Last night, I got to see an awesome show at the Ike Box, a cool local venue. Motz-Art, the band formerly known as "Let's Go Make Constructions," performed on an "experimental rock/folk extravaganza." (Sound familiar, music historians?)

I'd heard the band last year at Willamette's Wulapalooza music festival, and I remembered them because they have a cello, which is tight. They also have a really unique electronic sound, which was pretty in-your-face at last night's concert, yet it wasn't unpleasant.

The coolest part of the show was the way they mixed technology with live instruments. Several of their tunes has electronic backing tracks that played under or alongside the live instruments. This was one of my favorites:

The best thing about Motz-Art is that they're edgy and innovative without being stupid and unmusical. A lot of bands go crazy with technology, to the point that their music is painful to listen to. A lot of other bands are so run-of-the-mill that you can't even recognize their sound. But Motz-Art is engaging, exciting, and very very musical.

It reminds me a little of the last band that struck me this way. I first heard the Hush Sound when they opened for Fall Out Boy my freshman year. I got free tickets to the show, as a journalist, and I got to interview the Hush Sound. Their crazy mix of swing and rock is still exciting now, and they've become rather well-known. With some luck, Motz-Art will follow the Hush Sound in their ascent.