Shy Child

When was the last time you saw a really great keytar-and-drums duo? If you answered "1983" or "never" to this question, it's time you checked out Shy Child. While drummer Nate Smith pounds his kit with the muscle of John Bonham, the soul of James Brown and the precision of a machine, frenzied frontman Pete Cafarella yelps like an angst-ridden antelope and wrings a surprising amount of gritty electro-rock out of the ebony-and-ivory ax strapped to his body. The instrumentation might scream "retro," but Shy Child is no throwback skinny-tie band. The act's sophomore release on Kill Rock Stars, Noise Won't Stop, is packed with up-to-the-minute grimy synth lines, new-millennium tension and plenty of rock-worthy, rump-shaking, riot-starting grooves. Be prepared to party when this pair hits the Ogden with the Faint and Jaguar Love.