FEBRUARY 15, 2008
It's about goddamn time.
TOUR
2.16.08 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater w/ Planes Mistaken For Stars (last show!) and Kingdom of Magic
Tour with The Gunshy.
02.19.08 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's also w/ We The Living (18+)
02.20.08 - Dubuque @ Busted Lift also w/ Old Panther
02.21.08 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay
02.22.08 - Wichita, KS @ Barleycorn's also w/ Spirit of the Stairs
02.23.08 - Fort Worth, TX @ The Chat Room
02.24.08 - Houston, TX @ The Mink
02.25.08 - Shreveport, LA @ Jackrabbit Lounge
02.26.08 - New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge also w/ Steve Eck
02.27.08 - Gainesville, FL @ 1982
02.28.08 - Atlanta, GA @ I Can Fly House also w/ Thy Mighty Contract, Hawks
02.29.08 - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge also with Sleepy Horses, Celerity
03.01.08 - Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9 also w/ The Riot Before, Wildcat Revival
03.02.08 - Memphis, TN @ Smith Seven House
03.03.08 - Springfield, MO @ Outlands also w/ El Minotaur
03.04.08 - Peoria, IL @ The Meeting House
03.15.08 - Austin, TX @ SXSW w/ Git Some, Autokinoton, Battlefields
RECORDS
La Lachuza
Buy from Latest Flame.
Download from ITunes.
Download "Art, Art".
ABOUT
If there were a class on how to make punk sound new without ruining it, Mustangs and Madras could teach it. They would probably turn down the offer, though, because they’re having too much fun on the road. Mustangs and Madras are a tight group of friends who grew up together in the small Colorado town of Longmont; they have been playing music for years, have been a band for four years, and are now releasing a new album on Latest Flame Records called La Lechuza. The songs on La Lechuza are refreshingly substantive, sonically and lyrically, keeping your ears full while tackling social issues and the state of humanity without preaching. “Paradox of Grace,” on which Gared O’Donnell from Planes Mistaken for Stars sings backup, is a song the band says is “loosely based on the Columbine shootings,” a tragedy that occurred just an hour from the band’s hometown; they add, “It’s a song about regret.” Talking to Mustangs and Madras, though, you’d never know they understood the concept of regret- they’re known for making the best out of every situation. They are light-hearted, hilarious, humble, and love their fans and being on the road more than anything in the world. They also “have so many inside jokes that we're not interesting. But we make no apologies for that!” Mustangs and Madras have developed a very strong fan base in the Denver scene, garnering praise from journalists and fellow bands alike. They have toured America in the past playing with such acts as 31 Knots, Avail, Planes Mistaken for Stars, Ricky Fitts, Traindodge, and The North Atlantic. They plan to hit the road in the US again in June to spread that fan base even wider. Mustangs and Madras consider their fans part of their family, and they would drop anything to help out their family. This intense devotion may stem from their upbringing; the guys stayed close throughout their childhood and were also part of close-knit biological families. Three of the five band members are “Mexican and proud,” and from this comes their album title: La Lechuza refers to an old Mexican folk tale about a shape-shifting woman who turns into an owl, an according to some the woman is a bruja, or a witch. Mustangs and Madras want audiences to watch out; they’re headed your way soon.
In its earliest form, punk was meant to shock (the awe came later), as bands unleashed a roar of defiance against both the music establishment and society itself. Before 1977 was out, punk was officially dead, and post-punk clambered out of its grave. An amorphous genre, the groups within variously sign- posted the way to Goth, hardcore and oi!, and even the New Romantics. No longer content to shock, the new crew were more inclined to disorientate their audience with artsy experimentation, angular, stop-start rhythms, tougher sounds and moodier atmospheres. In Britain, it was an exceedingly unpleasant time, and the music reflected that to a tee. Mustangs & Madras have deliberately, or not, captured the feel of that era, and then fast-forwarded it to the present climes. La Lechuza is a splendidly discomforting album, the tracks filled with jittery tension, the vocals awash in angst and anger, confusion and chaos, the music shying away from melodies like a skittish horse. One hears many echoes of the past - the swagger of the Pop Group, the angular rhythms of the likes of early Gang of Four, the droning guitars of Siouxsie & The Banshees, the slash and burn tactics of The Contortions, the dark pop of The Cure, whilst the shadows of myriad hardcore heroes are cast across the album as well. But the Mustangs, like the wild horses they've named themselves after, keep twisting and turning, and everytime you think you've got a song pegged, they canter away in another direction entirely. Needless to add, the saxophone gives the group a unique advantage, taking the music and styles into territory few of the original post-punkers ever envisioned. "Now It's Fucking Saturday" is a great example, that sounds like a Cure hit you've never heard, all driving rhythm and infectiously moody melody, except with the sax taking lead. Suddenly the band shift towards harder rock, and then flip into a more modern indie sound. "Packet" is even more surprising, all sharp, angular rhythms and droning guitars, at least until the band veer into a long passage of solid drumming and guitar riffs. A simple keyboard drifts in, which suddenly flips into a jubilant Mexican melody, then slides sideways into something else entirely, as the piece slows down and seems to start coming apart at the seams. Now that's inspired. The album is filled with these kind of unexpected twists, as the band scamper between genres, time signatures, and time itself, melding past to present with abandon. All so familiar, yet like nothing you've heard before, this is a wild ride into the unknown.
