood / Callin' Out Your Name* / The Worse It Gets > I Wanna Be Your Lover / Don't Fuck with My Money

ENCORE -
Fair Warning

Penguin Prison on a Roof in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is famous for its nightlife, but if slot machines, showgirls, or seven different Cirque du Soleil shows aren't your bag, where do you go?  When every new spot that opens has to be bigger and flashier than the one next door, the six-month-old Commonwealth is an anomaly.  The pre-Prohibition-themed nightclub is located at 525 Fremont St, a few blocks east of the Fremont Experience, and it sticks out in that it doesn't stick out.  The building's dark exterior gives way to an even murkier inside, with tables and walls littered with photographs.  Make your way up the stairs and you'll find the club's true gem, a 2000-square-foot rooftop lit by strings of lightbulbs. A bar flaunting custom beer taps ranging from deer antlers to wooden forks is situated next to a Bimini ring game in the corner.  The vibe is decidedly un-Vegas: a New York bar with LA clientele.  And on Wednesday nights, they invite DJs to perform.  This week's was none other than Penguin Prison a.k.a. Chris Glover.

Glover took the reigns from the house mixer with Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," easing into the set with a classic.  He followed with his own remix of Lana Del Rey's "Blue Jeans," and while he's prone to sing while he spins, the microphone beside him sat unused.  He continued with some remixes by Belgian house DJ, the Magician, and his Brooklyn pals, Holy Ghost!  As the night went on, I became worried that he wasn't going to add any live vocals.  He told me he wasn't sure the patrons would be into it.  Aside from a few people dancing in the center, the crowd was pretty tame.  But I didn't take a cab all the way up to Fremont to just hear his iPod, so I bought him a drink and suggested he give it a whirl.  My pleas worked, and using the Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" as an easy entry, he picked up the mic.  "Yo! Las Vegas," he said, introducing himself as Penguin Prison.  "I'm not used to looking at the Weather Channel app and seeing it say 115. That's crazy."  Thankfully, by that time it had cooled down to a temperate 91, and the mist machines at the club definitely helped.  "This is a song about a place," he announced, launching into "Hollywood," the tune he did with RAC.  Contrary to what he'd anticipated, the crowd loved it, a circle forming around a couple dudes popping and locking.  When Glover broke into "I Wanna Be Your Lover," everyone sang along, though no one could top the man on the mic alternating between crisp falsetto and throaty howls.  He transitioned into Holy Ghost's remix of Curses' "The Deep End" before finishing up with "The Worse It Gets."  The vocal portion lasted a little over twenty minutes, but it was well worth the wait.  I was hoping for his rendition of Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight" considering the location, but it was still the best Vegas experience I've had.

Penguin Prison will be deejaying again tonight at midnight at Hakkasan's Ling Ling Club in the MGM Grand.  No sneakers or flip-flops are allowed, so I'm sadly gonna have to sit this one out.  But if you've got the right shoes, wear 'em, and dance the fucking soles off.

PENGUIN PRISON - 06.26.13 - COMMONWEALTH

SET (with vocals) -

Hollywood > I Wanna Be Your Lover > The Deep End > The Worse It Gets