I remember hearing the single "Psychic City" on KCRW years ago and loving it immediately. That voice, the funky beat, and those snarky lyrics about everyday appliances coming alive to party with an immediate sing along, Aye-eye-eye-eye! It found a spot on one of my new music playlists and I've been a fan ever since. Having missed them at Moogfest in October (a flight from Mexico City was cancelled), I went on their website and found an upcoming gig in NYC, one of the many perks of living in the area...
YACHT defines itself as a “band, belief system and
business,” with a corporate logo known as a smilangle (a smiley face inside a
triangle). They are currently composing
some of the most danceable music today, recently releasing a new album, Shangri-La, last June. Songs from the
album filled most of the set list at Santos Party House, with room for 2008’s
single “Summer Song,” 2009’s “Afterlife,” along with “Ring the Bell.” Plus their dance hit “Psychic City” provided
a suitable encore. Jona Bechtolt,
mastermind for the group since its inception, took the stage with the rest of
the band all wearing black before singer Clare L. Evans followed dressed in a white
dress. With her cropped white hair and
dramatic eye makeup, her stylized movements brought an additional element of
theatre to the live concert. Bechtoit
bounced from keyboards to guitar and singing into a mike, while Evans commanded
the audience to get their groove on.
Everything sounded great and the band was clearly enjoying
themselves playing their part, communicating through the pop hooks and layered
beats of “Beam Me Up,” “One Step, and “Utopia.”
The group covered like-minded band, The B-52s, for a wound-up “Mesopotamia”
and Bechtoit took over the drum kit for “Dystopia (The Earth is on Fire). However, the show wasn’t just about creating a
live soundtrack for their fans to let loose and boogie. Early on, there was a PowerPoint presentation
outlining three stages for audience participation during the evening: 1)
preparation, 2) initiation and 3) enlightenment. A slide show was also utilized to introduce
band members (along with their nicknames and astrological signs) and included a
map where the group was from (a Western American Utopian Triangle formed by
linking Los Angeles, Marfa, Texas and Portland, Oregon). During a Q & A session between songs,
Evans was asked if she could be someone’s girlfriend. She replied, “Yes, spiritually and
metaphysically.” Another question posed
queried about her favorite food and orifice to which she responded, “avocado
and sinus.” For the last song, Evans
invited some young, front row fans up on stage to dance with her and everyone
was invited to say hello at the merch table afterwards. The overzealous security there had to get a bit physical to break up the line waiting there and Evans was clearly disturbed by it, saying sweetly,"they're being so mean."
YACHT takes its name from an alternative school that
Bechtoit was enrolled in for a bit, an acronym for “Young Americans Challenging
High Technology.” He met Evans soon
thereafter, but she didn’t join the band full time until 2008. It’s a match made in electropop music heaven.
She’s also a science nerd who pens a popular blog, “Universe,” about the
intersection of art and science. The
universal messaging of “Afterlife” speaks to the sun, moon and the light that
“makes most of life.” Yet it quickly turns
to a tongue-in-cheek statement about the band’s core beliefs in putting the
party first.
If my friends were a
crowd,
It might not be the
biggest
But it’d be definitely
loud
 |
| With Clare after the show |
