Starfucker is on the road again. So is the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000. I recently caught the cleverly named poppers in both Seattle and Chicago. I saw Starfucker twice before on their Fall 2008 tour, once in Washington DC (blog post here) and again several weeks later in Seattle. Over the winter Starfucker added a full-time drummer, Keil of Guidance Counselor, and recorded an EP titled Jupiter.

Starfucker live at Empty Bottle in Chicago, IL. April 17, 2009.

Starfucker 2.0 is a major improvement. Readers of this blog and Blog Mule will note that I loved Starfucker in their 3-piece format. Adding Keil as a dedicated drummer frees up Shawn and Josh to contribute more live instrumentation to the performance. An additional keyboard or guitar allows the band to rely less on pre-recorded parts, significantly enhancing the energy of the show. Mix in an expanded repertoire and you’ve got a ripe version of Starfucker.

Ryan and Josh at Empty Bottle in Chicago.

Shawn at the Vera in Seattle.

At the heart of Starfucker is multi-instrumentalism. Shawn, Ryan and Josh effortlessly glide between guitars, keyboards, turntables, vintage electronic equipment and percussion. At times the band is even comfortable using each hand to play a different instrument.

Shawn and Ryan battle it out on the keyboards in Seattle.

The Seattle leg of this Starfucker tour happened at the all ages Vera Project. The Vera can be a strange place to see a show. If the tweens aren’t feeling it, they’ll stand around awkwardly and maybe even sit down on the floor. Fortunately for Julie and me (both of us are a good decade+ beyond tweenhood), the crowd was ready to get rowdy.

Vera Tweens.

The tweens got so carried away with Starfucker that they actually crowd surfed. Ryan, Starfucker’s frontman, felt the love and jumped into the audience himself.

The battle continues in Chicago.

I rolled into the Empty Bottle in Chicago with an entourage three cabs deep. I cruised over with Scott, an old Chicago pal, and an even older G Rap friend, Chris Brown (Vice President of Brown Industries). Fellow Loyola alumni Ross and Cara joined me, along with my brother Aaron, sister Betsy and cousin Derek. David and Austin, both of Seattle fame, were in town for the weekend and joined the throng. I even convinced Jon Caldwell and his lovely girlfriend, Dana, to get down to Starfucker.

Since I was surrounded by so many friends and family, I only took a few photos of the Chicago performance. I was too busy making sure the Aupperlees, the Loyola Ramblers, the Strengholts, the executives, the market makers, the Boeing employees and their muses were doing whatever you should do at Starfucker. Towards the end of the set, the Chicago crowd warmed up a bit and busted a move along with us. Ryan even jumped off the stage during “Medicine” and incited a small dance riot. Starfucker is a fun band that plays fun, clever music. Seldom do 10 of my friends, let alone from different geographies and backgrounds, all agree on music. Making an accountant, journalist, fashion designer, law student and Lynden native dance proves Starfucker must be on to something.

After the show I caught up with Ryan and Keil. They graciously signed a shirt and humored my stories about seeing them in different cities. Ryan even gave Chris a sincere consultation about which size t-shirt to buy. Can somebody please post photos of Chris wearing his new fashions at Gardellas? Since they are selling the not-yet-released-and-excellent Jupiter EP, a few of us picked up the new record too. Aaron promptly sat on his copy in the cab ride home and broke it—good thing I can send him the mp3s.

For more pictures from both Seattle and Chicago, visit my Flickr set—or watch the slideshow below. Also be sure to check out Julie Harmsen’s excellent photos from the Seattle show. Most of the photos featured here are shot with the Nikon D300 camera and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. At least one picture was composed with the Nikon 35mm f/1.8 DX and the extremely wide photos are courtesy of the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. To compensate for the low light, these lenses were shot wide-open with ISOs of 1600 to 3200.

