The Elected @ Triple Rock 7/3/11 (Concert Review)

I found a spot in the Triple Rock's parking lot on Sunday.

Blame it on the fact that the Black Keys were in town playing a sold-out show at Roy Wilkins. Blame it on the holiday weekend. Blame it on it being a late show on a Sunday night. Any way you look at it, the turnout for The Elected's return to Minneapolis was about 1/3 of what my high-school ska band drew for our final show at the Foxfire over a decade ago. There weren't even 50 people there...and that was including the bands.

With that knowledge, one would expect a weak "go-through-the-motions" type of show. Frontman Blake Sennett (of Rilo Kiley and Salute Your Shorts fame) & company offered nothing of the sort, though. After opener Tristen playfully went through her 35 minute set, often times exuding the same kind of vibe as Sennett's Rilo Kiley bandmate Jenny Lewis (just with a little more twang....and a drum machine), The Elected quietly took the stage and treated the empty room as if it were near capacity. The fans that were there were devoted, and Sennett realized that from the get-go as he and his 3 backing members ushered in their 55 minute set with a trippy rendition of "Sun, Sun, Sun," the title track from The Elected's breakthrough 2006 release on Sub-Pop. The response was upbeat, and so was Sennett, who continuously joked that he, steel-guitarist/bassist Mike Bloom and Buddy (Tristen's accompanist and possible boyfriend) were all on herbal ecstasy, which still hadn't kicked in. The early part of the set showcased Sennett on a beautiful Telecaster and saw the band ignore much of their recent release (Bury Me In My Rings) in favor of their earlier output. "Not Going Home" sounded especially energetic, although a bit out of place as it's more of an exclamation point than a comma.

Before Sennett toned things down a bit, he promised us one more electric tune, and it's a good thing that's all he promised as the PA at the Triple Rock decided to give out about 6 songs in. Rather than fumble around aimlessly, Sennett just grabbed an acoustic guitar, stood in front of the monitors and invited the welcoming crowd to surround him as he performed "Ripchord" from Rilo Kiley's 2004 hit record, More Adventurous.

After a little crowd participation and a quick fix by the Triple Rock staff (it was a blown circuit), the PA was back and The Elected burst into the ukulele-happy "Babyface" from the new album. Aside from this joyful song and a couple others, though, the new record was largely ignored (and probably for the better given its unevenness). The night wound down with a rousing rendition of "The Bank and Trust" and a taste of their 2004 debut, Me First.

Was this a show for the ages? No. Was it one that I could've skipped? Maybe...but I'm glad I didn't. Despite the awful turnout, it's comforting seeing musicians dedicated to their craft and giving it their all, whether they're playing in front of 50 people or 550 people. 

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart & Twin Shadow @ Triple Rock Social Club 4/25/11 (Concert Review)

Last night, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Twin Shadow both made their Minneapolis debut, rewarding a sold-out Triple Rock crowd for their patience with two equally invigorating sets filled with 80s & 90s nostalgia, without ever sounding dated or forced.

Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis Jr.) kicked off the evening with a commanding 50-minute set focusing solely on 2010's Forget, a successful freshman record that I had found to be good, not great. After last night's set, though, I'm eager to revisit the 11 songs on Forget, as Lewis and his 3 backing touring members gave refreshing new touches on the entire record. "Slow" and "When We're Dancing" were executed perfectly, adding some spastic hi-hat to already danceable tunes. "Castles in the Snow" was the set's highlight, as Lewis & crew seemed to breathe in the positive energy that was being hurled at them from the appreciative crowd.

