Wonderland performs tonight, where—who knows?—she may bring some trumpet and well-placed whistling to the stage. “It's worthwhile to sometimes write on something other than your main instrument in order to step out of the patterns and boxes they hold," she says. "A song like "Misunderstood" would have been a different song if I had a guitar in my hand at the time, and why not throw a trumpet part in a song now and then?”

Part of Austin's allure for the musically inclined is the ease of collaboration with a host of music pros, including Asleep at the Wheel founder Ray Benson. Benson produced Wonderland's last record, 2008’s Miss Understood. “Working with Ray and everyone at Bismeaux, we had the luxury of time. It allowed us enough time to include our heroes and friends in Austin—Guy Forsyth, Shelley King, Tosca String Quartet, and John Mills with those horn arrangements. They could pop in and lay down tracks with us," Wonderland says.

One of Miss Understood’s strongest offerings, "Feed Me to the Lions," exemplifies Wonderland’s songwriting approach. “One can only write about honest experiences and try to make them universal in theme," she says. "Songs are sometimes Post-it notes to the writer, other times they are universal billboards, often in the same piece."

Work is nearing completion on her next Album, titled Peace Meal and slated for release in September. This time Benson is sharing producing duties with Larry Campbell. Much of the recording was done in Austin while four songs were tracked at Levon Helm's Woodstock, N.Y., studio in January.

Wonderland also recently tied the knot with writer, comedian, and Saturday Night Live and the Daily Show alum A. Whitney Brown. She’s calling their travels together on the road “our perpetual honeymoon tour.” A tour that unfortunately also leaves little time for a band “mostly full of political junkies” to soak in D.C.'s political side.

Carolyn Wonderland performs tonight at 9:30 p.m. at Hill Country Barbecue Market, 410 7th St. NW. $10.

Justin Jones

City Paper: What was your impression of SXSW?
Justin Jones: SXSW was exactly what I expected. Traffic, hassles, drunk idiots, tripping idiots, Tex-Mex, BBQ, Jameson, ordering a pale ale and getting a bud, and a few moments that felt amazing playing music. What I didn't expect was having to spend $1,300 on a new brake system for the van.

CP: How does the new EP, The Little Fox, compare to your last recording, California?
JJ: Definitely more on the raw side. California was recorded with session guys—really great session players. To me it sounds like me singing with a group of 45-year-old guys that have been playing music their whole lives.

CP: Is The Little Fox a collection of songs or does it have a theme?
JJ: It’s an album dedicated to not having any love songs on it. As someone who has written a ton of love songs I was determined not to write any. The theme I think is very much about dying and mortality.

CP: Is that a natural progression, as you get older?
JJ: It must be. And then I had children. I started thinking that it's not going to happen for me in terms of a music career. There’s also a tune about the absurdity of the drug war.

CP: Do you find that when you start accepting that it may not happen for you career-wise as a musician—that it creates a freer atmosphere with less pressure?
JJ: I had always said, when I’m 27, I’ll go back to college and I’ll start a real life. That happened and I didn’t do that. I’ve known for quite a while that it wasn’t going to work out the way I wanted it to. Now, what's interesting is that I’ve become so disinterested in the business side that’s its working out exactly the way I want it to. I’m the only one deciding how it's going to work out and while that makes it harder to succeed in a financial sense…your goals get smaller. I just want to record music that I like, and hopefully people will like it. However long it takes to actually make a career out of it, I’m willing to wait.

CP: So it seems like the acceptance of that reality has been a positive?
JJ: I moved up here [from Kill Devil Hills, NC] thinking If I played the 9:30 Club I’ve made it. And you realize, that’s not it. [laughs]. Yes, it’s a great club but you realize a lot of things have to happen. You need to be playing at the 9:30 Clubs everywhere.

There’s no reality in this business. You can work ten years and not make any progress, but that’s because there are no guarantees in any types of art form. If you were a novelist, you might write 30 novels and never get them published.

CP: So how do you keep your chin up against that type of adversity?
JJ: I'm a chin down type of guy [laughs].

CP: There's been a recent spotlight on the vitality of the D.C. music scene.  How has the city and its cultural scene nurtured your progress?
JJ: It definitely had an influence. I moved up here and got deep into drugs and lived out of my car for two years. That would not have happened had I not moved here. But I certainly gained a lifetime’s experience in five years. It has nurtured a lot of output, that kind experience fills you with so many feelings, and then having come out of it and getting married and having kids and seeing the positive side….