Last night Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground played the recently re-opened Crocodile in Seattle. Croc 2.0 is gorgeous. The back bar is huge and well staffed; it didn’t take long to get a PBR. All the fixtures and finishes, from the balcony to the men’s room, are first class. The new, wide stage also suited Kay Kay’s large ensemble perfectly.

I counted 11 members in the troupe for last night’s performance. A violin, melodica, euphonium, lead guitar, trumpet, bass, backing singer and drummer joined the familiar of core of Phil on cello, Kyle on keys and Kirk fronting the band and playing guitar.

The Crocodile features an amazing lighting setup. Unfortunately, no one ran the board during the set. The band was draped in red lights for the entire performance. While the lights were bright and covered the entire stage, I found it difficult to create a variety of styles with my exposures. What I didn’t realize was that the harsh lighting acted as a de facto red filter. The results I pulled off my memory card were ripe for creating black & white images in post with Adobe Photoshop CS4′s calculations feature.

Most of Kay Kay’s set comprised of songs from their debut album, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. The performances were as tight and polished as ever. After several of years of playing together, the band makes executing a near flawless performance look easy while still being relaxed and having fun on stage. The whole ganged stomped along in unison at the end of “Simon Courage Flees the Coop” and at one point Phil even bowed his cello while laying on the floor.

Kay Kay also debuted several new tracks from their forthcoming album, Introducing Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. Songs included “My Friends All Passed Out” (mp3), “Diggin” and a song that I think is titled “Dirty Motherfuckers.”
[audio:http://www.trentdrum.com/mp3/MyFriendsAllPassedOut.mp3]

I was near the front for most of the show. Ask any “taper” and they’ll tell that the optimal sound in any given club is where the audio guy runs the board. Since the recording medium I chose was visual, not audio, I compromised and got near the lip of the stage. With the main speakers behind me, I heard a mixture of the live band, monitors and house PA echoing off the back wall. The sound was still pretty good, and certainly better than being up front at The Moore. Once I moved a few feet back, the room sounded great. For a club, I still think Neumos has the best sound anywhere in the room. If you disagree, feel free to leave a comment and tell me how wrong I am.

Find links to Kay Kay’s blog and listen to more tunes on their MySpace page. Visit The Crocodile’s website here.

BONUS: Michigan State University, Seattle Campus

Before Kay Kay ever took the stage, several Spartan Seattleites gathered at Spitfire in Belltown. The Michigan State men’s basketball team staged one of the greatest March Madness comebacks in recent history. Despite the fact we were only steps away from the Space Needle, the amount of green and white present made the bar feel like East Lansing. Thankfully, it still smelled like Seattle.

Overheard: “That’s just like the flag my roommate hung in our Brody dorm room.”

Overheard: “I’d totally murder a Wolverine for some Big 10 Burrito right now.”

Overheard: “The last time I was surrounded by this many excited Spartans I was at The Dollar.”

“We did it, man.”

Watch a slideshow of all the photos here and a few others at Flickr.

This is not Half Yogurt. This is PWRFL Power. The last time I saw Kazutaka Nomura, he was his other alter ego, Half Yogurt. From what I can tell, Half Yogurt is Kaz’s solo electric guitar performance vehicle. Add vocals to that and you get PWRFL Power. Of course, you can read his blog at http://www.halfyogurt.blogspot.com/. There he boldly pronounces that PWRFL POWER is HALF YOGURT. Whatever you call him, or he calls himself, it’s the same brand of inventive guitar finger-picking and quirky lyrics.

Kaz and his audience.
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Kazutaka Nomura is a Seattle based musician. Originally from Japan, Kaz splits his time between the Northwest, New York City and Washington DC. I caught his act earlier this month at the Velvet Lounge in DC. The Velvet Lounge is a tiny bar with a performance space on the second floor. My advice is to grab a PBR tallboy downstairs and bring it up with you—using the 16 ounce version will cut down on trips back and forth between the stage and the bar.

