By: Jon Behm
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| Dan Deacon - Photo by Jon Behm |
I almost decided to blow off seeing Dan Deacon at the Triple Rock on Monday night. Already dangerously deprived of sleep, I was afraid that my week wasn’t getting off to a good start. “Who is this Dan Deacon but just another ‘buzz o’ the month,’” I thought to myself as I barreled down interstate 94, my eyes gently closing, my forehead coming to rest against the steering wheel. Luckily for me (and other drivers on the road), I snapped out of it, and midnight found me at the Triple Rock, seeing one of the greatest shows I have seen all year.
The show started around 9:30, and the evening brought with it the Triple Rock’s predictable array of skinny jeans and clever t-shirts. The opener was Videohippos, a group out of Baltimore’s former Wham City Collective (of which Deacon also belongs). Videohippos’ weirdness was unparalleled. The set mostly consisted of a couple guys scream-singing, while strange videos were projected onto a screen that was hanging practically on top of them. One of the stranger videos had these dancing half-dinosaur/ half-fetus looking things that will probably give me nightmares for the rest of my life. The set was mostly not really my thing… what I can best describe as a Dadaist experimental freak out. The last song though, “Wheels,” had some pop aesthetic to it, and was eminently danceable.
Next on the bill was Detroit’s Nomo, a large afro-beat group on perhaps the most kick-ass recording label out there: Ubiquity. Nomo had a mission that night: to funk the hell out of every last soul in that audience. Towards this goal, they employed a keyboard, bass, bongos, trumpets and a couple of saxophones, plus what I later found out to be an electric mbira. And they didn’t just play them, they played them expertly. The music was a mixture of synth heavy afro-beat-jazz and -funk. If you can imagine Antibalas playing with Devo, then you might be somewhere close. The music got me very near to dancing—and this reporter doesn’t very nearly dance for just anybody. If you haven’t already, I would recommend that you check out Nomo as soon as possible.
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Dan Deacon - Photo by Jon Behm
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Already soaked in sweat from the club’s intense heat, I was ready to chill out with a cold beer before Dan Deacon was set up. Unfortunately the security at the Triple Rock for 18 + shows these days is something akin to Riker’s Island. After getting my hand stamped, a wristband, showing my ID twice, and going to the bar next door, I was finally able to get my mitts on a frosty glass of Summit EPA. Unfortunately the time I spent doing so prevented me from getting a primo spot in front of Deacon’s setup. Luckily though, since he set his kit up on the floor I was able to get on the stage directly behind, where I could watch the show basically over his shoulder.
Dan Deacon is an experimental recording artist out of Baltimore’s aforementioned Wham City Arts Collective. He has been buzzed about a great deal lately, due to a very high score in Pitchfork and incredible reviews around the country. In appearance, he is a mildly overweight bald man in large glasses and a Fred Flintstone t-shirt that has been poorly stitched together in the back. His kit is an odd array of electronica and lighting equipment—most of which looks built and soldered by his own hands. Everything is duct-taped together, from the glasses on Deacon’s head to a green glowing skull hovering over the table. There was also an iPod Shuffle taped to a plastic banana (so he doesn’t lose track of it). No, at first glance he didn’t look like someone who could rock anyone’s socks off. But to think that would be a mistake.
If you were at the show, you remember Deacon starting it off with a countdown from 35. The beginning of that countdown was a chant to the Pyramid of Jon. I was half of that pyramid. Let me explain. No, it’s too complicated, let me sum up: At the very of the beginning of the show myself and another guy in the audience were selected to put our hands together to form a triangle behind Deacon’s setup. Coincidentally we were both named Jon (depending on his persuasion the other guy could have been a John). Thus was born the Pyramid of Jo[h]n. At the beginning of the countdown Deacon led the audience in the chant “THHHHHHEEEEEEE PYYYYYYRRRRAAAAMIIIIID OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFF JOOOOOOOOON” holding every syllable for about 30 seconds. It was awesome. Then there was the hilarious countdown from 35. Then Dan Deacon rocked our world.&
Deacon’s music defies categorization. It is an experimental electro-pop, branded as “future shock,”
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Dan Deacon - Photo by Jon Behm
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by whose ever job it is to come up with musical categories. He uses unusual electronic sounds, imported beats and a mic filter that can change his voice from munchkin highs to Prince of Darkness lows at the drop of a hat. Really, it is not so much a musical style as it is one big musical party. This reporter may not “nearly dance,” for just anybody, but he sure as hell shakes his shit for Dan Deacon.
You don’t go see a Dan Deacon show so much as you go to participate. Gathered in a mass around Deacon’s table, we danced, chatted and sweated along with Deacon and his wild antics. At one point he hugged one of the audience members and let them sing part of the song. At another he cleared out a circle in the middle of the crowd for an impromptu dance competition, of whom audience member Pat was the clear winner. When it was found out that someone in the audience’s birthday, “Happy Birthday” was screamed by the crowd a full 20 times. You never knew what to expect, but were always hilariously surprised.
While I didn’t know all the songs from the set, my favorites were “Crystal Cat” and the “Wham City,” which was actually a very sweet sing-along. Every song though was pretty strong, and I never stopped moving until Deacon finally bid us goodnight.
If you haven’t seen a Dan Deacon show, I would put my highest recommendation on doing so. Not only is it a great musical experience, but it is funny, crazy, and completely un-self-conscious. Friendly to a fault, Deacon seems to care that everyone in the audience has as great a time as he is having, and in this day in age that is a rare thing. He told us that he plans to return to the Twin Cities in September to play with Girl Talk, and with utmost seriousness, I advise you to be there or be square.
Location Info:
Triple Rock Social Club
Artist Info: Dan Deacon, Nomo, Videohippos
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