"Mr. Skyler Skjelset, please report to the stage for a concert," one of the members of Seattle's Fleet Foxes said jovially between sips of Red Stripe. The darkly painted backstage room at the Black Cat was near full - surprising for a Wednesday night. Though the Portland, Ore., psych-rockers Blitzen Trapper were the headliners, the young Seattle band clearly stole the show.
Sky, the kid brother of the band, wove through a crowd of mostly 30-somethings in striped shirts clutching pints of beer, and onto the slightly elevated stage.
The Foxes opened with "Sun Giant," which exemplified their heartfelt harmonization and appreciation for an ancient tale. Next, "Drops in the River," an epic ballad beginning with plucking violin, bowed guitar and muffled bounding drums, escalated into a passionately airy sound, catchy as Coldplay but epic as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Guinevere."
The quintet delivered the self-labeled "baroque pop" with impressive precision and quality; performing in such close, casual quarters emphasized Casey Wescott's important keyboard contribution to the Foxes' sound and let the boys flash warm smiles and age-appropriate humor. The usually standoffish and critical D.C. crowd could be caught moving their heads, smiling, even chuckling at the banter about the band's escapades exploring the Smithsonian.
By the time the Fleet Foxes played their last song, enlisting members from Blitzen Trapper as percussive contributors, the room was noticeably more energized and chatty - moved by contented sounds, like in "White Winter Hymnal" that inspired images of bounding through the snow.
The intentionally disjointed sounds of Blitzen Trapper that followed seemed juvenile and alarming in comparison to the preceding band at first. It was only fitting when some younger fans trickled into the crowd or pushed to the front to stand next to a handful of people in Viking caps and feathery crowns.
Front row fans danced awkwardly while guitarist Marty Marquis chipped a drumstick by whaling on a cowbell. As a more established band, Trapper's six members took a few songs to mess around, like kids acting up in the band room before the teacher walks in, making it difficult to pin down an exact impression of their style and genre.
Just when they played a riff and synthesizer combo long enough to begin a good head-bopping for those behind the front row, they would abruptly change the tempo. But once lead singer and guitarist Eric Earley sang and strummed ballads while accompanying himself on the harmonica, the performance gained more focus.
But Earley's borderline arrogant air seemed prohibitive for the rest of the band at times, especially when guitarist and keyboardist Erik Menteer visibly struggled to look natural while playing just the tambourine. His talent was better utilized playing twangy guitar, contributing to Trapper's Wilco-esque sound.
They were best when all six members combined their command of their respective instrumental parts. Marty Marquis' ability to play instruments only emphasized Earley's talented leadership. Marquis' harmonizing vocals also accentuated Earley's unique voice.
The variety of the instrumental repertoire was best exhibited when Menteer and keyboardist Drew Laughery shined on synthesizers in "Sci-Fi Kid." Blitzen Trapper played two songs from the most recent live EP and a handful from the 2007 album "Wild Mountain Nation." They certainly came around toward the end of the performance with their signature modernized country sound reminiscent of The Steve Miller Band, with a great rendition of "Country Caravan" and "Wild Mountain Nation."
However, by show's end, murmurs from the crowd indicated Fleet Foxes had upstaged the headlining band.
