Most bands would kill to have a lead singer like Marian Ladenberg of the Tacoma indie-pop five-piece You Yell You Kick, who will release their debut EP this weekend at The Den.  She can sing.  She can write.  She’s charismatic.  And she looks the part too.  So how did guitarist Derrick Robinson find her?

“Actually, we met on craigslist,” says Robinson.

Robinson, who studied classical guitar at Western Washington University, grew up practicing several hours each day and missed the rigors of rehearsing and performing.  He needed a band, so he posted an ad.  He had just two stipulations: no metal and no pretentiousness.  He listed bands he liked and waited to see what would happen. 

Ladenberg, a lifelong singer who had worked in the music industry in Portland after college before returning to her hometown, Tacoma, had always wanted to start a band.  When she saw Robinson’s post, she wrote that she thought they were perfect for one another. No metal and no pretentiousness suited her just fine, even if Robinson’s influences did not.

“I had Deerhoof at the top of my list, and she hates Deerhoof,” recalls Robinson. “She had a monster boner for Of Montreal.”

Of Montreal wasn’t really Robinson’s thing, but he decided to give Ladenberg a chance anyway. Good thing.

“When I met Derrick, I musically fell in love,” says Ladenberg. 

It’s partly a case of opposites attracting. While Ladenberg has a penchant for simple, catchy melodies, Robinson craves complexity.

“Marian will go, like, la la la.  And I’ll go, ‘What was that?  1-4-5?  I don’t want to hear it!” 

Backed by Matthew Wright on keys, Chris Lewis on bass and Douglas Wheeler on drums, the result is a sound both unexpected and familiar. 

Ladenberg says to expect the unexpected this weekend at The Den.

“I’m all about the showmanship and doing weird shit onstage,” she tells me.  She even tried trivia once, which Robinson says didn’t go over too well.  This time she’ll do prizes.

So no trivia?

Before Ladenberg can say maybe, Robinson emphatically says “No!”
No metal.  No pretentiousness.  No trivia.

[The Den @ urbanXchange, CD release with guests, Saturday, Nov. 21, 8 p.m., $4-$5, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]