Monroe Monroe, December 11 at the Bluebird

If you ever heard or saw the name "The Legendary Beep Beeps," you probably — understandably — thought it was going to be something dumb. But the band wasn't, and despite the seeming commercial-rock aspirations in some of its songwriting, there was a core of something ineffably compelling in its...

By Tom Murphy

December 7, 2010

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If you ever heard or saw the name "The Legendary Beep Beeps," you probably — understandably — thought it was going to be something dumb. But the band wasn't, and despite the seeming commercial-rock aspirations in some of its songwriting, there was a core of something ineffably compelling in its songs. After a brief time away, the Beep Beeps revamped their lineup and came back with another double-word name: Monroe Monroe (due at the Bluebird Theater on Saturday, December 11). The solid songwriting is still in place, and while the nod to Bono Vox remains in Frank Abatecola's vocals, he also has the ability to emote and make his audience feel what he's singing about. Anthemic and bombastic, this incarnation of the band — which also features Lauren Gale and Tavis Alley, formerly of Speakeasy Tiger — sounds like something that should be on the radio alongside Muse but isn't just yet.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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Twitter: @simianthinker