the stay awake

CD's and t-shirts available through:

the Stay Awake merch table

(click here to go there)



We make what we hope is cerebral sonic rock music. We love what we do. We hope also that you will love us. Please make kissy faces at Steve(the guy with the guitar), aka. the CYCLONE, he likes it a lot.



This review made me blush:

"……….The Stay Awake, a hot new trio featuring frontman/guitarist Steve Micek, bassist Robert Little and some guy from Bleeders for Treats whose name I don't know that absolutely scorched on the drums. Someone at the show described their sound as "mathy." I'm not sure I agree. Micek and crew play intricate syncopated almost-stuttering movements in odd meters (5/8? 7/8?) braced upon a foundation of hard-angled chords and spare (if nonexistent) melodies. It sounds almost like free-form avant jazz with a distinct element of improvisation (by all three) within the songs' rigid structures. Micek's vocals, delivered with his back to the audience, are mostly incoherent barks used more for rhythm than anything. This reminds me of punk from five or six years ago, back when bands didn't care if you understood what was going on because they were too busy trying to get this stuff off their backs like some sort of personal exorcism. It sure isn't gonna please everyone, and it isn't intended to. Regardless of the improvised feel, there were a couple times when you didn't know if the songs were ending on purpose or if the band was simply getting tired of playing them. Attendance when I left was around 200, not bad for a Monday night."

-Tim Mcmahan