The Very Most, PETS, the Dirty Moogs and Hey V Kay @ the Crux (6/14/13)

I've always liked the Very Most, but I hadn't written about them in over a year.  This show attracted my interest for that reason and also because it celebrated the release of their new EP Just a Pup.  The presence on the bill of the Dirty Moogs, whom I also hadn't written about in a good while, and Hey V Kay, one of my favorite local acts, didn't hurt either.

I counted eleven people when I got to the Crux.  The audience would peak at about forty-five, by my estimate.  The Very Most didn't play until around 11:40, but over thirty people stuck around to watch them.  Pretty good.

Hey V Kay opened the show.  Karen Havey told the crowd up front that she'd come down with a cold and apologized if she sounded nasally.  Given her low, breathy singing style, however, I couldn't hear much of a difference.  Indeed, her voice, her melancholy tunes, her dance-worthy beats and Owen Havey's elegant guitar lines all sounded as irresistible as ever.  "Middle-Class Sweetheart" was as impressive here as it was at Treefort, and a frantic, intricately crafted new number matched both it and the older material.  The cherry on top was a swooning, disco-ish take on Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game."  I've said it before and I'll say it again: Hey V Kay needs to do a covers album.

The Dirty Moogs played next.  In keeping with the Very Most's sunny pop sound, the Moogs opted to twee things up here: tinkling keyboards, purposely dinky beats, even an acoustic guitar.  That the songs held up under the cutesification was a testament to their charm and craftsmanship.  Having Gia Trotter sing harmony on "Julie's an Android" was an especially nice touch.

After a DJ set by Discoma a.k.a. Jake Hite, PETS played.  I can't think of any other group that could call to mind both Beat Happening and the Ohio Players.  Melodic, buoyant basslines and smooth, steady drums anchored ringing guitar and high, murmured vocals.  I couldn't make out all of the lyrics, but what I heard didn't threaten to turn my stomach (not even the song about drinking apple juice).  Twee but funky: a very interesting combination.

Jeremy Jensen dropped a bomb near the end of the Very Most's set: he announced that this might be the band's last live performance ever.  That'd be too bad, but happily, he mentioned afterwards that they still planned to record.  Besides, they picked a good show to go out on.  The groove between Jake Hite's lean, swinging drums, Brion Rushton's driving basslines and the Jensen brothers' elegant, jangling guitars felt as lived-in and comfortable as your favorite sweater.  In addition to her usual gorgeous harmonies, Gia Trotter took the lead on "It's Not Unusual" and brought a nice bit of sultriness to it.  Last but not least, the melodies sounded as sweet and fresh as I remembered.  Congratulations indeed.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  If you like what you've read and would like to help keep it going, click the yellow "Give" button and donate whatever you can.  Even $5 would help.

Touche and Edmond Dantes @ Neurolux (5/1/13)

Like plenty of other music-savvy folks in town (I'm guessing), I was looking forward to catching Todd Snider at the Egyptian Theatre.  When the day came around, unfortunately, I didn't think that I could afford to put down the $28 for a ticket, great American songwriter or no great American songwriter.  My spirits didn't get too low, however: the couple of songs that I'd heard by Touche and the presence of Edmond Dantes on the bill persuaded me that this Neurolux show would be a more than acceptable alternative.

I counted about twenty-five people at Neurolux around 8:40 pm.  When Touche played, I counted ten people actively listening to the music.  Not unexpected but still a raw deal for the bands.

Edmond Dantes opened the show.  Actually, it may have been just as well that not a lot of folks saw this set. A new drummer, Magnum the boombox, made his debut here, and he clearly needs a bit of work.  He had trouble with one number, jumped the gun at one point and flat-out refused to play at another.  There was a false start or three besides that.  Still, once the music did kick in, it sounded as sexy as ever.  Andrew Stensaas's croon glided over the modest crowd's heads while Ryan Peck's bass eased the bouncy beats and infectious tunes down their ears.  Also, now that I know the lyrics (I've been playing their EP Etta quite a bit), I can state with conviction that yes, "I Don't Like You" really is a great song.

Magnum needs to work on his stage presence too.  Far too undemonstrative.

