Another night of awesome music at Neumos awaited for me on August 4th with a quirky quad-bill featuring one of my special favorites from the California garage-psych scene, White Fence, Tim Presley's main musical project. Seeing White Fence for me is an event -- I block all other activities from my calendar and nothing short of a raging, fiery Zombie Apocalypse could stop me from attending. Perhaps not even then. I don't think any zombie is a match for me when I MUST see a band. Bring it on, Napoleon Fallapart!
We started off very nicely with Seattle's own Dude York, a trio who look like they might be into some '80s Brit Pop, but surprise with a heavy cccrrrrunchhhh. The Cure meet Black Sabbath by way of Seattle? Unique and cool. (As always, click on the photos to enlarge and click on the Flickr links to see more!)
Dude York Neumos 8/4/13 Flickr set
Twin Peaks are four teenage (or REAL DAMN CLOSE to teenage) guys from Chicago who play straight-ahead garage rock with tons of energy and heart. I dug 'em a lot -- great performance skills and solid tunes. Who says the youth of America are lost causes? Not me, man!
Twin Peaks Neumos 8/4/13 Flickr set
A dramatic change in pace and mood came from Californian singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt, whose collection of intimate recordings from 2007 was finally released this year on Tim Presley's Birth Records as a self-titled album. Her phrasing and lyrics remind me of Kate Bush, filtered through the mellowing haze of the late '60s West Coast folk-psych scene -- hypnotic and quietly intense.
Jessica Pratt Neumos 8/4/13 Flickr set
Why do I love White Fence? Although I think it is sometimes difficult to try to explain the emotional connections one can feel through music, perhaps what I like most about Tim Presley's music is that it is both contradictory and complimentary within itself: retro-ly familiar yet utterly unique and modern, lyrically obscure yet emotionally inviting, artistic yet very accessible, with enough garage-psych oomph to keep the airier elements from floating away. Also -- and I've said it before -- I think Presley's skills as a lead guitarist are pretty damn amazing. No one does a left-hand vibrato like this guy. No one. I loved the set from start to finish.
White Fence Neumos 8/4/13 Flickr set
Thank you Neumos, Michelle Cable at Panache Booking, Kitty Page, and Dude York, Twin Peaks, Jessica Pratt, and extra-big hugs to White Fence! Come back to Seattle soon!
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman