The Intelligence of a show review.

A week from the Dead to Me show, The Strutt held another awesome punk night including Electric Lincoln County War, The Amoebas, and The Intelligence. Not as great of a turn out for this one, but near the end the crowd got thicker. It was a Sunday night, after all. Your loss! It was tons of fun.

When Electric Lincoln County War took the stage, the long time Kalamazoo musician and band-fronter Benji presented some well developed and gripping songs. Starting as an acoustic project with his partner, Sofia Peters, on violin, this project was sure to become a success when it came to full band. Now, in addition, they have Alex Quinlan(Rotten Wood Moon, Almanac Shouters) on bass and Jarad Selner(multiple jazz projects and ridiculous-ness) on drums. They performed with luster and gusto despite a crowd that was still warming up. Fans of Gaslight Anthem and Lucero should definitely pick up recordings of this band when they get around to it. Hint, hint, guys.

Second, in-yer-face punkers The Amoebas conquered the stage. With members that have also been in/are in the The Offbeats and Attention Span, these boys have been playing music and supporting the Southwest MI music scene for years. They introduced a new one-“I’m Out of Control” with a Ramonesy-have-fun-go-to-the-beach-on-a-sunny-day kind of vibe. These guys have a solid fluidity with their set structure and shows in general, and it is always a pleasure seeing them play. Come back soon, please!

Performing almost comically still, The Intelligence none the less gave a fun performance with a unique sound and personality. I found myself and some friends dancing to their psychedelic-surf-punk tunes soon into the set and then throughout. Three females and two males combined some musical fusion with synthy keyboards, tambourines, guitars and drums. They were thankful for the warm welcome they got from the crowd, and got coerced into playing one last song including a theremin(pitch and distance “static” instrument). Their set was definitely memorable, as well as entertaining.