Concert Review
The Postmarks & Apples in Stereo
The Culture Room 9/28/07
Better Than: Standing around with seven thousand of your closest “friends” at last week’s Interpol concert.
As far as cool line-ups go, the Culture Room’s double bill featuring The Postmarks and Apples In Stereo was really a match made in heaven. For starters, both bands share an enduring passion for the music of the poptastic sixties.
In the case of the Postmarks their lush ditties seem reminiscent of Burt Bacharach four-minute mini-masterpieces. While Apples In Stereo take their cue from sixties garage bands. That’s not to say these two groups are all about reenacting past trends—The Postmarks and Apples In Stereo may reference a by gone era—but their sound, thankfully, is firmly planted in our present times.
Local heroes the Postmarks—fresh from a successful stint at this summer’s Lollapalooza festival—kicked off the show with a re-charged version of “Know Which Way The Wind Blows.” Abandoning their trademark tempo, the Postmarks become a uplifting revelation when playing live, with upbeat altered versions of their well-known pastoral tracks inducing some audience members into moving, and dare I say…dancing!
Throughout their spirited set, entrancing frontwoman Tim Yehezkely, sporting a yellow vintage t-shirt with the words Boynton Beach printed in green, easily charmed up the crowd with danceable versions of “Goodbye” and “Weather The Weather;” she even took time out to play a cool melodica-keyboard solo.
While Guitarist/composer Christopher, dressed all in black with a red carnation on his guitar strap, made the most out of his axe by mixing breezy Brazilian tropicalia chords with Beatlesque harmonies. The steady and fast drumming of Jon Wilkins was essential in keeping with the band’s punchier live incarnation.
At around 11:00 p.m. Denver’s legendary stalwarts of powerpop, Apples In Stereo took to the stage and started off with an impeccable rendition of their new album opener “Can You Feel It?” Some might say that it’s a risky move to start a set with a brand new song, but the Apples with six full albums under their belt are not a nineties nostalgia act, and their set focused primarily on tracks from their first album in five years, the critically praised New Magnetic Wonder.
Multi-instrumentalist, frontman Robert Schneider hit all his high notes with special mention to the dreamy power chords of “Skyway” and “Energy,” which the house tremble with jumps from the audience.
Of course, keyboardist John Ferguson won the award for Best Costume by donning a full space age jumpsuit with a shiny cape and Green Lantern style mask. The rest of the band, guitarist John Hill, drummer John Dufilho and bassist Eric Allen replicated the neo-psychedelic soundscapes of the famed Apples albums.
And, yes for at least a couple of hours, we did manage to forget that bullshit on the dial.
Personal Bias: Our local band The Postmarks doing an electro-pop version of “Goodbye” and making the songs sound even better live.
Random Detail: The Postmarks walking around the Culture's Room courtyard after the show and taking time to talk to their local fans about their last tour.
By The Way: you can join The Postmarks and Apples In Stereo here http://www.myspace.com/thepostmarks and here http://www.myspace.com/theapplesinstereo
--Jose Davila
