Come See My Dead Person fuses multiple music genres

Jessica Faz

The Signal

Packing the tiny, dark club, ghosts and ghouls and the occasional naughty nurse stand shoulder to shoulder. Green strobe lights cast an eerie glow upon the crowd, flickering in their wild eyes.

The audience takes a collective breath as a wicked violin floods the plains of their minds with its haunting sound. In an instant, the club explodes with music.

The air is electric. The crowd ignites. The eight-man-machine is alive.

That was the scene marking Come See My Dead Person’s performance at the Fourth Annual Murder Masquerade Ball hosted by the band and Hazy Daze smoke shop Oct. 30 on Post Office Street in Galveston.

Gaining increasing notoriety for their unique fusion of multiple genres, CSMDP is an eight-man band from the Texas City area consisting of two electric guitars, an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin and drums.

“I tell people their music is Gypsy Folk, with a mandolin and fiddle,” said Wrecks Bell, owner of the Old Quarter Acoustic Café, also in Galveston. “There isn’t just one genre that describes them completely. The harmonies from two great, barrel-chested vocalists are one of the things that set this band apart.”

Four years ago, CSMDP started out playing death-metal and then progressed to their current blend of gypsy, rock and punk.

“It’s Americana with a folk influence,” drummer Sean Martinez said.

Somewhere along the line, the band picked up their unique moniker which Martinez likes to claim originated from their affinity for traveling to gigs with a cadaver in their trunk.

“In most cases, when asked I tend to give a new and unique origin,” guitarist Roy Martinez said. “I’ve been asked a handful of times on the record, and I’m pretty sure that each story is different. Some of them are based on actual occurrences and others are a bit more … far-fetched.”

The origin of their name has been so shrouded in mystery and speculation that CSMDP has penned a ‘formal response’ on their recently implemented blog.

“There really isn’t a single decisive moment that marked the birth of our name,” Roy Martinez said. “It’s yet another off-beat amalgamation of all the minds contributing to our … well, I guess technically we are a band, but I almost said ‘culture’. When we get together, things just happen. We often can’t quantify it or even retrace our steps back.”

“In addition to the band’s unique style and name, CSMDP has a knack for enthralling their audience,” said Mark Moss, radio station operations supervisor for KACC. “These guys are all well seasoned musicians. They start out wide-open and they speed up from there. Their energy is infectious.”

Experience CSMDP in action at the Rudyard’s British Pub located at 2010 Waugh Dr., Houston 8 p.m. Nov. 8 and 2 a.m. Nov. 9.

“Crowds go wild for these guys’ very up-tempo sound,” Bell said. “They’re guaranteed to get your heart rate up and your blood pumping.”

For more information, go to www.CSMDP.com.

Come See My Dead Person kicked off Halloween festivities during the Fourth Annual Murder Masquerade Ball in Galveston, TX, Oct. 30, 2010. Photographer: Jessica Faz