dead hensons

Posted by karen at 07:03 PM in music . | 3 Comments

I saw The Dead Hensons on Saturday night at a local bar.

The Dead Hensons are an eight piece rock band exclusively covering the upbeat songs from early Jim Henson projects (mainly Sesame Street, the Muppet Show, and the Muppet Movie). The songs themselves range from a stripped down spooky storytelling jazz-based style, to early seventies soul and funk dance music, to giddy sixties go-go rock n'roll. The live set relies heavily on letting the music speak for itself and incoporates many instrument changes. The result is a room full of 21 to 40 year olds singing along and dancing shamelessly, as if once again in front of the tube when they were 5. The Dead Hensons are musical comfort food: a PB&J with the crusts cut off; fudgicles on a sunny saturday afternoon.

Whenever I come across a project with a concept that appeals to me so deeply, I'm nervous that it won't live up to the potential. But these guys did not disappoint. If you're in the Bay Area and can catch one of their shows, don't miss it.