Kazutaka Nomura.
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As a composer, Kaz’s guitar work is fascinating. He opened with a thoughtfully constructed instrumental (solo electric guitar). He cleverly weaved together several themes while spanning a wide dynamic range. By highlighting subtle nuances throughout song, Kaz organically accelerated the urgency of the piece. He created a tension, whispered a hint of relief, but did not resolve the conflict until the finale. The packed room at the Velvet let out a collective sigh, and then warmly applauded. The rest of his set featured more frenzied guitar work, but added Kaz’s simple vocals and odd lyrics. The most entertaining part of the night might have been his goofy banter in between songs. He explained that one song was about “Alex 5,” an old, broken bong. Another song was about how he had hooked up with a girl in New England, and then the next morning went to a diner where her mother worked. While some criticize this deliberate “cutesy-ness,” I think it works for him. Watching a PWRFL Power/Half Yogurt set is like walking into a room at a house party where a guy is playing guitar for five or six people.

Also, last time I saw Kaz (as Half Yogurt), he was not selling any merchandise. To make up for this, he offered to sell his guitar for $700. He said he was not kidding. This time he did have merch for sale, although it wasn’t for “gas money” or the normal reasons bands sell CDs and t-shirts. He told he us he didn’t really care about the money; but he’d like it if you bought the CD and learned the songs. This way we could sing along with him next time.

The light at the Velvet Lounge was SUPER low. Most of these pictures were shot wide open at ISO 3200 (click the EXIF links to see for yourself). I used what has become my standard concert setup: Nikon D300 set to Neutral. Matrix metering or spot/center weighted average metering if the light source is behind the subject. Max ISO set to 1600 or 3200 with a minumum shutter speed of 1/60. Close up shots – Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Wide angle – Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.

The Velvet Lounge. Washington DC.
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View a slide show of the above images and several others from that night.

On my 27th birthday (September 14, 2008), the Spiritualized tour rolled through Seattle. Unlike most bands that play Neumos, Spiritualized parked buses, not vans, on the street outside the Seattle club. After nearly two decades of music, front man Jason Pierce and Spiritualized at least deserve the extra leg room and air conditioning that a luxury tour rig provides. It had been at least six years since my last Spiritualized concert. Chris Brown and I drove to Detroit and Chicago during the early part of the decade to witness Spiritualized live. While the performances were great, I’ll never forget a girl in the audience who sat on the floor and read a book during an entire show in Detroit.

Jason Pierce.
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Sharat accompanied me for this particular evening. After hanging out on the roof of Sharat’s girlfriend’s place, we grabbed a quick bite at Elysian Fields and arrived at Neumo’s in time for the opener, Grand Ole Party (see below for picture). GOP rocked, despite only playing to about 3 people at the beginning of their set. Kristin, the lead singer and drummer, acknowledged the slim audience by saying, “we’re glad to be here, we just wish there were more of you.”

Bass player of Spiritualized.
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The crowd began to fill in during GOP’s set. By the time that signature Spiritualized tone pulsed through the speakers, Neumos appeared to be at about capacity. The Pure Phase-era tone continued while each band member made his or her way to the stage. The white noise filling Neumos was the same tone the band used six years ago; as if to establish some kind of sonic continuity.

Keyboard player of Spiritualized.
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Once assembled, the band ripped into “Amazing Grace.” Ironically, the name Spiritualized suggests something very religious despite their rather psychedelic origins. It’s not that Spiritualized engaged in some kind of paradigm shift; their music has always been other wordly and spiritual. The earlier stuff (Pure Phase, Lazer Guided Melodies) was certainly more drug influenced. Lyrics like “good dope, good fun… hey take it right now” raise little doubt about the primary source of inspiration. With 1997′s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, a transition began to take place. While the band still crafted mind bending psychedelic rock opuses; a humbler, more heart felt timbre emerged. By 2001′s Let It Come Down and 2003′s Amazing Grace, Pierce’s compositions and lyrics directly confronted issues of grace, spirituality and salvation. Compare the obvious drug anthems of a decade earlier to “Lord, can you hear me? Can you hear me at all?” Spitirualized’s most recent release, Songs in A&E, blends soulful and delicate gospel influences while still paying homage to Peirce’s overdriven guitar, psychedelia roots.

