Tilly and the Wall + Capgun Coup + Jason Anderson - Knitting Factory (New York, NY; Mar. 21, 2008)

The doors opened at 7. Arriving at 6:55, I rushed toward a long line of zealous Tilly and the Wall fans that traipsed from the doors down the sidewalk. A brief wait and I was in, squeezing my way across an already-crowded floor in order to reach the stage. A few deft maneuvers eventually won me a spot at the edge of the stage. The Knitting Factory was packed: people pushing, passive aggressively shoving, and wedging themselves in tightly to get as close to the front as possible. “What draws this massive crowd?” one might ask. Answer: Three small Indie bands: Jason Anderson, Capgun Coup, and Tilly and the Wall.

An impassioned crowd screamed as opening band Jason Anderson and The Best took the stage. Having seen Jason Anderson perform in Brooklyn a little over a week previous to this night, I shockingly recognized only two faces, that of Anderson and the keyboardist. Gone were the drummer and the bassist of the past, replaced by fresh newcomers and accompanied by two additional band-members, a girl playing percussion and singing backup vocals and a man playing the saxophone. The blending of female and male vocals added new dimension and character to Anderson’s performance, while the use of the sax actually made the performance. Jordy George, who Anderson claimed was “conceived in heaven,” was indeed the band’s gift, its bright, reedy, shining light. His energy and musical talents pushed the band’s performance to a whole new level.

With the new band, Anderson’s performance outshone his earlier one in Brooklyn tenfold—however, although a few of Anderson’s songs had me dancing and singing, the majority of his music still suffered, like his last performance, from a lack of artistic ingenuity w/r/t lyrics. Of all his songs, “So Long” and “On Vacation” topped the evening as the worst, lyrically. As Anderson began singing “So Long,” I wondered, due to the simplicity of the lyrics, if the song was spur of the moment, an inspired on –stage creation. Later this weekend, while lying in bed drifting in and out of consciousness with my music playing, I awoke to the realization, when Anderson’s voice came jarringly from my speakers, that this song was indeed on his CD. At first I didn’t dare believe this was the case, but when I heard the line, “The smell of your hair is literally amazing,” I faced the fact that this song was not just a live improvisation.

Despite his simple lyrics, Anderson won the crowd over with his sing-along songs. A large crowd enabled Anderson to incorporate audience participation for the choruses of a majority of his pieces. He commonly sang the words, “When I say yeah, you say . . . .” Although fun at times, the repeated use of this ploy in most of his songs shows a lack of originality and creativity required in writing great songs.

Capgun Coup took the stage next, bantering with the Knitting Factory staff as they tested the microphones and set up the stage themselves. Unknown to me previously, Capgun Coup started off the show with a bang. Their first song drew me in with their peppy lyrics, but throughout the rest of their set I rarely comprehended most of the words that were sang/screamed. What I did understand was the evident energy and passion that went into their music: Capgun’s faces all scrunched in pained expressions as their whole bodies sang. Their passion drew them to their toes as they strained to hit the high notes.

Capgun Coup’s performance juxtaposed loud, raucous songs with softer, slower ones. These softer songs pulled me in, yet it was the louder songs that held me both captivated and conflicted. I suffered somewhat throughout the entire performance because it is normally a good solid melody with a tune I can sing along with that draws me in and has me contemplating and judging the music. Unable to distinctly hear the words or find a definite melody at times, I was lost amidst the sound. Their music has been described as schizophrenic, and it is in apt comment. While I felt uncomfortable and even physically cringed a couple of times, I found myself strangely intrigued. Whereas Jason Anderson and The Best produced music that was predictable, Capgun Coup created a sound that was unreliable and capricious.

I cannot think of two more mismatched bands than Capgun Coup and Tilly and the Wall.  When Tilly and the Wall took the stage, the angst-ridden songs and screeching tones vanished, replaced by sweet, melodious voices singing upbeat and relatively carefree songs. The band took the stage in their tragically amazing figure-skating-like costumes, stunning the crowd with the vibrant blues, yellows, oranges, and pinks of their clothing. Feet adorned in tap shoes, the three female band members stepped onto their awaiting wooden platforms. Thinking perhaps the platforms were due to the petite statures of the women, I was surprised to realize that instead of existing to elevate the performers, the platforms functioned as percussion.  Small microphones placed at the front of the platforms amplified the sound of the tap shoes as the girls danced along to the songs, adding an unexpected and extraordinary element and sound to the performance. Dancing and swaying around the stage, they inspired images of fairies, sprites, nymphs, or some other ethereal being.

Kianna Alarid, lead singer of Tilly and The Wall, stole the show, sweeping across the stage, swaying, twining, shaking, and twirling to the music. Seducing the audience, she pulled us into the music and held us captive as her sweet voice rang out throughout the room. Admittedly, I do not easily develop girl crushes, but with her bubbling energy, crazily tattooed arms, septum piercing, and bleached blond short curly hair, Alarid amazed and awed me. 

review to your liking? You'll sweat:

Tilly and the Wall + Capgun Coup + Ships - Chop Suey (Seattle, WA; Mar. 5, 2008)

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