If Friday's hot ticket was our very own LWMB/Music Slut bash, then Saturday's must-see show was waaaaay outside the New York City limits. Maybe you checked out Jens Lekman at Webster Hall. That's respectable. But I still win. See, I roadtripped all the way to Asbury Park, New Jersey to see Brooklyn's very own Trachtenburg Family Slideshow players at the bowling alley-cum-music venue Asbury Lanes. That's right--a place where you can bowl and watch bands perform at the same time. The evening was planned as a celebration for Glubdub, which bills itself as a "magazine for the counter-culture arts community." Honestly, the Glubdub element made for a pretty weird scene, including a bunch of goth art for sale and several people running around in corsets. There were even a few artists painting in front of a naked, female manikin with abnormally large breasts. Not sure what that was about. At least there was an entire troupe of artfully-dressed drag queens who seemed to be having a grand old time on the lanes.

We spent a few hours bowling, with the super-sweet Trachtenburg family on the lane next to us. Despite the advice of her mom, Tina Piña Trachtenburg, Rachel was throwing mostly gutter balls. But she was persistent and kept a good attitude. If she keeps it up, I'm sure she'll be bowling strikes in no time.

The Trachtenburgs' pal Anna Copa Cabana opened the night with some solo xylophone and guitar ditties. Hailing from Australia but now living in New York, her songs are funny, charming vignettes about her new home. One song contemplated the wonders of Times Square, while another begged for New York not to host the Olympics (apparently, it would bring too many "Americans" to the city). She even threw in a xylophone cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman."

Jason, Tina, and Rachel Trachtenburg were adorable and fun as always. They played some new songs, along with favorites like "Eggs" and "Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959." Jason flubbed a few lines and needed to start over on Trachtenburg staple "Look At Me," but he was so obviously flustered an apologetic that the mistake was easy to forgive. The band even took a break to do a Q&A, which included questions on Jason's vegetarianism and how they acquire slide projectors, since they're no longer manufactured (eBay, kids).

An evening with the Trachtenburgs is never dull, but the added bonus of bowling makes Saturday night's performance an early contender for my top 10 live shows of '08.

photos by Sean Ruch