Every March, just as the Northern Hemisphere is waking up from the dreariness of winter to find spring around the corner, hundreds of largely independent musical acts from around the world descend on Austin, TX for the marathon circus of a music festival known as SXSW.
The spirit of SXSW was alive and well at Neumos as Hey Marseilles and Visqueen, two Seattle favorites, took to the stage before a sold-out crowd to earn gas money, as they put it, for the long, long drive to Austin and back. Neumos was so crowded that the audience on the main floor seemed to be packed as tight as sardines in a tin can. Trying to wedge your way through the crowd was nearly impossible. The upstairs bar and viewing area was slightly less packed, just enough so you could breathe and drink comfortably without an elbow in your ribs or someone stepping on your foot.
The bill was four deep and included The Fences, Mash Hall, Hey Marseilles and headliner Visqueen. I arrived slightly late, and when I walked up I realized that the will call line stretched back past MOE Bar. It took a little more than twenty minutes of waiting in line to get in. Needless to say, I unfortunately missed Fences and Mash Hall.
Hey Marseilles is the resident slightly baroque chamber-pop band of Seattle. Their seven-piece ensemble is fronted by singer-songwriter/guitarist Matt Bishop. They put forth an interesting, unique mix of indie-rock and folk augmented by classical instruments. They kicked everything off accompanied by a Portuguese-style percussion section, and filled a very crowded stage The majority of Hey Marseilles’ set was devoted to material from their well-reviewed, independently released 2008 album, To Travels and Trunks. The prominent accordion of “From a Terrace” caught the attention of many in the crowd and the energy the band put in the performance kept everyone hooked. The strong European influences were impossible not to move along to. The sound mix was very clear during the vocal harmonies as every voice was audible. They slowed it down just a little bit with the intimate “Cannonballs,” a performance highlighting Bishop’s songwriting chops.
Without divulging the title, a new song was introduced to the cheers of the crowd. The instrumentation alluded to Pachabel’s "Canon in D" numerous times, building on top of it to create a fully fleshed out classical indie rock piece.
The finale of their set was the irresistible crowd favorite “Rio.” They really gave it their all on this one. Matt Bishop’s voice came across in a style reminiscent of Conor Oberst. Between verses he jumped back on percussion for a few seconds. Vocal harmonies took turns trading off with the viola, cello, and accordion of Jacob Anderson, Samuel Anderson, and Philip Kobernik, respectively. Even though this show was a SXSW send-off party, Hey Marseilles head to New England and the Canadian Music Fest in Toronto next week before they arrive in Austin.
After the classical indie chamber pop of Hey Marseilles, the crowd was ready for the punk, alt-rock set of vocalist/guitarist Rachel Flotard and Visqueen. Before Visqueen dove head-long into their set, Flotard belted out an unexpected but extremely beautiful, vocally heavy number with minimal string accompaniment.
Currently playing shows in support of their new album Message to Garcia, they didn’t disappoint. Flotard, bassist/vocalist Cristina Bautista, drummer Ben Hooker, and guitarist Tom Cummings kept the energy up and the crowd engaged with the heavy guitars of “Hand Me Down,” the fun, bouncing quality of “Summer Snow,” and the catchy sing-along chorus of “Ward.” During their set, Visqueen’s sound was fully fleshed out with occasional band member Barb Hunter on electric cello and Ty Bailie on keyboards.
For many, the vocals stole the show. Rachel Flotard can switch from conveying all-out rock and roll urgency in one song to a voice as pristine as collaborator Neko Case on another. The driving guitars and cutting vocals of “Crush on Radio” gave way to the punk intensity of “My House,” “Sailor,” and crowd favorite “Vaxxine” from King Me, Visqueen’s full-length debut. The energy during the set seemed to be reciprocal with the band and the sold out crowd feeding off of each other.
After Visqueen left the stage, graciously thanking the crowd for continued support, a thoroughly satisfied audience spilled out of Neumo’s onto Pike Street.
The thank you on Visqueen’s Facebook page sums it up pretty well.
"Thank you Seattle for a sold out hometown SXSW send-off!! My heart is jammed with love and gratitude. Yet, it's also jammed with the foot-long dog I ate outside Neumo's at 3AM. That kosher beast had a wad of cream cheese so massive the city of Philadelphia honked at me. Seriously, thank you for making our rock dreams come true. Your girl, R.”
If you don’t watch out, those Comet Dogs will get you. Thank you Hey Marseilles and Visqueen. Now go show Austin what Seattle’s made of.
