Lissy Trullie Played The DeYoung

It may surprise you (but we doubt it) to find that "Friday Nights At The DeYoung" is not the easiest room for a rock band to play. It is , for all intents and purposes, a cocktail hour with culture. People are there to drink, see, and be seen. The room is well lit - it's a mueseum! It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a club or bar. However, last night, despite the interminable background conversation, lengthy bar lines, children running about, and (inexplicably) vacant space between the audience and the stage, Lissy Trullie and her band managed to put on a kick ass rock show.

Given the super-tight arrangements on the record, we were sort of expecting a similar feel in the live setting, and the band didn't fail to disappoint. Trullie held down duties on rhythm guitar, while the band pounded away at the rock solid arrangements that we've grown to love over the last couple of weeks. The band did play a couple of songs not on the EP, and while the compositions were great, we will concede that the band felt a little looser on the newer material. We're guessing it'll firm up with time.

Despite the shortcomings of the venue, the band still managed to rope in the crowd - the tunes were unquestionably catchy and accessible, and by the end of the set Trullie had pulled about 90% of the room over to the stage. In fact, if there was anything that seemed uptight or restricted about the performance, it was Trullie herself. While the musical delivery was impeccable, Trullie's stage presence seemed slightly self conscious, and a bit stiff. Maybe it was the room, or maybe it was just the jitters, but it seemed like the spunk of rock and roll that comes across in her music and in her look just wasn't there in her person.

If you didn't get the gist at this point, we'll lay it out one more time: this just wasn't your typical rock show. The venue was odd, the crowd unusual, and a certain rock "vibe" was conspicuously absent. That being said, Trullie and her crew unquestionably validated our love of their record, and no doubt converted more than a bit of the audience as well. No doubt we're looking forward to the next time she's in town; but we'd be lying if we told you we're not hoping that show is in a club.

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

Lissy Trullie: Debut EP, Free Show At The DeYoung Friday Night

We have to admit, we hadn't heard anything of Lissy Trullie until a few weeks back when we received a copy of her debut EP, Self Taught Learner. Suffice it to say, we are now very familiar. The EP has been on steady rotation since it arrived in our mail box, and doesn't show any signs of letting up. Trullie's record is an awesome dose of calculated garage rock that immediately brings to mind the garagey underpinnings of New York's past and present rock scene. Trullie's songs most immediately recall The Strokes, but given that Jules & Co. have borrowed from just about every venerable rock act out there, we're not sure just how much one can be accused of aping their sound.

On top of a solid batch of songs, it's certainly not hurting things that Trullie has solidly established a fair dose of rock and roll swagger. She's apparently a model as well as a musician, and is quickly getting head nods from the press as the heir apparent to Andy Warhol's pop culture legacy. We're not exactly sure about that, but we can tell you that if Trullie's attitude on record and film translates to the live environment, then she's going to do just fine for herself.

So about that live show: In addition to the awesomeness of Trullie's record, the Bay Area's getting an added bonus. Trullie will be participating in the DeYoung's events surrounding their new Warhol Live exhibition - she'll be at tomorrow night's Friday Nights at The DeYoung with her band. The set (from everything we can discern) appears to be free and open to the public. Given that, it doesn't really seem that you can go wrong. If you miss this show, you'll have to head to Austin to catch Trullie at South By Southwest. Put differently: Be there.

mp3: Lissy Trullie - Self Taught Learner