~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
The Socs are what Ponyboy Curtis refers to as "white trash in Mustangs and madras shirts" in the novel The Outsiders. It's a wonder, then, as to why a post-hardcore band from Longmont, CO, chose Mustangs and Madras as its moniker, especially considering three of the five members describe themselves as "Mexican and proud." Are they being ironic? Maybe they're just big fans of S.E. Hinton. This posse from Colorado plays pretty damn good hardcore punk with a dash of art-rock leanings, wicked fast guitar and drum combos, and plenty of dissonance in the melody. The whole album leaps out of the speakers from beginning to end, without going into the watered-down screamo direction some bands fall into. This debut album would've done ridiculously well in that early '90s West Coast hardcore scene, though, right away Mustangs and Madras draws comparisons to Fugazi and the guys most likely have every At The Drive-In record ever made between the five of them. Their lyrics are often cryptic but do smack of anti-authoritarianism: "Our kind navigator lied / Perhaps he never meant well / But he helped us tell some tall ones / Flesh for blood, blood for taste / Let me kiss your dirty face." This kind of sentiment rings out all over La Lechuza, including the subversive "Paradox of Grace" which features troubling snippets of 9/11 phone calls. "Dangling Modifier" is perhaps the best track (if not the longest) on the album, including one of the most exhaustive, grimiest and energetic outros of the year.
~ Charley Lee - flagpole.com
WRITE
mustangsandmadras@gmail.com
GO
Myspace
Latest Flame Records
Planes Mistaken For Stars
The North Atlantic
Spirit Of The Stairs
The Gunshy
It's about goddamn time.
TOUR
2.16.08 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater w/ Planes Mistaken For Stars (last show!) and Kingdom of Magic
Tour with The Gunshy.
02.19.08 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's also w/ We The Living (18+)
02.20.08 - Dubuque @ Busted Lift also w/ Old Panther
02.21.08 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay
02.22.08 - Wichita, KS @ Barleycorn's also w/ Spirit of the Stairs
02.23.08 - Fort Worth, TX @ The Chat Room
02.24.08 - Houston, TX @ The Mink
02.25.08 - Shreveport, LA @ Jackrabbit Lounge
02.26.08 - New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge also w/ Steve Eck
02.27.08 - Gainesville, FL @ 1982
02.28.08 - Atlanta, GA @ I Can Fly House also w/ Thy Mighty Contract, Hawks
02.29.08 - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge also with Sleepy Horses, Celerity
03.01.08 - Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9 also w/ The Riot Before, Wildcat Revival
03.02.08 - Memphis, TN @ Smith Seven House
03.03.08 - Springfield, MO @ Outlands also w/ El Minotaur
03.04.08 - Peoria, IL @ The Meeting House
03.15.08 - Austin, TX @ SXSW w/ Git Some, Autokinoton, Battlefields
RECORDS
La Lachuza
Buy from Latest Flame.
Download from ITunes.
Download "Art, Art".
ABOUT
If there were a class on how to make punk sound new without ruining it, Mustangs and Madras could teach it. They would probably turn down the offer, though, because they’re having too much fun on the road. Mustangs and Madras are a tight group of friends who grew up together in the small Colorado town of Longmont; they have been playing music for years, have been a band for four years, and are now releasing a new album on Latest Flame Records called La Lechuza. The songs on La Lechuza are refreshingly substantive, sonically and lyrically, keeping your ears full while tackling social issues and the state of humanity without preaching. “Paradox of Grace,” on which Gared O’Donnell from Planes Mistaken for Stars sings backup, is a song the band says is “loosely based on the Columbine shootings,” a tragedy that occurred just an hour from the band’s hometown; they add, “It’s a song about regret.” Talking to Mustangs and Madras, though, you’d never know they understood the concept of regret- they’re known for making the best out of every situation. They are light-hearted, hilarious, humble, and love their fans and being on the road more than anything in the world. They also “have so many inside jokes that we're not interesting. But we make no apologies for that!” Mustangs and Madras have developed a very strong fan base in the Denver scene, garnering praise from journalists and fellow bands alike. They have toured America in the past playing with such acts as 31 Knots, Avail, Planes Mistaken for Stars, Ricky Fitts, Traindodge, and The North Atlantic. They plan to hit the road in the US again in June to spread that fan base even wider. Mustangs and Madras consider their fans part of their family, and they would drop anything to help out their family. This intense devotion may stem from their upbringing; the guys stayed close throughout their childhood and were also part of close-knit biological families. Three of the five band members are “Mexican and proud,” and from this comes their album title: La Lechuza refers to an old Mexican folk tale about a shape-shifting woman who turns into an owl, an according to some the woman is a bruja, or a witch. Mustangs and Madras want audiences to watch out; they’re headed your way soon.
