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Maus Haus, Casy and Brian @ The Rickshaw Stop 10/29/2008

Tuesday, November 11 2008

MAUS HAUS
CASEY AND BRIAN
RELIGIOUS GIRLS
The Rickshaw Stop
Oct. 29, 2008

Maus Haus live at the Rickshaw

I barley ever get over my insecurities and write a review – but for this show I honestly just had to suck it up and do it. It really was that amazing.

First up was Religious Girls. I had heard their MySpace page and loved it, but I had a sneaking suspicion that their live show would be different and unexpected…. And I was kinda right. What was apparent in their recorded tracks became overwhelming (in a good way) in their live show. Noise and cacophony is the foundation of their house, but what made me love it was the architecture.

They have melodic breaks that are catchy and absorbing so that when that wall of pure forceful noise hits again and again, you’re ready for it. Well, you’re not totally ready for it, cuz they have a knack for the refreshingly unexpected. You don’t know what to expect, but you can always count on the drums to lead you. Tribal, syncopated, and commanding, the drums are what got me going and focused and ready to take on whatever the rest of the band had to throw at me.

After catching about a 20 min break from some serious intensity I was hit with even more when Casey and Brian took the stage. Dance Dance Dance fucking DANCE that’s what Casey and Brian pound into your body with their thick synth tones and up-beat drum styles. I took a note saying “overdriven synth club punk pop trance hole.” I think I was in some sort of ADD zone where all my focus went into one thing as they pounded out the trance dance jams, and that was moving my body. Dancing. Not a care of who was around just moving and loving it. Dancing to stay alive.

At one point in Casey and Brian’s set I left the trance hole cuz a thought popped into my head: “I want to go make music.!” I found it inspiring to see a keyboard and drum duo kicking ass and making a full sound that sings to my own musical desires. It made me want to leave the show and start writing music… but I knew that was not really an option cause Maus Haus was next and I was SUPER excited to see them.

It was Maus Haus’s CD release show and you could tell they were into it! I loved this band from the first time I saw them nine months ago at The Hemlock Tavern. They blew my mind. There are just so many layers and nuances to their sound each listen. Each show you hear something new. It’s never boring or flat, it’s always exciting and interesting, fun and engaging.

I found myself in two places that night. One was, "Fuck it this is fun! Lets dance!” And the other was more cerebral, like "Woah wait a minute what's going on here… is that the clarinet making that noise… what sound is what?" It was like the music called for my extreme attention, but also made me forget myself, lose myself, dance like a fool, and dream. I love it when a band creates such a complex, beautiful, and interesting soundscape that I want to focus my attention completely on the stage and what they are doing… But when a band can do both consistently all night? That’s when I really know I have struck gold.

Maus Haus delivers a fresh new sound with their mastery of both the Synth and Sampler and a more organic sound that makes use of wind instruments, warm rhodes, deep bass tones, and live drums. And I think it is this that makes Maus Haus a perfect product of the musical genius of our generation: Honoring and loving the sounds of the past and at the same time blending and strengthening the structures with current day trends.

Maus Haus has just released their first full length album Lark Marvels on Pretty Blue Presents and guess what you get?.... nothin but vinyl baby! Cuz let’s face it…. Music sounds better under the needle. Well you also get a free download of the MP3s when you buy the vinyl – another example of what appears to be a running theme of Maus Haus: the past blending with the now.

[Olivia Parriott]

[STREAM] Maus Haus: Various Tracks on MySpace
[STREAM] Casy and Brian: Various Tracks on MySpace
[STREAM] Religious Girls: Various Tracks on MySpace

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