The new Alex Bleeker and the Freaks record on Woodsist is great – and it sounded even better at the big party celebrating the LP’s release at Knitting Factory on Metropolitan Avenue Tuesday.

Bleeker’s parents and many of his friends were on hand to formally support the achievement.

It was $12 to get in. A couple of times during his set, Bleeker asked the crowd to move forward to the fill the shy-gap left open in front of the stage.

A plastic 1.75-liter bottle of Jameson served as the primary refreshment on stage. A long string of spring dates in the south/southeast had served to preview the material. It also tightened the wonderful and lush arrangements for this hometown fete. Guitarist Alex Steinberg again had a toothpick in his mouth as beautiful wah-sounds a la Jerry had a few dancers reaching to smell invisible daisies.

I’m pretty sure that was Amelia Meath in a lovely vintage dress stage left with some of the contributing vocals heard on the recordings.

Since Bleeker attends so many local shows as a fan of the scene, it’s only logical he see a return on that in the form of an audience filled with musicians.

The crowd included Jarvis and Jeremy from Woods, the Duck, Craig Dermody and longtime Freaks supporter Sawyer Carter Jacobs.

Spectre Folk opened. I didn’t know it going in but Mark Ibold (Pavement) plays bass in the band. Pete Nolan (Magik Markers) is the frontman. Nolan (above right) struggled a bit with occasional sound cut-out from his microphone but shined on alternating guitar jams with bandmates Peter Meehan and Aaron Mullan.

Spectre Folk is at its best when all three guitars are blazing. Journeys down feedback lane are held together as Ibold (above left) and drummer Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) put down kind time and beat measurements they’ve famously produced over long and successful careers. What a thrill it was for me to see Ibold, Shelley and Nolan exchange glances and grins while finding the footing of songs they likely don’t have a whole lot of time to rehearse.

My only knock on the whole night came when Bleeker closed out his set’s encore with a cover of Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration.” It was a competent enough rendition – and the crowd that hadn’t already left loved it. But as I said several years ago when Woods and Real Estate closed a show with a Blind Melon cover, you hate to see such a serious display of talent end with a joke. Then again, this was a celebration. So why not, I guess.