1960s psychedelia and ’70s punk rock were diametrically opposed in their own time. Nowadays, however, they coexist as the dual strands in contemporary indie and alternative rock’s DNA.

Loud, aggressive, occasionally nihilistic artists like Pixies, Nirvana, and Sonic Youth clearly belong in the punk tradition, and comprised American alternative music’s mainstream in the 80s and early 90s.

But with the decline of grunge in the mid 90s, the lush sounds and inventive spirit of Brian Wilson and the Beatles recaptured indie rock’s imagination and have remained primary influences ever since.

Some psychedelia-influenced acts like Animal Collective, Tame Impala, and the Flaming Lips follow in the footsteps of these artists by relentlessly experimenting with the possibilities of elaborately produced and highly melodic rock music.

Others, however, are content with simply recreating the decades’ old sounds of their idols.

Portland-based group Blitzen Trapper belongs squarely in the latter category.

For Blitzen Trapper, technology might have changed since the 1960s but the aesthetics and song forms of the British Invasion remain timeless. Listening to albums like Wild Mountain Nation, Furr, and their latest release, Wild and Reckless, I occasionally feel that the band’s highest ambition is to imagine what Abbey Road would have sounded like if the Beatles had recorded their songs to a CD-ROM instead of a four-track cassette.

All of the elements are here: gangly melodies, sunshine-filled harmonies, and shimmering acoustic guitars take centerstage on album after album.

Eric Earley, like so many Beatlemaniacs-turned-frontmen before him, gamely mimics John Lennon’s iconic vocals, with a voice ranges from a nasal sneer on tracks like “Gold for Bread” to a reedy falsetto on “Furr.”

The lyrics are mostly tall-tales told in the first person. Their most popular single, “Furr,” is a wordy coming-of-age tale told by way of an allegory about running away from home to join a wolf pack, while Wild and Reckless is a far-flung concept album about a Hollywood drug dealer-turned-cop-turned drug dealer again.

“That longing for escape, that pure juvenile psychedelia we possessed as kids laying in summer grass gazing up at the clouds in the sky seeing shapes in them,” Earley writes, is the feeling he strives to capture in his music.

In other words, experimentation has its place, but so, too, does music that strives to soothe nostalgia for a bygone time. If punk rock’s imperative is to “make it new,” Blitzen Trapper is happy to leave this task to other bands. For them and their fans, it’s more than enough to try and recapture the sounds of an era they otherwise could never experience firsthand.

The band’s performance at the Mill will be their 3nd visit to Iowa City in three years, following a previous 2016 show at the venue. The concert is slated to begin at 8:00 PM, with Nashville singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt performing as the opening act.

Performance Preview is a column spotlighting the best and most notable acts coming soon to Iowa City.

The post Performance Preview: Blitzen Trapper @ The Mill, November 17th appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The namesake of the band, Kacy and Clayton, first took the stage with only a guitar and some microphones. The first few acoustic songs reminded me of a slightly-less folky version of the now-extinct Civil Wars. Kacy’s riff-filled melodies were paired beautifully with Clayton’s harmony and rhythm guitar.

Their style was very relaxed and informal, which was good for the music, though less good for their interactions with the audience between songs. Clayton asked the audience for a sewing kit for his new shirt, which already had a couple buttons pop off–unfortunately for the shirt, the audience was complete crickets.

Luckily, the band was unfazed by the lack of energy, and pulled two more band members up to the stage. The drummer and bassist were middle-aged, cool guys with beards and berets. I don’t remember the bassist’s name, but thanks to Clayton’s introduction I do remember that he hasn’t had a single cavity in his life. This goofy fact helped the audience engage slightly more, and the full band put on a lively set.

I’m not an avid fan of country, but I could definitely respect both bands’ talent. Plus, there’s just something about live music that’s always enjoyable.

Next, a man with a guitar and a harmonica took the stage–lead man of Blitzen Trapper, Eric Earley. He informed the crowd that this show would have a lot of story-telling, which he said “scares the **** out of [him] ‘cuz [he] doesn’t like talking.” I’m glad the show was more intimate, because it allowed me to really engage with each song.

I especially liked the songs “Furr” and “Across the River.” Almost all of the audience members sang along to Furr, which happens to be one of the band’s oldest and most successful songs. I really connected to the story for Across the River. Earley told a story from his high school days, when his friend Kyle’s dog jumped in a river. Despite the current, the boys jumped in after the pup. Soon enough, Kyle and his dog were back on shore while Earley was swiftly moving downstream. Thankfully, he didn’t die and wrote a sweet, nostalgic song instead.

Halfway through the set, the show had an abrupt stop by request of The Mill. A man fell off a bar stool and lost consciousness, so an ambulance had to be called. The band took the time as a smoke break and didn’t let it affect the energy of the show in any way.

After the band was back in their place, the rest of the show was a really diverse mix of Blitzen Trapper songs and covers. Each song seemed to be extremely nostalgic to the band and a majority of the audience. It was cool to witness people getting so into the music, but as a 20-year old I didn’t quite connect to the show in the same way.

I probably won’t listen to Blitzen Trapper often, but I’m definitely glad I had the opportunity to see them live. Plus I bonded with the keyboardist over our curly locks, so that was cool.

The post Concert Review: Blitzen Trapper @ The Mill 9/20/16 appeared first on KRUI Radio.