It's funny, because I really didn’t write depressing music at that time and my music is sadder now. It had an influence because that kind of mental trauma will influence you. Now I have this whole "I made it out on the other side" thing.

CP: Are you thinking, since you’ve gone through some serious struggles, that the challenge of getting your work to a wider audience is minimal in comparison?
JJ: Yeah, but I try not to get to wrapped up in self pity. I actually made it out. Most people don’t. To me the worst days these days are pretty cool.

CP: How has bartending at the 9:30 Club affected the way you approach music?
JJ: When you see a great band, it can simultaneously bum you out and inspire you. Delta Spirit. That band is so awesome and they blow you away live…and I have to realize that what they do is not what I do.

CP: One gets the sense that many of your songs are autobiographical. Do you find yourself creating characters and imbibing them with the emotions and stories you want to convey?
JJ: Yes. Totally.

CP: What do you listen to that would surprise a Justin Jones fan?
JJ: Ray Charles. I listen to Ray Charles all the time. And Jackson Browne. I was a Public Enemy and Wu-Tang fan growing up.

CP: It's often tough to make the sonic connection between your speaking voice and your singing voice. Do you make a conscious effort to use a distinct singing voice?
JJ: A lot of people say that to me. That’s just how I sing. Before I actually heard myself recorded, I thought I sounded like Marvin Gaye [laughs].

CP: Who would you characterize as your influences?
JJ: I listened to a lot Steve Earle and Ryan Adams in my twenties, Wilco….I like all the bands you think I should like [laughs].

The Friday, March 26th Iota show features Jones with opening acts Don Dexter and Peter Bradley Adams for $12.

JM: Yeah I like the Easy Star stuff for sure. As far as the current state of reggae music and dancehall in particular, I think there are a lot of hugely talented singers with amazing skills...Sean Paul has some SERIOUS skills along with Beenie Man, Buju Banton, etc. My biggest complaint with a lot of it though is the music behind what they are doing. I feel the same way with hip-hop in this country. This is partially why I do what I do with Mr. Anonymous because I try to showcase that vocal talent in a different context with melody and depth. Some of the grooves coming out of Jamaica are slamming for sure but a lot of them for me get a little boring and redundant, at least for my taste. I hate saying anything is good or bad when it comes to music because it's all just art and as long as even one person enjoys it, that's everything!

Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach are currently continuing the experimentation heard on 2008’s Attack and Release through their respective side projects. Before regrouping for this fall’s Blakroc project with Mos Def and RZA, Auerbach is touring in support of his solo album, Keep It Hid, and Carney is playing bass in his new side band, Drummer.

Do the extracurricular projects signal a new direction or broadening of sound? Or could it prompt them to draw back to the purer elements of the Black Keys?

“Dan and I started the Black Keys when we were very young and our first record came out when we were both 22," says Carney. "In the past seven years we have grown a lot as musicians and have started to feel comfortable changing and doing what we want. Neither of us would ever want to feel like we need to sound a certain way to be pure."

“I think what is truly pure is being honest and that is what we have been doing since we started playing music together.”

Drummer, a musical cabal formed by drummers from various bands, released the album Feel Good Together on September 29th. “I played the bass and helped write and arrange the songs, but keep in mind the other four guys are some of the best musicians I have ever met,“ Carney says.

Drummer’s debut merges harmonies with something akin to the layered playing of Built to Spill, but Carney is elusive when talking about the origin of the sound.

“The blues are to the Black Keys as hot dogs are to Drummer.”

A direct album title like Feel Good Together combined with the giant sundae cover art projects a positive message that dovetails with the often buoyant tone of the album.  How much thought went into post recording marketing?

“I think we are all positives guys most of the time and we also like coming up with idiotic ideas and then following through," Carney says. " We have been talking a lot about opening a Wright Brothers themed sushi restaurant called Kitty Hawk. As I imagine you know 90% of all airplanes are filled with meat and in fact the plane was invented to carry fish meat to Dayton.”

Feel Good Together was released by Carney’s label, Audio Eagle Records.  While on tour, label mates the Royal Bangs are opening for Drummer, though Carney brushes aside questions about schooling them in the ins and outs of touring.

"All my 'road' stories involve Marriotts and Arby's."

