Norah Jones Discovers Her Inner Rocker

You remember how when you were younger your older siblings (if you were lucky) told you about the cool new bands you hadn't heard of before? Or, if you grew up sibling-less, how your best friend's cool older brother would do the same? They'd turn you on to a tape or record, and you'd run out to the store, hoping to be the first of your friends to have it for yourself, then play it cool when people would hear you playing it? "What? Oh, this? It's the Violent Femmes. Yea, they're from Milwaukee. Gordon Gano's a really underappreciated writer." Or. Whatever.

Well, we got a little musical assist from our big brother/sister this weekend when Gothamist told us about a new band called El Mad Mo. Gothamist headed over to the Delancey last Friday night to see Pela, and when they got there heard grumblings about Norah Jones "playing in a punk rock" band. Indeed, at the end of their set, Pela's singer told the audience to "stick around for NoJo."

[from Gothamist]

Then two girls and one guy, all wearing wigs, took the stage. This was El Mad Mo, and there was no mistaking that Norah Jones was stage right, covered in eye makeup and sporting a blonde wig. The few left in the audience thinking it wasn't her were proved wrong when she started to sing. The songs were well crafted, funny and really, well, good...but definitely not punk. The lyrics were cleverly simple and rhyme heavy ("We'll do it like the bunnies, I'll call you honey, we'll spend all your money")...we honestly loved them. Jones dedicated one song to "the sleazy guy at the bar", adding: "there's one here right?"

In 2003, Jones formed The Little Willies, a country-infused band that pays homage her country influences like Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson.So apparently the Texas-bred chanteuse decided that after 20 million records sold and eight Grammy's in the bag she'd do whatever the hell she wants. We applaud her and are extremely curious to see if she takes El Mad Mo on the road, but we have no real expectations that she will.

*Image (c) Gothamist*