2/24 Akron/Family @ The Parish
Admittedly, walking into the newly refurbished Parish Wednesday night, I was a bit unaware of the events set to unfold. Through the front doors, we entered into a strange, Gothic bizzaro world where the old funky Parish, as I knew it, used to be. It was my first visit there since the facility’s upgrade. Similarly, I was only a casual follower of the headliners Akron/Family with only their latest Set ‘Em Wild Set ‘Em Free in my playlist repetition pre-concert. The opening act L.A.’s Warpaint, was seen as a bonus due to the overwhelming buzz I was hearing throughout the blogoverse. Follow the jump to see what happened.
Right away, we got to the show early while Warpaint was finishing their sound check. I knew that the sound upgrades were well worth the Parish’s time and money; as it never sounded better. From every press released photo I had seen, the quartet had 3 girls and 1 guy, but tonight they were all girl power to the 4th degree. When they emerged from back stage and lashed into a wailing and substantial opener, there was no lack in authority. The camaraderie, passion, and sexiness that seeped from the women was soon painted all over the newly decorated walls.
The crowd, with a good mix of faces, most of which were there for the headliners, was entranced by the slow-building, pulsating rhythms. A few grew an attraction to the bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg in particular throughout the show. After a strong percussive instrumental jam session, they segued into ‘Stars’ with couple new songs thrown in to the mix. One of the highlights was the song, ‘Billie Holiday’, which had been stuck in my head for nearly a whole week prior. This was followed by crowd favorite, ‘Elephants’ and a long jam session fittingly called ‘Set Your Instruments Down’, joined onstage by Akron/Family. The stage presence and enthusiasm grew into a massive crescendo when all the members just could not continue any longer and the drummer fell back to the ground in exhaustion, the crowd let out a collective exhalation.
After a short intermission, New York City dwellers and Pennsylvania natives, Akron/Family took to the stage. Armed with a massive piñata and tinsel draped all over the stage, it was set to be a fiesta of the highest quality, opening their set with ‘River’, one of the standout single’s from their latest release. The group then proudly flew their freak flag high, pounding out instrumental numbers, exclaiming that when you see them, you are with them. You are family (hence the name). “You’re either in or you’re out. Time to decide!” The crowd truly took this sentiment to heart and the emotion for the evening was set. Let it all hang out and live, if only just for the night. It was a weekday night, but that was no excuse for Akron/Family, who proclaimed that “this is the weekend of the universe,” “Fuck the weekday!”
In some senses, I felt like I was watching Monterrey Pop incarnate, with its fervor, its color, and amazed look on the faces of the audience. The routine was playful, even child-like. Joking and enjoying every moment of their stage time. ‘Phenomena’ got the crowd singing along and involved, primed and ready for ‘Ed is a Portal’, which blew the roof off the place. For the nearly 20 minute jam, Warpaint gathered back on stage and they invited a random member of the audience up onstage to jam with them. Insanity and harmony were let loose and tamed, and this dance went back and forth to a humorous degree. Think of it a therapeutic release of energy, cleansing and restorative. Then we were lead on a meditation, where guitarist Seth Olinsky walked us through a forest emerging with vision of a globe. Asked to open their eyes; the audience was now in the middle of a fiesta with a massive three-tiered piñata strung high above the floor. It happened to be a birthday celebration for Stella Mozgawa, the drummer from Warpaint and another compatriot of the band, invited up on stage to smash the shit out of it, showering the front rows with candy, paper, and shrapnel.
If that wasn’t enough, after a short break, they pounded out ‘Everyone is Guilty’ and a few others I didn’t know, before the crowd, which had dwindled, couldn’t handle anymore. The bands probably could have gone all night. So, to say I was pleasantly surprised is putting it lightly. It was no doubt the best show of 2010 so far, and one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time.