Let me begin by saying that the accordion is my new favorite instrument…

I hadn’t been back to the Mayan in ages after going there what seemed like every other week to see DJs in college. Good to be back. We got there, thankfully, just before Kinky went on–figured they would be starting later. Money Mark of the Beastie Boys was opening up, and I’m actually glad we missed that. Sorry, but they are just a tired act now.

Kinky, on the other hand, was anything but. Since I go to so many electronic shows, it was awesome to see all five of them running around on stage. Most of the show was in Spanish, so I had no idea what he was yelling at the crowd to get them cheering and yelling back, but that didn’t even matter. Their music is electronica-infused dance rock, so it was so fun to bounce around to my favorites from their albums.

I was also very impressed by all the gear on stage. The singer shed the mic for a CDJ and mixer for some scratching on one song; the wailing guitarist was hopping onto some sort of synth or MIDI controller from time to time; the stand-up drummer had the biggest percussion array of symbols, toms and bongos (yes, there was also cowbell involved). My interest was unsurprisingly drawn to the Basement Jaxx-esque dude in the back surrounded by synths and digital what-have-you, especially when he strapped on his accordion and sauntered out to the front of the stage…

In a nutshell, the show was the perfect blend of digital enhancements and live performances. Very fun. Their encore choice of Mexican Radio was funny at first, but I was ready for something else as soon as I got beyond the “hey, I recognize that” point. Such a great show that I only bought one drink when we first arrived and stayed on the dancefloor the rest of the time. The post-concert day at work was far less painful than usual!