Yacht Played Rickshaw Stop - Pictures, Review

YACHT is one of the many projects of musician and multimedia artist Jona Bechtolt. Bechtolt works with a blend of electronics, percussion, and sounds to create a variety of immersive live environments. Bechtolt dropped out of high school to play drums for a punk band, and in the latter half of the 90s he started working with electronics. The culmination of that work is what has become the team of Bechtolt and Claire Evans - YACHT.

On Friday night, HAD stopped in at The Rickshaw Stop to catch the band playing an incredibly fun show. They're on a short tour promoting their new album, See Mystery Light. They played some of their earlier tracks as well - "See A Penny (Pick It Up)" for one. But it was unquestionably "Psychic City" and "Summer Song" that dancified the venue.

In addition to their musical side, YACHT have a scientology-ish schtick going on. We personally
found it amusing. Their show was very interactive at one point they projected their home address/map on the screen (just in case we were in Portland, we could drop in). That being said, careful what you wish for, kids - no one likes a stalkish fan.

All in all, we had a blast on Friday night, and from the looks of things, so did the crowd. We highly recommend checking out their show, and will definitely be keeping an eye out for the band in the future.

Check out more pictures at the HAD Archive.

Contest: Tickets For Yacht At The Rickshaw Stop

Portland techno-psych-bizarro rockers Yacht are riding high on the wave of a new record, a glowing Pitchfork review, and the launch of a new single entitled "Psychic City". You can check out the video for the tune above, or grab the mp3 below.

However, that's not all - the band are also doing a handful of shows in support of the record's release. While the New York shows have come and gone, we're happy to say that San Franciscans still have a chance to check out the band at the Rickshaw Stop this Friday.

Not only that, but the fine folks at Another Planet Entertainment have kindly hooked HAD up with two pairs of tickets to the show, which we'll be giving away....starting now! All you need to do is email contests@hippiesaredead.com by midnight on Thursday with your favorite Yacht song. We'll pick winners that night, and two lucky winners will be snagging a pair of tickets to the show. It's just that easy!

mp3: Yacht - Psychic City (Voodoo City)

Dirty Projectors @ Bottom Of The Hill This Wednesday

If you keep an eye on the 'fork, then you may have noticed their glowing review last week of the new Dirty Projectors album Rise Above. The disc is (apparently) a track by track re-imagining of the seminal Black Flag album Damaged. The disc an extreme reworking, and the songs are almost unrecognizable. For the most part it works, but at points the earnest acoustic-driven delivery (see "Police Story") robs the lyrics of their intensity, and borders on laughable. While the review name-checks Deerhoof in trying to explain the Projectors' stylistic fluidity, to my ears a more accurate comparison would be a blend of Animal Collective and XTC. In either case, the crux of the issue is that Dirty Projectors are creating some pretty interesting sonic experiments, and are starting to get some recognition for it. Or, maybe they've just started hanging with the right crowd - Grizzly Bear members guest on the new disc. To my ears, though, the new stuff warrants a listen: it's unique, diverse, and off-beat - not to mention that band leader Dave Longstreth has a great voice that's just a blast to listen to.

Now, at that, this would be just a mention of a noteworthy new album. However, for you, lucky San Francisco reader, there is more! Dirty Projectors are on tour, and will be appearing at Bottom Of The Hill this Wednesday. Tickets are still available on-line, so get 'em while you can. The show is a big bill - four bands - and features Portland-ites Yacht and White Rainbow, as well as local trio Sholi. Should be a great show, if not a bit of a late night for a Wednesday.

mp3: Dirty Projectors - Rise Above