Philadelphia artist Kurt Vile will be in SLC opening up for Thurston Moore on Thursday as part of Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Twilight Concert Series. Vile started out with Adam Granduciel in the War on Drugs, which Granduciel continues to front to this day (he’s also a member of Vile’s backing band The Violators who will join Vile for this week’s performance). They released a couple of full-length albums before Vile broke out on his own to record Constant Hitmaker which snagged the attention of Matador. In 2008, the indie label issued Vile’s fantastic LP, Childish Prodigy, followed by this year’s Smoke Ring For My Halo. Vile is an uber-appealing mix of oddball, slacker and guitar virtuoso. He also has some pretty lustrous hair. Arrive early on Thursday to catch his set. Gates open at 5 p.m. and KRCL will be there at our booth. Come down and say hello!

Artists performing at this year’s Twilight Concert Series:

July 14: Explosions in the Sky / No Age

July 21: The Decemberists / Typhoon

July 28: Edward & The Magnetic Zeros / TBA

August 4: Thurston Moore / Kurt Vile

August 11: Bright Eyes / TBA

August 18: Ghostland Observatory/ TBA

August 25: Lupe Fiasco / TBA

The Twilight concerts are free. Gates open at 5pm and the shows
begin at 7pm at Pioneer Park, 350 West 300 South, downtown
Salt Lake City. Seating is first come,first served, and a person
must be present at all times to reserve seating. Standing room
only in the immediate stage area; no chairs or blankets in the
immediate stage area. No alcoholic beverages can be brought
into the venue. Beer and wine are available for purchase on-site.
Pets and smoking are not allowed; service animals are welcome.

Self-proclaimed die-hards standing around the balcony at In The Venue last Monday
night grumbled that Of Montreal has, on previous stops in Salt Lake, brought a more
packed house and a wilder show. Such complaints clearly couldn’t have beenfurther
from the minds of the eight-piece Atlanta psych-pop outfit. Uninhibitedby such
trivialities,their exuberance exceeded a typical band’s energy by a longshot. Anyone
who has seen Of Montreal live can testify to the spirited fun that guitarist Kevin Barnes’
band of merry men (and women) can wield.

The opening act, Painted Palms, warmed up the crowd and proved an appropriate
choice for this tour. They hypnotized the crowd with a trippy set of swirling synth,
delicate guitar melodies, and funky rhythms. The bassist, a crowd favorite, was a
gaunt, lanky rocker with the rhythm and dance ability of Michael Jackson and the
look of Joey Ramone mixed with Patrick Carney. He was, as I heard more than one
audience member say “awesome.” The singer’s unique delivery was entrancing,
howling with enigmatic ooh’s and aah’s, and strange poetry. All the same, when the
vocalist mentioned the headliner – “We’re glad to be here, opening for Of Montreal.
Damn that’s cool!” there was no mistaking the frenzy of anticipation for the main act.

In their typical cheerful manor, lead-singer Kevin Barnes and friends came to their
places. Barnes, wearing a skin tight T-shirt, lacy neck scarf, and the top half of a
too-small women’s pants suit (one of 5 outfits throughout the night) stood front and
center. About 10 feet behind him, the band was arranged in a semi-circle. The space
between was designated for the bizarre and hilarious installations acted out by the
band and various extras. My favorite: a mock Westboro Baptist Church protest. In it,
Painted Palms held gay-bashing signs until the protest was disrupted by a Mexican
wrestler in a stars-and-stripes leotard, who succeeded in turning “God hates fags” and
“I never cum” posters into placards that announced “Everybody’s gay” and “I like this.”

I mention the theatrics first because, in memory and experience, they demand the most
attention. Call me traditional but, at a concert, if your audience has a hard time paying
attention to the music, then you are missing the mark. If Of Montreal’s trademark cheerful
psychedelic sound was any less buoyant, it would have been lost completely. Thankfully,
for the most part, it was not.

A majority of the songs Of Montreal chose to pair with their stage antics were taken from
their most recent EP, Thecontrollersphere and their two latest full-length albums,
Skeletal Lamping and False Priest. In these most recent efforts, Barnes infuses
unexpected influences that aren’t tapped in his earlier work. New songs flaunt touches
of glam rock, R&B and noise rock that contrast with the fun, catchy pop the band has
come to represent. On Monday, we saw evidence of these broadening influences when
Jamey Huggins took a break from his multi-instrument duties to run from one end of the
stage to another, rapping to an electro-drum and bass backing. Interludes of wailing
feedback and chaotic noise, strongest during “Black Lion Massacre” – the first track on
OM’s new EP – also served to remind the audience that this band would not be typecast.

Most transcendent though, were the classic numbers, including tracks from last year’s
False Priest, which showcased Of Montreal in their element. The crowd was
appreciative during the spunky bass lines, cheerful piano chords and all the elements
that are identified with Barnes’ earlier imaginative style. These songs highlighted the
band at their  best. Songs that carried Of Montreal’s trademark essence undoubtedly
stole the show, most notably “Requiem For O.M.M.2” taken from 2005’s
The Sunlandic Twins.

Of Montreal’s newer catalogue is interspersed with gems that fans will appreciate just
as much as the deep tracks.  Without a doubt, Of Montreal’s work of late continues to
be full of songs to satisfy fans’ thirst for their innovative brand of zany pop. What
makes Of Montreal fun in the studio, carried over to their live performance.  Their
unique sound (and sense of humor) continues to make Of Montreal a good bet for
those looking to have a good time watching live music

–Jordan Wallis, KRCL Intern

previous posts

In the spring of 2010, Ben Schneider traveled easterly from his home in Los Angeles to Northern Michigan. He spent a week at the site of his childhood retreats: the shores of Lake Huron. It was there he set to work developing a batch of songs and a week later, the first Lord Huron EP was complete. Ben named the recording Into the Sun.

Upon his return to L.A., Ben set to work putting a band together. He called on his percussion-playing childhood friend Mark Barry, who was living in Nashville after performing for a time in the Caribbean. Mark swiftly packed up his drums and other gadgets and drove across country to California. The boys then recruited the rest of the Mighty Band, each of whom hails from Michigan.

Lord Huron’s music is an auditory travelogue. Evocative of many places, but tied to none in particular. Lush harmonies inspired by Calypso singers, folk traditions and the American frontier fuse with modern experimentation to create the distinctive sound.

Following a hefty ten shows in four days at this year’s SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Lord Huron are back on the road. The band is currently opening for The Rural Alberta Advantage for ten shows on the Canadian trio’s US tour. After the support run, the band will start a run of headline dates in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Austin and several cities in-between. The spring tour will end back at home in May, headlining Los Angeles’ The Troubadour.

Lord Huron is opening for the Rural Alberta Advantage on Tuesday, April 19th at the Stateroom. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 the day of show.

KRCL presents revivalists, the Chicago Afrobeat Project. They’re playing tonight at The Urban Lounge in downtown Salt Lake City.

The 2010 Twilight Concert Series comes to a close tonight at Pioneer Park with musical guests She & Him – that’s actress-turned-musician-turned indie “it” girl Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward – headlining the evening. Los Angeles-based quartet Dum Dum Girls will open with a set of 60s-flavored garage rock whose street-smarts presence reminds me of the Pink Ladies from Grease. Gates open at 5 p.m. Music starts at 7.