While the musicianship was first class, so was the banter with the crowd, allowing Lewis' endearing side to shine. Mid-set, someone exclaimed "Do you have shirts for people without chest hair?" After a quick grin, Lewis coyly retorted, "paint it on and become a fucking man." With two songs left in the set, one member of the crowd yelled out what could've been a collective perception of his peers, "why aren't you headlining?" It took a smitten Lewis a full song to answer, giving The Pains of Being Pure at Heart their due as deserved headliners. Twin Shadow launched into their final song, which delivered the only groan of the evening, but a positive one as it was just an indication that the crowd didn't want the set to conclude.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart took the stage after a fairly quick intermission which saw some of the bouncing crowd disperse to make way for the shoegazers in the audience to move to the front of the stage. Kicking off with the title track to their excellent new record Belong, Pains instantly showcased why their young talent has been blessed with so much positive buzz in recent months. Much of the early set selections were from Belong, which somehow didn't manage to exhilarate the crowd as one would have expected (or maybe they were still tired from hopping around during Twin Shadow's set), but they still shone with expert craftsmanship. "The Body" and "Heart In Your Heartbreak" were dominant, while the nice little addition of "Higher than the Stars" was a welcome treat.

Like Twin Shadow's Lewis before him, Pains frontman Kip Berman has the poise of someone twice his age. The way his vocals ease into then ooze out of the microphone is reminiscent of 1/2 the bands you would've seen on Alternative Nation back in the day...maybe that's why I kept on thinking I was in an episode of My So Called Life...or at the Peach Pit After Dark. Berman's boyish charm began displaying itself in the second half of the set, and he began to look a little more comfortable as well, opting to chat with the crowd about, surprisingly, football. "Sorry about your quarterback situation," he said with minimal sarcasm, before discussing the merits of Adrian Peterson during the next song break. As Pains spiked in "Young Adult Friction" and a couple other tracks from their debut self-titled record, the crowd became just as relaxed. Berman blushingly thanked the crowd for their hospitality (while keyboardist Peggy Wang declared  they need to come back to the Triple Rock for Free Bacon Night) before launching into Belong's closer, the crunching "Strange."

While an encore wasn't necessary, Pains came back for a quick two songs and an invitation to the crowd to discuss football & indie-rock with them after the show, conversations in which several crowd members happily partook. 

Smith Westerns @ Triple Rock 2/24/11 (Concert Review)

About halfway through Smith Westerns' brief yet effective set last night at the Triple Rock, frontman Cullen Omori told the mostly full crowd, "we've got a motto on this tour...and it's 'Balls Deep.' So let's go balls deep tonight." Even if he didn't declare the band's motto so overtly, I'm fairly certain the throngs of supporters they had last night would have felt their intention. Throughout 45 minutes and a baker's dozen of songs, the young Chicagoans proved why they seem to be on every blogger's radar these days.

Opening with "Still New," one of the many highlights of their recent release Dye It Blonde, the guitar-heavy group instantly got the young crowd nodding in approval and swaying in appreciation. When I reviewed the record last month, I referenced Jodi Kramer, the uber-hottie from Dazed And Confused. As Smith Westerns blazed through their set, I couldn't help but imagine Omori as the perfect hair stand-in for Jodi's younger brother Mitch. Throughout the evening, he exuded boyish charm in tandem with a natural frontman vibe. The rest of the band? Equally entrancing. Not only did lead guitarist Max Kakacek absolutely shred on his cherry red SG, but he did so while it rested on his shoulder not via guitar strap, but rather by extra-long shoelace (credit to @solace for bringing this to light).

As they tore through song after song, void of gimmicks or cliche, Smith Westerns became likable not just for the music that they create, but also the vibe they set. Still humble and obviously having a blast with their newfound success, the guys seemed taken aback by the credit they've been given. At one point, before bluntly stating [pun intended] that "this is a good song with some dank," Omori said shyly and smilingly, "you guys are a very respectful crowd...thank you for that."

Dye It Blonde was featured heavily throughout the set, with "Imagine Part 3" and the buzz-worthy single "Weekend" serving as standouts. They managed to fit in a few older songs as well, including the fuzzy (not fussy) "Girl In Love," before calling it a night with a quick and meaningful "thank you."

For anyone that got there early enough, openers Unknown Mortal Orchestra were a very pleasant surprise. According to their bassist, whose name I forgot to ask, their debut LP is due out early this June, provided they can find the right label to release it (it was originally scheduled to be released on True Panther Sounds in April, but now that picture is cloudy). Boasting a raucous post-punk sound and what can only be described as guitar clawing, UMO definitely provided a more than worthy starter to Smith Westerns' main course.