Hailing from Orlando, Brian Esser’s solo project Cabo Boing is as much of an art project as it is a music project. Esser, who now lives in Gainesville and who gained a cult following from his former band Yip-Yip in the early 2000s, now performs as Cabo Boing in a canary-yellow costume that looks like an alien-deep-sea creature from a galaxy of sweet, approachable clowns. His intricately designed, hyper and quirky electronic music is made from taming weird and forgotten electronics and recontextualizing their sounds into fun, clowny yet compelling pop music.
Esser says he owes starting his first band Yip-Yip to Lightning Bolt, who made him realize it was possible as just a duo to make music while making all their own art at the same time.
Brian Chippendale and Brian Gibson of Lightning Bolt have been delightfully integrating their visual art and musical practices since the early 2000s, gaining respect and popularity ever since. Chippendale of Lightning Bolt is well known in the art world for his drawings, paintings, and comics and has compared his drawing process to his drumming style—in both mediums he likes to fill up all possible space with intense and noisy yet cohesive markings and sounds. In 2016, Gibson, the bassist of the band, co-created a critically acclaimed video game called “Thumper,” where the player guides a beetle-like creature through a series of different visually stunning worlds.
Humorously all named Brian, the three will play shows in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana, ending the tour in New Orleans.
“Lightning Bolt was such a huge early inspiration for me and Jason to start Yip-Yip, and they continue to be an inspiration by pushing themselves with every new release,” Esser told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I can’t wait to see them eight more times!”
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This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2023.