Concert + Interview: Pete Yorn and Ben Kweller @ 9:30 Club
On March 14 at the 9:30 Club, I covered my very first concert for WGTB. I was fortunate enough to get to review one of my favorite artists, Ben Kweller, alongside a possibly more famous co-headliner, Pete Yorn. The two share a grungy acoustic-semi-alternative kind of sound that I find infectious, but that made my dear father giggle with mirth when I played it for him: “I love the voice cracks!”
Before the concert began, I was lucky enough to sit down to talk with Mr. Pete Yorn. When I asked about themes that have appeared throughout his repertoire, he was quick to answer. “A lot of people miss where they’re at, ‘cause they’re just trying to get to the next place,” he told me. “That’s a theme that I’ve seen come up since my first record, since I’ve been writing songs… just being present—if you’re present, you can really get the most out of every moment.”
Even with his hectic schedule, he finds time to listen to the bands who drew him to music in the first place. Of his favorites growing up, he said, “I’d listen to the Smiths; Morrissey was like my hero.” His current listening tastes also include The Clientele, who are “a little moody,” and the timeless Kinks. “I go through phases. Sometimes I don’t listen to any music at all, like in my car at home, sometimes I’ll just listen to talk radio or something like that.” Right now, “[Ben Kweller’s] songs are always stuck in my head after the shows. … Ben’s actually so cool to watch: he’s an amazing artist, a great singer, and a really cool guy.”
Last year, he opened for Coldplay, and he has also appeared before Dave Matthews, REM, Foo Fighters, and Weezer. “But headlining is really cool too; they’re all there to see you and they get you, you know? That’s always pretty thrilling.”
Then the concert began. First up was the Wellspring, an adorable folk band comprising two guitarist/singers, Dov Rosenblatt and Talia Osteen. The most striking thing about their music, especially live, is the beautiful harmonies. The sound of each song was clean, beginning to end. As the set went on, they tended a bit towards the sappy country folksong, but Talia keeps it interesting, and you can see her poetry in and between the lines: “I love you, but not out loud, today.”
Kweller got the audience interested right off the bat, alternating some typical folk rock with hardcore metal interludes, seemingly tiring of being an indie folk singer, preferring to rawk out. He sang his own backup by moving a little away from the microphone; he answered his lyrical questions; he improvised some fun marches/kicks/jumps; he broke out the harmonica. Much like Ben Folds, he keeps a somewhat singsong tone to keep the mood light, even when expressing pretty upsetting situations. The man is a born performer, and it was obvious to everyone in the audience that he loves what he does.
On to Yorn. A lot of focus was placed on his guitar skills, which were indeed impressive, as well as the almost-raspy quality of his voice (which never resorted to yelling over the blare of the guitar), though in the process he sacrificed the audibility of his lyrics, which as we learned in our interview, had taken a lot of thought. He produced a steady wall of sound that was somehow still distinctive and catchy, though different from the effect of his studio recordings—maybe like a grungier REM.
Here’s a video someone else took at the concert of Yorn performing “The Chase” and “Life on a Chain.”
Overall, it was a memorable show, not only because it was my first ever in DC (assuming that the music at the Rally to Restore Sanity doesn’t count), but also because it rocked. I heartily recommend stalking tour dates for the Wellspring and Pete Yorn, and especially Ben Kweller, if you’d like to have a new favorite artist. Though Yorn played last and held his own, and the Wellspring were a sweet new duo to keep an eye on, if this were a competition Ben Kweller would be the victor in a unanimous vote consisting of me and my plus-one.
– Emily Perkins
did he wear sunglasses during your interview?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgk-9A-MsLg