In its earliest form, punk was meant to shock (the awe came later), as bands unleashed a roar of defiance against both the music establishment and society itself. Before 1977 was out, punk was officially dead, and post-punk clambered out of its grave. An amorphous genre, the groups within variously sign- posted the way to Goth, hardcore and oi!, and even the New Romantics. No longer content to shock, the new crew were more inclined to disorientate their audience with artsy experimentation, angular, stop-start rhythms, tougher sounds and moodier atmospheres. In Britain, it was an exceedingly unpleasant time, and the music reflected that to a tee. Mustangs & Madras have deliberately, or not, captured the feel of that era, and then fast-forwarded it to the present climes. La Lechuza is a splendidly discomforting album, the tracks filled with jittery tension, the vocals awash in angst and anger, confusion and chaos, the music shying away from melodies like a skittish horse. One hears many echoes of the past - the swagger of the Pop Group, the angular rhythms of the likes of early Gang of Four, the droning guitars of Siouxsie & The Banshees, the slash and burn tactics of The Contortions, the dark pop of The Cure, whilst the shadows of myriad hardcore heroes are cast across the album as well. But the Mustangs, like the wild horses they've named themselves after, keep twisting and turning, and everytime you think you've got a song pegged, they canter away in another direction entirely. Needless to add, the saxophone gives the group a unique advantage, taking the music and styles into territory few of the original post-punkers ever envisioned. "Now It's Fucking Saturday" is a great example, that sounds like a Cure hit you've never heard, all driving rhythm and infectiously moody melody, except with the sax taking lead. Suddenly the band shift towards harder rock, and then flip into a more modern indie sound. "Packet" is even more surprising, all sharp, angular rhythms and droning guitars, at least until the band veer into a long passage of solid drumming and guitar riffs. A simple keyboard drifts in, which suddenly flips into a jubilant Mexican melody, then slides sideways into something else entirely, as the piece slows down and seems to start coming apart at the seams. Now that's inspired. The album is filled with these kind of unexpected twists, as the band scamper between genres, time signatures, and time itself, melding past to present with abandon. All so familiar, yet like nothing you've heard before, this is a wild ride into the unknown.
~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
The Socs are what Ponyboy Curtis refers to as "white trash in Mustangs and madras shirts" in the novel The Outsiders. It's a wonder, then, as to why a post-hardcore band from Longmont, CO, chose Mustangs and Madras as its moniker, especially considering three of the five members describe themselves as "Mexican and proud." Are they being ironic? Maybe they're just big fans of S.E. Hinton. This posse from Colorado plays pretty damn good hardcore punk with a dash of art-rock leanings, wicked fast guitar and drum combos, and plenty of dissonance in the melody. The whole album leaps out of the speakers from beginning to end, without going into the watered-down screamo direction some bands fall into. This debut album would've done ridiculously well in that early '90s West Coast hardcore scene, though, right away Mustangs and Madras draws comparisons to Fugazi and the guys most likely have every At The Drive-In record ever made between the five of them. Their lyrics are often cryptic but do smack of anti-authoritarianism: "Our kind navigator lied / Perhaps he never meant well / But he helped us tell some tall ones / Flesh for blood, blood for taste / Let me kiss your dirty face." This kind of sentiment rings out all over La Lechuza, including the subversive "Paradox of Grace" which features troubling snippets of 9/11 phone calls. "Dangling Modifier" is perhaps the best track (if not the longest) on the album, including one of the most exhaustive, grimiest and energetic outros of the year.
~ Charley Lee - flagpole.com
WRITE
mustangsandmadras@gmail.com
GO
Myspace
Latest Flame Records
Planes Mistaken For Stars
The North Atlantic
Spirit Of The Stairs
The Gunshy
