BigYawn

Ft. Reno offers a lot of wonderful opportunities to see your favorite DC band play outside in a park, see lots of little kids and dogs, and gawk awkwardly at high schoolers running around everywhere. This year the lineup contains many more bands I don’t know then actually do. Which is ok, I’m going to hang out and have the music in the background, not be focused like some sort of fanboy. And for the purposes of the 333 Bands project, Ft. Reno offers an easy way to see lots of bands for free! I don’t really discuss costs in my reviews, but they add up. Bless the hearts of press folks everywhere who have been nice enough to let me in for free to see their bands play, especially those whose bands I then went on to trash pretty soundly. A free ticket is not a guarantee of a good review, that would be so very Washington, DC of me. I have no intention of going to dignity jail.

The Sweater Set(118), the very first band to play Ft. Reno in 2009, was one of those above mentioned unknowns. The ladies play good picnic music, which is nice because that is exactly what I was up to. I joked that they were Lilith Fair types, but the reality is, only if the Lilith Fair took ladies who played flutes and kazoos. Did they?

As I have mentioned before, jam music is not my thing. To that end, I have developed a short list of words that if they appear in a band’s name, I should avoid them, simply on principle alone. The list is: project, trio, odyssey, groove, funk and occasionally duo. It never fails me, and I have been lucky enough to avoid various low-level jam bands I was unfamiliar with simply by keeping a close eye on their band name. Virtually an exact science. But, free is free, so I saw Funk Ark(119).

I’m not sure when this “funky” sound became ok in DC, but clearly the 18th St. Lounge is to blame. Of the big name venues in DC, only the 9:30 Club would even book jam bands until recently. Now even the Black Cat books a random jam show now and then. Because of timing, the band played an abbreviated set, which I was obviously ok with. Not that I don’t think these guys are talented, it just frankly bores me to death. Nuff said on that.

I’ve seen Pash(120) a couple times, mostly due to their relationship with Exit Clov. They dish out pretty mainstream indie-pop, occasionally approaching indie rock on some songs. There is nothing amazing nor terrible about these guys, they are simply a working class band that has made some pretty solid strides. They’ve gained some very good national exposure and moved from their original hometown of Fredricksburg, VA to DC to pursue further gold. WOXY loved their last album, The Best Gun and they have toured somewhat nationally. Hooray for them.

The show, eh, it was ok. Apparently their first gig in quite some time, they seemed to still have it. Their members are in various other bands, which always causes concern about band longevity, at least in my humble opinion. Guess we’ll have to see.

“OMG, OMG, it’s Phoenix(117), it’s Phoenix!!!”

I don’t get it. Why there was such a wave of fan jubilation over the return of Phoenix this year, I cannot figure out. Not only have their albums never really wowed me, but I also don’t remember anyone else being particularly in love with them either. So, either I was just sleeping on these Frenchies or there are a whole lot of bandwagon fans out there. Part of the issue in DC might have been the fact they were playing a small club considering their popularity, the Rock and Roll Hotel, instead of a more fitting venue like the 9:30 Club. I understand that part, but was still over-whelmed by the amount of positively jizzing fans.

Amazing Baby(116) are some sort of blog-buzz wielding band apparently, but call me highly unimpressed. They did play to a packed crowd, but that had everything to do with Phoenix and not them.  Amazing Baby are yet another band heavily reliant on reverberated vocals as their main hook. This seems to be happening more and more, and leads me to wonder if reverb is turning into indie rock’s version of the auto-tune, the defacto go to for anyone who is anyone in hip hop, despite Jay-Z’s call to end the reliance on the cursed machine. But, like the auto-tune, a well placed reverb can make for quite the difference maker. Not so much with Amazing Baby, who still sounded rather generic. I see that they are now headlining shows in DC. Predictable and sad

Once again the heat was oppressive beyond human limitations at the Rock and Roll Hotel, this time apparently because Phoenix’s drummer was chilly with the AC blowing on him. Oh so rock and roll, and he’s not even permanent. I once again stood way in the back, still sweating by balls off. I’ve discovered that there are not many bands that would really require me to be in the middle of the hot and sweaty mob, especially on a night like this. Of that short list, Phoenix is not.

