The New Standards

Minnesota stalwarts The New Standards create an intriguing blend of everything from classic cabaret to punk rock, from the freedom of jazz, to the soul of pop and rock. They make it work through sheer musicianship and offbeat humor. The instrumentation is simple: John Munson of Trip Shakespeare/Semisonic fame on bass; Chan Poling, founder of the new-wave group The Suburbs on piano; and Steve Roehm on vibes. Chan and John split the singing. A foot stomp here, a shout-out, a fiery solo, and it's cooked. Simple, elegant, illuminating. "As a trio, they have made a practice of dressing up punk and pop classics -"I Will Dare" by the Replacements gets a place in the pantheon -in jazz arrangements that overlay piano, upright bass and vibraphone...The DNA of the band and its members has its feet firmly rooted into punk/pop culture."-NY Times