Drummer performs with the Royal Bangs at DC9 on Monday, October 12th. Tickets are $12.

Much of the BLK JKS's press to date invokes afro-beat tinged comparisons to TV on the Radio, Bad Brains and Living Colour, though guitarist Mpumi Mcata brushes off the comparison game by encouraging "the reader to seek out and envision" rather than relying on, you know, critics.

The four-man group has erupted from South Africa as evangelists of any-influence-goes prog rock. Their latest, After Robots (Secretly Canadian), is a rousing yet challenging post-apartheid free-for-all. Such a frenetic melding of different styles, tempos, and instrumentations, though, can threaten to bury the central idea of a song.

"Funny you should say that," Mcata said. "We used to have talks about a return to innocence... We hope people follow and see and feel this music as we do; music—and not its mathematical sum, which in any case is just guitars, vocals, bass, brass drums, and piano."

D.C. residents will get their second chance to hear BLK JKS on Tuesday night at the Black Cat with openers Laughing Man. (After a coast-to-coast tour, BLK JKS will move on to Europe in support of After Robots.

"We are totally into D.C.," Mcata said. "Really interesting and suprisingly mixed open communities even if it was kind of together but not together together, which is kind of the case in most places, it's still beautiful to see people making an effort....re-imagining society in everyday mundanities; we're looking forward to it."

Prog-rock band Secret Machines frontman Brandon Curtis helped produced After Robots, and Mcata's said of his contribution, "He was there to mediate—expedite the process so to speak. The brother really helped us get to the sounds we wanted.... He was a little bit of amazing."

With so much going on, it must be difficult to reproduce After Robots onstage, no?

"The show is its own beast."

The BLK JKS also project a positive image of post-apartheid South Africa, a role they believe artists have in interpreting the political and social events that transpired in their country.

"Oh it's a major role...our part  is to be ourselves; no preaching or politiking—at least not yet. [Laughs.] You know, most of the world is unaware that such youths walk the streets of Africa."

BLK JKS plays with Laughing Man at 9 p.m. on Tues., September 29 at the Black Cat Backstage. $10.

Asleep at the Wheel also has long standing ties with the Washington D.C., area:  The group formed in 1970 in West Virginia and started gigging in D.C. They've been frequent inaugural ball performers since George H.W. Bush took office,  and were scheduled to play the White House on September 11th, 2001.

Washington City Paper spoke with Asleep at the Wheel founder and sole remaining original member Ray Benson ahead of Wednesday's show at the Birchmere.

Washington City Paper:  Though Austin is Asleep at the Wheel's home base, you do have strong connections to the D.C. area. You've played inaugural balls for several presidents and were scheduled to play the White House on 9/11. Aside from the Texas connection with the Bush family, why do you think you’re popular with the Washington crowd?

Ray Benson: Well, we started in D.C. We formed in West Virginia and the first gig we played was at L'Enfant Plaza during the Medicine Ball Tour opening for Hot Tuna and Alice Cooper of all people in 1970. We've also been playing in the area for 40 years.

WCP:  You had some brushes with President Obama on the campaign trail. Any plans or invites to play the Obama White House? What do you think of their commitment to the performing arts?

RB: We've certainly planned playing the White House–they just haven't invited us yet. [Laughs]. I'm very optimistic about their commitment to the arts. I'm hopeful that the federal government makes a bigger investment in the NEA and arts education. I've done work with arts education in the state of Texas, and its not just for performing artists–its for scientists, engineers...its for people that use the creative part of their brains to accomplish great things.

WCP: Willie and the Wheel is quite successful, even generating an on-air shout-out from former Clinton staffer and CNN commentator Paul Begala as the best record of the year. What was your reaction to that?

RB: It was great. I don't know Paul personally, but he's from Austin and as far as politics we just want to bring everyone together under one Asleep at the Wheel umbrella [laughs].

WCP: So Asleep at the Wheel are the the real unifiers from Texas?

RB: We really hope the divisiveness that has been so poisonous to our country, we hope that everyone can start thinking about working together. Cooperation is a hallmark of America. Now I sound like a goddamn political candidate.

WCP: A lot of musicians don’t like to label or categorize themselves, yet the Wheel is proud to own the Western Swing label. Have you found that label automatically conjures a context for new listeners coming to your music? Big hats and country piping on the shirts?

