3 diverse groups to play Bangor pub

It sounds like a joke at first: a folk band, a punk band and a polka band play at the same bar on the same night. Not only is the music all over the place, but the fallout from the fashion clash could potentially be deadly. Birkenstocks, mohawks and lederhosen?

But that’s actually the lineup tonight at the Whig and Courier Pub in downtown Bangor, when folksters Earth Tone, punk rockers Dugen and the polka/carnival music three piece the X-Eyes Guys take the stage for a ridiculously diverse showcase of local bands.

Let’s start with the most unusual of the bunch, the X-Eyes Guys. Now, polka is a bit of a misnomer. There’s no tuba, no accordion, and certainly no lederhosen to be found (the three fellows in the band, who are all Orono residents, wear suits to their shows), but in many songs there’s that loping, one-two “oompah” rhythm that’s the hallmark of polka – just sped up to a spastic, chaotic tempo.

As drummer Justus Magee, fretless bass man Joe Gates and keyboardist Ian Bean say, it’s “epic polka rock,” or “eclectica.” Whatever you want to call it, it’s fun, it’s danceable, and it’s definitely weird.

“We’re all friends and have been playing together forever,” said Magee. “So many people keep doing the same thing, so we just wanted to do something different. In a matter of weeks we had a bunch of songs written. We’ve now been together for about five months.”

And what exactly does the name “X-Eyes Guys” mean?

“Well, we thought it would be funny because Maine has the largest excise tax in the country,” said Magee. “And also, cartoon characters, when they’re dead, they have Xs on their eyes. So we’re the X-Eyes Guys.”

Moving on, the Bangor punk rock institution known as Dugen, now in its 12th year as a band, is also slated to perform. No longer boys, the men of Dugen – Chris Gagnon, Wes Delaney, Shawn Labelle and Gabe Cyr – are reliably entertaining, tempering their punk rock with heavy alternative riffs and some melodic pop hooks, as well as a funny, energetic onstage presence.

The band took a huge leap forward just a few months ago, when they opened their own production company called Angry Sun Productions.

“We are in the process of re-recording everything we have,” said lead singer and guitarist Gagnon. “We’ve also recorded some area bands like Propel, Zebuesk, Vatican City and Jack Kisses Jill.”

For information on how to record with Angry Sun, visit www.myspace.com/angrysunproductions. Dugen’s set at the Whig and Courier will feature stripped down, acoustic versions of their punk songs.

Finally, Earth Tone may play the most low-key, down-tempo music of the bunch, but the Brewer-based husband and wife duo of Noel and Jen Walsh don’t necessarily want to be called a folk band.

“I hate to put a label on it,” said Noel, guitarist and lead singer and songwriter. “We have a lot of material, and we tone it to the venue and the crowd.”

Walsh may be best known in the area for the “Unleash the Music” festival he planned a few years ago on the Bangor Waterfront, as well as other street dances and open mikes.

The couple, who were married six months ago, met one night at a Bangor bar a few years ago, while the Red Sox were in the playoffs and no one wanted to let the band start because the game was on.

“We just sat in the bar waiting, and eventually the band just left,” said Walsh. “Jen and I just got to talking, and then she mentioned she played a drum. The rest is kind of history.”

Noel, a longtime guitarist, and Jen, an accomplished hand drummer who plays mostly the djembe and the congas, make sweet, lyric-driven folk rock. Think of them as the New England folk version of the White Stripes – the singer and guitarist married the drummer.

The X-Eyes Guys, Dugen and Earth Tone will take the stage at the Whig and Courier Pub in downtown Bangor starting at 8 p.m. Friday, April 21. The show is 21+. More information on both Dugen and the X-Eyes Guys can be found on their

MySpace pages, www.myspace.com/dugen1 and www.myspace.com/thexeyesguys.

Is there a particular cover band that you’ve seen at a bar or club in the area that you just love? E-mail Emily at eburnham@bangordailynews.net with names, Web sites and contact info and she will profile the ones that elicit the best response. Soul, classic rock, country, whatever: as long as they pack the dance floor, let her know!