popwreckoning

Mad Rad, Das Racist and The Thermals brought the house down at the free Sasquatch Launch Party at the Showbox at the Market last night, where the lineup to the now four-day festival would be announced.

Put on by Livenation and Sasquatch creator Adam Zacks, the launch party was MC’d by Comedian Todd Barry, who kept the crowd entertained between sets with dry wit and some fake teaser headliners.

“If you love me now, you’ll love when I play a set between headliners Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and tickets are only $7!” Barry proclaimed sarcastically to the less-than-attentive crowd. But I guess that’s what you get when you have a free show.

After Mad Rad and Das Racist played their sets, the lineup was announced in a video like previous years, which was played twice over, most likely so people could get a second look because they were freaking out too much over the Flaming Lips.

So far the lineup includes:

Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, Modest Mouse, the Foo Fighters, Robyn, Wilco, Flying Lotus, Bright Eyes, Flogging Molly, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Das Racist, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Iron & Wine, The Flaming Lips.Black Mountain, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the Head and the Heart, Mad Rad, the Moondoggies, Noah & The Whale, Sam Roberts Band, Secret Sisters, Twin Shadow, Wye Oak, Tig Notaro, Smith Westerns, Rival Schools, Foster the People, Alberta Cross, S. Carey, White Denim, Washed Out, Gold Panda, Dan Mangan, Axis of Awesome, The Globes, Cotton Jones, Jaill, Basia Bulat, Other Lives, The Bronx, White Arrows, Pepper Rabbit, Talkdemonic, Rebecca Gates and The Consortium, The Young Evils, Bassnectar, Pink Martini, Cold War Kids, Old 97′s, Ratatat, Wolf Parade, Chromeo, Guided By Voices, Yeasayer, Beach House, Local Natives, Matt & Kim, Deerhunter, Mstrkrft, Trailer Park Boys, Sleigh Bells, Major Lazer, Skrillex, Fitz & The Tantrums, !!!, Archers of Loaf, Against Me!, The Thermals, Best Coast, CSS, Surfer Blood, Jenny & Johnny, Bonobo (DJ Set), City and Colour, Reggie Watts, K-Os, Gayngs, Tim Minchin, The Drums, The Radio Dept., Young the Giant, The Antlers, Sharon Van Etten, Villagers, Stornoway, Aloe Blacc.

Tickets go on sale on Feb. 14th starting at $79.50 per day and $285 for three-day passes.

Go to http://sasquatchfestival.com/ for more information or to purchase tickets.

It’s been my experience that the 9:30 Club in Washington is not the ideal place to see a dance band. Or maybe I have been going to the wrong shows? Monday night the club played host to the first night of Montreal electro-funksters Chromeo‘s Business Casual Tour. One look at the keyboard stands – women’s bare legs with red heels – should have immediately told you this was going to be an unusual gig.

The first of two opening acts was New York City-based Telephoned, a duo comprising of the mustachioed Sammy Bananas (that’s got to be a stage name, surely?) on turntables and electronics and the prettily coiffed Maggie Horn. It turns out Horn is a local D.C. girl, so the duo had plenty of friends on hand to cheer them on. The two take popular songs and give them their own spin. I’m not really a fan of the songs they “spun” – to give you some idea, their set included mishmashes of Rihanna‘s “Rude Boy,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ “Runaway,” and even their tour host’s, Chromeo‘s, “Night by Night.” Not really my thing, but there were plenty of people on the floor who disagreed. At one point, I was nervous as a man in a Don King outfit got into an argument with a girl who is a big fan of Telephoned as the two discussed their merits (or lack thereof). People: whatever floats your boat, to each his own, etc…

The second opener was Holy Ghost!, a band near and dear to my heart. Having seen them in June play to their fans at the U Street Music Hall, a venue specifically designed for dance music, I did not have high hopes for the 9:30. First there was a problem with the bass levels. Then there was a microphone wire problem. All in all, I have to say Alex Frankel (lead vocals / keyboards / additional percussion), Nick Millhiser (drums) and their two backing band members on guitars and synths did an admirable job despite the technical cock-ups that weren’t their fault. When it came time for “I Will Come Back,” all those equipment issues were forgotten as gig-goers gave themselves over to the beat. In the coming months and years, this will become every bit of a dance anthem as “Hold On” did for them at the start. Trust me. Dance bands often have too much in the way of exciting lighting going on around and behind them, and in the case of Holy Ghost!, less is definitely more. They didn’t have an elaborate stage set-up with them on Monday night, and they didn’t need them.

Holy Ghost! Set List
Say My Name
Hold On
It’s Not Over
Static on the Wire
I Will Come Back
New song (title unknown)

But Chromeo was who everyone had come to see at this sold-out show. My knowledge of them was limited to “Night by Night,” which had a very sexy promo video released last December. Appropriately enough, the focus is on the dancing. I knew they had two members – David Macklovitch (Dave 1) on guitar and lead vocals and Patrick Gemayel (P-Thugg) on synths and talk box – but assumed live they had to have more members, like Holy Ghost! Wrong. Gemayal had so many synths, even I lost count. For several songs he also wailed on bass, something I really appreciated. Macklovitch may be “the cute tall one” but Gemayel is the master onstage. Something I found strange: most of the duo’s songs are short, not what I would have expected for a dance band. It’s too bad they haven’t found more mainstream commercial success.

