Concert Recap: Washed Out with Memoryhouse

Washed Out started his expansive spring tour on a high note with a packed crowd at the Cats Cradle. Last time Washed Out (aka Earnest Greene) performed there was as an opener for Cut Copy, playing only a brief set. This time fans got to hear a mixture of 11 tracks, all from Life of Leisure (2010) and Within and Without (2011), which were rearranged for live performance. Additionally the audience got a more complicated lights display, and a band seeming more grown up since their last visit. 

Earnest Green performs alongside his wife, Blair 

As with any of Washed Out's songs, the echoing vocals melted into the dreamy synthesizer sounds. Blair Greene, Earnest Greene's wife, accompanied him on synthesizers, as did their bass-guitarist from time to time. Washed Out also featured a live kit-drummer but they were down one synth player since the last time I saw the band. Musical rearrangements and Washed Out's usual unintelligible vocals made figuring out songs a mere guessing game, but made the show more unique, nonetheless. They opened with "Echoes" from Within and Without while keeping the crowd moving with "Get Up" and "Feel It All Around", both from Life of Leisure. "Amor Fati" had fans clapping to the beat during a vocal bridge and Washed Out finished strong with an encore featuring "Hold Out" and "Eyes Be Closed".

Memoryhouse

Canadian trio Memoryhouse opened the show. Their sound was spot on with their albums. The crowd was very engaged and hardly said a word or cheered between songs, befitting of the mellow, sometimes somber feel of their songs. Lead singer, Denise Nouvion, played keyboards and her Canadian drawl carried through as she sang. The band openly promoted Sub Pop Records, attributing their tour with Washed Out to sharing the same record label.

Washed Out Set List

• Echoes
• Get Up
• Far Away
• New Theory
• Before
• You'll See It
• Soft
• You and I
• Feel It All Around
• Amor Fati
• Encore: Hold Out & Eyes Be Closed

Upcoming Show: Washed Out with Memoryhouse at the Cat's Cradle

Ernest Green aka Washed Out

Washed Out will be at the Cat's Cradle on April 16 with Memoryhouse.The last time I saw Washed Out he opened for Cut Copy at the Cat's Cradle. The performance was great, albeit short, leaving much more to be desired. I told my friends I felt that the next time he was on tour he would likely be the headliner. Lucky for fans, that is now the case. 

Washed Out is Georgia native Ernest Greene's stage name. He began creating music in his bedroom studio in 2009, moving up through the ranks of the music world via music blogs and MySpace. From 2009-2010 he released three EPs, the second featuring his most popular tune to this day (Feel it All Around from Life of Leisure). In 2011 he shook up the music world with the release of his first LP, Within and Without (Sub Pop Records), which peaked at 26 on the U.S. Billboard 200. Washed Out typically travels with an accompanying band so I would expect the same for this show.

Evan Abeele and Denis Nouvion of Memoryhouse

Opening the show will be Memoryhouse of Ontario, Canada. The band began as a multimedia project with classical musician Evan Abeele and photographer Denise Nouvion. The band features drums, echoing guitars, piano, synthesizers, and cello. Nouvion's smooth wispy vocals are pleasant to the ear, and when blended with Abeele's flanged guitars melt the music into a dreamy aerial bliss. Memoryhouse released their first LP, The Slideshow Effect in February 2012 on Sup Pop Records. They are indeed a band to watch, as they are sure to be the next big thing in indie rock. Tickets and info here.

Memoryhouse

Concert Recap: Neon Indian + Purity Ring

Purity Ring

It was a sold out show at the Cat's Cradle this Wednesday, as Neon Indian and Purity Ring fans got a megadose of low-fi synth-pop. Purity Ring opened the show and, given their talent, is sure to have someone opening for them next time I see them. Instead of relying on stage lights the DJ had a contraption rigged to his sampling equipment. The colors on the lights around his console corresponded to the beat and a large bass drum on the stage would light up during bass beats. Megan James' vocals were slightly haunting, though meticulously well-pitched, and married well with the DJ's almost spooky music samples and beats.

As the anticipation built for Neon Indian, a sea of flannel shirt-wearing fans wielding PBRs packed in around the stage. Neon Indian opened with "Local Joke" from Pyschic Chasms (2009). Much of the original music remained in tact, but some guitar leads were slightly lost in translation. They also relied on a drum kit instead of low-fi drum samples. The crowd responded well to the more popular tracks. The band played a long synth-heavy segue into "Pyschic Chasms" and the crowd began to move as the synth-bass line drove the song along. "Polish Girl" (Era Extraña, 2011) was also a huge hit and a segue into "Dead Beat Summer" made both tunes even better. Lead singer Alan Palomo even let the crowd sing the chorus. Palomo told the crowd there was one song left in the set but said that since we were "such a great audience" they would play on through the encore set, which included "Terminally Chill" and "Should've Taken Acid With You". All in all it was a great night of low-fi/chillwave, right in my backyard.

Alan Palomo (lead singer, synth)

Leanne Macomber (synth, vocals)
 playing a tune on bass

Upcoming Concert: Neon Indian vs. Miniature Tiger

Two great bands are headlining shows in separate venues just miles apart on the same night and I still haven't decided who to go see. Neon Indian will be at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, N.C. and Miniature Tigers will be at the Night Light in Chapel Hill.

Neon Indian

Texas-based Neon Indian is headlining at the bigger venue of the two and is a very tempting choice. The quintessential low-fi, chillwave group is sure to have concert-goers enthralled with their usage of classic synthesizers and looping gear. Opening act Purity Ring's beats go hand in hand with Neon Indian, and features a female lead vocalist to cut through heavy synthesizers and looping.

Miniature Tigers

Miniature Tigers, a Brooklyn-based indie-rock group, is headlining with several smaller but talented opening bands. Electro-punk group, The Chain Gang of 1974, and gritty surfer-rock group, Pretty and Nice seem like two interesting opening acts. However, I would most like to see San Francisco-based trio, Geographer. Their music falls somewhere between acoustic indie-pop/rock and electronic, and frontrunner Michael Deni's vocals are nothing short of amazing. I do worry that with three opening acts, each band will only get a short gig on stage though. Which show would you choose?

Purity Ring - Loft Cries
Neon Indian - Polish Girl
Geographer - Kite
The Chain Gang of 1974 - Undercover
Pretty and Nice - Tora, Tora, Tora
Miniature Tigers - Female Doctor