RB: The mantle of Western Swing is an all-inclusive one. We can play blues, jazz...fiddle music, anything that we want to play.  The definition of Western Swing is more focused on instrumentation and style. In other words, I can play a Count Basie song, I can play a Dylan song, a Willie Nelson song, and I can play a Ray Benson song. The common thread is that we use fiddles, steel guitar [not pedal], piano, bass, drums, and a horn or two and that's the instrumentation that defines a Western Swing band. What we can play is wide and varied as long as it fits into that instrumentation.

WCP:  Who are the other practitioners of Western Swing that you consider peers or contemporaries?

RB: Well, first there is a difference between country swing and western swing. When George Strait does his version of swing music it is country swing. It's not as jazz and blues orientated as the western swing Asleep at the Wheel plays. As far as contemporaries, there's dozens of 'em—the Cow Town, a trio sort of thing, Big Sandy and the Fly Right Boys, the Wiyos Band from New York—its very much like bluegrass was in that there's a lot of folks playing it.

And Merle Haggard, when he decides to play western swing, he has an incredible band.

WCP:  Van Morrison helped the Wheel with its first record deal by mentioning you in a Rolling Stone interview—have you ever been able to return the favor?

RB: Yes, in fact when Van did his country record he borrowed my fiddle player and steel guitar player, and took them on the road. Van and I talked two years ago when he came and visited me in Austin about me producing an album for him but he's still got a lot on his plate.

WCP: I’m looking at the picture of your studio and there are three portraits on the wall—who are they and what significance do they hold?

RB: Those are three velvet Elvis portraits.There's the young Elvis, the Hawaiian Elvis, and the 70's Elvis. One of the main reasons they hang there is that we have a vintage API board in the studio, one of the very same boards Elvis sang through in the RCA studios in Nashville.

WCP: Asleep at the Wheel is approaching its 40th anniversary. What secrets to career longevity have you learned from the iconic performers you’ve played with, like Willie Nelson or Bob Dylan?

RB: Both have very different ways, Bob is always changing and Willie always stays the same [laughs]. I learned to do a little bit of both. Also, while Willie is always Willie, he's also much like Dylan in that he'll take on a challenge and that's what keeps you fresh.

WCP: You’re proud of your Texas base and Austin, even being named the Texas state musician.  Willie famously left Nashville and convinced you to move to Austin. What place does Nashville still hold for country music? What do you think of Austin’s ascendancy into a musical powerhouse?

RB: Nashville has some of the finest musicians, songwriters, and engineers in the world, but unfortunately it's controlled by pop radio and record companies that want to make a gazillion dollars and really could care less about making good music.

Austin's success has a lot to do with its variety. From Jerry Jeff Walker to Spoon, Ministry, Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Thunderbirds, Fastball, Sean Colvin and dozens more I'm remiss in not mentioning. The whole scene is based on creativity.

WCP: Are there new bands or artists that you’ve been playing with that you’d like to see get more exposure?  Last time I was in Austin I was blown away by Carolyn Wonderland.

RB: I produced Carolyn's record and she's great. She's working on her second record now. I just finished working on the James Hand record. He's an amazing hillbilly singer. I don't work with her but there's a young lady you're going to hear a lot about called Kat Edmonson, a fantastic jazz singer.

WCP: Any plans to write or produce more plays [Benson, along with Anne Rapp, wrote A Ride With Bob, the first-ever play about the life and music of Bob Wills] or other non Wheel or music related projects?

RB: A Ride With Bob is our main one, with the plan being we're going to film it one of these days. We just finished a five date run of sold out shows so it keeps on going.

WCP: Asleep at the Wheel is also known for having a lot of members over the span of your career—who wins in a bar fight, Asleep at the Wheel or Lyle Lovett’s Large Band?

RB: Oh we kick their ass [laughs]. Lyle's my good pal and one of the greatest of all time, and we used to back him up, but in a World Federation Wrestling match we got them beat.

Asleep at the Wheel performs at the Birchmere this Wednesday, August 26thth with the Olivarez Trio. Tickets are $35. at 7:30 PM wi

Mechanix is back this week, and resident DJ Sean Gone had this to say about tonight's special guests:

Rapidly emerging American pairing Matt Nordstrom and Orlando Villegas are amongst the most in demand production duos in techno. Previous works for Saved Records (Lucky Drawls & Spanglish) and remixes of the Marco Bailey and Steve Mac have climbed the sales charts and drawing high praise from Dubfire, Adam Beyer, Anja Schneider, Danny Tenaglia, Christian Smith and Loco Dice.

