The Matt Stansberry Band and
Approaching August
10 P.M. SATURDAY
LIT LOUNGE
209 FLAMING LIPS ALLEY
602-6246
$5

Two months ago, Edmond's own The Matt Stansberry Band was more than 6,400 miles away, spreading its pop-rock sound to sold-out crowds across Japan. On Saturday, the innovative musicians will take the stage back at home for a jet-lag-free show at downtown's LiT Lounge.

It wasn't hard for these enthusiastic Okies to find a way to win the hearts of music lovers worldwide. It just took one passionate, singing, songwriting, self-taught guitarist and his three musically talented college buddies to make it happen.

Front man Stansberry has been surrounded by music since birth, so he eats, breathes and sweats all that is tunes. But his tastes aren't discriminatory, as he enjoys everything from jazz and funk to reggae and gospel. This explains the impossible-to-categorize music created by his band, which Stansberry summed up with a self-coined sonic descriptor.

“At the core, we're taking old music, jazz and blues, and putting a new twist on it,” – Matt Stansberry, front man of The Matt Stansberry Band

“People would ask what we sounded like and we couldn't give them enough answers, so we decided we needed a term to sum it all up,” Stansberry said. “Music has taken a bit of the turn toward the center of itself. Everyone is into everything these days, and we are just trying to bring all together. That's an evolution.”

Behold “evolution rock” – a blend of classic rock and jazz, funk and jam – the old and the new.

“At the core, we're taking old music, jazz and blues, and putting a new twist on it,” he said.

It may sound exhausting to keep up with the ever-evolving tastes of music, but that's what Stansberry said evolution rock is all about.

After six shows in the land of the rising sun, the high-energy four-man band learned what it meant to truly be exhausted. And after multiple late-night parties with the locals, the act gained a new understanding of Japanese culture.

“It's a misconception that the Japanese are all work and no play,” said Denver Greene, the group's charismatic bassist. “They play just as hard as they work, and we played right along with them.”

Rounded out by drummer Ben Tinius and guitartist Chris Verner, The Matt Stansberry Band is finishing work on their third album, “We. Want. Change.,” which is expected to released in July.

The college-buds-turned-rock-stars gave Asian audiences a taste of what's going to be on the new album, and they plan to do the same for the hometown crowd on Saturday.

“We're exploring dynamically a whole different pallet that we never have before,” Stansberry said. “We've never done ultrasoft, but now we're covering a lot broader spectrum.”

Like the past two albums, 2005's “The World Goes Up” and last year's “Hall of Giants,” the tracks on “We. Want. Change.” are sure to bring smiles to listener's faces.

“We don't have any negativity. We certainly won't leave you feeling worse than you did before listening to it,” Greene said.

With its evolution-rock music and thought provoking lyrics, The Matt Stansberry Band is crossing cultural boundaries and gaining world recognition. And Greene said the group won't stop there.

“We aren't limiting our music to just the world,” he joked. “There's the far reaches of the galaxy, neighboring galaxies and black holes. You name it.”

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