Though they have been playing around the St. Louis scene for a
few years, The Baysayboos are about to release their first,
self-titled record. The band plays a difficult-to-categorize brand
of experimental rock, mixing programmed keyboards, a full horn
section and absurdist lyrics in an unusually potent fashion.

There are elements of Looper, David Bowie, The Velvet
Underground and Sun Ra in the music of The Baysayboos, though the
mix is all their own. Especially in a town like St. Louis, where
most bands opt for the standard rock ‘n’ roll format, the
seven-member band stands out not only in their sound but in their
size.

On The Baysayboos, styles of sound range from the horn-driven,
almost rock-steady “Boston,” (a song about both the town and the
band) to the post-lounge “The Bird-Mirror Window,” which works
around Matt Pace’s monotone vocals and cheesy organ riff. The
record never sounds disjointed and rarely repeats themes. The
production can be a little thin at times; it’s tough to record
horns and get everything to level out equally. Sometimes the
saxophone is intentionally skronky, and other times the trumpet
just seems out of tune. They’re small imperfections, and they don’t
really mar the overall effect, but it would be a stretch to call
this a perfect first record. It is, however, a creative and
adventuresome outing, and considering the band is still young,
there is much to look forward to.

The Baysayboos also have ties to Saint Louis University;
saxophonist Andy Struckhoff and bass player Peter Monahan graduated
from the College of Arts & Sciences a few years back. Both
fellows were also heavily involved with music on campus, with
Monahan serving as music director for KSLU and Struckhoff as Arts
& Entertainment editor for The University News. (Ah, the music
critic gets reviewed in his old paper. Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it
Andy?)

Come out and celebrate the release of The Baysayboos when the
band plays their CD release party on May 10 at the City Museum. It
should be a rockin’/jazzin’/bumpin’ good time.