Mad Meg – a hybrid of an orchestra and a contemporary rock band, writes and sings with an admirable directness and simplicity, gently but firmly commanding your attention from the first guitar strum and declarative line of verse. The stage of Mercury Lounge turned red on July 26, 2014.It was only fitting to make it lit with florid lights to match the crimson color of the trombone warming up before the show. The leader of Mad Meg – Ilya Popenko went down on one knee to tape the set list onto the floor of this Lower East Side indie bookings destination. In 1993 it was converted into a music venue, however for the previous 60 years it’s storefront housed a seller of tombstones.
At first sight the musicians appearing on stage had an impromptu look, until I caught a pattern on the pink sock sticking out from the raised pant of the singer’s cargos. The drummer pulled out a tie from his back pocket and started twisting it around his neck. “Where is the drummer from?” I head over the shoulder behind me. Ruslan Baimurzin (on drums) is from Kazakhstan. Many songs opened with an elegiac yet sensuous trombone solo (James Hall ) that floated freely over a cushion of piano keys (Jason Laney) and brooding guitar strings (Vero Medellin – bass & Igor Reznik – rhythm guitar). With time, the melodic intros of love themes grew into a neurotic poetry about the everyday life (Engineer).
Ilya Popenko:
The song engineer, is about 4 things that make up our lives. Daddy representing the thing that you do, your profession. Momma stands for the concept of home and sense of belonging. Little sister is sex and Engineer is god. The character asks the engineer to take him apart thus seeking death.
Parties – exploded with polka breaks in between verses (we gotta call the cops, somebody killed the DJ) Livable Lovable – places one in a blues bar, until Ilya’s deep voice with a thick russian accent interrupted and words like: real estate, cops and Warsaw University, which quickly brought you back to reality. The chorus sang: “I will survive!” The last song of the evening was sung in Russian. Moscow is an apotheosis of an immingrant’s visit to motherland. The story of the Russian everyman – a resident of a one bedroom apartment—is told through vague accounts of unnafordable prices for whiskey at a bar and walking home unable to scrape together enough change for a ride.
Ilya Popenko:
The russian song I wrote in Moscow, while catsitting in my friends awesome apartment. There is a video on fb of me singing it there the minute i wrote it.
After their show ended and instruments were packed and off the stage, one couple was still dancing, so keep your eye and ear out for their next show & read the lyrics to see if you can relate 🙂
Polish Girl
When I was young I used to think that girls don’t fart
Oh what a mistake that was on my part
I thought that life would not be such a bitch
And would merry Mila Jovovich
And I remember staring at my drink
When I realized something
That I gotta go to the Grand Central
Yes I gotta take that train to Trenton
Yes I gotta go back to that diner
Where that polish girl works
I gotta find her
Yes I gotta go back to that diner
Where that polish girl works
She goes to Physical Culture institute of Warsaw
Majoring in volleyball and all sorts of
Interesting games. Her life is a matrix
She came to the US for the summer to work as a waitress
She’s got a husband way back at home
His name Zhizhik, Ptischek, Ptashek.. I don’t know
And I don’t care, I know one thing
And that is for sure I think
That I gotta go to the Grand Central..
