Blonde Redhead. If the name sounds exotic and strange, wait ’til you experience the band.
Japanese girl Kazu Makino and Italian twins Amadeo and Simone Pace make up the extraordinarily pretty post-punk trio, which formed in New York in the early ’90s when Makino and Amadeo started dating.
“He and I started to spend a lot of time together, and we started playing together,” says Makino. “He said, ‘I know this drummer and he happens to be my twin brother, but he’s really good.'”
She wasn’t keen on the plan at first.
“It was a bit of an intense idea to be playing with twin brothers,” she says, “but it’s been like this ever since.”
Over the past eight years, Blonde Redhead has recorded five albums. Their latest, “Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons,” came out in the fall.
Its surreal title pretty much sums up the band’s kooky sound, which goes from haunting woodwind harmonies to disjointed punk rock guitars, matched by Makino’s squeaks and hair-raising screams.
Makino and Amadeo both sing and play guitar, Amadeo doubles up on bass and Simone takes care of the drums. The group is heading back into the studio in March.
“[The new album] is very pretty, but maybe a bit darker than the last one,” says Makino.
The crowd at the Roseland Ballroom tonight will get a sneak-preview of the new record when the trio supports fellow punk rockers Sleater-Kinney.
“I see them around so often that it feels very natural to me,” said Makino, “but we’ve never played a big show together like this.”
$17, 7:30 p.m., Roseland Ballroom, 239 W. 52nd St., between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, (212) 247-0200.