For those who are unfamiliar, Brontosaurus is the artistic amalgamation of multi-instrumentalists Nicholas Kelley and Nicholas Papaleo. You could call their sound avant-pop, you could call it indie rock but whatever you do decide to file it under, the fact remains that these guys are one hell of a power duo. Throughout the set at Chicago's Empty Bottle in early July, Papaleo perpetually switched from keys to guitar to auxiliary percussion and back again -- singing the whole time -- while Kelley manned his kit with a Fender strapped to his back in order to seamlessly alternate between rhythm guitarist, lead singer, and his primary role as drummer. The band has often claimed that they "perform their songs using all eight limbs" and after seeing them live I can testify to that statement. 

Though cool to watch, seeing this near-frenetic madness play out on stage ultimately begs the question: "Why are there only two guys in this band?"

"It's hard to find another person to get along with,"Papaleo explained, "Well, getting along with is the wrong word, musically getting along with is what I meant. Before we started Brontosaurus we were both in a band that had five members and it was hard to make everyone happy, so that ended and now we do this as a way to just make us happy."

And happy they sure seem. Though their set was only seven songs and around 45 minutes, it was a hard-driving, consistently dynamic performance that constantly toed the line between total sonic control and all out hysterics. Through pulsating keyboard leads, thundering beats, witty riffs, and harmonies so rich Mitt Romney's hair would offer them a tax break, Brontosaurus proved to be relentlessly exciting and enjoyable to listen to.

So what's next for Brontosaurus? "Well, we are actually working on our second album, and we will be doing more touring into the Winter," Papaleo explained to me, "We just want to keep pushing, to do this as long as we can, or really to do it until we can't."