YACHT at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (02/16/12)

Y▲CHT at 7th Street Entry (02/16/12) Tour Dates 02/17/12 Madison, WI – The Sett (AA) 02/18/12Dekalb, IL – The House Cafe (AA) 02/19/12 Columbus, OH – The Basement (AA) 02/20/12 Pontiac, MI – Pike Room (AA) 02/21/12 Toronto, ON – Wrongbar (19+) 02/22/12 Ottawa, ON – Ritual Nightclub (19+) 02/24/12 Montreal, QC – Il Motore (18+) 02/25/12 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground (AA) 02/26/12 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall (18+) 02/27/12 Waltham, MA – Chum’s (AA) 02/29/12 Gambier, OH – Horn Gallery (AA) 03/01/12 St. Louis, MO – Plush (18+) 03/02/12 Lawrence, KS – Jackpoot (18+) 03/03/12 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge (21+) 03/05/12 Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater (AA) 03/06/12 SLC, UT – Urban Lounge (21+) Read More YACHT Jona Bechtolt, or better known by his stage name Yacht. His music and style, it didn't mesh well with Vampire Weekend's pseudo caribbean/reggae inspired rock and roll.

YACHT played to an "almost sold-out" show at the 7th Street Entry, last night in Minneapolis. I was quite happy to see so many people out last night, especially on a Thursday. The audience was young, even for an 18+ show, and they would be drinking Pabst if they were legal (just to give you an idea of the hipsterness).

∆ Wiping Out Thousands

Opening up for YACHT was a local band called Wiping Out Thousands. I got the information about them from a friend/fan standing outside the venue. He tells me that they're a couple, Alaine Dickman & Taylor Nelson, going to McNally music college and they were really excited to be asked to play that night. So I knew to expect them to be young, as it turned out, Dickman just turned 21 last night with her second legal drink.

Their music is a bit dance/electro, sometime Nelson (who is also in another band called The New Monarchs) does the guitar thing, but it's mostly pre-programmed beats and button-pushing noise. For a semi-new band, they actually had enough music for a full set... even though they ended their set early. A brief pause before they plug things back in and play one last song, "Closer".

∆ Bobby Birdman

Bobby Birdman was next, which I was rather excited to see because I've previously written about him. His set was pretty minimalistic, with just a drummer, Jeff Brodsky, and Robert the Birdman.

Bobby Birdman's set was pretty short, which I suspect was deliberate because they were pulling double duty that night by being in YACHT's touring band. They did play "Don't Walk Away" and I remember I liked "Only For A While". Bobby may sing about being "young and the restless", but I'm pretty sure they feel old and restful.

As for YACHT (Young Americans Challenging High Technology). It's been almost four years since I saw YACHT, Jona Bechtolt by his lonesome self, opening up for a big buzz band called Vampire Weekender (you may have heard of them). Now he has a full band, including one Claire L. Evans, she really brought up the energy level to a whole new level. It was as if YACHT steered in a different direction. The YACHT then and the YACHT now are different... yet the same. Their new sound is probably considered like their old sound, when Bechtolt was in The Blow, a band we covered in 2007.

Most of their songs were from their two DFA records, See Mystery Lights and Shangri-La, including "I Walked Alone", "Love in the Dark", and "I'm In Love With a Ripper". They ended their show with "Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire)". I didn't stay for the encore (sorry I have to sleep!), but since they didn't play "Shangri-La", one would hazard a guess that they would play that eventually.

Speaking of which, YACHT just released their video for "Shangri-La", see below:


Very glad to have caught YACHT in their all-new, all-dance, incarnation. Based on seeing the band dressed in this Mormon all-white clothing, I would suggest gathering a large group and dressing in that garment at their next show. Their album, Shangri-La, is out now via DFA Records.

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