“Now here I stand a broken man / If I could I would raise my hands/ I come before you humbly / If I could I’d be on my knees…” ehhhh, Thank You Menomena for describing my last couple of live shows… This trifecta from the northwest woke up 6th street on Tuesday nite with a refreshing performance to sooth this stir-crazy fan….at least for awhile. I first caught the guys at a Denver show in April where I was about to die after a nearly 3 hour wait for what seemed like half of Denver’s local acts to open for them. Nevertheless, their enthusiasm and awe at the shows attendance sparked my attention. Knees buckling and eyes drooping, beer slipping out of my hand – Menomena then put on a show that kicked me right into gear.. bottomline, they overcame a disgruntled & annoyed show-go-er with their performance. If a band can pull off anything – it’s Charisma – their chemistry with everyone their awoke our attentive little ears.

Wait, what fucking show am i talking about…. Fast forward 2 months – Austin Texas- I plan my arrival a bit more timely this time to catch the last half of the band before Menomena. 30 minutes of waiting and shuffling to the front (3 rows back, whatever) and me and mr. red bull vodka are R.E.A.D.Y…. this time the stage is well -lit so i get an upclose of Justin Harris (quasi lead), Brent Knopf (keyboard), & Danny Seim (drums)... it should be said they all are multi-talented with an array of instruments and they all have a go at vocals either simultaneous or solo.

Like every band today, what more can be said other than ‘They have a sound of their own’? I prefer the big saxophone popping in and out over their digital backdrops done by mr. keyboard knopf. They follow the cultural music pattern of every successful band. Evolve! Mix a sax with keyboard, then throw in those grenade looking maracas, then drop some bass with another sax.. Basically – they mix in sounds you wouldn’t ‘expect’ to mesh, and pull it off with confidence and energy thats highly contagious to the audience. A confident band is a successful one – or at least a good show, because , after all, ... its hard to take risks with a pessimist. -KP