Monday night concerts are tough. It can be difficult to find the ambition to leave the comfort of one’s home, especially after a day of recovering from the post-weekend blues. But, as My Old Kentucky Blog has proved time and time again, they know what will make your insides feel good on a night when you’d almost rather curl up in bed than stand in a crowd at The Vogue. Those who went to hear the rustic sounds of The Walkmen Monday night can certainly attest to the validity of this claim.

Formed as a sort of indie rock supergroup (see: Jonathan Fire*Eater and The Recoys) in 2000, The Walkmen are, indeed, a super group. Their discography includes 5 studio albums with 2008’s You & Me as the most recent release and focus of the tour. With a special preference for vintage instruments, their music is mellow and sounds aged. Upbeat numbers increase the tempo and add percussion to liven the crowd. Folky inspiration of western-born bands jazzed with east coast style drawn from their residence in New York and Pennsylvania define The Walkmen experience.

Frontman Hamilton Leithauser projects the voice of a withered man dripping with wisdom and life experiences, but maintains the appearance and baby face of a school boy- right down to his “too cool for you” demeanor and stance. If Leithauser’s voice fails to conjure thoughts of Bob Dylan in his “Like A Rolling Stone” glory days, we may need to reevaluate your musical credibility.

The Walkmen have found the perfect balance between serene folk and lively rock. At times, one could only stand and admire the musicianship as strings were plucked, drums were stricken, and keys were pushed. At other times, it was easy to unknowingly be swept away by a song’s velocity and find oneself rocking and bobbing to the music. The crowd was not idle but also not raucous; imagine the dance scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Indianapolis was privileged to be the last stop of the Walkmen’s current tour. The night concluded with Leithauser’s introduction of all band members: Matt Barrick (drums), Paul Maroon (guitar), Pete Bauer (keys), and Walter Martin (bass). Trumpeters Mike Irwin and Paul Brandenburg, temporary members for the tour only, were thanked by Leithauser for their skillful contributions and great memories made. A generous three-song encore (which included 2004’s energetic hit “The Rat” that ignited the audience) finished the night around 10:30, allowing attendees to be home at a decent hour to catch adequate sleep before returning to work the next morning.

Special thanks to My Old Kentucky Blog for continuing to bring nationally recognized bands to our music-loving city, for hosting them at quality venues, for affordable ticket prices, and for early set times on weeknights. On behalf of concert fanatics across Indianapolis, we are grateful for you, MOKB.