• the217
• Music
• Pygmalion Music Festival: Night One

Related Media

Owen, Caffe Paradiso 9/22

• See Slideshow (3 images)

Related Artists

• Japandroids's Profile »
• Headlights's Profile »

See More About these Events

2009 Pygmalion Music Festival »

• Event has already occurred

Wednesday evening's Polyvinyl Records showcase at the Canopy Club shared a balance of highs and lows both in crowd reactions and simple levels of noise. Overall, the evening was a hopeful depiction of what is to come for the 3 remaining days of the 2009 Pygmalion Music Festival.

Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band – After missing Common Loon’s set due to sleep deprivation and a long day of driving finally catching up to me, (Word of advice: If you are going to get a speeding ticket, get one in town and not when you are on your way home and nearly 2 hours away…) I was fortunate enough to reach the Canopy Club just in time for a rousing set from Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band, or The Bastard Child of Isaac Brock as I am going to fondly rename them. As a huge fan of Modest Mouse, I wasn’t taken aback by the set, but rather found myself hoping the band would break out in a rendition of “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine” or “Dramamine,” or somehow acknowledge the fact that lead singer Benjamin Verdoes attends the same school of strained yelps as Brock. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the band certainly had strong musical legs to stand on, backed by an impressive percussion section that was hardly contained by their placement in the overwhelmingly tiny Void Room. As a whole, the set was a pleasant surprise and bode well for a night that would be dabble evenly between both ends of the volume spectrum.

Owen – Owen was one of my most anticipated acts of the evening, if only for the fact that I slightly worship the idea of a backing band featuring former-Braid/Hey Mercedes frontman Bob Nanna. Beyond that, however, Mike Kinsella’s latest release, September’s New Leaves, is a gorgeous piece that conceptualizes the idea of new beginnings, new opportunities, and learning to work with what you are blessed with. I was a tad bit disappointed with the set, however, almost entirely because of the crowd. Owen is a quiet act and one that does not ignore when an audience is being uncooperative. With Kinsella commenting multiple times on the chatty crowd and that same group (mostly) ignoring his pleas, it was painful to hear tracks like “Amnesia and Me” lost among background noise. I think I would have personally preferred the band in a like-minded setting of more acoustic-based acts, but I certainly understand their placement in the Polyvinyl showcase.

Japandroids - By far my favorite act of the evening, for a younger duo, the men of Japandroids certainly know how to please a crowd. After witnessing their rousing act at Pitchfork Music Festival this summer, I was anxious to see how the sound would translate to a venue like the Canopy Club...and the answer is very well, very well indeed. There is nothing better than standing back and watching the overall enjoyment of a crowd, and witnessing the excitement level of other is such an energy booster. Taking on a hearty chunk of their latest release, Post-Nothing, the duo pummeled through each track with an intensity reciprocated by the dancing, moshing, crowd-surfing audience. Sure, security wasn't pleased with this, but there is honestly nothing better than people remembering that music is about having a good time and showing those emotions.

Headlights - Hometown heroes Headlights are a shining example of what happens when hardwork and opportunity equally pay off for a band. Showcasing the evening as their CD release show (for the forthcoming Wildlife) the group was out for celebration, complete with balloons and a selection of upbeat, enjoyable new tracks. Ever the crowd-pleasing act, the group brought a happy medium between the calm, near-acoustic tones of Owen and raucous noise of Japandroids with their positive indie-pop. I can only hope that one of these days the crowd will stop hooting and hollering for Erin because she's gorgeous and focus on the fact that she has a beautiful voice. One day...one day.