The Kingdom | Silversun Pickups | Viva Voce @ Iota Club & Cafe, 10.10.06

Sometimes we humor ourselves by saying there is a plan, but it is all rather loosely organized and executed. We were hoping to catch Silversun Pickups, part of Viva Voce and then bolt across the Potomac and catch the remnants of the Sparta show at Black Cat. My Will Call tickets are still at the Black Cat. The Sparta show went unattended. And that is a testament to the quality of show that we caught at Iota Club & Cafe last night.

We knew what we were getting ourselves into with Silversun Pickups. I caught them at Mercury Lounge and Piano's in NYC while Top caught them backstage at Black Cat a little more than a month ago. What we didn't know was that The Kingdom and Viva Voce would make me feel like a bastard for only paying $10. Three great bands laid down three great performances last night. Aside from some technical difficulties that hampered the beginning of The Kingdom's set and the middle of Silversun Pickups' set the evening was perfect.

We fail to learn from our previous endeavours at Iota Club & Cafe. You can't buy tickets, you have to be there or arrive before it fills up in order to catch the show. Guys like Top and I interpret this as, "let's show up as soon as it opens, else we miss the rock!" We kneed up to the bar around 6:00 EDT, way to early, but a chance to grab some eats and have some libations.

Nikki Monninger (bassist for Silversun Pickups) sat at the end of the bar talking on her cell phone and working on a laptop for about an hour or so. The Kingdom and Silversun Pickups resided on the back porch and occasionally came in to trade drink tickets for beverages or pickup their standard issue pasta dish. At one point prior to The Kingdom hopping on stage I listened to Brian Aubert (Silversun Pickups frontman) and Charles Westmoreland of The Kingdom discuss the merits of early Beastie Boys, particularly Paul's Boutique, while they were standing at the bar waiting to get drinks. As much as I wanted to throw my two cents in, I didn't want to be that guy, so I focused on my drink and the bleeding cheeseburger that sat before me.

Top and I were interested to see what the crowd would hold. It was a role reversal of sorts because there were going to be people coming across the river into Arlington to catch the show as opposed to the pilgrimage in the other direction that Top and I usually make. The phone behind the bar was ringing quite frequently. The answer was always the same, "Silversun Pickups get on at 10:30." The word is out.

The Kingdom
The Kingdom hopped on stage around 9:30 or so. They dealt with mic issues for a little bit at the beginning. They first attempted to switch mics on stage, go without one, and then fight through it. It wasn't working, but they eventually got it right. The silence prompted one member of the crowd, standing right next to me, to yell, "Moby Dick!" From the look of this guy and the current technical predicament I know he was referencing the Zeppelin instrumental track. Charles Westmoreland, the lead singer, shouted back something along the lines of "What? Moby Dick? [Mocking tone] Yeah I am going read some selections from Billy Budd while we get our sound together." This prompted aforementioned Zeppelin fan to turn to me and go, "What the fuck? These guys don't know Zeppelin?!" To which I respond with, "I don't know, but they definitely know Melville." Zeppelin fan looked at me with what seemed to be a combination of bewilderment, contempt, and frustration. He then walked away.

The Kingdom blazed through a quick set that harkened a, bear with me, combination of the spazz pop/rock of Wolf Parade and the ambient synth feel of stellastar*, but you will have to see for yourself. I hate band comparisons, or sound comparisons for that matter, but it is relatively unique. Charles Westmoreland's voice isn't what you would expect from looking at him, but he has one of those endearing, nasal tones to his voice. I can imagine some being turned off by it, but I loved it. The songs are quick, some barely clocking in over a minute, but just about every one of them packed a punch. Westmoreland's energy overfloweth and for the moments of the set where his guitar work was not necessary he sang and bounced and danced in the crowd. The five of them hail from Portland, Oregon and are opening for Silversun Pickups and Viva Voce for the rest of October. If you get a chance, get there early, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Silversun Pickups
The Silversun Pickups kicked things off with the soft and ethereal "Creation Lake." From that point forward there was no turning back. They rocked through their standout tracks from both Carnavas and the Pikul EP, including "Dream at Tempo 119," "Little Lover's So Polite," "Lazy Eye," "Well Thought Out Twinkles," "Melatonin," and "Kissing Families." While the set was noticeably shorter from when I previously caught them at Mercury Lounge, they remain an impressive live presence.