Guitarist of Spiritualized.
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Before the show, I told Sharat not to expect them to play “Ladies and Gentlemen.” It is best not to have an expectation that a band will play a song that is more than 10 years old. You think Bobby McFerrin likes singing “Don’t Worry Be Happy”? Probably not. Much to my delight, about three-quarters into the show the band delivered a very stripped down, yet still beautiful, version of the aforementioned song. Visit Spiritualized’s MySpace to listen to this track.

Drummer of Spiritualized.
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In addition to the signature tone, Jason Pierce is also well known for standing to the left side of his band. He never looks at the audience and often wears sunglasses.

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As an encore, Spiritualized played an incredibly powerful version of “Lord Can You Hear Me?”

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I like this photo because of the cloud of smoke above Pierce’s head. I don’t think I need to explain the symbolism here.

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Another signature Jason Pierce move: the end of show hand clap. As the band exits the stage, Pierce turns to the audience and claps his hands. This is the only time he makes eye contact with the people for which he is performing.

Spiritualized Setlist. Seattle. September 14, 2008.
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Btw, you’re welcome, Julie Harmsen. You’ve been waiting patiently for months on these photos.

Watch the slide show below to view more photos of Spiritualized and Grand Ole Party.

Thanks to The DCist and Black Plastic Bag, two possibilities were ahead of me on Saturday night. Even though I have only lived in DC for a little more than a week, I’ve already found several blogs to monitor. While neither inspires a “Sharat+Brooklyn Vegan” type relationship (my heart still belongs to Line Out), both provide timely information about hip happenings around The District. Shows were going down at The Black Cat and The Red & the Black. Since I saw Starfucker last month at the latter, I chose to attend the former.

The Black Cat. Washington DC.
Nikon D300. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. EXIF.

I punched the Black Cat’s address into the GPS and attempted to navigate the criss-crossing one-ways and roundabouts of Washington DC. As the Garmin announced I was “arriving at destination,” I noticed cop cars surrounding the block. I counted 10-15 cruisers, a police van and a fistful of DC’s finest. I briefly considered aborting the mission, but I then realized that with all these cops around–it must be safe! I parked the Altima a few blocks away and took a simple setup with me. I slung the D300 and 11-16mm over my shoulder and put the 50mm f/1.8 in my jacket pocket.

Since I arrived a little early, I had a chance to check out the venue. The main stage is directly upstairs from the box office at The Black Cat. It is a good size room with a low ceiling, flanked by bars on either side. A few concert goers mingled in a lounge area with tables and chairs at the back of the hall.

Michael Nau leading Cotton Jones.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8. EXIF.

That’s not Steve Zissou with a guitar; it’s Michael Nau of Cotton Jones. They were the first band on the bill and possibly my favorite of the three.

The five piece ensemble is lead by Michael Nau, whose earnest vocals are complimented by organist Whitney McGraw’s delicate singing. Without getting into a musical taxonomy discussion, I’d call Cotton Jones indie-alt-country-folk. While I enjoyed their entire set, the last tune resonated with me hours after the last band left the stage. Click “Man Climbs out of the Sewer” to hear this beautiful song.

Whitney McGraw of Cotton Jones.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8. EXIF.

The Cassettes.
Nikon D300. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. EXIF.

Up next were Washington DC’s The Cassettes. These guys were pure energy. The show opened with all the stage lights shutting off and scenes from an old Western projected on a backdrop. The four piece band took the stage and launched into their own brand of frantic rock.

Shelby Cinca of The Cassettes.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. EXIF.

