Selfish Gene, Porcupine, The 1900s at the Stage Door

Last Saturday, much hyped local band The Selfish Gene released their second CD, “The Grand Masquerade,” to an appreciative crowd at the Orpheum Stage Door. They took the stage to a recording of Steven Hawking reading from A Brief History of Time, and then proceeded to wow the crowd with ninety minutes of well crafted rock music. The crowd gave its most enthusiastic response to “Autopilot,” which had been pre-released on several web sites. That song spectacularly demonstrates everything the band does right: three part harmony, catchy hooks, and lyrics with much more depth than your average band. The Selfish Gene's tendency to be somewhat political in their lyrics was somewhat lost in the craze of the performance, but they tried to bring it in on occasion, going so far as to try to get the crowd to march in place at one point.

The encore presented some of the best playing of the night, leading it off with the untitled track that closes the new album, possibly the best song of the evening, then cutting loose with wild covers of Wilco and Pearl Jam, leaving both the band and the audience exhausted and exhilarated.

La Crosse's Porcupine had the difficult job of opening the show. The three band members played some straightforward, old-fashioned rock to an audience that seemed more interested in standing out in the lobby and talking very loudly. To counter this, the band had to play loud enough to drown out the crowd, causing the sound to become slightly muddled. What Porcupine did have going for them was an amazingly enthusiastic Jeffrey Bahr on drums, and Godzilla Vs Mothra on the video screen behind them.

The 1900s, a seven-piece act playing their first Madison show, got a much warmer reaction from the audience. Violins, keyboards, tambourines, among other instruments, all made appearances during the show, giving each song a very distinct sound, something that was at times a problem with the other acts. A constantly shifting blend of male and female vocalists made the harmonies a joy to listen to. It is difficult to put a style to this septet's music, but hints of both The B-52s and Fleetwood Mac were evident. The 1900's have been picked for some big time shows recently, having just played at SXSW, and they'll be playing Lollapalooza in August. A June 2nd show at the Miramar Theatre in Milwaukee may be the last time they'll be in Wisconsin for quite some time, and they are definitely a band worth checking out.