Normally we leave covering the Brooklyn bands to our sister (or is it mother?) site, Gothamist, but The Shondes jumped out at us with their self-described combination of “classical music, feminist punk, and layered harmonies and traditional Jewish melodies.” Not a lot of bands can claim that.

You might think the name The Shondes is a play on The Shondells, who briefly saved the future careers of Tiffany and Billy Idol when they recorded “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Mony Mony” back in the late ’60s, but that’s probably far from the truth. “Shonde” is actually the Yiddish word for “disgrace, shame or outrage.” The band — who describe themselves as a collection of “queers and trannies, radicals, Jewish and non-Jewish Palestine-solidarity activists” — play for the political punk crowd. But musically, their sound extends far beyond the typical punk arrangement. Yes, you can dance if you want to.

Another one of our sister sites to the north, Bostonist, called The Shondes “a Golem meets Sleater-Kinney with a queercore twist indie band.” To see for yourself, the band will be playing at Warehouse Next Door on Saturday with Dawn of Man and Mess Up the Mess. Show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Let’s Go – The Shondes (mp3)

Photo from Shondes.com