Shelby Cinca leads the band on guitar and vocals. Stephen J. Perron Guidry supplies backing vocals, accordion, synth and other instruments. On drums is Saadat Awan and Arthur Harrison plays theremin. Nearly every song The Cassettes played featured theremin–an early electronic instrument that adjusts pitch and volume by sensing where the musician’s hands are in proximity to two antennas.

Arthur Harrison of The Cassettes plays the theremin.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. EXIF.

Before closing the show, Shelby announced that the last tune was about a Navajo warrior who came back from the past, or from the future, took a look around at the United States of America and decided things needed to be reset. He realized he needed to hit the “reset button.” He dedicated the song to that Navajo warrior and “Barack Obama–because I like that guy.” Best way to get cheap applause among 18-35 year olds: name drop Barry Obama. The hipster sprinkled audience at The Black Cat obliged Shelby and let out a yelp when they heard the President-Elect’s name. As the cheer died down, The Cassettes ripped into “Countach,” the final song of their set. True to the bygone era of 1980s excess that the title implies, The Cassettes had coordinated images of Lamgorghini Countachs to be projected behind them while they played.

Jesse Elliot of These United States.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. EXIF.

Shortly after The Cassettes wrapped up, headliner These United States situated themselves on stage at The Black Cat. Band leader Jesse Elliot looks like a gritty cross between Robin Pecknold of Seattle’s Fleet Foxes and my buddy Andy Fitts of Aqueduct and The Banyans. Sonically, These United States are twangier than most music I come across in Seattle. Similar to Cotton Jones and My Morning Jacket, These United States display some obvious (and appreciated) country influences.

J Tom Hnatow of These United States on pedal steel.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. EXIF.

I noticed a pedal steel guitar on stage when I first arrived earlier in the evening. Since I did not know much about the bands, I wondered when I’d get to hear it. Cotton Jones took and left the stage without touching the pedal steel; likewise for The Cassettes. With These United States, finally someone took a seat behind the Derby. J Tom Hnatow gracefully glided along on the pedal steel, but also played bass and a Fender Telecaster at times.

Whiskey Shot.
Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. EXIF.

Jesse Elliott is as charismatic a band leader as they come. He regularly engaged the audience in goofy banter in between songs and at one point asked if anyone had “whiskey they were not currently using.” The guy behind me yelled up to the stage, “this is whiskey and water–here you go!” Jesse took the glass and thanked him. After the next song, that same guy bought whiskey shots for everyone in the band. Jesse and company raised a toast before continuing to inspire the toe-tappers and ho-down dancers in attendance that night.

Normally, I shoot the D300 in Matrix Meter mode. Matrix gives great results 98% of the time, but it was severely underexposing my subject when I shot directly against stage lights. In the frame above, I used the Center Weighted Average meter. Unlike Matrix, Center Weighted Average does not try rescue overly bright parts of the background (stage lights). Click the “EXIF” links below each picture to see the settings I used on that particular shot.

These United States.
Nikon D300. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. EXIF.

At one point in the set, the drummer played a tune on harmonica. The rest of the band gathered around while continue to accompany him.

Nikon D300. Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. EXIF.

These United States announced this was their last show of 2008; however, I’m looking forward to catching them again once 2009 is upon us.

To see more photos of Cotton Jones, The Cassettes, and These United States, check out the slideshow below.

Several weeks ago I was in Washington DC on a house hunting trip. Coincidentally, Portland electro-pop-rockers, Starfucker, were also in town. Starfucker, one of the best band names ever, is touring the country right now in support of their self-titled debut record, Starfucker. Fortunately for everyone, Starfucker’s music is just as (if not more) fun than saying the name of their band (Starfucker).

The Red & The Black. Washington DC.

Lots of Gear.

