Now I am not one to ride the proverbial indie dilsnik. (What am I talking about?) But, for the past few weeks I kept hearing my buddies talk about this group from Portland coming to town. I did a little investigating, and for once the music over shadowed the hype. Menomena possess their own brand of eclectic well-orchestrated pop music with familiar elements arranged in a fresh new way. Big beats, catchy tunes, and they got a Sax! I love saxophone dude. Now, I’m a dinosaur when it comes to new music. Like a shy turtle who is slow to rear its head, and quickly retreats at any sign of danger. But, these dudes caught my attention. A friend who brought them into town had a bbq, and I got to chat with them. Turns out the drummer, Danny grew up in Wahiawa, HI. I myself grew up in the town over, Mililani and we ran with the same crew some 15 years ago. We were both skate rats, and the skaters in Wahiawa back then were few and far between. We talks about buying Ice Cube and NWA cassettes at Choice Cuts on California Ave, going to Shock Wave and Island Comforts to look at decks, hanging out across the way and Rainbow Sports Cards. Blew me away. I love when that shit happens. Not talking to dudes in bands, but running into a complete strangers who grew up in the same hood as you and completely chill. When I checked out Menomena at the Loft that night they killed it. Homeboy handles his business on the drums. Sound was great, vibe was great. Music was sick. You can hear samples of these dudes online, but try and check them out live, preferably in a small club.

http://www.menomena.com/
http://www.myspace.com/menomena