Alt-Rock Double Bill

The sensual rock tunes of Cape Cod’s Highly Suspect and Luz Elena Mendoza

Highly Suspect
Highly Suspect

Get ready to feel some serious butterflies from the sensual rock tunes of Cape Cod’s Highly Suspect and Luz Elena Mendoza (of Y La Bamba) coming to WOW Hall April 9.

Mendoza has a wispy, sultry voice that will woo you into a trance. She’s also very Portland alt-rock. Her songs are stories that build by layering vocals with sometimes whimsical, sometimes dark, melodies. Now on her third album with Y La Bamba, Ojos Del Sol, Mendoza has a sound that is easy to swallow but at any given moment could send chills down your neck.

Following Mendoza is Highly Suspect, the now Brooklyn-based rock trio with spine-tingling energy that mashes up the sounds of a The Black Keys with Queens of the Stone Age and Royal Blood. Ryan Meyer (drums, vocals) says the band got its start covering classic rock tunes in Cape Cod. The boys’ journey from small-town gigs to releasing their third major album has been a success because, Meyers says, “We weren’t just stopping to smell the flowers. You have to put in the work for what you want in return.”

Meyers says his brother Rich Meyer (bass, vocals) and Johnny Stevens have lived together for the past decade, making the group close and dedicated to the rock lifestyle. The band members’ connection creates a strong bond between their music and their audience, which Meyers considers a family.

“I wake up every day and do what I want to do,” he says.

Catch Luz Elena Mendoza and Highly Suspect at 9 pm Saturday, April 9, at WOW Hall; $12 adv., $14 door. — Kelsey Anne Rankin