LIVE REVIEW: Astronautalis, OONA & Le Vice @ the Rickshaw Stop 4/2/10

Okay, you get it. With all the recent praise we’ve given OONA lately, we just might be some fanboys. (There’s only one fanboy.) Any show that I’ve seen her play – the other bands are incredible. Take the following 2 acts for example.

Astronautalis

He calls himself an “indie rapper.” I’d agree, cause when he actually does rap it’s impressive. Like the first time you heard how fast those guys in Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony could rap. Except the lyrics and songs of  Astronautalis (Anthony Bothwell) are serious business. He pissed someone off fierce at the Rickshaw and got a glass thrown at him. I think we’re all a little confused as to why.  So yeah, the rapping is good – but his ability to pull off a Tom Waits like growl in his catchy melodies is what will really blow the hair back. He’s on twitter and he’s got a MySpace. Peep the tunes.

Le Vice

Le Vice (think French speak, not the Miami kind), is a group of six whose sole determination may be to bring back some fun and dancing to live indie shows. On March 2nd they released their self-titled debut Le Vice, an album of ten booty shaking jams that will remind you of the best parts of yesteryears female hip hop leads. Think early Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, or even Leela James. And while I’m not hip on the soul, r&b and rap, Le Vice was pure pleasure on the ears and the vibe. I suspect good things for this group, as lead Alex Lee was sure to get everybody dancing at one point in the night. Visit their website for song samples.

OONA

And then there’s OONA. She got some praise from us just under a month ago and is back in the studio down in LA, currently working on more material. Her live performances are truly a workout for her and the audience – so much heart and soul goes into a 45-minute set. If you haven’t caught her, make it a priority. Stalk her site (see what I did there?) to find upcoming shows, free music, and more.

One last thing, if you’re into the photos, we got a collection of the night.