I like it when, after they tear into “Viva Zapata,” you can audibly hear a dude go “holy shit!” It’s right there, can’t miss it. I’ve been that dude before, and it’s only earned on the part of Totimoshi, who by the time that happens are just barely halfway through their first public set in more than a decade, which took place on May 28 at Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis. They were, of course, filling in on the bill for themselves, as guitarist/vocalist Antonio Aguilar and bassist/backing vocalist Meg Castellanos were first asked to perform with their newer outfit, All Souls — it’s been about three minutes, I know, but just hang on; I’ll get back to drooling over their work at the next available opportunity, rest assured — but the other half of that four-piece had prior commitments, so all of a sudden, a Totimoshi reunion went from a vague someday-maybe possibility to booked, and even better, then it actually happened. Like, on this planet! Pretty killer, right?

I’ll confess my ignorance as to who Ryan Sutherby — who filmed the video below that captures the full ‘reunion’ set in its entirety — is, and he’s probably not Mr. Holyshit, but golly gosh I sure am glad he showed up to Caterwaul. The clip is a single camera, true bootleg-style audio, but you can hear the telltale crunch in Aguilar‘s guitar that reminds you they were a noise rock band at their root and in their earliest going, with flashes of the melody that has come so much more to prominence in All Souls amid the punker push given force by Chris Fugitt‘s drums and the more aggressive spirit of Totimoshi‘s music when taken on average. And I hedged that statement purposefully with “on average” because in highlight ‘newer’ Totimoshi songs as well as the earlier reaches of their turn-of-the-century-era catalog, they had some pretty raw stuff in there, but were always growing as a band, and that’s showcased in this set as well.

And hell yes I’m posting it. What, you thought after putting up the announcement that it was happening, doing another video premiere, and interviewing Castellanos and Aguilar about getting the band started again, I would let it go? Not a chance. From “Dance of Snakes” and “Avenger” to “The Whisper” and “Seeing Eye,” I’m in. In fact, I don’t usually do this, but I’m actually casting the set on my tv right now as I write this, because I happen to have the house to myself for the next half-hour or so and it would take me longer than that to try to think of a better way to spend the time than watching them play. It’s been 12 years since I last saw them. It was a long time ago. I don’t think Aguilar even owned that hat yet, but looking back at the pictures, Fugitt might actually be wearing the same shirt.

It’s a short set, just 37 minutes, and it ends with another “holy shit!” from what’s clearly the same dude. You certainly won’t hear me argue.

Enjoy:

Totimoshi, Live at Caterwaul 2023

Totimoshi Live at Caterwaul on 5-28-23. First show in 12 years!

Filmed by Ryan Sutherby

Totimoshi on Facebook

Totimoshi on Bandcamp

Totimoshi on YouTube

Totimoshi store

Tags: California, Los Angeles, Totimoshi

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 15th, 2023 at 12:19 pm and is filed under Bootleg Theater. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.