Energetic show, catchy lyrics win raves

Let me be honest ? if you miss the upcoming Nekromantix show, you?ll be sorry.

I will admit that when I first saw their release ? “Life Is a Grave & I Dig It!!!” ? I didn?t expect much. Shows how wrong first impressions can be.

“The cool part about this band is that we are labeled in the psychobilly genre, [but] the music is much more than that,” said Kim Nekroman, who describes the music as “Elvis meets the Wolfman.”

Agreed. But I?d say their sound is more The Rockats (anyone remember them?) meets The Clash meets The Sex Pistols.

First, you have your distinctive rockabilly sound with weird instruments (in this case, a coffin bass), then you have catchy tunes played with serious attitude (Clash), and finally you have unusual lyrics, some of which you don?t want Mom to hear (Sex Pistols).

What?s surprising is that the combination works. That?s because Nekromantix isn?t some weird cult band. Sure, there are some R-rated lyrics poking fun at often taboo topics, but there are also the aforementioned top-notch songs ? many of which revolve around such mundane topics as watching football.

As fun as the music is, the stage show is even better.

“The performance from Kim Nekroman was classic,” one fan wrote on a Nekromantix Web site. “Seeing him jumping around and juggling that spooky instrument was well worththe heat that day.”

The band?s energetic stage shows and up-tempo songs are no accident, said Nekroman.

“Of course there are tragedies in life, but we have to put them in perspective. I hate when musicians are all serious and introspective,” he said. “I also hate to go to a concert and not see a show. I might as well stay home and listen to the song on my iPod.”

So why haven?t we heard more about this band? Nekromantix has been around since 1989, when they were founded by Nekroman after he left the Royal Danish Navy. Its albums and heavy touring earned them some MTV play, but it was mainly relegated to the “Alternative Nation” playlist. Too bad ? the band and the music really deserve a lot more exposure.

Don?t miss out.

IF YOU GO

» Nekromantix with Time Again, The Heart Attacks, Orange

» Venue: Ottobar, 2549 Howard St.

» Time: 7 p.m. doors; 8 p.m. Show

» Date: May 4

» Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 day of show; www.missiontix.com

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