Steve's Bar Room is located in the heart of Dupont at 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW.
10pm/21+/No Cover

Royal Bangs "Poison Control" from Sundown in the City on Vimeo.

In advance of the September 15 release of their sophomore effort, Let It Beep, Knoxville, Tennessee's the Royal Bangs are playing the Black Cat's backstage tonight. The well-crafted Let It Beep rises above typical indie fare: Production is high, a must for a band that brings a multitude of sounds and styles, and the disc's up tempo songs  should translate well to a live setting.

The driving double shot of openers "War Bells" and  "Poison Control" lay out an ambitious agenda for Let It Beep, an agenda slightly undercut by later lurches into synth territory. The Royal Bangs, however, are not shy about their intentions to fuse "two concepts: the electronic (thick synths and dance-y drum programming) and the pop/rock of the 1970s."

While there are direct nods to ELO in "Maniverse", I also heard echos of Tonight: Franz Ferdinand in the synth parts and Field Music's knack for difficult time changes. The Royal Bangs make several sharp turns through styles and influences, veering from straight indie rock with a dash of jamband, to synth heavy 80's callbacks. Although it's occasionally jarring, that's also one of the pleasures of listening to a promising band's second album–hearing them find their footing while still staying true to their experimental indie roots. Additionally, Let It Beep delivers clever lyrical turns like the line "In the age of lasers we lost our shit" from "My Car is Haunted."

Let It Beep was recorded for Audio Eagle Records, the label started by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. The Royal Bangs plan to tour in support of the new album while opening for Carney's side project Drummer this fall. The group has already opened for the Keys on their previous tours and acquired road scars from stints at Bonaroo and SXSW.

The album also has some seriously good art:

Listen to "My Car is Haunted" from the upcoming Let It Beep.

John Stirratt joined legendary alternative country pioneers Uncle Tupelo as a bass player in 1993 for their final release, Anondyne. After Uncle Tupelo's ugly divorce, Jeff Tweedy was awarded custody of Stirratt and they went on to form the much-lauded Wilco.

In a band that used to have a reputation for shedding members, Stirratt has remained a steady force on bass and vocals while collaborating on every Wilco release. He has also pursued other projects, such as a 2004 album with his sister Laurie Stirratt of Blue Mountain, and the band Autumn Defense with his Wilco band mate Pat Sansone.

City Paper spoke with Stirratt about Wilco's seventh studio album, Wilco (the Album) to be released on June 30. The band is scheduled to perform at Wolf Trap on July 8 with Connor Oberst.

Washington City Paper: It's not often that a musician can say they were there at the beginning of an influential musical movement like alternative country. What's your sense of the legacy left behind by Uncle Tupelo?

Stirratt: Well, I was a real part-timer coming in at the end, but it felt a lot like Wilco did in the early days, in that not a lot of people were coming to the shows [laughs]. It's been fun to watch people's interest with Uncle Tupelo grow over the years because when it was happening there was not that much interest. They continue to sell records, though, which is great.

Washington City Paper: As the longest serving member of Wilco, along with Jeff Tweedy, it's well documented the changes the band has gone through. What's the one thing you can point to that has remained the same in Wilco since the beginning?

Stirratt: Jeff's tunes and Jeff's voice as a centerpiece for the whole thing and how it allows for collaboration.

Washington City Paper: Has it gotten harder to work on other projects with your sister or Autumn Defense as Wico's popularity has grown? Has it helped Autumn Defense by bringing Pat Sansone into Wilco?

Stirratt: Bringing Pat in really did help, and it made the schedules consistent. I'd have to say that having a family has been the main factor in determining my time, and that's a good thing since you tend to do better work when you have to prioritize, as opposed to just wandering into the studio.

Washington City Paper: Considering Wilco's high profile support during the election for then-candidate Obama, is the band still politically engaged or have you put that behind you after the election? Have you ever had someone tell you they won't listen to your music because of your political stands?

Stirratt: [Laughs] I've heard rumblings, but no one has told me anything directly.

Our history with the president really is an extraordinary thing. We've known him since 2004 and he represents what we love about America. And it has been surreal how it all happened.

