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

Artist Review (Forecastle Preview Edition): Galactic

With all the great bands set to play at Forecastle in Louisville, KY this summer, one band that I am looking forward to seeing is a New Orleans-based funk/jazz band Galactic.

Their music has a lot of energy with roots of Cajun music mixed with many other genres, such as, hip hop, electronic, world music, rock, blues, and jazz. Many songs feature contributions from artists of various genres, giving Galactic an even more unique sound.

Galactic has been around since 1994, having released nine LP's since that time along with live albums and music on various soundtracks. However, I only started listening to Galactic in college when I got a hold of Ya-Ka-May in 2010 while working at WRFL 88.1 FM. They released another album just after Mardi Gras this year titled Carnivale Electronics. The album has a lot of Cajun and funk influences, which makes listening quite enjoyable. The band has a lot of passion and energy in their music and that energy is sure to carry over into their live performances. Galactic consist of 5 regular members, Robert Mercurio, Jeff Raines, Richard Vogel, Stanton Moore, and Ben Ellman, however, I can see them inviting many other artist to play with them during their performance at Forecastle.

I couldn't think of a better place than to see this band perform than outside on a warm, summer day. Galactic is scheduled to play on Saturday and I will be there ready to dance to some great tunes. You should join!

Heart of Steel - Galactic

Cineramascope - Galactic

Dark Warter - Galactic

Voyage Ton Flag - Galactic

Hey Na Na - Galactic

Carnival Time - Galactic

Concert Recap: Dr. Dog

The best thing about going to a live show is hearing a band play that one song you thought they picked just for you. Dr. Dog did just that for me several times at Headliners in Louisville, Ky. Their set list consisted of many great tunes from their discography, past and present, and it felt like they knew what songs I personally wanted to hear.

My friends and I were fortunate to purchase our tickets beforehand, as tickets sold out 30 minutes before the opening band even started (a surefire sign Dr. Dog is becoming quite popular). The opening band, Purling Hiss, was not the kind of band I was expecting to open for Dr. Dog. They were talented musicians, however, I was not impressed by the genre. The lyrics were poorly written and relied too much on heavy, shredding guitars in each of their songs. I was releived when they were done and people started setting up the stage for Dr. Dog, which was a pretty interesting setup.

The crew rolled out a stage setup that reminded me of a high school play: a bedroom wall with interesting posters, a fake Siberian tiger head, and a window with stars and a waning crescent moon in it. I loved the setup from the moment I saw it and the crowd began to get excited about what was soon to come. I knew then that it was going to be a great show. 

Dr. Dog started the show off with a fantastic song, "That Old Black Hole", from their new album, Be The Void. However, they only played new songs occasionally, going back to their older albums and pulling out great songs like, "The Breeze", "The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer", "Shadow People", "From", and "I Only Wear Blue". While I wish they would have gone back a bit further and played songs like "Ain't It Strage" or "The World May Never Know", it was great to hear the songs they chose. They also picked great new songs such as, "These Days", "Heavy Lights", and "Do The Trick". However, my favorite song ("How Long Must I Wait") off of Be The Void was not played, leaving a small void in my concert experience.

Although they didn't play "How Long Must I Wait", I consider the show a great success and I left feeling very satisfied. Dr. Dog has such great songs to sing and dance to live that anyone who sees them live will have a great time. I met up with a friend of mine who had only heard their new album, however, he loved listening to all their songs and he danced along with me, enjoying their old tunes as much as me. So, next time you have a chance to see Dr. Dog live, take anyone who enjoys good live music and loves to dance--you will not be disappointed. They will be back in Louisville at Forecastle Music Festival in July!