at Capitol Hill Block Party 2009

As I approached Block Party from Broadway on day two of Block Party, I heard the rising wave of Hey Marseilles on the main stage. Upon entering, my half hung over self was immediately swept up in their orchestral swell. Their performance only got better and better until the last song where their improvised musical meanderings became overwhelming.

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at Chop Suey

The lineup at Chop Suey on Saturday night was uneven. It started strong with Grant Olsen’s project away from Arthur and Yu. The country twang of his songs was subsumed by The Moondoggies harmonies ringing out behind Olsen’s slow, almost spoken, singing. The songs were tight and the bass hooks kept even their simplest songs interesting. This didn’t sound like a side project.

Next, Black Whales played a derivative set accompanied by an epilepsy-inducing light show. Song by song, Black Whales delivered tunes that wore their influences on their sleeve. The extra toms and cymbals next to the full drum set seemed superfluous, as the main drummer was the best part. The band seemed to flounder for a distinct sound, something that would make a listener say, “hey, isn’t this Black Whales?” Rather than ask if it’s The Stones.

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at The Comet

At one point, they pulled out a sitar. A SITAR. Who has one of those, much less knows how to play it??

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