all photos: Jane Briggs
all words: Aaron Baird
"Hello. I'm Ben. But tonight... I'm Max Tundra"
Pleasantly British, short, fuzzy and something of a character you may or not have created in your mind's virtual world, Max Tundra emerged on stage, placed himself directly in the center, and immediately began to softly and gently blow my mind apart. Surrounded by an army of noise-inducers (a recorder, a thumb piano, a mini-xylophone, a mini-keyboard, a full sized MIDI controller/keyboard, a flute piano, and some other weirdo noise instruments), Max turned a few switches here, pushed a few buttons there, and very quietly and politely spazzed out onstage.
From the start, you could muster a guess as to what you could expect from the evening, even if you didn't know the man. I'd never heard Max Tundra's music but quickly gathered that he must be some kind of electro-heavy one man band. This summation is neither insightful or particularly shrewd, just simple logic based on his lay-out. What I didn't realize I was to be treated to was the far from simple arrangements and sheer majesty of his highly individualized and unique perspective on what amounts to orchestral-pop-rave. Tundra himself alluded to the ethereal and visceral reaction his music must inspire as he jokingly re-classified himself as not "new-rave" but decidedly "old-rave".
And yes, Max could make you move to the beat. The beat just happened to be ever-shifting, hyper-complex and composed of an amalgamation of time signatures I could hardly decipher. That's not to say it was pretentious. It wasn't. This wasn't math-rock or an exercise in complexity. It just felt like the purest tangible translation of the man-band's need to create. And create he has: soulful, contemporary, referential without restraint, arpeggiated mini-masterpieces. His own sampling of Brian Wilson's "Father of the Man" and lyrical reference to Jim O'Rourke reveals his heavily studio-crafted inspirations and ambitions, yet simultaneously placed that work within his own conceptual framework of a rabid and rapid transitory experience. His presentation was perfectly executed, minus one electric guitar snaffu. He proceeded to then give his guitar to a rabid fan. What a guy.
And then, the Junior Boys.
Man... Like, sure, the Junior Boys are good. Damn good. Their music, outstanding soulful synth-heavy house influenced pop music, is done in a way that is as affecting as it is infectious. They have grooves in their songs. Their production is impeccable. Their melodies are addictive.
Do you need to see them live?
Ehh...
Here are a few things to consider in your judgment:
-Their drummer (live drummer) is sick. SICK. Like I've been taking classes from Jeff Porcaro sick (RIP). That is a huge plus.
-Jeremy Greenspan has a great voice that can swoon even the hardest hearts. But very little stage presence.
-It's like going to see DJ's play their own record. A very damn good record. But a recording none-the-less.
People may dance. This is the number one reason to go.
They're the Junior Boys. Up to you.
Previously in Live DC:
- 2/13: LiveDC: George Clinton & The Parliament-Funkadelic @ 930 Club
- 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
- 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
- 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
- 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
- 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
- 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
- 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre
God loves a cheerful giver.
not only gave me his guitar, but also later signed it ("This used to belong to Max Tundra") and before leaving found me in the crowd to gave me the case (which i managed to lose at an after after party, but it's the thought that counts). marry me ben jacobs!
Stuart, I'm not sure if it would work. You're about 4 heads taller than Ben Jacobs.
Good write up and nice pictures (some people post waaaay too many pictures and it detracts from the words. You, however, have a good selection here).
The lights were too bright for Max Tundra. He got ripped off. Junior Boys were good, but I was hoping they'd funk it up a bit for the live show. There wasn't nearly enough dancing considering it was Cinco De Mayo.
photo post accessorizing is my middle name
Aaron, once again, great review. I think I was affected a little more by Junior Boys than you just because of how far they had come from the last time they were on that stage. It was like the Blind Melon bee girl vs. Mick Jagger.
I was a fan of Max Tundra before, but now he is my hero.