MARC AND XAVE: SONG ENGINEERS by Xave Ruth (Xave Ruth). At Factory Studio. July 7 at 4:15 pm, July 9 at 5:15 pm, July 11 at 2 pm, July 12 at 9 pm, July 15 at 12:15 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNN
If you find yourself wishing soft rock had more hard science content, this cute and nerdy musical comedy duo have the perfect solution.
Based on a bromance that began while studying engineering at U of T, Xave Ruth (guitar and vocals) and Marc Tyndel (keys) craft quirky, catchy tunes about robots, cosmology and the quadratic formula.
In addition to lyrics packed with obscure references, clever rhymes and creative puns people with a bachelors in science (or equivalent) will find hilarious, the pair also include some super-interesting meta explorations of song structure and composition.
In one, Xave writes lyrics only utilizing the seven letters of the musical scale, with Marc playing those corresponding notes as the accompaniment.
Somehow the result, which they play-up as a Gregorian chant, works and scores big laughs.
At times resembling a musical episode of The Big Bang Theory or maybe a STEM-themed Barenaked Ladies, Xave and Marc thankfully dont take themselves too seriously even handing out a Shitty Singer-Songwriter bingo card filled with funny cliches they know theyre guilty of.
Anyone searching for comedy rock with knowledge and learning turned up to eleven will love these rockin boffins.
