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The Umami and Bayonne co-headlining show just took place last night, January 27th, at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis.
Bayonne is a musician from Austin, TX. No, scratch that, he is more than just a musician, he's a true entertainer. Bayonne completely blew me away last night. He had more than enough energy to keep me captivated by not only his live music, but also his stage presence. None of the bands that played last night were boring in any way but Bayonne had more energy and charisma on stage than the other two bands put together.
His set up was simple, or at least it looked kind of simple. It was just a table with a bunch of cords, pedals and some sample pads on it. He had a snare, tom and a cymbal lined up next to it but that was it. There were no guitars, there wasn't a huge drum kit, it was literally just a dude with some cords and some drums. I didn't think he would be exciting to watch. I was bracing myself for impact when he took the stage. I know all of the press about Bayonne says he is "not a DJ" but still, with the setup he had going, I could not help but assume that it was going to be just like one of the annoying "wub wub" techno DJ's that put me to sleep. Good God I was wrong. It was impossible to look away from the stage as he would wander around and figure out what he was going to do next.
It almost seemed like he didn't have set music to play. He seemed to attack the various pedals and sample pads that were strewn across the table. It was as if you could see him thinking about what to do next. You could see him shaking his head or clenching his jaw as he pressed the next button. He hit every button with a purpose. Even though it seemed like he was just kind of making it up as he went, everything he did was done with conviction.
His music was a mix of almost "wub-wub" music (aka techno) but it had a heavy indie rock influence in it. It was upbeat but his lyrics seemed dark and had an intense echo on them that Bayonne then played around with using the pedals and what not. The music he played wasn't my scene but the entertainment that is Bayonne in a live setting was more than enough to make me fall in love. Plus, any musician that sells hot sauce automatically wins me over!
Umami was the last band of the night. They were great but Bayonne was such a hard act to follow. Honestly, I was still in awe of Bayonne's set and it seemed like Umami just could not keep my attention. That being said, if you like strange, almost electronic at times but also rock at other times, music, then you definitely need to check these guys out. I saw them open up for Yeasayer about three years ago and they blew me away. I wish they wouldn't have closed out the show last night so I was able to give them the attention that they deserve. That being said, they definitely weren't bad last night and I will definitely be keeping an eye on their calendar so I can see them again. Look for Umami's upcoming new album from Totally Gross National Product.
The show was opened by Beasthead. These guys were strange but in the best way possibly. (Actually, looking back on it, all of the music last night was strange.) The best part about these guys is it seems like they know that they are kind of boring on stage so they had some visuals going on around them.
There was your classic white bed sheet along one of the walls in the venue. There was a computer set up with what looked like a soundboard and a camera next to it. What happened next is super hard to explain. There were video clips being played but they were super distorted. I caught clips of The Wizard of Oz and Donnie Darko but the rest was pretty unrecognizable. There were also times where the crowd and musicians were being projected onto the sheet. But again, everything was super distorted and colorful.
When you take this and add the indie-rock electronic sound that is Beasthead, you are given a truly great experience. Like the other bands, the music really isn't my scene but the fact that they took the time to figure out something to entertain everyone while they play is something that I truly appreciate. That's not to say that they wouldn't have been fine with just the music and them on stage. They were talented and clean and unique, but the fact that they had the visual made them a stand out local act for me.
Bayonne is currently on the road to getting people excited about his upcoming debut album Primitives is coming out on March 25th, 2016, via Mom+Pop Music. Catch Bayonne at the Sasquatch Music Festival this May 27-30.
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Bayonne |
His set up was simple, or at least it looked kind of simple. It was just a table with a bunch of cords, pedals and some sample pads on it. He had a snare, tom and a cymbal lined up next to it but that was it. There were no guitars, there wasn't a huge drum kit, it was literally just a dude with some cords and some drums. I didn't think he would be exciting to watch. I was bracing myself for impact when he took the stage. I know all of the press about Bayonne says he is "not a DJ" but still, with the setup he had going, I could not help but assume that it was going to be just like one of the annoying "wub wub" techno DJ's that put me to sleep. Good God I was wrong. It was impossible to look away from the stage as he would wander around and figure out what he was going to do next.
It almost seemed like he didn't have set music to play. He seemed to attack the various pedals and sample pads that were strewn across the table. It was as if you could see him thinking about what to do next. You could see him shaking his head or clenching his jaw as he pressed the next button. He hit every button with a purpose. Even though it seemed like he was just kind of making it up as he went, everything he did was done with conviction.
His music was a mix of almost "wub-wub" music (aka techno) but it had a heavy indie rock influence in it. It was upbeat but his lyrics seemed dark and had an intense echo on them that Bayonne then played around with using the pedals and what not. The music he played wasn't my scene but the entertainment that is Bayonne in a live setting was more than enough to make me fall in love. Plus, any musician that sells hot sauce automatically wins me over!
Umami was the last band of the night. They were great but Bayonne was such a hard act to follow. Honestly, I was still in awe of Bayonne's set and it seemed like Umami just could not keep my attention. That being said, if you like strange, almost electronic at times but also rock at other times, music, then you definitely need to check these guys out. I saw them open up for Yeasayer about three years ago and they blew me away. I wish they wouldn't have closed out the show last night so I was able to give them the attention that they deserve. That being said, they definitely weren't bad last night and I will definitely be keeping an eye on their calendar so I can see them again. Look for Umami's upcoming new album from Totally Gross National Product.
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Beasthead |
There was your classic white bed sheet along one of the walls in the venue. There was a computer set up with what looked like a soundboard and a camera next to it. What happened next is super hard to explain. There were video clips being played but they were super distorted. I caught clips of The Wizard of Oz and Donnie Darko but the rest was pretty unrecognizable. There were also times where the crowd and musicians were being projected onto the sheet. But again, everything was super distorted and colorful.
When you take this and add the indie-rock electronic sound that is Beasthead, you are given a truly great experience. Like the other bands, the music really isn't my scene but the fact that they took the time to figure out something to entertain everyone while they play is something that I truly appreciate. That's not to say that they wouldn't have been fine with just the music and them on stage. They were talented and clean and unique, but the fact that they had the visual made them a stand out local act for me.
Bayonne is currently on the road to getting people excited about his upcoming debut album Primitives is coming out on March 25th, 2016, via Mom+Pop Music. Catch Bayonne at the Sasquatch Music Festival this May 27-30.
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Umami at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (27 January 2016) |
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