PICTURE THIS: Pure Bathing Culture, Sun Airway, Exitmusic @ Rickshaw Stop, SF 10/16/12
Pure Bathing Culture (Father/Daughter Records) is the sweet and melodic pop-rock band of Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman, known, perhaps, for their ongoing participation in Andy Cabic’s folk band Vetiver. Pure Bathing Culture’s live sound is created by a previously recorded loop of drum and melody layered upon by complicated bass, guitar, and electric keyboard, topped with Versprille’s lovely voice. The result is bubbly, subtly textured songs that are just as nice to hear in the club as they are on a sunny and crisp autumn afternoon.
Pure Bathing Culture opened for Sun Airway and Exitmusic. With their brilliant stage lighting effects and highly danceable pop sound, Sun Airway, a quintet, certainly should have headlined the night. Jon Barthmus’ diligent songwriting and energetic performance makes accessible the complicated, fast-paced, explosion of sound that emanates from the stage.
Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church, the husband and wife team that makes up Exitmusic tipped the sexy scale at Rickshaw Stop for sure. Palladino’s rich alto vocal style is mesmerizing at first…and you want to be interested in Exitmusic. But the duo, accompanied by a VJ/percussionist, played a set in which every song was predictable, and sounded like the song before it. There seemed to be roughly two parts to each song; part A featured a verse sung by Palladino and Part B was a loud blast of post-rock directionless guitar. Make no mistake, Palladino, of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, is a fantastic singer, but Exitmusic cleared the venue unable to draw in the audience.
It was a good night.
Check out more awesome photos HERE.