Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
I arrived late at the Terrorbird’s showcase at the Bottom of the Hill, missing one of the more exciting bands to come out of the Bay Area, Exray’s. I ended up making it for a few of the more unusual bands that graced the sacred ground of the Bottom of the Hill.
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
One of those unusual acts were Seattle, WA country western group Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. They were good for what they are, which is a whiskey soaked, Johnny Cash/Hank Williams influenced ‘dark country’ band. Each song was riddled with jukebox cowboy twang and heavily galloping rhythms. Even their cover of Kraftwerk’s Pocket Calculator was laced with western influence, turning a few heads in the process. Brent was also joined by professional burlesque dancer Bunny Monroe, a member of the Seattle burlesque group, “Whiskey Baptism.” This made things way more interesting, besides who can turn their eyes away from a beautifully tattooed woman on stage with pasties? It fit the music well, even if the music wasn’t for everyone.
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[mp3] Brent Amaker and the Rodeo – (Kraftwerk Cover) from Please Stand By (Bonus) (2010)
Fol Chen
Fol Chen
Fol Chen
Next up was Highland Park sextet Fol Chen as they performed a handful of songs off their recently released sophomore album, Part II: The New December. They brought some funky beats as well as some beautiful and sparkly harmonies. After a while I ended up getting bored though. Something wasn’t connecting with me and I felt detached from the action on stage. I left and came back eventually to see if the feeling would subside, but I couldn’t invest myself into Fol Chen as much as I wanted to. However, the crowd up front did and seemed to seriously dig what Fol Chen was churning out. We’ll see where that takes them.
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[mp3] Fol Chen – In Ruins from Part II: The New December (2010)
Maus Haus
Maus Haus
Maus Haus
Finally was the audio onslaught of local art-pop act Maus Haus bringing their brand of exhilarating cyborg dance music for their legend of fans. If you’ve heard Maus Haus on record, you have an idea of their sound; loud, versatile, and aggressively rhythmic. The performance mirrors the music, with head banging and a highly energetic stage persona, Maus Haus absolutely destroys live. It’s visually and audibly insane with a perfect balance of pure electronic musicianship and psychedelic improvisation. They put on a strikingly good time and were a perfect closer for the night.
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[mp3] Maus Haus – Reaction from Lark Marvels (2008)
Maus Haus / For more photos from the show click the above picture