Touche played next.  Near the end of their set, a gentleman at the bar shouted for them to please come back, there'd be more people next time.  Here's hoping that they take those words to heart (and that the guy gets proved right).  Alex Lilly's breathy coo, playfully enticing stage act and terse, stinging guitar fused with Bram Inscore's shimmering synth hooks, percolating beats and viscous bass.  Their hard candy tunes and slinky grooves would've been enough, but when was the last time you heard a synth-pop band name-check Donald Fagen or combine vibrators with the obsolescence of labor?  Smartly sexy and sexily smart.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  If you like what you've read and would like to help keep it going, click the yellow "Give" button in the upper right-hand corner and donate whatever you can.  Even $5 can go a long way.

Maserati, Dark Swallows and Red Hands Black Feet @ Neurolux; Lost Weekend and Hedtriip @ the Red Room (2/28/13)

I hadn't heard much about Maserati, which would have given me reason enough to check them out.  The fact that they hailed from Athens, GA made them look promising, however.  So did the presence of local bands Dark Swallows and Red Hands Black Feet on the bill.

I counted about thirty people when I got down to Neurolux.  By the time that Maserati took the stage, the crowd had built to about a hundred.

Red Hands Black Feet opened the show.  I was glad to see them here since I'd been thinking about passing on their Treefort set this year (hey, it's not like I won't get to see 'em again, right?).  Anyway, this set gave me the opportunity to reflect again on just how far this band has come.  They've grown so comfortable and confident in their playing that this night's performance took on a certain stately grandeur.  It was as if the songs had become aware of their own greatness.  This doesn't mean that they sounded staid, however: some extra distortion and guitar embroidery here and some supple drumming there helped keep the older material fresh. The music was powerful enough on its own, but some flickering, twirling lights upped the intensity level another notch.

Great.  I might HAVE to see them at Treefort now.

Dark Swallows played next.  My eyebrow raised a little at the trumpet on their opener, but other than that, their somber tunes and their web of droning, howling guitars sounded as rousing and hypnotic as ever.  Maybe even more so, actually, thanks to the extra limberness in the bass and drums and the increased power in the vocals.  Mournful, fierce, beautiful.

Maserati closed out the night at Neurolux.  Rare is the group that can fuse Ministry with James Brown.  This band's percolating synth tracks, mind-warping guitars, sly basslines and ferocious, indomitable drums left me confused over whether to headbang or dance.  The crowd up front started off with a bit of the former but shifted more to the latter as the torrents of beats pounded into them.  Techno meets metal meets New Wave meets funk.  Stunning.

After Maserati finished, I staggered over to the Red Room to see if I could catch some of the show there.  I counted a little under forty people when I arrived.  Not too great, but not too bad.  At least the Maserati show didn't suck up all the show-goers/substance abusers this night.

I managed to catch the tail-end of electro-pop group Lost Weekend's set.  What I heard was definitely enough to make me wish I'd caught more.  Light, soulful vocals glided over layers of glimmering synth hooks and hard-driving beats.  Their songs were as catchy and dance-inducing as anything I've heard by, say, the Killers.  What's more, consultation with their Bandcamp recordings revealed some pretty sharp lyrics.  This band may hail from Winnipeg, but hopefully, we'll see them around here again.

Twin Falls electro-rock act Hedtriip closed out the night at the Red Room.  He seemed to have some technical difficulties early on, but once he sorted those out, his driving, intricate beats and riffs sounded as enjoyable as I remembered.  His set also featured new material that included--gasp!--vocals.  Should go over well at Treefort, I imagine.

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.

Flashlights, Shades and Lamont Kohner @ the Riverside Hotel (1/18/13)

Even if I had written about any of these acts before, I'd have still gone to this show.  For one thing, this gave me the chance to check out the Riverside Hotel's Sapphire Room, which I'd heard had fantastic sound but was pretty hard to get into.  Much more importantly, what self-respecting Boise music blogger would miss the Treefort 2013 Launch Party?

I counted over forty people in the lobby when I arrived.  I'd count about sixty inside the Sapphire Room when the show started, and there'd be many more people there by the end of the night.

