Mike Benign’s Second Coming

For many East Side alt-rock hipsters ofthe late-1980s and early-’90s, the songs of Mike Benign were part of thesoundtrack of their lives. Fronting bands such as Umbrella Man, Arms & Legs& Feet and Blue in the Face, Benign’s smart wordplay and taut melodiesencapsulated many of the situations one might encounter along East North Avenueor similar meccas. After disbanding Blue in the Face in 1995, Benign virtuallydisappeared, save for a couple of discreet solo shows and a one-off Blue in theFace reunion four years ago.

Benign is back with a new band and analbum of fresh songs on the way. The Mike Benign Compulsion will play its firstfull-length show this weekend, Friday, Feb. 26, at Shank Hall.

“I completely walked away from it,”Benign says, explaining his decision to abandon music in the ’90s. “I wasfrustrated over trying to make a living from bandsand my daughter was born aweek before our last show and my son was born two years later. I think leavingmusic was an overreaction.”

A few years ago, Benign resumed writingsongs and quietly began recording them in Colonel Kurtz’s Lair of Sound, thebasement studio of veteran Milwaukeemusician Joe Vent. “It was going to be a solo album, but it just evolved,” heexplains. “People wound up playing on the songs. And Joe was a greatcollaborator.”

The resulting CD, Rollicking Musical, by the band that emerged out of the sessions,the Mike Benign Compulsion, will be released this spring. Benign’s droll voicehas changed little since Blue in the Face, but his songwriting sensibility hasbecome more holistic, with words and music in closer harmony. The ironicallybright pop-rock number “All the Married People” has been available as a single.The killer track, however, is the insomniac’s nightmare, “The Soothing Soundsof Seals and Crofts,” with an indelible chorus that fastens to memory like thejaws of a piranha. The arch Britpop of Crowded House and Squeeze are goodreferences. “In some ways, I’ve finally found my voice. It took me 46 years,but I finally figured out who I am as a writer,” Benign says.

The Compulsion is an all-star lineup oflocal musicians who came to prominence in the era of the first President Bush.Joining Benign (vocals and guitar) are guitarist Joe Vent (of the YellLeaders), bassist Brian Wooldridge (The Wooldridge Brothers) and drummer MikeKoch (The Joker’s Henchmen). Also heard on the CD are bassist Paul Biemann(Blue in the Face), accordionist Dan Type (Take My Face) and keyboardist Tyler Traband.

“I’m not worried about doing this as acareer anymore,” Benign concludes. “We’re doing it now because it’s ablastit’s just really fun to do. It’s the joy of writing and playing songs.That’s it. Period.”

TheMike Benign Compulsion and The Twilight Hours play an 8 p.m. show at Shank Hallon Friday, Feb. 26.