I saw a request to vote for the band Down and Above to open for Bon Jovi next week. Apparently KQRS is having a contest in which we get to choose one of three bands to open. I clicked through to check out the finalists. Turns out Down and Above was the one I liked the least. I don’t even like Bon Jovi and won’t be attending the concert anyway.

But something good has come of this little internet detour. I have discovered the local band Tagine. OMG, I really like them. A lot. A lot a lot. Based on what I heard on their website, I might have to actually go out and buy a CD. Do you even know when I last bought a CD? It’s been ages. BTW, kudos to them for giving a fair sampling of their songs on their website, so one can catch a clue as to what their sound is like.

One guy in the band kinda looks like a guy I used to work with. (That you, Mitch? Oh, wait, no. It’s some guy named Alex.)

To compare, they remind me a bit of Maroon 5 and a little bit of Better Than Ezra (which would be in that upper eschelon of My Favorite Bands behind Guster and Dave Matthews Band). I’m not really a rock fan, in the rock and roll, guitar-thrashing, headbanging sense. I like my strummy happy pop rock and my funky groovy pop rock. Tagine’s got that funky groove. But really, you should listen for yourself.

I have no idea how to pronounce “Tagine.”

Seems the band used to be called “Flavor” as recently as this past spring. You might have seen them at several Cities 97-sponsored events, including Basilica Block Party. They’re also past Minnesota Music Award winners.

So they may possibly be opening for Bon Jovi next week. Looks like I missed them just tonight at Bunker’s. Although Bunker’s is not a place I would normally go into. (Ooh, but I do see that Soul Tight Committee is playing there next weekend….) And they have a few other shows upcoming in the TC, so I’ll have to see if I can catch them.

Oh, hey, I found out how to pronounce it. It’s “tah-zheen.”

P.S. From the picture on their website, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looks suspiciously like a cross between the new Walker and the Weisman.

Related posts:

1. Music in a Box
2. It’s been a long time since I rock and rolled
3. 2002 Governor Candidate Tim Penny’s Band Playing in St. Paul
4. Fat Tuesday
5. Head East, Nugent and Kansas, oh my!