Menomena @ the Casbah
June 20th, 2007 - by JackieSixty
Menomena are three guys from Portland who play experimental rock. Really good experimental rock. They are currently on tour to support their most recent CD, and second major album, Friend and Foe, which is on indie-friendly label, Barsuk (mainly known for starting out way-pre-wheresoulmeetsbody-DCFC). To get what gives Menomena their unmistakable sound, band member Brent Knopf created a computer program, DLR, (Digital Looping Recorder) which they use to record various instruments, holding a microphone up while they improvise. So the MAC Powerbook comes to the gig, along with a xylophone, guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, and saxophones.
The anticipation at the Casbah was such that the show sold out before the opening act was done (no small feat in this town). The crowd was into it (another thing that should be noted as no small feat in this town or at this venue). The show was great. More than just hearing the songs recognized from the CD, it felt as though they were being assembled for you, making sense of their many facets and sometimes jarring compatibilities. The guys are great about it too, they aren’t there to bring you into some holier-than-thou-scene or prove what they know and you don’t. They are there to bring you their music, live, to share with their fans how music makes sense to them, how it should be heard. Bring on more Menomena and bring on that sax.
Check out the radness.
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:15 pm
We just saw a video from this band in our music meeting. Amazing.
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0LIBCw8syA