There are political minded members of the band who have not stopped paying attention to what's going on, but maybe the overt political messages and declarations from the stage will tend to happen only during election years.

Washington City Paper : Wilco (the Album) suggests there's no new overt sonic agenda. Even though Sky Blue Sky wasn't billed as experimental as you other releases, it still had a definitive sound. Did the impromptu nature of what transpired in New Zealand contribute to putting down an album of just....songs?

Stirratt: We were interested in getting the best sound we could get. There have been records in that past that may have had some limitations that are taken for a sonic agenda. We wanted the capability to go for a denser sound, a sturdier higher-fi sound with basic tracks on this release.

But every record does have a sort of story, and for this one we were in a very comfortable situation recording in the New Zealand summer when it was winter back home. We did strive to get the best sound, and Jim Scott's [Wilco (the Album) co-producer and engineer] fingerprints are all over it. There's also something similar since he [Scott] recorded "Can't Stand It" from Summerteeth. This is the first time we've recorded with him since that track. I loved his demeanor then and this record does reflect his sound.

Washington City Paper: Wilco has covered several bands — like Steely Dan and Big Star — do you choose a cover based on the influence that an artist has had on the band?

Stirratt: It's prompted by various elements. The Farrelley brothers thought of Wilco and that particular Steely Dan song ["Any Major Dude Will Tell You"] for a movie, so that was somewhat dictated to us, and covering Big Star's "Thirteen" for a tribute album was really indicative of all of our love for Big Star. It's different scenarios each time. But it is more of a request nature.

Washington City Paper: Sky Blue Sky drew some Grateful Dead comparisons, is there a sense that bands like the Dead have far more influence than previously thought?

Stirratt: The Dead may have a lot more influence on us than people may think, especially American Beauty through Terrapin Station. I have also had people tell me there is a certain timber in Jeff's voice that is reminiscent of Jerry if you listen real close.

Nels [Cline] grew up in California actively buying records at that time, and he would say he was more of a Quicksilver Messenger Service sort of guy, but I know those early Dead records so well and its really stamped on all of our DNA and almost innate now, the same as it is with the Rolling Stones. Though with Sky Blue Sky there were other influences as well that came from all of our record collections.

Washington City Paper: Do you feel successful in knocking down the album by album narratives constructed for you, like "the second best band out of Uncle Tupelo", "the band from that movie about how bad record companies suck", and "the band with a revolving door of members" by the virtues of focusing on playing and releasing music? Do you have a sense that you don't have to listen to the chatter any more?

Stirratt: It has been nice to leave that stuff behind and get to a state of what the band is now. This new record [Wilco (the Album] I have to say is really honest record and a good snapshot of where the band is. The current line up has a lot of room to grow and the sky really is the limit.

Washington City Paper: The band dealt with the leak of Wilco (the Album) by immediately steaming the album off the Wilco site. How much does thinking of piracy and the business side occupy you guys?

Stirratt: Well, we cast our lot with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and there really is no way to backtrack on that model. I think the principles behind that idea are sound—that if you have a good record it's going to be something people are going to want to buy later. The leak is almost part of the process now and you get ready for it and stream the album immediately.

Washington City Paper: Favorite song to play live on the current tour?

Stirratt: I'm looking forward to playing "Everlasting" and "Deeper Down" from the new album.

On Monday night, TV on the Radio exorcised any demons lingering after February's uncharacteristic misstep on Saturday Night Live with a triumphant sold out show at the 9:30 Club. They opened the cage on the postmodern menagerie of sounds harnessed in the masterful Dear Science while keeping the layered electronic howl respectfully danceable.

Front man Tunde Adebimpe conducted TVotR's avante garde ruckus, which bordered on a revival meeting and rarely slacked off even during slower numbers. Adebimpe used Science's opener "Halfway Home" as a template for the set, propelled by drummer Jaleel Bunton. Touring sax player Stuart Bogie spent one half of the show delivering well timed honks and the other half on his knees engaged in the percussive arts.

Guitarist Kyp Malone kicked off a roasting version of "Crying" and put his playing out in front on "Red Dress." Both "Wolf Like Me" from Return to Cookie Mountain, and "Golden Age" made clear the depth of TVotR's musical gifts by replicating the textured sound of Science while still sounding spontaneous. This is a band so in sync on stage that they all took a simultaneous towel break after the chugging majesty of "DLZ."

Photos by Edward Lockett

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