With special guest Big Harp. $10 adv / $15 door.
Tristen
On her previous album, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Tristen crafted highly melodic, ambitiously arranged indie pop with an Americana tinge. For the follow-up, she leaves the twangy touches behind to focus on a bigger, more electronic-based sound. It's pure pop delivered on a cinematic-sounding scale, with a seeming nod to big-production synth-pop pieces of the ‘80s. While Caves has its quiet, reflective moments, “Catalyst” boasts a straight-up disco beat boosted by buzzing, angular synths. And despite its baroque-pop intro, “House of War” quickly finds its way to a midtempo dance-pop feel. Tristen has a voice that sounds equally comfortable leading the charge on a soaring, epic track like the album opener “No One’s Gonna Know” and on a low-key song like the wispy “Monster.” Though Tristen was still a Nashville resident as of this record’s release, Caves invites one to wonder whether her earlier earthy tones represented Music City’s influence on the Illinois native and if this album is the sound of a woman fully embracing her true pop personality.
Motopony
Motopony were formed in “the warehouse,” a loft in downtown Tacoma, Washington where songwriter Daniel Blue shared space with other local artists and musicians. After amassing a collection of quirky folk songs, Blue began touring the Tacoma/Seattle area as a one-man act. Buddy Ross eventually joined him, first as a producer and later as a full-fledged bandmember, bringing with him a stronger emphasis on pop music. Guitarist Brantley Cady and drummer Forrest Mauvais also joined the lineup, and Motopony -- now a folksy electro-pop quartet, capable of turning out acoustic ballads and fractured dance songs -- released their self-titled studio debut in May 2011.
Motopony is no longer Seattle s best kept secret. Even the Seattle Weekly acknowledged that their propulsive R&B-meets-folk-rock was bound to make its way to a larger audience before long. This four piece group has quickly risen through the Seattle music scene, receiving praise from KEXP while Tacoma’s Volcano Weekly named them Tacoma’s Best New Band.
Big Harp
L.A.-based alternative country Americana duo Big Harp are comprised of husband and wife Chris Senseney andStefanie Drootin. Both had been active in bands on the Omaha indie scene -- Senseney as part of the group Art in Manila while Drootin performed with the Good Life, Bright Eyes, Azure Ray, She & Him, and others -- when they met, fell in love, and began raising a family. Music was never far from the center of things, though, and the pair recorded a debut album, White Hat, with Rilo Kiley's Pierre de Reeder, over a three-day stint in L.A. The album appeared in the fall of 2011 from Saddle Creek Records and was critically lauded for its low-key, intimate approach and poignant songwriting. While in the middle of touring, the band cut its second record, Chain Letters, which evidenced a more electric, ragged sound that stood in sharp contrast to the more pastoral leanings of their debut.