Minneapolis is known as a breeding cesspool for musical talent. It’s not just because of artists like Bob Dylan and Prince. There are so many great bands and artists in the Twin Cities, because there are so many great venues. Tonight, I saw a must-see local band.

The band is The Melismatics. They’ve been around for a few years and have some national attention (on MTV & NBC), but they’re not as big as they deserve to be.

The Melismatics are sorta indie-rock meets pop with a splash of British new wave mixed together with Red Bull Energy Drinks. The show is a mix of high-powered energy, solid beats and thoughtfully crafted lyrics (and in some cases, lack of words). From the first note of the show through the big jam in the finale, the band members don’t stop rocking out. They literally jump, spin, convulse and even slide across the floor, but not in an annoying punk-rock Limp Bizkit sort of way. Unfortunately the stage they were on tonight was too small for them, figuratively and literally.

Sauce, a new Uptown restaurant and venue has a very small stage. It hardly fit the Melismatics four band members when they were sound checking. I half expected them to leap off stage to further rock out once the second song started, but they stayed compacted, performing in their limited area.

Part of the appeal of the band is watching them on stage. Each of the four members are in their own element, however, compliment the other. Pony, the only girl in the band is  co-lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist. She is truly mesmerizing. Pony is rhythmic and powerful as she performs while commanding the stage. Yet, she’s not overpowering in the slightest bit. Ryan Smith, the band’s other co-lead singer and guitarist has so much energy and passion. Mark Wade, rock-bassist is the solid and somber one. He too rocks out, more than most bassists, yet, compared to the rest of the band, he hardly moves. The drummer, Ron Carnon is not human. There is no way he can hit the drums as quickly and precisely as he did and not have his arms fall off. It’s nuts. The whole band is insane.

Before tonight, I knew none of the Melismatics songs. I had only heard of their stage show. Tonight’s one-hour performance left me hungry for more. I would absolutely see them again, and must insist you see them as well. In fact, I’m bummed I didn’t have the cash to buy one of their CDs.

On a complete sidebar, Sauce was pretty cool. The atmosphere was comfortable and it would be a great venue to see a smaller or more intimate band play. The restaurant is split into two, restaurant in one half, bar in the other. We sat in the bar for the first set and couldn’t hear the band at all. Sauce’s menu was excellent, there was a little of everything, including appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, salads, dessert and even breakfast items. If you go to hear a band though, bring comfortable shoes. There is space to sit, but most of the bar is standing-room only. The venue in its entirety doesn’t seem that big when it’s empty, but by the time the Melismatics were done with their set, the place was packed and looked huge.

All around: pretty awesome Sunday!

You can follow the Melismatics (@melismatics) and Sauce (@SauceMpls) on Twitter (and me too! @tracyperlman).