In a local scene littered with a hundred bands molding their sound after what?s making bucks on the radio, there is hope. A lot of that hope lies in the oddly refreshing sounds of Life is Bonkers (starring “Genetic” James and Michael Jay Mayhem). Equipped with only their voices, a keyboard and a heavy electric guitar, these two local favorites might just be the most original band in Sacramento right now.

It?s usually easy to make quick comparisons when talking about local bands. Things like “they sound like Linkin Park” or “they?re like Tool meets the Spice Girls” are often muttered throughout midtown coffee shops. Life is Bonkers, however, isn?t that simple. Perhaps They Might Be Giants meets Megadeath? Or maybe Wall of Voodoo meets Jethro Tull?

“To me, we are the original idea behind punk,” said guitarist Michael Mayhem when asked to explain the band. “Which is: play whatever you wanna play.”

“We?re like a mixture of 80?s music, the good stuff,” said keyboardist and lead vocalist “Genetic” James. “We?re influenced a lot by the Ramones, the B52?s and the Dead Kennedys,” Such an eclectic mix of musical influences make for a sound only Life is Bonkers can dish out.

At a recent show at the Truelove Coffee House in midtown, LIB showed how diverse they can be. They opened with a hard rock sounding instrumental and closed the show with a Madonna cover. In between were original tunes with lyrics ranging from their desire to be the President, how fucked up friends can be and even love.

Their debut CD, Songs to Crash Cars To, has received acclaim amongst even the most critical scenesters in the area. Information on their CD, as well as updates on upcoming shows, can be found at their website, www.lifeisbonkers.com.

What do these two coffee shop savants want from life?

“We just wanna be famous,” joked James.

“I?d say?world domination and global success,” added Michael.

“We actually just want people to listen to our music,” said James with more conviction.”Honestly, I could do this forever.”