St. Helena rocked the house at Café 939 this past Saturday.

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

St. Helena, a Somerville band, ventured into Café 939 by Berklee and played to an enthusiastic crowd this past Saturday. Now is the time to catch up with the band (http://home.sthelenamusic.com/) that has planned this show as the second-to-last live event before an extended hiatus. Friday, August 10, will be their last show, at Cambridge’s Middle East, before a much-needed rest and retreat.

Megan Tracy, lead vocalist and keyboards, lives in Inman Square and Mike Ward, guitarist, lives in Somerville as well. Patrick Teahan is the other lead vocalist as well as a guitarist. Keith Wales does background vocals and bass, and James Willetts is the drummer, as well as a pleasant conversationalist who sat down in Allston’s Model to discuss everything from the sound of the band to Joss Whedon’s Hollywood frenzy and Trent Reznor’s contribution to Industrial Electronica.

He cites Tori Amos and Weezer as influences. The sound is definitely in the vein of Talking Heads, minus the performance art, with a tonal scope of the Proclaimers. Songs like E Chord from the EP Slow Jack, and Vertigo from Modern Tan, even touch upon the cynicism of Beck’s Mellow Gold.

But what do they bring to the table, you might ask? So many digits hit the keyboards of Tracy, it’s hard to keep track of them—lightning fast—they usher in the countering vocals from Mr. Teahan. The first thing that comes to mind with the second to last song performed, Vertigo, was can anyone cram this much music into their head?

Vertigo gets across a drunken stupor that forecasts a tremendous hangover the next day, but the effect is all hedonistic and joyous, a Viking celebration of boar and mead, a pub crawl, in and out of the bar, resulting in affairs of the night. In contrast, Forget About You is as sweet and tender as a children’s fable. Hansel and Gretel do find their stones and reach home: “And it still looks like a lot like I planned” sings Megan. “With Megan Tracy contributing tunes we gradually got familiar with what was a St. Helena song and what wasn’t,” says lead singer Ptrick Teahan.

Fortune Cookie from Slow Jack is a fusion of Weezer and the Proclaimers, an easy sell to filmmaker Wes Anderson for one of his soundtracks. There is a definite similarity between the tale of a derelict, at a loss for a lovelorn prophecy, with another cynical indie band of Boston, the Four Point Restraints. If one listens closely to the diatribe, there’s a resemblance in the song’s chastising to The Beatles’ Bungalow Bill. “All’s I can say is you’ve been uptight…and it’s alright with me,” sings the band for Fortune Cookie.

Café 939 is in Copley, adjacent to the Hynes Convention Center. “I thought some of the mic-ing onstage was a little overkill, but I do realize that it is partially a training ground for Berklee students, and they like to be prepared for every possible situation. I thought the hospitality was great and everyone was very professional, and the added bonus was the recording we received of the set at the end of the night,” says drummer James Willets. “I’ve gotten really positive responses from fans too about the sound and space,” says Mike Ward, guitarist.

“I’m a huge fan of playing the Red Room at Cafe 939. The sound is great. The room has a good feel and the staff is courteous and professional. Many of the staff members there are Berklee students, and they really do a phenomenal job,” says Megan Tracy.