Life Is Not a Movie in the Hot Tub

Richmond has reached a new level of music awesomeness when we can have an all-day music festival and still have an outstanding show at the National the same night.

Although barely promoted, the Wye Oak/Okkervil River bill was one that would have caught the eye and ear of any indie music fan worth his salt.

If, that is, Best Coast and Girl  Talk hadn't played Richmond today.

But they did, launching a music festival that hopefully will become an annual tradition, so when I walked into the National tonight, it was to a crowd of maybe a hundred people.

Usually there are more people than that hanging around outside the venue before the show, much less inside.

But I immediately ran into two musician friends, so I had good company and couldn't worry about the turnout, which increased somewhat, but not enough.

Because of all the buzz around Wye Oak, I'd been eager to see them for a while. This was their first show in Richmond, as they acknowledged somewhat sheepishly.

"I don't know why. You're right down the road," singer Jenn said.

The Baltimore duo mixes quieter folk-sounding elements with full on noisy dream pop.

Screaming guitar, meet Jenn's girly vocal.

Andy, the drummer, was amazing to watch, playing drums with his right hand and keyboard with his left.

Jenn said they were impressed with the venue and that she'd wanted to use the hot tub.

Until, she said, someone warned her, "I wouldn't get in there if I were you." She was pondering what questionable bands might have been in that hot tub and left their cooties.

A look at recent shows past might answer that question easily enough.

Wye Oak's music was a study in contrasts, quiet followed by loud, slow preceded by fast. It was a lot of sound coming from two people.

Despite the less-than-full room, their big sound had plenty of room to open up and resonate without being deadened by the usual oversold collection of sweaty bodies.

And by the end of their set, we were all totally satisfied. Or, as my friend put it then, "I'm good now."

Jenn had opened their set cryptically by saying, "We're from Baltimore, so we're having a good day."

We figured it was probably a sports reference, but it could have been about their performance.

For the audience, it was better than a good day. It was downright excellent.

Austin's Okkervil River played next and I'd seen them a few years back opening for the New Pornographers.

The six-piece had all the components- horn, lap steel, violin, banjo. keyboards, mandolin -for some beautifully dense sound fronted by lead singer Will's heartfelt and dramatic voice.

A girl yelled out that she had seen the band ten years ago, but Will, in his wool sports coat with elbow patches, challenged her on that.

"I'm not that old!" he laughed. "Maybe seven years ago?" She countered with nine, but he didn't buy that either.

Fans love Okkervil River's intelligent lyrics, but a cover of "Sloop John B" got almost as big a response from the crowd as "Lost Coastlines" and "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe."

And that despite a good part of the audience not having been born when the Beach Boys redid the song.

Will thanked the audience profusely at the beginning and end of their set for having come out to the show on a day when so much other music was available to Richmonders.

I'd thank two excellent bands who were willing to finish off a stellar musical weekend...and didn't even require a cootie-free hot tub to do it.