Metrolites: from rock to ragtime

Sean Leary

Returning to a familiar hangout, the surf-punk-soul-funk-spy music band the Metrolites will perform from 8:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday at Hunter's Club, 2107 4th Ave., Rock Island.

However, the big news about the Metros isn't what's on stage, but rather what's going on of it.

The group -- Scott Morschhauser, "Nervous" Neal Smith, Kathleen Gallgher, Josh Duffee and Devin Kirby-Hansen -- is hard at work on its second CD, "The Metrolites ...For the People," which will be released in late summer. Here's a sneak preview of the disc:

- "From a musical standpoint, there are many styles of music on the album," Mr. Morschhauser said, "From Tin-Pan-Alley ragtime-ey numbers and spy/spaghetti Westerns, to tiki-lounge exotica and rock tunes."

- Song titles include "Cocktails on the Planet of the Apes," "Old Fascist Gal," "Agent Orange Gets His Groove Back," "All Giant Monsters Attack Tokyo" and "UFO vs. KGB." The band has been previewing some of the tracks in its live shows.

- The album has an unintentional underlying theme. "It's not overt with two-thirds of the tracks sans-vocals, but the titles alone give you a feel for the album as a whole," Mr. Morschhauser said, noting that in addition to leitmotifs about Japanese monster movies and other pop-culture twists, many of the songs deal with "the role of government and the effect it has on average citizens."

- Future gigs for the Metrolites include regular stops at Hunter's on the third Saturday of every month, an Aug. 6 show at Davenport's LeClaire Bandshell, an early-October collaboration with Ballet Quad Cities on the second "Ballet Rocks" show, and some possible work scoring a few independent films.

- For more info, see www.metrolites.com.