But, I really came into this with an open mind. I re-listened to the new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and was not all that impressed, but still had hopes the live show would hold up better. And it did. But no where near to the degree required to make me see what so many others are now seeing. I liked how they picked up the tempo live, really made the songs move more, both in speed but also in energy. Very much in your face stylistically, which I did appreciate far more than the way it sounded on record.

And the DC crowd actually came to play. Even with all the enthusiasm I was hearing for this show, previous experience tells me the crowd will always stand around staring at the band. But, happily proven wrong here, the energy on stage absolutely translated into the audience, and considering the heat, an even more impressive feat.

I’m not sure what is about Phoenix I don’t like. They make solid pop music, I can’t deny that, and Thomas Mars’ vocals are great, perfect for the band’s sound. Hey, sometimes, it simply isn’t your thing. No harm no foul on this one, and I can honestly say it was a good show, which regardless of the band or how well I like them, is all that matters.

I ended my employment with 4-H two days before seeing these guys. I say that only to mention I might have had other things on my mind. They were playing at the Bullpen, a sort of bar out in front of Nationals Park. I think the only reason it is there is because the development of apartments and shops that was supposed to be there ran out of money. So they now had a big empty lot right by the front gates, which is of course exactly what you want to see outside a brand new stadium. To be fair, the “bar” isn’t much more than a tarp over pavement. But the beer is cheaper than in the stadium, so, bonus.

Virtually nothing stands out to me about this band, as I spent most of the time seeing how fast my girlfriend could throw a pitch. I think it was 32 mph, for the record, though I doubt the accuracy of whatever technology sits behind the clown’s mouth. I know I saw four songs, and one was a cover, I think. But that’s it. If it seems like I am bailing on this review, I guess I am. Would you rather I just make something up?

Of all the venues I imagined visiting multiple times this year, La Maison Francaise was not one of them. I was shocked to even have been there once. Those damn French musicians!

If you don’t know the back story of Nouvelle Vague(114), they play chanteuse-like covers of various new wave hits, hence their band name. Their style move from out of control bossa nova stylings — see the photo on the right — to more quiet torch song renditions. With two front women whose voices more or less coincide with the style of the songs, there is a certain yin and yang to their live show. With Nadeah Miranda, you tend to have the more upbeat versions, a little dancing, and often some gyrating — again, see the photo on the right. Take their version of “Blister in the Sun” for example. While Nadeah did not record it with the band, she performs it live, and the seemingly near 6 foot tall Australian tackles the 60’s pop stlye the band does with a certain, je ne sais quoi? On the flip side you have the gorgeous soft-voiced Melanie Pain, who tackles the slower more, um, “reserved” songs like “Master and Servant.” Of course, she also sings the lead on the cover of the Dead Kennedy’s “Too Drunk to Fuck.” Which, if you ask me the band took a tad too far. Yes, it is cool we’re sitting in the French Embassy chanting “Fuck!”, but it get’s a little old by the third time through.

How no one has come with this idea yet is beyond me, because the list of new wave songs this band could make their own is truely endless. The musicians masterfully rework the individual tracks to fit their style, and really almost come up with new songs altogether, to a point you cannot easily make out what some of them are. And the mix of both uptempo and slower songs made the set seem to flow seamlesly, without boring you with too much of either. I have to say, I’m really looking forward to seeing what French artist might be coming to La Maison Francaise next. Can you say, Daft Punk?

What can be said about the Delran High School Golden Regiment Marching Band(113) that hasn’t already been said? The famous infighting, the parties at the after hours clubs, the drugs, and that damn sex tape scandal that practically shut the whole program down. Kids and their damn cell phones!

Hopefully I don’t get any upset e-mails from parents on this one, but no, that I’m aware of, none of the above has actually occurred in Delran, NJ related to their high school marching band. But, the band did play at Citizen’s Bank Park before the game I was there to see. Phils versus the Red Sox, and the Sox kicked their ass, for the record. The band quickly did their thing and flew threw “America the Beautiful,” Grand Old Flag” and something else I cannot remember, perfectly capturing all I needed for this review.

