SXSW: Corn Mo and .357 Lover (Live)

Thursday, March 13, 2008 | 4:25 AM

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A partial resemblance to Sam Kinison, a good dose of Meat Loaf's rock opera tendencies, the falsetto of a well-seasoned arena rocker, and the whimsicality of Dr. Demento--add all of these together and you're just beginning to scratch the surface of the man known as Corn Mo. Besides being well-known in New York City for doing a one-man accordion show (where he also wedges a drum stick in his shoe and wallops a crash symbol), he's been featured in Rolling Stone and has toured with the Polyphonic Spree.

When not performing solo, Corn Mo teams with his band .357 Lover to add a rock twist to his quirky, yet passionate songs. I was actually going into the night a little tired, but after hearing a couple .357 Lover songs, I was filled to the brim with some much needed joy and energy. Corn Mo rotated between keys and rockstar frontman duties tonight, but I have to admit, I'm a little partial to rockstar Corn Mo. It gets no better, when he grabs the mic stand, leans back, closes his eyes, and lets his falsetto roar.

As always, Corn Mo provided an entertaining set. .357 Lover did add a lot of heft to Corn Mo's existing catalog of songs, especially on "Shine On, Golden Warrior" (a song about wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich). My only complaint is that his band never cracked a smile once. If I was playing alongside Corn Mo I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face all night long.