Artist of the Week - Mustangs and Madras
My very first concert ever was when I was 14 years old and my boyfriend at the time took me to a punk rock show at the Longmont Elks Lodge. The name of the band was The Facet. And I danced my tiny, 14-year-old ass off all night long to their raucous, rough sound. It was the first time music ever seemed important to me, or like something I could truly respond and relate to. I went home with homemade stickers and buttons, and a brand-new, punk rock attitude (ask my mom, it was no picnic for her).
Fast forward 10 years, and The Facet is a faraway memory for most of its members. However, several of the original musicians who comprised the little clutch of punk bands that started up in Longmont in those days remain in the area, playing under the new name “Mustangs and Madras.” Imagine my surprise when I saw a Westword story on the five-piece, who I had seen so many years before, when I was just a scrawny teenage goth-punk in a small town.
Today Mustangs and Madras, namely Nick Krier, Gene Martinez, Colin Madden, Tom Chagolla and Eddie Maestes-Vigil have grown considerably from a scrappy teenage punk act. Their songs are thoughtful and emotional, and Krier’s voice is a call to arms. This kind of punk isn’t just about the things that are wrong with the world- it’s about what we should do about it, what is important, and how to change things. Basically, it’s punk rock, grown up and tired of adolescent whining. Being that the members of Mustangs and Madras grew up in that crucial time and place in Denver rock when punk became emo and Christie Front Drive ruled the world, it is a refreshing reminder of how punk should work: by getting kids to listen up and mouth off.
Mustangs and Madras plays Saturday, Nov. 10 at The Hi Dive, with Aqueduct and Parts & Labor. For more information, visit Hi-Dive.