| Nuart show rocks Valentine’s Day |
|
|
| Written by Gus Simpson - Argonaut | ||||||
| Tuesday, 17 February 2009 | ||||||
|
Saturday night brought a diverse array of indie rock to Moscow’s Nuart
Theater, where Stereopathic Music presented Sundance Kids in concert
with Yarn Owl and Jubilee.
To begin the evening, the members of Seattle-based Jubilee danced their
way onstage while singing a capella fanfare. Curtis Romjue, the bearded
frontman, strapped on his guitar, leaned into his microphone and said,
“Y’all here for a rock show?” The band supplemented traditional guitars, drums and bass with varied instrumentation including cello, synthesizer and a lap steel guitar. This produced a complex, layered and diverse brand of indie folk, complete with three-part vocal harmonies. Romjue’s wife, although not at Saturday’s show, usually contributes vocals and plays keyboard. Romjue took a break halfway through the set to explain the band’s mission. Jubilee, which bills itself as a “non-profit band,” is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The band donates 50 percent of its T-shirt and CD sales and 10 percent of its booking fees to the International Justice Mission, a human rights group that fights international slavery and child prostitution. After much applause for Jubilee, Pullman’s Yarn Owl took the stage. All four members of the band are current students at Washington State University who met through WSU’s student radio station KZUU. Javier Suarez, vocalist and guitarist, greeted the crowd with a smile. “Thanks for spending Valentine’s Day with us,” Suarez said. “You’ll find love here.” The crowd, already warmed up by Jubilee, really engaged in Yarn Owl’s set. An enthusiastic group of about 15 people gathered at the front of the theater to watch the performance, which blended sparkling, jangly guitars with Suarez’s delicate, high vocals. Sundance Kids, from Olympia, rounded out the evening. The trio’s minimalist instrumentation featured only an electric guitar, bass, sparse drum kit and a xylophone. Singer/guitarist Shelby Turner provided lilting, yet aggressive vocals. The crowd, although it had dwindled after Yarn Owl’s set, responded well to the band’s dynamic performance, cheering after every song and laughing at Turner’s self-deprecating dry humor between songs. Sundance Kids has played in Moscow twice before at Mikey’s Gyros, although with different members. Turner said the band has been through a rotating lineup, himself being the only constant member. The show sponsor, Stereopathic Music, is a local music promotion agency run by Larson Hicks. He described Saturday’s concert as “happy folk, maybe even folk-country … nice and sweet.” Hicks said Stereopathic exists to “put Moscow on the map for bands, agents and fans.” He says he wants to create enough demand for a viable music-only venue in Moscow and is working hard to achieve his goal. Stereopathic has already booked several artists to play in Moscow this spring, including Broken Spindles, Helio Sequence and Laura Gibson. Hicks is particularly excited about the Helio Sequence show slated for Feb. 28 at the Nuart. Helio Sequence is signed to Seattle’s Sub Pop Records, home of bands like Fleet Foxes, The Shins and Iron and Wine. Hicks hopes if the Helio Sequence show goes well, it will open the doors for even bigger names to come to Moscow. All information about Stereopathic’s upcoming shows can be found at its Web site, www.stereopathicmusic.com.  Add as favorites (66) | Views: 955
Write Comment
|
||||||
Moscow, ID | |||
| |||
| More... |
