“Is that the hippest pop band you’ve ever seen in your life?,” a winterbearded friend asked me after the hour-long set at Lakeside Lounge on Saturday.

You know, it really was. Of course, that’s only if you’re willing concede the “pop” label to a band that’s roots lie somewhere in between ’70s Miles fusion and alternarock. To be sure, if one of them newfangled indieblogs with high traffic reviewed this weekend’s A BIG YES…and a small no show and linked to a couple tracks, Kevin Kendrick’s cellular telephone may never stop ringing.

Kendrick
Archived photo by Cat Horton

Kendrick’s the impressive driving force behind the fluid band and a commanding figure front and center, an interesting diction choice on my part considering his physical stature aligns more closely with that of a halogen lamp. On this night, the classically trained vibraphonist’s 30th birthday, all six of his old bandmates from the tragically underrated Fat Mama joined him “on stage” for a show following a five-year layoff (as well as Big Yes/Small No vocalist Moira Meltzer-Cohen).

And just when you think you’re gonna go to a show and have a decent night, along comes a band that sneaks up and fucking floors you. Read on for more…

Kendrick seemed genuinely appreciative to be playing with his old Fat Mama bandmates, some of which still play regularly in this new, more pop-sensible outfit. Joining him for an evening of well-written, accessible songs and what I can only describe as Lou Reed-inspired verse was Brett Joseph on tenor sax and Jon Gray on trumpet, Jonathan Goldberger on guitar, Erik Deutsch on electric piano, Jonti Siman on bass, and Sir Joe Russo on drums.

(As a brief aside, I’ve now seen Russo in maybe six different bands, and I’m convinced he can make even my least favorite music enjoyable. He sat next to the glass wall separating him from passers-by on Avenue B, and I wonder how many people knew they were walking by one of the best drummers on the planet). 

Kendrick’s material takes you completely by surprise: There’s no real normalcy nor comfort zones anywhere in the music or the lyrics. That’s why I laugh at the self-proclaimed and critically-acclaimed “pop” label. Kendrick takes chances in both aspects, and the end result is an odd, almost foreign, beauty that manifests itself in narrative songs like Manic When I’m Around You, This Doesn’t Feel Like Goodbye and What a Fucking Mess (This Turned Out To Be).

Hopefully your computer shows this video a bit lighter than it comes out on my work one, but here’s a little clip of This Doesn’t Feel Like Goodbye that I’ve watched about 10 times and can’t stop singing. Two more follow below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NdO_Oae3ws

I’ve been a huge fan of Milt Jackson for a long time, so I’m already on recoil and ready to spring up when the vibes-fronted Big Yes hits town. But there’s something special about instrumental experimentation and seeing new musical combinations, and if you’ve never seen a pop band fronted by a vibraphonist, you’ll never get another chance like this one. This is the goods.

There’s a reason Kendrick tags the band with his “I mean, it’s pop music…but it’s dope” label. Because it is. And if these guys ever come across your computer or your iPod or your hometown rock club, make some time to take in this great band.