On Sunday night the Fleet Foxes played a homecoming concert at The Moore Theatre in Seattle. Their MySpace page had this date on the tour listed as “The Moore (scared).” The five scraggly members of the Fleet Foxes had little to fear; all 1400 or so seats seemed to be filled with friends and family. Lead singer Robin Pecknold even announced that all his elementary school teachers were in attendance. Although not as ambitious as Justice trying to play the Garden, expecting the humble Fleet Foxes to fill a venue like The Moore is no modest feat. The fact that the box office had a “SOLD OUT” sign plastered on its window Sunday night is a testament to the love Seattle has for these guys. The flawless, seventy-five minute set that ensued did more than entertain; it transformed the vast Moore into a cozy, intimate room. There might have been 1399 other people at the show, but it felt like it was just me and a few dudes with beards playing guitar and singing.

I met up with Sharat, Desiree, Tom, Nick and Laura at Mama’s Mexican Kitchen. Even though we were just having a few margaritas and burritos, our night with the Fleet Foxes had already started. Josh Tillman, Fleet Foxes’ drummer, sat a few tables away. Our gang headed up the block to The Moore where we met Julie. As we walked into The Moore, I saw Casey Wescott (mandolin/keyboards) chatting with a bouncer at the door. Every once in awhile, an event occurs that transcends its description. Similar to Kay Kay’s album release at the Triple Door earlier this year, Sunday’s performance was more of a community gathering than a concert—it just happened that the Fleet Foxes were the entertainment.

The Moore from the lower balcony.
According to HistoryLink.org, The Moore first opened in 1907.

Frank Fairfield.

Frank Fairfield opened for the Fleet Foxes. He nervously shuffled out, sat down, and immediately started playing. No introductions. Singing songs from the Americana tradition, Frank alternated between guitar, banjo and fiddle. Although slightly awkward, Frank’s performance was earnest and heartfelt; he performed much of the set with his eyes closed and face obscured behind the giant microphone. Frank’s roots music prepped the palette perfectly for the stew about to served by the Fleet Foxes.

Robin Pecknold.

The Moore warmly greeted the Fleet Foxes as the five members situated themselves on stage. Rather than immediately launching into a tune, the band got comfortable and casually tuned up. Someone yelled out, “you rock!” Robin jokingly responded, “you think this is good, wait until we start playing.” Another audience member piped up, “so what’s the deal, do you need to grow a beard to get into this place or what?” This caused the band to laugh and take a few good natured shots at Skyler, their lead guitarist and only clean-shaved member. The humorous back and forth with the audience continued throughout the show and contributed to the intimate nature of the evening.

Christian Wargo and Josh Tillman.

For the opener, the band launched into a perfect a cappella version of “Sun Giant” with mesmerizing four part harmonies. They seamlessly slid into “Sun Rises” next. Compared to the last time I saw the Fleet Foxes (CHBP 2008), this performance went “sans instruments” more often.

Skyler Skjelset.

I had to employ a slightly different method to photograph this concert. Normally, I can get very close to the stage at venues like Neumos or Chop Suey. Being close to the action allows me to use fast, short lenses like the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8. Since I was camped out in a reserved seat in the balcony, I had to use my slow-ish Nikon 18-200mm VR to get close. The maximum aperture opening at 200mm is f/5.6. To get a decent shutter speed, I let the Auto ISO float up to 3200. Nearly every image on this page is at ISO 3200. If you are curious, you can see all the meta data for each photo by clicking it, and then selecting “More details” towards the bottom of the right column.

I love seeing the band perform “Ragged Wood.” The “whoa-ohhh-ohhhhhhhhhs” are sung so powerfully it appears that Robin dislocates his jaw.

The most endearing part of the night was easily Robin’s solo performance on the edge of the stage. For the encore, he came out alone and unplugged his guitar. Approaching the lip of the stage, Robin announced to the audience that he wanted to try something. He sang and played “Katie Cruel” with no amplification or microphone. Despite being just a decibel or two softer than the PA volume, I heard every word and guitar riff with crystal clarity.

If the sight of Robin standing is not enough for you, he actually played electric guitar on their new song, “Silver City.”

Casey Wescott.

Josh Tillman.

