Panjoma

Let's talk Panjoma.  The style is industrial/electronic dance, with the accent on industrial. NIN-stylings, a touch of trance, some experimentalish flourishes, and the occasional bit of disco-ish 4-on-the-floor stomp. Typically good for what ails ya.

These guys and girls have been a source of musical munificence in the Austin area, and we ain't just talking sonically neither -

Lead singer Mary Panjoma is arguably the driving force behind the Austin Electronic Music Grid, a conglomeration of indie bands in the Austin area, cooping to cross-promote and breed musical success.  At their weekly events (sometimes at Plush, sometimes at the Red Eyed Fly), you'll find Mary there, laptop cam running; while a member of the Austin Electronic Music Grid tears it up on stage.  Seeing her like that, giving her time to promote someone who is, potentially, a competitor - That'll give you cause to wonder.  Maybe this is what's become of that time she spent studying philosophy (mentioned in her bio, right alongside the expected musically-focussed studies like piano, music theory, production, etc); paying it forward, as it were.  Can't say for sure.

Panjoma "live" consists of the aforementioned Mary, Patrik Nilsson, riTch N (who we'll discuss in a future entry), John Ouseley, and Melissa Riotgurl (of The Future Process, another group we'll cover in our utopian future). 

Here's a personal favorite, their excellent cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".  Check it:

WarPigs by panjoma

Another favorite, this one featuring Mary's vocals in a brilliantly moody industrial number:


Reel by panjoma

You can find Panjoma on MySpace, Facebook, Soundcloud, and Last.fm.