Teen Mom - Mice Parade (Acoustic) -- DC9 - Sep 29 2012

Teen Mom - I have seen this local trio a few times and listened to their records and they still manage to intrigue me every time out. They do an indie pop-rock with dreamy -esque vocals and move around nimbly from power pop to psyche jams to quirky rock. Ultimately they remind me of some combination of Sebadoh and the Three O'Clock (nee Salvation Army). They seem a bit overly casual about it all, but when they lock in, watch out--you may be swallowed whole into their music. They struggled with getting enough guitar in the monitors and early on, it was not high enough in the PA, either. Someone else was on the Board, so perhaps they should use the quality House-soundman next time around (not sure if band provided or they were working in someone). Ultimately, it worked out ok, as they really hit their stride later in the set. These guys may not be for everyone, but if you have one or two bones of adventurousness in your body, give them a listen. They offer up some fuzzy yet edgy warmth.

Mice Parade (Acoustic Trio) - This self described indie shoegaze flamenco band from New York has taken the acoustic route to DC this time around. They begin with a solo vocal and ukulele song from their one female in this quartet (yes, it was advertised as a trio). Her powerful voice and delicate touch was mesmerizing and I could easily handle a full set of this. But it was every bit as fun with loads of diverse sounds when the three guys joined in. They guy in the back played xylophone and percussion with a couple of guitars and vocals going up front. One guitarist also played a percussion box. One guitarist clearly has classical and Spanish flamenco skills, although he mixed his virtuosity with some looping rhythmic playing and could easily jam to Velvet Underground songs. The male singer sounded like Bil Callahan or Richard Buckner, and musically they were in the Buckner camp which is a great place to be. Mesmerizing material here, as their 40 minute set flowed by. The xylophone reminded me of the creative touches that Tim Buckley used to employ in his arrangements. I would love to see the electric version some time, but I'll see this again any time they choose to bring it back to DC.

Quote of the Day - Sometime during the first set, a guy walked up to me and asked "Do you have a capo?"