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One thing to be said for constant touring is that it's a very effective way to learn exactly what one's fanbase wants. When Delta Spirit started touring over a year ago in support of the Cold War Kids, they had an admirably high energy level and some fun percussion, but no songs that seemed particularly memorable. A year later, their gimmicks complement the songs rather than outshine them, and although Delta Spirit still falls into a trap of sounding repetitive, some of the new material they introduced at DC9 on Sunday night indicates that this might change as well.
After playfully kidding with opener A. A. Bondy during his set, the band that describes themselves on MySpace as Grindcore / Healing & EasyListening / Minimalist took to the DC9 stage, soundtracked (loudly) by The Turtles’ “Happy Together” all decked out in plaid shirts, with a few in straw hats. After a slow intro, the band broke into the rootsy rocker "People, C'mon", which got the crowd dancing for the first time that night. After that, however, the band kind of fell into a routine where much of the songs sounded very similar and Matthew Vasquez's husky howl could really only vary but so much. This is where the band has learned that the well-timed use (and not overuse) of auxiliary percussion can add life to their set. It became clear that the deep imprint in their bass drum came from the repetitive pounding of a maraca and tambourine. Furthermore, they actually broke out a trashcan lid for their tune "Trashcan."
Photo by Katie L. Thompson
Alabama's A.A. Bondy gave himself no introduction but commanded attention within the minute as he picked up his guitar and harmonica and started strumming. Although most of the DC9 patrons have likely never seen the pines of Alabama, his sparse tunes created a lonely image that captivated the audience leading to increasingly louder applause. Even his dry sense of humor (he said that his 8-track records or Playskool records with bumps were at the merch table) seemed to complement the sense of loss conveyed by his wavering voice. Charlottesville’s Birdlips also made a rather impressive debut at DC9. Armed with a twelve string guitar, looping pedals and a beat machine and haunting harmonies, Cliff Usher and Lindsay Pitts effectively brought the spectres of Appalachia across city lines.
Before closing the set with their attempt at a "We Are the World"-style sing-a-long called "People, Turn Around" Delta Spirit had also introduced a mournful new ballad and a speedy new song that Vasquez called a mixture between "Iron Maiden and Celine" which sounded like neither one of the two and more like some of the louder and faster tracks off of the last Yo La Tengo album. Delta Spirit can already perform. If their new songs are a harbinger to the variety and quality of future new material, they can expect to start playing venues larger than DC9.
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