Capitol Hill Block Party – Day Two

I walked through the gates of the Capitol Hill Block Party on Saturday morning just as The Cave Singers were crooning “Seeds of Night,” their most recognizable tune thanks to impressive radio play on KEXP over the summer. I cruised the corners of Pike St. to the sound of the band’s rustic mountain man melodies conjuring summers in Glacier exploring the woodsy borders of crystalline lakes.

I had learned my lesson from Friday’s fiasco and came prepared with a game plan. Some friends of mine had scoped out a table in the beer garden where we could easily see a portion of the mainstage. I swiftly maneuvered my way to them immediately upon arriving, and did not move from that spot except to refill my beer. I resolved myself to the fact that darting from one stage to the next in an effort to see all the bands I wanted was just not going to happen. The result was a truly spectacular day. The mainstage line up on Saturday was a dream, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

As I settled into the table, greeting hooligans from all corners of the Northwest, Kimya Dawson took the stage. From my seat around the side of the stage, I couldn’t tell one song from the next due to the lack of acoustics in the outdoor arena. When the Fleet Foxes played later that afternoon the sound was much fuller, only reinforcing the fact that, while Kimya’s genius and notoriety absolutely deserved a main stage audience, her lo-fi aesthetic was diminished by the open air and ever increasing crowd. The loud buzz from the hordes of festival goers pressing through the mainstage mob was in stark contrast to the last time I saw Kimya play with the Pharmacy at the Vera Project back in 2005, where she played in a dark room to an intimate group of about 50 fans sitting cross legged on the floor.

The angelic harmonies of the Fleet Foxes masterful debut effort never get old. The liquidity of their impeccable vocals washes over my mind and body like a sunshower. Songs like the title track from Ragged Wood and “Your Protector” possess a peaceful sing along quality, creating the most perfect ambiance for some lackadaisical beer swilling in the summertime. It’s the kind of music that can slow you down to an inner stillness, like a lullaby your mother used to sing you.

I caught a few bars of The Builders and the Butchers moody acoustic set at the Neumo’s stage while in line for the bathroom before darting off to claim my spot on the dance floor for the digital funkiness of Chromeo. Like a gang of lost boys chanting for their leader, the clamor of a thousand voices shouting “CHRO-ME-OOHH!!” could be heard across all of  Capitol Hill. Dave 1’s smooth as butter vocals melt me like a popscicle. I danced my pants off, the hooks of “Tenderoni,” “Fancy Footwork” and “Bonafide Lovin” taking control of my body like some kind of funky puppet-master. I just lost myself in the duo’s comedic brilliance heard in “Mama’s Boy,” cheeks aching from grinning ear to ear.

Exhausted from the explosion of merriment and tomfoolery, I needed a little break during The Hold Steady’s set, and ended up missing them entirely (so goes the theme of the Capitol Hill Block Party), but made it back for the after-hours dance party madness. I was totally oblivious to DeVotchka’s set because Chromeo’s live performance set the night into full swing. Gripping a friend’s hand tightly so as not fall off the overcrowded stage during the super secret DJ set at Neumo’s (revealed at the last moment to be none other than the unstoppable twosome, Chromeo, in the flesh). It was Capitol Hill at its finest, with debauchery to be had by all.

Tagged as: Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle

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