Looking for great music by a local Marquette band of familiar faces? Well this coming Friday, April 19, Planet Dastardly comprised of three Marquette students will be playing at Conway’s Bar on Wells Street.

Some of their major musical influences include Victor Wooten, Led Zeppelin, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and 88.9 FM radio Milwaukee. They described their flare in music to be a mixture of punk, reggae, rock, jam bands and jazz.

One of their songs is called “Whirlwind” which is kind of “a hard funk, a little loud, with some smooth jazz” said guitarist/vocalist, senior Todd Michalek.

He described another song of theirs called “Calypso Sun” as having “a Spanish/Latin vibe.” A different one of their songs, “A Gulf Coast Prince” was described as fun and “bouncy.”

Each one of the guys takes turns singing as well as all together which makes each song outstandingly different. They have a bunch of great voices, which makes for very unique harmonies.

Planet Dastardly primarily writes their own music, which, before they invested recently in a drum set, was mainly acoustic. The band members consist of a trio of Marquette seniors including Todd Michalek on guitar and vocals, Joe Genova on bass and vocals as well as Drew de Lutio on drums and vocals.

Drew played percussion in high school, as a freshman Todd played in a band and then mainly played solo, and Joe actually won two battles of the bands concerts in high school. Collectively they have about 24 years of musical experience.

Most recently they took second place at Battle of the Bands held in the Weasler Auditorium. They heard about it simply by word of mouth, and decided to participate because they thought they could do well even only after their fifth time playing. They sure were right.

Their first performance was last year at the Annex for a Diabetes Awareness fundraiser.

Although the band only got together about a year ago, completely by coincidence, they have a bright horizon ahead of them.

In addition to their gig at Conway’s this weekend, they will open for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Speakeasy on Saturday, April, 26, and headline a fundraiser at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts on May 30. In the more distant future, A Planet Dastardly will be playing at Jigglefest, a free outdoor concert consisting of bands with current Marquette students and alumni, at Bradford Beach on September 30, 2008.

Each member feels a strong spiritual connection to the music. Todd even commented that he has “a passion for the way music should be played and that each of us has an influence on what the music should say.”

Music is the voice of the soul and theirs certainly speaks of their enthusiasm. Music comes from the heart and “it is an art form with everyone’s own style” said Todd. Additionally, music brings a sense of community to a group of people listening, as they share the same “highs and lows” as Todd put, it in the music.

A Planet Dastardly’s show starrs at 9:30 p.m. this Saturday at Conway’s Bar on Wells Street. There will be a $4 cover charge, and you must be 21 to enter.

They will be playing a mixture of their own creations as well as popular covers. When asked what music meant to him, Michalek said that it “boosts my day when the days get tough.”

Popularity: 23% [?]

Greek life taught Marquette students how to rock out and fight cancer at the same time. On Feb. 16 at Weasler Auditorium, Pi Beta Phi and Delta Chi hosted the Second Annual Rock Out Against Cancer.

“It’s a great event on campus that really helps boost Greek life and helps others at the same time,” said Kyle Castro, sophomore Delta Chi member.

Preparation for the big event started last October with weekly meetings. “In the beginning, it was difficult to generate sponsors and get our name and idea out there,” said Jessica Gibson, vice president of communications for Pi Beta Phi. “We had done this in the past and had a base to go off of, so that helped a bit. Also, we were all excited about the event, so that helped with the planning.”

Auditions in January narrowed down the list of eclectic band genres such as punk rock, acoustic, jam band and Christian rock. The potential musicians were narrowed down to the top eight: The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Whatever the Hell We are Called, John Hennessey, Elusive Parallelograms, Cooter Rain Kids, Kyle Shamorian, Washpool and Dead End Drive.

For the show, the bands were allowed 15 minute sets and were judged on five different areas: presentation, performance, creativity, crowd interaction and musical talent.

“It’s always a little awkward playing for people who are sitting down, but after about a minute lots of folks got up out of their seats and were boogying down like they needed to,” said Jack Jostes, singer and guitar player of The Joints Chiefs of Staff. One audience member even “took his shirt off and sprinted up and down the aisles like a wild man.”

Winning was not the goal for most bands.

“I really wanted to put on a meaningful performance that made people walk away changed, or at least thinking,” said Stuart Winter of Washpool. “We saw a great opportunity to share our passions and commitments to God with a lot of people in a way that is communicable.”

Solo acoustic player Kyle Shamorian won first place with $200, playing the songs, “It’s All the Rage,” “Been Here Before” and ending with a sing-along cover of the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.” Dead End Drive, a band native to West Allis, was runner up, winning $100. Dead End Drive performed at The Rave Feb. 23.

In addition to the music, prizes were given away from the events sponsors, including Pizza Shuttle, Chipotle, Dogg Haus and Apple Computer.

Overall, $1400 was raised for the Pi Beta Phi Foundation, which promotes literacy, as well as the Jimmy V Foundation. The Jimmy V Foundation is a charitable organization named after Jim Valvano, basketball coach for North Carolina State University. The foundation supports cancer research and creates awareness for the fight against cancer.

“It was a great opportunity to create awareness of our music,” Shamorian said. “And more importantly, it was for a great cause.”

Popularity: 4% [?]

Emo band Rainer Maria– much like Charlie’s Angels, The Mod Squad and the steak/shrimp/veggie combo platter from The Sizzler– has earned itself a coveted position on the rather short list of trios that can make it happen.

