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Initially, I was super excited to see the amazing double bill of Class Actress and Violens at the Red Palace. Then I was saddened to learn that Violens had canceled. But then, my loves, I was happy once again. Once Class Actress took the stage and started the party, all was weller than well. Elizabeth Harper and her pair of strapping touring knob-twiddlers brought some serious sonic class to DC, and it was so very sexy.
To me, the music churned out by NYC's Class Actress is the very essence of 80s glamour, what with the stunning voice possessed by Harper paired with the big, synthy beats. It's a glacially cool combination. There's a giddy breathlessness to this band, under all the polish and gloss, a near-urgency to get their point across. Harper looked the part of the chic songstress, in her extravagant, smashing fur coat, oversized white button-down shirt, and black leggings. For some reason, I look at Miss Harper and think Dynasty. The band sounds nothing if not luxurious, perfect for tooling around in your convertible BMW with your lip gloss shining and your man's collar popped. And I mean that in the best way possible.
The beats in the songs (and the stoic stance of the two dudes) were the perfect foil to Harper's honeyed, sophisticated whisper. They were slinky, they were slick, and they were very hard not to like. This is music that smacks of yacht lounging and jetsetting. Harper is a more than able vixen, and the songs are a great homage to the dancefloor days of old french kissing the dancefloor days in which we live. Definitely check Class Actress out when you can, they're well worth your effort.
mp3: Terminally Chill (Neon Indian Cover) (Class Actress - buy stuff!)
[photo by Ryan Koopmans]
As some of you may recall, I went to quite a few shows last year. I was pretty burnt out after all of that, so I took a few weeks off, mostly for the purposes of getting more sleep. But then, along came a show I realized would be pretty dang silly to miss. And so it was that I found myself at the newly-minted Red Palace (Palace of Wonders + The Red & The Black) for the buzzy Eternal Summers. And all was joyous and wonderful. I'm beginning to think Roanoke, VA, might be a magical place, y'all. Every band I know of from there is dynamite. Eternal Summers is yet another offshoot of the Magic Twig Community, and features two of my favorite Young Sinclairs (Eternal Summers recently welcoming Sinclairs drummer John Thompson to the fold as bassist). After this set, I'm jumping firmly on the Eternal Summers bandwagon, and am hereby dubbing them my most favorite of the Roanoke & Rollers. The set, as I had been alerted to beforehand, was peppered with new songs the band was trying out. "Prisoner," "Cog," "Pure Affection," and "Child's Mind" should be on the new Eternal Summers EP (due out Marchish), and there were a couple untitled jams to boot. Each and every song, new or not-so-new, was delectable. Their sound, which to me falls in some delightful ether between 80s synthpop and 60s psych revivalism, with a sprinkling of that trendy surf thing, translated ever so well to the Red Palace stage. Even with a bit of a sore throat, Nicole Yun's voice was adorably enchanting, and Daniel Cundiff's rapidfire, thoroughbred drumming was deliriously good. The addition of Thompson to the group added immeasurably, adding another level of awesome to the songs. When they launched into my favorite track from the Silver record, "Silver," I think I might have gotten a chill. They proved to be kicky, fizzy, and rather sassy up there on the stage, and as they played I got the feeling that I was seeing a rather special band.And there you have it, dearest loves. Eternal Summers have my stamp of approval as one of the rootin'-est, tootin'-est, good time-est bands around. You will, without a shadow of a doubt, be infinitely happier once you've let Eternal Summers into your life. mp3: Pogo (Eternal Summers from Silver)
Dearest loves, the Steve Mason-ness just won't stop today! We've got one heck of a treat for you, yes you (well, you if you happen to be in the DC metro area or willing to come to the DC metro area on a Tuesday night, that is). We've got a pair of tickets, courtesy Domino Records, to see Steve perform song after glorious song over at the newly-merged Red Palace on Tuesday, December 14th. If that's not a reason to look forward to a Tuesday night, I don't know what is. All you need to do to win the tickets is holler at us and tell us why you should be the one who wins. We'll alert the winner the day before the show. So have at it, y'all. You've got until noon EST on 12/13. And good luck. mp3: Boys Outside (Keep Shelly In Athens Remix) (Steve Mason from Boys Outside)
