An omelet promise

Backlit in a flood of cool blue light, the members of Centro-matic modestly took up their instruments and captivated the audience at Nietzsche's Thursday night.

Though the crowd had thinned between The Baptist Generals' opening song and after Jesse Malin's humor-filled, two-person acoustic show, those who remained to hear Centro-matic perform were certainly not disappointed.

Erupting into song, the band had a Flaming Lips feel, though it seems that the men of Centro-matic are more in tune with their instruments than their counterparts.

This band is definitely one of the talented few that actually sound better live. Off to the right of the stage, lead singer/guitarist Will Johnson, wearing a faded John Deere cap and more than a day's worth of scruff crooned his heart-wrenching songs, his jugular veins threatening to burst as he resounded his honest lyrics.

His torn-throat voice wafted over the audience, ebbing and flowing over the storm of music behind him. The croak of Johnson's raspy cries was nearly undecipherable, a point that barely matters. If he sang nothing at all, the warble of his scratchy voice accompanied by the explosive music would still satisfy.

The venue was small and intimate, making the thrust of sound from the speakers almost too much to take, but worth reveling in. Johnson commented on the bar's uniqueness by gesturing to Nietzsche's antiquated brick floor.

"Look at this floor," he said. "It's got soul. We don't get this in the big cities."

The best parts of the show were the many musical interludes. With Matt Pence behind drums, Mark Hedman wailing on his bass and Scott Danbom slamming the keyboard, Centro-matic produces music with an awe-inspiring fury.

Centro-matic's most recent release, 2003's "Love You Just the Same," was the basis of the set and is just one of the band's impressive 15 releases over the last 10 years.

Among the many diverse songs, Centro-matic delivered obvious crowd pleasers in "Fountains of Fire" and "Biology Tricks."

Building up their fan base through a dizzying tour schedule, Centro-matic, from Denton, Texas, also creates music under the name South San Gabriel. Johnson is also touring on his recently released solo album, "Vultures Await."

Grainy, versatile and gruff, the lulls and bursts of Centro-matic's songs draw listeners in and keep them humming. Just listen to "Flashes and Cables."

The boys rolled into their last song of the evening and once again fell into a musical frenzy, carrying the goose-eyed audience with them. Each man seemed to be in his own world with his instrument and, at the end of the last song, Hedman dangled his bass by its newly broken string and laid it to rest in the middle of the stage.

After the flurry of songs, Johnson graced the crowd with a guitar solo encore, a track off "South San Gabriel Sessions," "Glacial Slurs," a low-key emotive drawl of a song.

As Centro-matic wrapped up their set, fans cried requests for "Godzilla."

"I'll come over to your house and I'll play it for you, if you'll make an omelet for me," Johnson said in reply.

Centro-matic continues their touring schedule through August. You could feasibly catch them in Cleveland at 9 p.m. Monday. Even if you already have an unfounded hate toward this indie-rock band, it would be worth the trip just to see and hear The Baptist Generals open.