Day three of the Capitol Hill Block Party started off with a promise to be the warmest of the weekend, somewhere in the mid- to high-eighties. When I arrived, I made a beeline to strong>Neumos, arriving just in time to see Steel Tigers of Death take the stage in bunny suits. I don't know if they were taking a page from the Flaming Lips playbook or if it was the result of the night before, but their attire provided the perfect contradiction to their amped up brand of punk metal. They tore through one song after another in their short set. About halfway through they turned the lights down low, stripped off the bunny suits and played the rest of the set in decorative lights and gold speedos. Yes, you read that right. Their stage show is their strongest asset, considering they play fairly generic punk metal.
After the onslaught of grown men in gold speedos and bunny ears, I left Neumos and headed to the Main Stage to catch the Americana folk-rock of the Maldives. Shortly after I arrived at the stage, a young woman, maybe a teenager, in front of me was dancing uncontrollably and falling over. Security told her friend to take her away from the stage or security would. The friend was unsuccessful, so security escorted the young woman away at about 2:45pm. That has to be a record or something.
The Maldives were the best sounding Main Stage act all weekend. Their sound mix was the best I heard, as it wasn't overpowering, and all instruments and vocals were at the correct levels. All seven of the Maldives filled out the stage nicely. Their vocal melodies soared. I was surprised with the rest of the audience when, about three or four songs into their set, they announced they were playing one more. This turned into an extended ten-minute jam version of "Blood Relations," complete with guitar and banjo solos and a couple measures of what sounded like the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry." This is a group at home at any venue, outside, inside, large stage or small.
I ducked back inside Neumos to take advantage of the shade and free water. In doing so, I caught a couple minutes of the Flexions set. This drum machine enhanced duo projects a tropical surf rock sound and, at one point, I heard almost spaghetti western sounding guitar. This is a group that should have been playing out in the sun. Over at the Vera Stage I was lucky enough to catch the last couple songs of dreamy indie-pop group Pepper Rabbit. This California based group could qualify as not-so-distant relatives of the Shins.
After Pepper Rabbit I stayed at the Vera Stage to take a prime position for Ravenna Woods. Their unique three piece set up includes vocalist/guitarist Chris Cunningham, xylophone and a stand up drum kit. Cunningham's vocal sound like Caleb Followill with a little less southern twang. His fret work on the guitar is amazing. The xylophone and tribal beats of the drums along with the three part vocal harmonies serve to flesh out their sound. They project a large sound for being what could almost be considered a minimal, three-piece setup. The smaller, more intimate Vera Stage was made for them.
Back over at the Main Stage I caught a couple minutes of Real Estate. This New Jersey group mixes influences such as R.E.M., the Beach Boys and Springsteen into a sunny jangle rock hybrid. "Beach Comber" served as the perfect soundtrack to the afternoon sun overhead.
I made my way back to Vera to claim my spot for Grand Archives. Anyone who chose this set over the Blue Scholars on the Main Stage was not disappointed. Grand Archives is led by Mat Brooke, a former member of Seattle indie legends Carissa's Wierd and Band of Horses. Grand Archives deals in the same melodic, wall-of-sound rock that those bands do. The vocal harmonies are lush and melodic. The sound is filled out with Jeff Montano on guitar, Curtis Hall on drums and Thomas Wright on bass.
They kept the audience captivated throughout with gems like "Sleepdriving" and the harmonica infused "Miniature Birds." Towards the end of the set Brooke brought out his former Carissa's Wierd bandmate, Jenn Ghetto, for a beautiful, note perfect duet.
Back at the Main Stage, a crowd rivaling the one for MGMT as largest of the weekend was amassing and waiting for Jack White, Alison Mosshart and the neo-psychedelic blues of the Dead Weather. At this time the sun still hadn't set. The backdrop was unveiled as a large eye with a light set up. Throughout the set, the lighting didn't amount to much. It would have worked better after dusk.
They kicked the set off with the sludgy blues of "60 Feet Tall." The audience grooved and rocked along as they tore through selections from their new album, Sea of Cowards. "Die by the Drop" was undoubtedly the highlight of the set as White and Mosshart traded vocals back-and-forth. "Treat Me Like Your Mother" showcased their gothic blues side with Dean Fertita going heavy on the organ.
About this time I started feeling sorry for the bands headlining the other stages at the same time as the Dead Weather so I took a few minutes to run back to the Vera Stage to see what everyone else was missing.
The Dutchess and the Duke were playing the Vera Stage, serenading the audience with their signature alt-country folk duets. They were note perfect, playing to a crowd of about 100 or so. Songs like the sixties folk-rock inspired "Reservoir Park" are why this group deserves a larger audience. I'm sure they realized the predicament they were in, going up against The Dead Weather. It's too bad the audience was forced to make that choice. Of course 99 out of 100 would choose to see Jack White and the Dead Weather. I made it back to the Main Stage in time to see them tear through "The Difference Between Us" to close out their set. They were certainly the strongest headliner of the weekend. They ended the Block Party on a high (and loud) note.
There it is: three days of music, mayhem, good times and great weather at the Capitol Hill Block Party 2010.
