Bodega Bay's final performance: Mercury Lounge, June 3rd, 2016, NYC. Filmed in one take on hi8 (with a brief tape glitch cutting "Second Row Center" short). A Bodega Bay show could have you scratching your head, rolling your eyes, pumping your fist, and laughing your ass off all at the same time. They demanded a reaction and reveled in contradictions. At a time when most bands would gladly play their songs safely and professionally in hopes of being accepted by a blatantly corrupt industry, Bodega Bay gleefully antagonized their audiences expectations by playing hour long sets that would range from super efficient pop punk anthems to exhausting no wave jam band explorations. They made you question why you bother making art in the first place, then answered that question a minute later. After a while the question becomes the answer, and you start to realize the question doesn't matter, that the answer is a feeling of presentness only music can provide. You open your eyes and realize you're in a room full of people who all feel the same way, and you're all having fun together despite the bullshit, or maybe because of it.