They sticked mostly to the music, but Aubert did make one, rather funny, off-color joke about Layne Staley and Alice In Chains. Apparently they were outside of a club recently in Austin and heard a band that sounded like a cheap rip-off of Alice In Chains, it turned that it was the newly revamped Alice In Chains. Aubert went on to say something in regards to Staley that I can't quite remember, but the joke kind of landed with a thud. Aubert quickly recovered and said, "'Would?' has got to be one of the all-time great rock songs." Agreed. I am beginning to think the same thing about "Kissing Families," but that could just be the post-show buzz.

The place was packed by the time their set took off and they kept the kids bobbing their heads for about 45 minutes or so. It was sad to see a large chunk of the audience depart after Silversun Pickups wrapped up, but such was the case. Perhaps they were running to catch Sparta at Black Cat, maybe they were too satisfied to chance ruining the taste in their ears. At any rate, the crowd was noticeably smaller for Viva Voce.

Viva Voce
Prior to this show I did a little investigating in regards to Viva Voce. Not enough. Not anywhere near enough. But I am getting there now. Their show begged it. Viva Voce is primarily Kevin and Anita Robinson. Kevin is a multi-instrumental talent, Anita plays great lead guitar, and, to avoid White Stripe-like confusion, they are married. They currently have Kim Baxter playing bass, on most songs Kevin does the drumming, and everyone hops in on the vocals. For the most part, though, Anita does all of the singing.

They have one track that they played about halfway through their set, called "So Many Miles." It has a winding bass riff that maintains for the length of the track (over 8 minutes). The beauty lies in how catchy that bassline is, and what the lead guitar and drums are able to create in and around it. Not to mention the sweet purr of Anita's voice. The vocals quit about three minutes in and the guitar and drums begin to build towards a breakdown of sorts. Listening to it on their latest album, Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, you'll notice that horns jump in around 4:24, and while not present in the live experience, it doesn't matter. Bluesy chaos ensues, with the bassline keeping time. They played this during their soundcheck and I was happy to see that it wasn't just a warm-up.

Some of their songs start plainly - or rather - quietly, and then explode with solos and frantic drums. Every song deserves some time and patience to see what will unfold. An easy comparison on several of their tracks is the Velvet Underground (see "Special Thing"), but Viva Voce's dominant lead guitar sound, which weaves in and out in spurts, coupled with their seamless transitions from psychedelia to folk to pop to borderline shoegaze give them a very distinct sound. "So Many Miles" and "Faster Than a Dead Horse," both on the latest release, stood out for me.

While Anita tends to show them off in explosive bursts, the chops are respectable. There is no question in terms of talent or experience here. They have been playing together since 1998 and they are extremely comfortable and loose on stage. On what I believe was "From The Devil Himself," Kevin started up front with Anita and Kim, playing acoustic guitar. About a third of the way in he tossed the guitar aside, jumped behind the kit and attacked it. In between songs Kevin mentioned that they had never been to Virginia, just DC, but that they were digging it. He also mentioned how relieved they were to get out of the mid-west and away from the places like "the world's biggest worm farm."

Viva Voce gave us about the same amount of time that Silversun Pickups did, and it was well worth the Sparta tickets lying alone at the Black Cat's Will Call. I'm glad we stuck around. There was a setlist lying on the ground stage left and I meant to grab it, to further inform Viva Voce fans of what they can expect, but I forgot to. Instead I ran to the merch table, grabbed a copy of Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, and fumbled through a conversation with Nikki Monninger.

Filter Tour-Zine

The Kingdom
[Official Site | MySpace]

Silversun Pickups
[Official Site | MySpace]

Viva Voce
[Official Site | MySpace]