I have a serious obsession for heading to venues and surprisingly enjoying the whole line up.  Last night at the Viper Room KROQ and Showlistla definitely knocked it out of the park.  Because I’m not as cool as the other Angelinos I show up early, not fashionably late, hoping to stumble upon some band I have yet to hear.  Now the Useless Keys did rock (thanks for playing my current obsession “kamikaze” by the way) and honorable mention definitely goes to Twilight Sleep.  Now I usually do a whole heck of a lot of research before I get to see said lineup- but do to…life- I was unable to research the other bands this time.  Suffice it to say I was totally blown away and very pleasantly surprised, catching another lust at first listen worthy band pre-Useless Keys performance!

Now for a little 411 session on what’s really up with the Useless Keys I had a Sunset Boulevard style chat with Michael squared (Michael Bauer, Michael Regilio) and serenaded by non stop traffic and LA embracing sub polar temps we braved the cold and normal street shenanigans to get down to it regarding their slightly electro and super alternative music.  As far as influences go- lucky for us listeners they like to “paint with a broad brush- the 1960s- Pink Floyd, The Zombies, Led Zeppelin, Portishead,” etcetera.  Definitely kept us Viper Room goers on our toes.

M squared both moved to the city of angels in dire need of a change- which our not too angelic town provided, and though the boys’ home base is Silverlake- don’t think you’ll find anybody plaid clad at one of their shows- it’s not that kind of vibe.  Though hipsters in the like are welcome the show reeked of a little 1990’s action.

The thing that took me off guard the most during our private little street fest (aside from their awesome pantene pro-v worthy hair) was their willingness to work hard for musical success.  Rather than seeking success by way of “trust fund bands” they maintain that the hard work DOES pay off as a band- after all, you never truly appreciate something if it’s handed to you so effortlessly.

Most intriguing about the boys is their love for rock music’s ability to express the feminine side of men- note the lyrics and earnest longing in the Useless Keys’ songs.

Now lucky for us newfound fans and followers we can expect a lot of action from the Useless Keys in twenty-eleven, including a debut CD and a lot more touring so go ahead and add these kids to your holiday wishlists, stat.

Needless to say the entire lineup was a breath of fresh air and in the midst of discussing the Dahli Lama (M squared says they’re pretty tight on twitter,) music scene unpredictability and bands to look out for (aside from Useless Keys, there’s the Black Apples, Voxhaul Broadcast, and Dante v. Zombies) it was a great night interlaced with many musical surprises and I recommend checking back at www.myspace.com/uselesskeys for the up to the minute 411 on the latest and greatest with the unexpected and definitely awesome group.