At the start, I wondered why Macklovitch was wearing sunglasses. Um, we’re in a dark nightclub, what gives? With a guitar, he had the opportunity to move around more than his synth-playing counterpart. I quickly learned that the sunglasses were to shade his eyes from the powerful light show that was going on directly behind the two of them. There was enough wattage on the 9:30 Club stage to land a jumbo jet. My eyes hadn’t been through such a workout since the Phoenix show at Constitution Hall in April. They granted us a short reprieve with “Momma’s Boy,” a tender but funny ’80s-sounding song that begins with keyboard effects and Macklovitch’s sweet vocals.

“Fancy Footwork,” the title track to their 2007 album release, had a bass effect so strong that I could feel the insides of my face vibrating. Not kidding. I tried holding on to the barrier, thinking this would dampen the effect. No such luck. Between this, the strobes, and the dancing-induced claustrophobia (including people’s limbs in your body and face), it was not a comfortable situation. Definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you’re in the mood for cutting a rug and don’t mind moments of temporary blindness, this would be the show for you. And good news for Chromeo fans: they do preview songs from their new album coming out in September, Business Casual.

Tour Dates
Jul 29 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City*#
Jul 29 – Love / New York City (afterparty / DJ set)
Jul 30 – House of Blues / Boston*#
Aug 02 – Capital Music Hall / Ottawa*#
Aug 03 – Phoenix / Toronto*#
Aug 05 – Majestic Theater / Detroit*#
Aug 06 – Lollapalooza / Chicago
Aug 06 – Official Lollapalooza Afterparty / Chicago (DJ set)
Aug 07 – First Avenue / Minneapolis*#
Aug 10 – Flames Central / Calgary*#
Aug 11 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver*#
Aug 12 – Showbox Market / Seattle*#
Aug 13 – Roseland Ballroom / Portland*#
Aug 15 – Outside Lands Music Festival / San Francisco
Aug 16 – House of Blues / San Diego*#
Aug 19 – Twilight Concert Series / Salt Lake City
Aug 19 – W Lounge / Salt Lake City (afterparty / DJ set)
Aug 20 – Ogden Theater / Denver*
Aug 24 – Stubb’s / Austin*#
Aug 25 – Palladium / Dallas, TX*#
Aug 26 – Cannery Ballroom / Nashville*#
Aug 27 – Masquerade / Atlanta*#
Aug 29 – Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles^
* with Holy Ghost!
# with Telephoned
^ with the Chemical Brothers and Yacht

Chromeo: website | myspace
Holy Ghost!: website | myspace | Friendly Fires / Holy Ghost! – 12” Split Single| Interview with: Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost! | @ U Street Music Hall
Telephoned: myspace

D.C. finally has a new, inviting dance club to call its own in the form of the U Street Music Hall. Just two blocks from the now world-famous Ben’s Chili Bowl, it has a façade so minimalist that you could completely miss it when you’re walking east on U Street unless you’re keeping your eyes peeled for it. This was the first show I’d ever seen there; the venue just opened on St. Patrick’s Day this year, with Belgian DJs/producers Aeroplane (known to me as the guys behind the popular remixes of Robbie Williams’ “Bodies” and Friendly Fires’ “Paris”) leading the welcome of the venue to our city. I was assured by the congenial doorman that the sound system was world-class (this makes sense, as five of the six owners of the place are DJs), the bartenders were nice (and that he was possibly the meanest person that worked there, which suggested the rest of the staff had to be super sweet), and the dance floor was reinforced with cork as to provide more support to dancegoers’ aching tootsies. All definite pluses.

Saturday night was the first Washington appearance of electronic dance duo Holy Ghost! Until last month, Holy Ghost! the live experience consisted of longtime friends Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser DJaying and spinning records. Holy Ghost! have just released an EP on DFA Records called Static on the Wire, and it’s their first official release despite having been together for a long while. Now after supporting their friends LCD Soundsystem on a North American tour, the two are on their first headlining tour of America with a three-member backing band. When the band was first booked for the Saturday night timeslot of 9 PM, I thought that had to be a misprint. But the venue’s website was clear on this, even encouraging everyone to show up early and not to miss the live set. Between the club and the band however, they made the smart decision to delay the set start until after 10 to allow for the club to fill up further.

Some guys up front at the show were definite diehards, yelling out “fuck yeah!” at the conclusion of each of the band’s numbers. “I Will Come Back,” the crown jewel of their recent EP, was a revelation live. It’s the audience participation, “raise your hands in the air like you just don’t care, and sway your arms from side to side” kind of song. Terribly difficult to write but somehow dance acts always know how to put these together perfectly, and Holy Ghost! is no exception. During the set, Frankel alternated between lead vocals, keyboards, and a percussion setup that looked especially impressive under U Hall’s lighting scheme, so when you watched him, it was like seeing a National Geographic time lapse film. Track “Static on the Wire” featured a drumming duel between Frankel and one of the backing band. Awesome.

