Theo & The Skyscrapers preview

Theo & The Skyscrapers
Beat Kitchen, Chicago
Saturday, May 20, 2006

Is she weird? Is she white? Is she promised to the night?

Sometimes there’s nothing worse than not being in on the joke. The photos of ex-Lunachick Theo Kogan in her liner notes suggests fierce irony or deadly sincerity. Sleeved in tattoos and a pleather dress she could either be an unaffected Teutonic model or a biker babe. Most of her self-titled album suggests a less bawdy Buckcherry or a pop metal version of Scandal (of “The Warrior” variety) veering awfully close to Lita Ford. Adding to the mystery is she — photographed or in the accompanying videos — never smiles, so not only can’t you read the smile for clues, but playing it this damn straight points overwhelmingly to irony.

We could debate this all day and we might be better off because the music isn’t much to speak of. Midtempo pop rock rules the roost on Theo & The Skyscrapers (Morpheus/Waxlips), and the only memorable tracks sound like gentle rewrites (“Lay ‘Em Out” is “Tainted Love”; “Red Shoes” is “Seven Nation Army”; and “Broken Girl” a Garbage b-side). Part of you hopes deep inside this isn’t the way a member of a seminal New York band ends up. However, punk was supposed to be disposable.

Theo plays Beat Kitchen’s 10 p.m. show with openers Mexican Cheerleader. Three Blue Teardrops, The Peacocks, and The Stranger play at 7.

— Kevin Keegan

Click here to sample Theo And The Skyscrapers.

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly