Music for Animals

It’s absolutely refreshing to get a CD in the mail from San Francisco that isn’t all puppy cats and happy rats bathed in basic pop power chords and waves of adolescent reverb.

With that said, the four dudes in Music for Animals have prepared a carnivore’s feast in the form of a self-titled beast that’s easy to swallow.

Walking the line between raw first album and ample production, we’ve got catchy choruses (”Worry”), soulful lamentations (”Justine”), and groovy seduction (”Red Cells”). Check out some tracks below: - Perfectporridge.com

The San Francisco indie rock species known as Music for Animals first came to life in the summer of 2005 at the Edinburgh Castle. That was shortly after childhood friends Eli Meyskens and Jayson Martinovich ditched the jam band they could no longer stand being in and performed a set of unpolished but focused pop songs with a new drummer and guitarist. It was as if they had created a new musical monster. "The looks on people's faces that night was like 'Wow! Where did that come from?' " says Meyskens, who wondered the same thing. "Our friends came up to us and said, 'What are you going to do with this killer sound you just created?' " How about two EPs, one full-length album, three national tours and a lot of radio play? That's how the band spent the past few years. With no breaks in between, the band members are back with what they believe is their best material yet, an EP called "If Looks Could Kill," recorded at the not so lo-fi Fantasy Studios in Berkeley thatCreedence Clearwater Revival once called home. MFA plays the Cafe Du Nord on Sunday. "I had never been in a band that finished much of anything before," says guitarist Nick Bray, who completed the MFA lineup along with drummer Ryan Malley. Brayhas a new understanding of what finished means. "You're never finished with music until you record it, press it and walk away from it. That's when it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to anyone who wants to listen to it and is able to fall in love with it in a way that the band is not able to." The band soon found out that there are countless MFA lovers. It could be because their sound is in the same musical kingdom, phylum and class as Eric Burdon's Animals, the Super Furry Animals, and even Animal from the Muppets: good, pop, fun. And maybe a little crazy. Martinovich and Meyskens met and first began making music together in their hometown of Sebastopol.
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"One of my first memories of Eli is of him wearing a hemp necklace with a ponytailand Jack Daniel's T-shirt trying to learn how to play the didgeridoo," Martinovich says. That may have been when Meyskens was about 8 years old. Martinovich isn't sure, as those early school daze are still a bit foggy. When MFA's members planned their national tours, they mapped the routes based on the college radio stations that were playing them the most. If that meant driving 20 hours from Prescott, Ariz., indirectly to Decorah, Iowa, so be it. These random small towns are where even the grandparents greet them as heroes. Is there a pie in the rock star sky for Music for Animals? They say they aren't interested in the "golden rocket ship, Champagne, riding in a limo down Rodeo Drive." They just want to keep playing music. "Whenever we go back and play in Iowa they bring us baked goods," Martinovich says. "Maybe our pie in the sky is literal." Sunday @ Cafe Du Nord: A Deli SF "Bling it On!" evening with San Francisco's rock and roll animals. Opening for Toy Soldiers who celebrate EP release. With the Attachments, the Buttercream Gang, DJ Jamie Jams. 8 p.m., $12, all ages. 2170 Market St., S.F. (415) 861-7374. www.cafedunord.com- Delfin Vigil, dvigil@sfchronicle.com http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/23/NSTL13JK6Q.DTL This article appeared on page G - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle - San Francisco Chronicle

MUSIC FOR ANIMALS
“I’m not making money, and you’re not making sense,” Well, by the looks of it, Music For Animals may soon be raking in the dough as their career takes off. The lovechild of Les Savy Fav and Interpol, Music For Animals has been picking up the pace since the release of their new E.P Transmission, and booking some of San Francisco’s favorite venues. But perhaps one of the best descriptions comes from a trust worthy friend who says they’re like “Quincy Jones meeting Peter Cetera for a cocktail at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory with a big ending and memorable melodic lines.” With ever so catchy songs such as “Red Cells” and “Worry,” Music For Animals are bound for repeated rotation at Popscene. Don’t miss these “hometown heroes” as they take on San Francisco’s very own Café Du Nord on July 5. Trust me, it will be the perfect way to kick off your summer, and more than likely one of your last chances to experience Music For Animals before Ticketmaster will make you pay $35 plus convenience charges to see them.
Contact: www.myspace.com/musicforanimals - Zero Magazine

Music For Animals- unlike most young rockers, these guys have no problem admitting that they're all just a bunch of animals. Whether you find them leaving their rehearsal studio trashed with animal cracker crumbs or you catch them partying with '80s glam rockers Twisted Sister, it's clear that acting like animals is what they were born to do. The evolution of Music For Animals began in the spring of 2004 when singer Jayson Martinovich and bassist Eli Meyskens split up their old band, One of Many, and began searching for a new band with a new sound in their hometown of Santa Cruz. Before migrating to San Francisco, the MFA herd grew to a four-piece with guitarist Nick Bray and Ryan "The Pittsburgh Popsicle" Malley. After hunting for new songs and gathering lots of great gigs, MFA independently released its now classic album, "Transmission" (named after their tour van's transmission - RIP). The Music For Animals members are writing lots of material and looking for creative ways to record and release it without going broke and losing their jobs. - San Francisco Chronicle