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 IFC had logic on its side when it opted to proceed with "Dinner With the Band." Indie rockers and chefs share certain qualities -- such as an ability to strike a balance of passion and technique that, ideally, leads to a big break. Both sides also rely on positive reviews and word of mouth.
But television does not operate on such logic. A show's concept has to appeal to advertisers and sponsors and then be executed in a manner that appeals to a target audience. "Dinner With the Band" is aimed at music fans who don't know a saute pan from a strainer, so it has been hard to see how this would work out.
As much as IFC wants to synthesize various "indie" worlds -- the network's programming is more than 90 percent film -- it winds up with a crowded kitchen that has no leader. That might be the reason behind IFC's decision to give "Dinner With the Band" a "sneak peek" run in November and December, five months before its official April premiere. Its recipe needs refinement, and the network is looking for tasters.
The unifier in Episode 1 is Brooklyn, home of chef Sam Mason and the soul band Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. They record for a Brooklyn label, Daptone Records, whose roster is full of acts specializing in gritty pre-disco gospel, funk and Afrobeat; Jones' "100 Days, 100 Nights" was one of my favorite albums in 2007, and its title track was one of that year's best singles. The Dap-Kings doubled as Amy Winehouse's band in the U.S. before her troubles in the U.K. Last year, while Jones and the Dap-Kings were gaining a fan base with indie rock crowds, Mason, the former pastry chef at wd-50, was struggling to get patrons into his heavily hyped eatery Tailor. It wound up going bankrupt.
Mason has the tattoos, an unkempt look and random facial hair -- a modified "balbo," according to old barber charts -- to allow him to fit in with the Brooklyn rock scene. Yet there is no chemistry between host and act, little attempt made to demonstrate why the band was picked for the show and no highlighting of the fact that the foods being cooked -- a flat iron steak, onion rings, dipping sauce and a martini -- all contain coffee.
They have one interesting dialogue once it's revealed that drummer Homer Steinweiss chronicles his food adventures while on the road. (He has not posted since consuming deep-fried cheese curds at the Minnesota State Fair in August 2008.)
Still, despite the cramped quarters, Jones and the Dap-Kings deliver a pair of fine performances for Sam and his two guests. Music from other Daptone artists is featured throughout the episode to give the segment a funky vibe. When Toronto's Final Fantasy wheels in next week, that vibe will probably be considerably different.
One slip: Mason, while preparing his marinade, mentions herb and stems in proximity to one another. Musicians hear those words and cilantro is definitely not the first thing to come to mind.
Phil Gallo is an entertainment journalist who writes about music, television, theater and film in addition to food and wine.
Photo courtesy of IFC
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