The band closed with a stirring performance of “Blue Ridge Mountains.” The live version of this song encompasses everything that is quintessential Fleet Foxes. It begins with delicate harmonies before gentle acoustic instruments weave into the mix. Hints of percussion are sprinkled amongst the polyphony until Josh crashes the cymbals with tambourines in both hands. At this point, the tune builds in intensity while Robin’s lyrics poetically evoke the emotion of familiar scenery: “In the quivering forest, where the shivering dog rests.”

This photo is featured on Line Out, the Stranger’s music blog.

Driving home from the concert, I shared with Tom, Sharat and Desiree that I felt like there was no better place to be in Seattle than at that show. As far as concerts go, the Fleet Foxes are probably the best I will see in 2008. Personally, their performance on Sunday night is one of the best musical experiences I have had in years. Nick thoughtfully summarized that “it was clear they were having a blast up there, and were truly happy to be playing at home; the energy was contagious.” Not only was the joy palpable, but for me this show helped define what it is I am doing here in Seattle. It was the culmination of everything I love about the Northwest: incredible friends, great music, breathtaking natural beauty and, of course, getting to monkey around with my camera.

What’s better than free live music? Not much—although getting drunk to help kids might be close. Local bars and spirit makers sponsored a week in Seattle known as “A Drink for the Kids.” On certain nights, participating establishments donated a portion of their sales to The Vera Project, an all ages music venue in Seattle. The week culminated in a music extravaganza at Neumos on Saturday, October 11. New Zealand’s The Ruby Suns opened up with Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band playing second before headliner Tokyo Police Club. Julie won a couple of tickets from The Stranger and took me along. I, of course, invited the Nikon and a few lenses.

Honestly, I know nothing about Tokyo Police Club. I stayed for a few of their tunes—decent stuff, lots of energy. The real reason I was excited about the show was Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band (and getting tanked for the kids). Regrettably, I missed their “debut show” at Neumos late in July. Prior to this coming-out-concert, no one knew much about them. They released a series of peculiar YouTube videos that featured members of the band, but not their music. A few songs eventually appeared on their MySpace page; including the infectious “Who’s Asking?” Whether or not the band deliberately intended to create a buzz, Blogville USA went all “Apple Macbook/iPod/iPhone rumor-like” and started disseminating predictions of what exactly Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band would be. The band even got another blogworthy group, Seattle/Tacoma’s BOAT, to open up for their debut. The verdict? According to the local Seattle music press: overwhelmingly positive. Phew—it would have been a shame if a band this quirky and fun turned out to suck. And thanks to Julie Harmsen and “getting loaded for the kids,” I can confirm that they do indeed f-ing rock.

I was well into “tying one on for the kids” when MSHVB took the stage. All four male members of the group came out in identical vests, which seemed to be culled from the same fabric conspicuously seen in their videos. The lone woman of the group also donned a matching poncho-esque version of the curtain. MSHVB launched into “Who’s Asking?” which along with smoke machines and lights got Neumos rocking.

“Getting crunked out for the kidz” seemed especially appropriate considering that MSHVB has a tween, Marshall, on the drums. He did an excellent job on stage—especially in light of the fact that everyone else in the room had at least 10 years on him. In addition to demonstrating maturity and professional musicianship, it is obvious he possesses a true percussion talent. He is already at the level of many rock drummers in Seattle; and given his youth, he could quite possibly become one of the best.

To photograph this show, I used my standard setup of a Nikon D300 with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. To get meta data on the photos, just click on a picture to go to my Flickr page. There you can read about focal lengths, apertures and ISOs to your heart’s content. I did try something new—I turned the exposure compensation down by a third or two-thirds of a stop for most of these shots. Stage lights seem to produce hot spots, and dialing in a negative EV helps even out the exposure a little more. I like the results and will probably continue to do this for concert photography in the future. Also, all the photos here were made with the “Neutral” picture control setting of the D300. Although I am normally tempted to crank up saturation, stage lighting provides plenty of color.