The Sapphire Room turned out to be aptly named: it had low blue lights and gem-like domes on the ceiling.  I walked around before the show and scoped out the jazz albums on the walls (Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.).  Pretty darn classy.  I had to laugh, then, when I saw the crates loaded with PBR tallboys behind the bar.

Hey, you gotta cater to your crowd, right?

Lamont Kohner a.k.a. local musician Patrick Benolkin kicked off the show.  His sinuous, moody, tripped-out beats helped set the tone for the rest of the night.  They got some help from some typically inventive and mysterious antimagic montages.

Up next was Shades.  I was glad to finally get to see this local chillwave group again, especially since their music sounded about as good as I remembered.  Smooth 80's synthesizer beats and riffs, chiming guitars, charming tunes.  What really gave the whole package liftoff, however, was frontman David Mikkleson's enthusiastic stage presence (did some mild strutting and headbanging) and plain but pleasant tenor moan.  The lyrics weren't Cole Porter, but these days, I'll settle for a notch or two above coherence when it comes to younger groups.  Besides, the music did exactly what it was supposed to do: it got the people dancing.

Denver electro-pop duo Flashlights closed out the night.  I know that all dance music is supposed to be about sex on some level or another, but damn--this stuff actually felt like gettin' it on (or preparing to or, at the very least, hoping to).  It helped that their singer knew enough not to put his clean, strong, politely soulful vocals through any undue shows of prowess.  It helped too that their layers of steady beats and glimmering hooks had an enticing softness and airiness to them.  When combined with antimagic's tailor-made montages (pulsating lights, sparkling squares, clouds, dancing 80's ladies), Flashlights' music worked a fresh angle on disco's inevitably broken promise of endless pleasure.

Not long into their set, Flashlights invited a couple of ladies onstage to dance.  At the end, the stage was overrun.  A sign of things to come at Treefort, perhaps?

You can find info on these acts on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.  Special thanks also to whoever picked up my bar tab.

Geographer, On An On and Hollow Wood @ Neurolux (1/16/13)

Up until this show, I'd never heard of Geographer or On An On.  Also, I remember that Hollow Wood played Neurolux last August on my birthday, but... Well, let's just say that I wasn't able to make a proper assessment at that time.  Anyway, these two facts gave me sufficient reason to check out this show.

I got down to the Neurolux late, but happily, quite a few others didn't.  I counted over ninety people, half of whom were up close to the stage.

Hollow Wood opened the show.  I only caught the last few songs of this local folk-ish group's set, unfortunately, but what I heard didn't sound bad at all: yearning melodies, gorgeous harmonies, intriguing lyrics, pretty good beats (courtesy of Lyndsay Wright and Shelby Juri), welcoming vibe.  Lead singer Adam Stip sounded a little hoarse at a couple of points, but judging from the band's recordings, he may have just been a little under the weather.  In any case, he still pulled out a pretty sweet falsetto here and there.

On An On played next.  This Chicago group's dreamy vocals, supple basslines, post-punk dance beats and synths of many colors washed over the crowd.  The geometric shapes, whorls and spirals projected on the wall behind them augmented the hallucinatory feel of the music.  I know that it's pretty damn lame to say that I wished that this set could've gone on an on, but... well, there's just no way around it.  The rest of the crowd seemed to feel the same: I saw the people closest to the stage do some swaying and bouncing.

Geographer closed out the night.  I'll admit that I feared the worst when I saw this San Francisco-based band set up their electric cello.  However, they won me over well before they broke out some charmingly cheesy 80's synth riffs and hip-hop beats.  Mike Deni's gliding, souful croon combined with Brian Ostreicher's lithely pounding drums and Nathan Blaz's moaning cello and beguiling synthesizer tracks to create a sound that was at once massive, dramatic, playful and strangely wistful.  Atmospherics weren't all that they had going for them either: their quirky songwriting showed as much pop savvy as any group I've heard in the past few months.  And boy, they sure knew how to work the crowd.  People were doing plenty of dancing and clapping to the beat on their own, but between his bouncing around the stage, crowd-surfing and hopping down to sing among the audience, Mike Deni had them eating out of the palm of his hand.

You can find info on these groups on Facebook and elsewhere online.  Special thanks to Eric Gilbert and Duck Club Presents.