Menya is a group of three 20-something New York University undergrads whose bubbly brand of electro-pop will boost your heart rate and drop your thoughts into the gutter quicker than you can say, well, Menya. Check them out for yourself Friday at Club 828.
Richard Rusincovitch, Nicky DeMauro, and Angie Stipe (aka Good Goose, Coco Dame and Angie Ripe) have scored some impressive press the past couple of years with their flips of popular tunes (check out how they sexed up Justin Bieber’s “Baby”). Their sugary sound, combined with partially sung, partially rapped lyrics that push potty-mouthed limits, can be called nothing if not infectious. And folks have noticed. The New York Post calls Menya a band to watch, they’ve got a growing college following and taste-making blogger Perez Hilton even tweeted (omg) about them.
Now the unsigned band, which is booking and promoting shows independently, is making its first ever East Coast tour this month. The trio will travel from New York down to Miami, with a stop in Asheville, of all places, perhaps another sign of Asheville’s friendliness toward electronic music.
Mountain Xpress caught up with the Coco and Angie in a recent phone interview (late trains had Richard running behind) for a quick chat. Menya (with the Nova Echo) is scheduled to play Club 828 at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 12.
On making their music
Coco: We’ve been making a whole new song every week and putting it on our Web site. One week we flipped a top 40 song. The next week we just got an acoustic guitar and did a song. This time we’re just doing a typical Menya song.
Xpress: What is a typical Menya song?
Angie: We try to put simple, repetitive hooks in and keep the choruses more pop. We might do a little rap. And usually there’s a food reference, like how Ludicris talks about chicken and beer. I guess are personalities are like that.
On Menya’s dirty lyrics. (Menya’s EP titles give you an idea where they’re going: The Ol’ Reacharound, Puss-Coital and most recently The Sleepover Series (vol. 1) )
Coco: I just feel like it’s a lot of fun to being over the top and exaggerating and playing up to that. I don’t really look at it as exploiting anything, in the way that somebody like Brittany Spears did. We’re not really serious. It’s more for the fun of it. I think we like to say things we wish we could say in public without being slapped.
On the rising popularity of electronic music
Coco: I think people want to dance, and I feel like people like the fact that they can do it themselves.
On why Asheville should turn out for Menya
Coco: The audience is what makes a good show. We like to work hard, but it’s always best when people let go of their inhibitions. We just want people to come with an open heart and an open mind, and we’ll get things crackin’.
Angie: We’re going to rock it.
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