For that I thank the young men and women of the band, and I hope they are paying attenion to their studies and not letting band culture control too much of their life. Because that always ends badly…

No offense to Octaves(109), Knife the Glitter(110) or The Number 12 Looks Like You(111), but this entire evening belonged to the Dillinger Escape Plan(112). Their performance on this night was likely the most intense show I have ever been to. I could talk about the crowd; packed to the brims at the Rock and Roll Hotel. I could talk about the sound; earsplitting. I could easily bitch about the temperature; over a 100. I could try to explain the smell; anyone who goes to the Velvet Lounge on a regular basis can probably share my pain, or maybe you are the cause of it. But none of the above could give a proper tale of what went down on this fine night. At least not without also talking about the ferocious wave of energy that took over a venue like I have never seen. Granted I don’t go to a lot of hardcore/mathcore type shows — if this even counts as one — but I would be willing to bet anyone in that crowd would have a hard time talking about a crazier show.

Lead singer Greg Puciato, pictured above pummeling that kids face at this very show, was quite simply insane. If you’ve never seen DEP before, just know that he screams. A lot. In fact, the lyrics aren’t discernible, at least not at the live shows. But what you can’t make out with your ears — which should be heavily plugged up anyway, for God’s sake! — you are surely covered on the visual stimulation. Crowd diving, jumping on monitors and amps, literally swinging from the speakers, Greg has little regard for his personal well being. He also appears to be ripped like nobody’s business, so he could probably handle himself in case of a fall or audience altercation. When you add in the smoke machine, and the humidity beading up on my glasses, it was hard to focus on the music, there was simply too much going on up front. This was a small venue for the band to play, Greg even remarked that they usually play Baltimore, so they were able to take advantage of all available real estate and then some. The bartenders were climbing on top of the bar to try to see what was going on, there was that many people packed up front. I was surprised, amazed and a lot of other things, but I stopped just short of peeing my pants. Still, take this from someone who was not a big fan of the band; you need to see them, even if there music is not your thing. But bring an empty bottle and prepare yourself for one of the craziest shows you’ll ever see.

A band like TV on the Radio(108) can at times  make me feel uncomfortable and often, insecure. It is not that I think they are so much smarter than me, or that they experience music on some higher level, though I know both of these things to be true. It really comes down to the fact that even if I had a phd in indie music theory, I would still miss all the little intricacies in their music. It can be tiring.

I’m not second guessing their decision to bring along Dirty Projectors(107) on this tour, the pairing actually seems fairly obvious. I just wish they had brought someone along I could actually figure out. Dirty Projectors fit the descriptor noise pop very well. What they are doing is obviously pop music, but how they get there is a little unconventional. While the harmonies and even the hooks are there, in between is a lot of uncharted territory, what I might call Sonic Youth pop. Wonky time signatures, fuzzed out instrumental solos, I really don’t know what to make of this band. The one thing that does stand out to me is the vocals of the lead female, forgive me for not knowing her name. They absolutely shine above the  — at times — rather brutal crowd of sound. Seeing the band live makes me want to hear again how they sound on record, but doesn’t make me want to rush out to do it.

TV0tR pull from a cornucopia of styles, including soul, funk, surf, bebop and good old fashioned indie rock. They never decide on being anything short of complicated, making that a style all their own. Well, theirs and Shellacs. TVotR isn’t beach music anymore than Joyce is beach reading. The difference hear is that on first listen, TVotR sound rather accessible, while Joyce is a mind-fuck from page one. I remember hearing Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes for the first time and thinking how it was a great pop record. But then I paid attention to songs besides “Staring at the Sun.”

This performance was no different, pulling equally from all three of their albums. The music is so vocals driven, Kyp Malone has the range to do anything from hip-hop to the most soulful of ballads. I imagine he could scream it out with the best of then if that was what was called for. I was equal parts awed and stunned. Sounds redundant, but while the former refers more to an appreciation, the latter simply means “hunh?”

I cannot help but wonder though, if this band is simply too good for their own good. Are they losing fans because no one quite gets what they are up to? Are their fans simply hanging on cause that is what you do? You don’t abandon Radiohead when they sound like blenders whirring, would you give up on TVotR when they are at their most obtuse?

Yes, TV on the Radio are college-rock, but more the master thesis set than the frat party crowd. Finally somone has taken the audience Guided By Voices relenquished years ago. I for one ended up with simply a BA in English. Suddenly my anxiety makes complete sense.