"I think he's real cute / Gives me his skin flute / He renders me mute / ..." -- Norah Jones

One of the songs posted on Yeti Don't Dance a couple weeks ago was Pela's "Trouble with River Cities". It's the last song on their myspace page here. I really liked it and went to check them out at the Delancey Friday night. Upon arrival, I was notified that after Pela, Norah Jones would be taking the stage with her new punk band called "El Madmo". Blogga what?

I'm slightly more than indifferent about Norah Jones. Sure, she's got a sultry voice and winsome appearance, but I'm neither old enough, rich enough or complacent enough to get a kick out of songs with lyrics like "Fragile as a leaf in autumn/Just fallin' to the ground/Without a sound". Awwww.

(Yes, I know she doesn't write the lyrics; she sings them to every innocent Duane Reed and Key Food shopper around the world, whether they like it or not. That makes her an ACCOMPLICE.)

My point is: I don't wear pleated khakis, I don't drive a Suburban with ACK bumper stickers, I don't tie a cable knit sweater around my neck on warm Stockbridge afternoons, and I sure as shit don't care about Norah Jones.

El Madmo, on the other hand, has my attention.

If I've always gleefully dismissed Norah Jones as the favored assembly-line vanilla pudding pop of the bourgeoisie, then Friday night introduced me to a whole new side o' No Jo: the vanilla pop magically rendered into a tall, sparkling root beer float with three red and white twisty straws poking out of the foam. Mmmmm, effervescent.

It really was magical. Forget about the goofy costumes, fishnets and wigs, which should have seemed gimmicky but were really irresistibly playful. Maybe it was the resonant buzz of No Jo's cherry-red Fender that saved El Madmo from vacuous vanity fluff. (I know beans about No Jo so it was a pleasant surprise to find that she could not only play guitar but play it well.) Believe you me, the tone she coaxed out of that sweet ax was rich and savory. (This post is making me hungry. HUNGRY FOR MO' NO JO EL MADMO!)

Whoever was whispering about her band being "punk" before the show probably thinks "Taking Back Sunday" is "Hardcore".

Anyway, there was absolutely nothing punk about their sound; it was more like alt-country/pop/???/honky-tonk/'Gang of Four-ish', as interpreted by two girls amusing themselves with songs about sleazy men and cute boys. All right, I don't know how the hell to classify it, but I know what it's not, which is punk. (Of course, that word's been pretty much completely stripped of meaning by THE MACHINE, man.)

The bassist was a costumed Asian minx with solid pipes that complemented No Jo well. Her tight drummer, face half-concealed by a massive black afro wig, didn't hurt either. He handled most of the banter, intoning little cryptic quips in a smooth, well-nigh familiar voice. I could have sworn I knew that lower-face and voice from somewhere.

Turning to Jen during the set, I asked if she knew the drummer's secret identity. She immediately nailed it: "Malkovich." Yes, exactly! Or, you had to be there!

(Correction: Jen has informed me that her response was "Jon Bonham" AKA "Jo Bo". We regret the error.)

In summation, El Madmo spin out whimsical, jangly, clever tunes with goofy lyrics. I took it in the spirit of an inspired lark for No Jo to blow off some of the music industry's foul steam. But it's easily about a zillion times more interesting than her day job. (Which isn't saying much, I know... Bring it on and on, Anon.)

El Madmo had a website up with photos, info and mp3s for your listening pleasure, but after stepping into Friday's hornet's nest of blogga buzz, that's been taken down. (This is all that remains.) It's a crying shame, because the last song of the night, "Carlo (He's Awesome)" was available there and this post might have made (more) sense.

Futile to take the website down anyway, No Jo! Unfortunately, those wretches in the MSM are going to be copying and pasting Jen's story once they check the Internets Monday. Cover's been blown, sweetheart. Either run with the thing or start looking for work in the private sector again.

UPDATE: Cable and Tweed (great name) has snagged two tracks that were on El Madmo's myspace. Check it out before they're disappeared. ("Carlo" is one of 'em!) I dig these tunes even more than when I heard them Friday night.

UPDATE #2: The tracks have been pulled from the above blog and can be found for the moment at Suckapants. I am monitoring the No Jo El Madmo situation closely and will keep you updated as events unfold.

UPDATE #3: Down. No Jo's people are ON TOP of it. (I'm actually under considerable pressure myself to remove this post. No dice No Jo - not until you call off your goons and deal with me direct. Why don't we talk turkey one-on-one, say over a nice dinner at Olive Garden?)

So I guess that's it. Oh, yeah, Pela! Uh... Did I mention I like that song "Trouble With River Cities"? They played that and it sounded sweet (despite the room being over-run with blathering tools.) Jerry beat me to the punch with the adjective "anthemic" but I swear that's the label I was walking away with Friday night. They're reaching for an epic sound and fueling it with a lot of high-energy stage presence. But to this listener, the compositions are too straightforward and paint-by-numbers. I need more twists and turns in my power rock.

I got what I needed on the last original song of the set, before their Pixies cover, when they really let loose and went nuts in a way that needs to happen more often to enthrall me. As things stand now, with the right exposure, I can see them moving a lot of units with the backwards-baseball cap set. Amrit says their second EP is The Shit, and I've only heard their myspace jukebox, so take his word over mine.

Finally, did you catch Tom Tomorrow in the Voice last week? The guy's still throwing rocks: Click on it! Go ahead! It's a cartoon! You'll be done with it in 5 seconds! You'll laff!

(Pic by Amrit.)

Comments

[Anon]

Man, why you gotta dis No Jo? What's next, trashing James Taylor's electroclash side project?

[Rich]

I grabbed "Carlo" and "Vampire Guy" and put 'em on my site. Have at 'em.

http://cableandtweed.blogspot.com/2006/05/el-madmo-featuring-norah-jones_16.html

[Strawberry Fire]

"Blogga say what?", is right!! "El Madmo" What the fucko?

[Justin]

"I don't tie a cable knit sweater around my neck on warm Stockbridge afternoons"...
Dude, I'm pretty sure I've seen that... and at Tanglewood at that.
What what?

[Max Power]

Gee, this was written over two years ago now. It's definitely the most read thing on FWYT, what with thousands of people googling Norah Jones. I had so much enthusiasm back in Aught Six, didn't I? And such big fonts!

For the record, I'll concede that this "Justin" commenter has observed me at Tanglewood on more than one occasion, but I strongly condemn his suggestion that I ever tied a sweater around my neck. And I highly doubt "Justin" wants to get into any mudslinging about conduct at Tanglewood, because I happen to know that he repeatedly gained access to the grounds illegally to enjoy concerts without paying, bilking the BSO AND James Taylor out of literally hundreds of dollars over the years... Mess with the bull, get the horns, DJ Underpants.