I am looking forward to hearing more from Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. Their music is well written and catchy, and there is no lack of energy in their performance (as evidenced by the blond-blurs in the photos). A full length album is in the works, but in the meantime they are touring around the Pacific Northwest and California (according to their MySpace). Go see them in:

• San Fran on December 2
• LA on December 3
• Salem on December 6
• Seattle on December 7
• Portland on December 9

The Ruby Suns.

The Ruby Suns were fantastic. I knew nothing of them before the show, but I quickly got into their music after several songs. They combine several different styles and boil it into their own Auckland inspired, percussion heavy confectionery. If you happen to be in Europe, go see them this November. They are touring with an Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 favorite, The Dodo’s!

DOUBLE BONUS: Quirky MSHVB Video

Fleet Foxes at the CHBP Mainstage.
Nikon D300. Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens @ 11mm.
Program Exposure. 1/320 sec @ f/9. ISO 400.

I first heard the Fleet Foxes on MySpace. Like Grand Archives did before releasing their self-titled debut; fellow Sub Pop artist, the Fleet Foxes, streamed their entire record before being available for purchase. I connected my computer to the home theater and turned it up while cleaning the kitchen one Friday afternoon. Even my roommate at the time, Jon, immediately blessed the music with his approval.

“Who are these guys?”
“The Fleet Foxes. They are from Seattle.”
“I like.”

Then the P4k review came out. Then the blogosphere went nuts. The rest is modern alt history. Needless to say, my expectations of this newcomer indie-super-group were high going into Block Party. Within notes of starting the set, their four-part harmonies immediately began tugging at the heartstrings and sending chills up my spine. The band drew their set list from Fleet Foxes and their earlier work, the Sun Giant EP. Lead by Robin Pecknold’s powerful lead vocals and fueled by the quintet’s precise musicianship, each song received an earnest and original performance.

Skyler Skjelset of the Fleet Foxes.
Nikon D300. Nikon 18-200mm VR lens @ 105mm.
Program Exposure. 1/200 sec @ f/7.1. ISO 400.

Not that I’m trying to come up with a soundtrack to my life, but the Fleet Foxes’ music evokes a quintessential Northwest essence. If I wanted to get vulnerable with yall, I might describe certain days in Seattle as ‘being just like that one Fleet Foxes song.’ Fortunately for Grand Rapids, you don’t need to book a flight to the Emerald City. They are on tour right now! Go get a little piece of Seattle at the Ladies Literary Club on October 9. Chicago: go to The Metro on October 12. Since there’s no baseball in St. Louis right now, why not head to the Fox Theater on October 13? I hear they are playing with another little Seattle band that night. Anyone in Denver [slash] FORT COLLINS that knows what’s best for them will be at the Oriental Theater on October 15. And of course, Seattle… I will see you all at The Moore on October 19.

The Fleet Foxes recently released a music video for “He Doesn’t Know Why.” I first saw the clip earlier this week on Seattle’s premiere music blog, The Stranger’s Line Out. It just so happens to feature my favorite animal ever.

It kind of reminds me of this time my dad and I didn’t make a music video for the Fleet Foxes. We were just ‘horsin around’ with the goats, yall.

Andy, Dave, Samson, Delilah & Beulah.
Sometime during the early years of Reagan’s first term.
Ada, Michigan.
Photo courtesy of Dave Aupperlee.

Check out several more Fleet Foxes pictures and other photographs on my Flickr site.

Two months ago it was not raining in Seattle. Another one of Seattle’s delightful cliches happened to be center stage: music. The annual Capitol Hill Block Party took over the intersection of Pike & Broadway during the last weekend in July. I, with camera in hand, hit the two day festival with Sharat (among others). In addition to a great lineup, the weekend was sufficiently stocked with hipsters, hipster altercations (the now infamous Peter-chair incident), Girl Talk nonsense, and PBR.