Join The Marathon with special guest DJ Cat Dad for an evening of meticulously recreated ’80s New Wave favorites.
When this band performed at Billy’s a few months ago, I heard about it for days. If I’d known the lineup would be packed with the soundtrack of my youth, I probably would have been there. Instead, I did what I apparently do best: miss something great and hear about it afterward.
I’ve been threatening to see frontman Atom Mikrut’s band for a while, but the timing never quite worked out. Either I couldn’t stay out late enough or circumstances conspired against me (including one memorable evening involving a bar server who forgot to deliver my drinks — a story for another day).
You may know Atom from his solo project Edison Kitt, a name mysterious enough that it doesn’t exactly reveal what kind of musical adventure you’re in for. I’ve also known him socially for years, which always creates a dangerous situation: What if someone you genuinely like makes music you don’t like? Sometimes it’s easier not to know.
Fortunately, that’s not the case here.
Atom is one of those creatives who carries himself with a little bit of celebrity swagger. I recently caught him flying back from Southern California, and between the hair, the threads and the shades, he looked like he could have just walked out of a recording session, a meeting with an A&R exec at Capitol Records or some other very LA kind of business. Did that actually happen? I have no idea. Yet there he was — another familiar face from the G-Rap making the rounds.
I caught up with him over Facebook Messenger (where else?) to talk about his newest project, the enigmatically named The Marathon.
“The Marathon performs meticulous full-band recreations of songs from New Order, The Cure, Information Society, INXS, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds and many more,” he says.
And that set list? It’s basically a love letter to my 18-year-old self.
The Marathon’s lineup of 30 ’80s New Wave hits includes these personal favorites:
- “Just Like Heaven” — The Cure
- “Just Can’t Get Enough” — Depeche Mode
- “Under the Milky Way” — The Church
- “I Melt With You” — Modern English
- “Hungry Like the Wolf” — Duran Duran
- “Bizarre Love Triangle” — New Order
- “Don’t You Forget About Me” — Simple Minds
- “Love My Way” — Psychedelic Furs
- “Pure Energy” — Information Society
- “In a Big Country” — Big Country
- “Enjoy the Silence” — Depeche Mode
- “Don’t You Want Me?” — Human League
- “Take On Me” — A-ha
- “The Promise” — When in Rome
- “99 Red Balloons” — Nena
- “Always on My Mind” — Pet Shop Boys
- “Safety Dance” — Men Without Hats
And many more.
The only one missing is “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. Consider that a request, Marathon man.
The band encourages costumes, too — although when I asked if that meant something along the lines of Princess Leia in the gold bikini, my question was met with the digital equivalent of crickets.
Fair enough.
“’80s New Wave! Sometimes we have costume contests… skipping that this time tho,” Atom says.
And he sends me this:
The Marathon performs Saturday, August 8, at The Intersection, 133 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Grand Rapids. Doors open at 6 p.m., DJ Cat Dad takes the stage at 7 p.m., and The Marathon begins at 8 p.m. The show is 18+. Tickets are $10 at the door or available in advance through The Intersection HERE.