Despite its rather sparse and apathetic turnout, Rainer Maria’s Sept. 6 performance at Milwaukee’s Miramar Theatre was a firsthand look at the band’s brilliant hedging of the musical landscape.

“Welcome to Rainer Maria’s production of Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town,’” said guitarist Kyle Fischer, no doubt referring to the wave of head-bobbing malaise that swept over the crowd, as well as the theatre-like ambiance of the venue. Most of the show’s attendants remained unrockingly stagnant in their stadium seating, whereas the few remaining huddled in a sweaty pack near the front of the stage.

Comprised of Caithlin De Marrais, Fischer and William Kuehn, all seasoned fighters in the underground music scene, the Midwest-based emo outfit emerged in early 1995 releasing its first self-titled EP the following year. The band’s most recent releases, 2003’s Long Knives Drawn and 2006’s Catastrophe Keeps Us Together, issued last spring, have since atoned for the band’s early, harsher recordings in an impressive progression of consecutive sway.

The band kicked off its set with “Ears Ring,” the hard-rocking single from Long Knives. The remainder of the show consisted of songs from its most recent effort in addition to a few crowd favorites from previous albums. The band encored with a vivid rendition of “Rise,” one of its many sweeping emo anthems.

De Marrais’ lyrical marrow isolates each musical moment in its own entity while extending miles beyond the lukewarm sentiments of similar poets. Each melodic brow yields emotional fallout that lingers for days, causing listeners to retreat to their inner shelters until it’s safe to emerge.

Lyrical honesty is an arcane concept that is often overlooked in pop music. A true connection between artist and audience is a rarity, though De Marrais’ poetry closes the emotional gap that similar artists drive trucks through. Her scaldingly honest lyrics rip through the fabric of the band’s three-piece instrumentation while still maintaining a balance between buoyant zeal and the pangs of heartbreak.

Rainer Maria’s harmonic guitar work, although at times bare in thrust, complements De Marrais’ surging vocals and powerful stage presence. The band’s vocal spectrum would be complete without Fischer’s forced background yelps, even though his off-key attacks of the microphone do nothing to devalue meaning. If nothing else, his vocal tantrums justify the band to an audience that remembers when emo meant “emotion.”

Bleeding from the same vein as other female-fronted acts like Metric, Stars and Pretty Girls Make Graves, Rainer Maria’s feminine component takes on an otherwise male-dominated genre that has gone through interesting developments over the last 10 years. The testosterone-laden combination of Kuehn’s clutching drum work and Fischer’s on-stage karate kicks are offset nicely by De Marrais’ more graceful approach. Rainer Maria has provided much needed songs of substance to a music scene that remains otherwise bare.

Popularity: 4% [?]

A pair of dancing shoes and some rhythm were necessities for everyone at the Aug. 31 show at The Rave. The bands that contributed to the sweatiness and sore feet of the event included Young Love; Men, Women and Children; Rock Kills Kid and headliner Head Automatica.

Beginning the musical endeavors was the New York-based band Young Love. Although the crowd was mainly comprised of Head Automatica fans, there was a clear appreciation for the blended disco dance music of Young Love, too. Even though the band is fairly new to the music scene, two band members were in a previous Austin-based band, Recover. Young Love was formed two years ago and is currently releasing a self-titled EP. Because of that, a few audience members knew the band. By the last song, however, Young Love was able to coerce the crowd into some standard clapping and movement aside from head bobs.

Young Love was not the only band of the evening that could be considered “remade.” In 2004, lead guitarist Todd Weinstein of the rock band Glassjaw left the band to start his side project, Men, Women and Children. Lead vocalist Daryl Palumbo and drummer Larry Gorman also left the band later to pursue their own side project, Head Automatica.

Rock Kills Kid was another opener that evening. It impressed the crowd with its Euro-sounding mix of synthesizers and keyboards, a sound that seemed akin to that of The Bravery. Rock Kills Kid was in a similar situation as Young Love because audience members were fairly aware of the band, but only realized who it was as it closed with the hit song “Paralyzed.”

Men, Women and Children was the crowd-pleaser of the evening. Attempting to imitate the look of serious musicians, the band’s guitars were adorned with scarves, and the lead guitarist wore a teal ruffled shirt and tight white vest that were clearly ripped out of Prince’s closet. The costumes and scenery were just the beginning for this band, which had strobe lights, black lights and rehearsed choreography. At one point, singer TJ Penzone directed the audience with a Fred Flintstone-sized femur during the song “Monkey Man,” while the remaining band members drummed excitedly on a line of bongos and drum sets. The overall effect of Men, Women and Children was quite entertaining and as elaborate as a Britney Spears concert, but with actual singing. With an ending that included a broken bubble machine and the band’s hit song, “Dance in My Blood,” it was a hard opener to follow.

The Rave saved the best for last and finished off the night with Head Automatica. Since touring in the summer with Angles and Airwaves and Taking Back Sunday, Head Automatica has gained quite a reputation in the ever-so-popular dance rock music scene. Even without an entourage of funny costumes and elaborate lighting, audience members danced excitedly and sang without pleading or persuasion. By alternating catchy songs like “Beating Hearts Baby” and “Razor” with slower tunes such as “Graduation Day,” Head Automatica pleased its fans by covering all the bases between their old and new albums.

Popularity: 4% [?]