And what is dance music without the mad beats? Nothing. Millhiser, wearing a t-shirt proclaiming “J DILLA CHANGED MY LIFE,” was inexhaustible on drums. I think it’s entirely possible that he could beat a drum machine in a face-off. At one point during new song “Slow Motion,” Frankel lost a drumstick and later another in the reckless revelry of hitting a tom. The devoted fans were also respectful, pushing the wayward drumsticks out of harm’s way (and out of the path of Frankel’s dancing feet), not shamelessly grabbing them as souvenirs as I’ve seen at other shows. When it came time for the band’s 2008 epic hit “Hold On,” bodies were bumping. Is the world ready for Holy Ghost! ? I think so.

Set List
Do It Again
It’s Not Over
Static on the Wire
Say My Name
Slow Motion
I Will Come Back
Hold On
New song (title unknown)

Tour Dates
Jun 24 – le poisson rouge / New York City
Jun 25 – Making Time / Philadelphia
Jun 26 – Club Vinyl / Denver (DJ set)
Jul 23 – Bushnell Park Pavilion / Hartford, CT
Jul 26 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC#
Jul 27 – Trocadero / Philadelphia, PA#
Jul 29 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City#
Aug 02 – Capital Music Hall / Ottawa#
Aug 03 – Phoenix / Toronto#
Aug 04 – Central Park SummerStage / New York City^
Aug 05 – Majestic Theater / Detroit#
Aug 06 – Lollapalooza / Chicago
Aug 07 – First Avenue / Minneapolis#
Aug 10 – Flames Central / Calgary#
Aug 11 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver#
Aug 12 – Showbox Market / Seattle#
Aug 13 – Roseland Ballroom / Portland#
Aug 16 – House of Blues / San Diego#
Aug 19 – Twilight Concert Series / Salt Lake City
Aug 20 – Ogden Theater / Denver#
Aug 24 – Stubb’s / Austin#
Aug 25 – Palladium / Dallas, TX#
Aug 26 – Cannery Ballroom / Nashville#
Aug 27 – Masquerade / Atlanta#
* with Altered Egos
^ with Hot Chip
# supporting Chromeo

Holy Ghost!: website | myspace | Friendly Fires / Holy Ghost! – 12” Split Single | Holy Ghost! Touring with LCD Soundsystem, Plans for Headlining Dates and Tour with Chromeo | Interview with: Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost!

(Author’s note: Despite my securing prior approval from Holy Ghost!‘s people to take photos at the show, U Street Music Hall has a no photography during shows policy. For live photos from their first-ever live gig on May 15, 2010, at Under 100 in New York City, check out this post at Tastes Like Caramel.)

Following their first-ever headlining gig at Under 100 in New York City, electronic duo Holy Ghost! have now announced a short tour of the Mid-Atlantic in June and a string of tour dates with Chromeo after a slew of European music festival appearances. There is also an appearance scheduled for Central Park’s Summerstage with Hot Chip. The band are currently on tour supporting James Murphy‘s LCD Soundsystem.

Holy Ghost! just released their Static on the Wire EP on DFA Records on May 18.

Tour Dates
May 25 – Koolhaus / Toronto*
May 26 – Metro / Chicago*
May 29 – Roseland Ballroom / Portland*
May 31 – Malkin Bowl / Vancouver*
Jun 03 – Fillmore / San Francisco*
Jun 04 – Hollywood Palladium / Los Angeles*
Jun 05 – Fox Theater / Pomona, CA*
Jun 08 – Stubb’s / Austin*
Jun 09 – Palladium / Dallas*
Jun 18 – Sonar / Baltimore
Jun 19 – U Street Music Hall / Washington, DC
Jun 25 – Making Time / Philadelphia
Jul 26 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC#
Jul 27 – Trocadero / Philadelphia, PA#
Jul 29 – Bowery Ballroom / New York City#
Aug 02 – Capital Music Hall / Ottawa#
Aug 03 – Phoenix / Toronto#
Aug 04 – Central Park SummerStage / New York City^
Aug 05 – Majestic Theater / Detroit#
Aug 06 – Lollapalooza / Chicago
Aug 07 – First Avenue / Minneapolis#
Aug 10 – Flames Central / Calgary#
Aug 11 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver#
Aug 12 – Showbox Market / Seattle#
Aug 13 – Roseland Ballroom / Portland#
Aug 16 – House of Blues / San Diego#
Aug 19 – Twilight Concert Series / Salt Lake City
Aug 20 – Ogden Theater / Denver#
Aug 24 – Stubb’s / Austin#
Aug 25 – Palladium / Dallas, TX#
Aug 26 – Cannery Ballroom / Nashville#
Aug 27 – Masquerade / Atlanta#
* supporting LCD Soundsystem
^ with Hot Chip
# with Chromeo

Holy Ghost!: website | myspace | Friendly Fires / Holy Ghost! – 12” Split Single