Bachelorette, Pikelet, Adam and Eves (Adam Powell), and Endless Bummer at the Che Cafe Krista Nielsen 6.2.9

We received the newest Bachelorette cd My Electric Family a few months ago, and its been a super nice inclusion to our iTunes rotation. Highlights are The National Grid (track #2) and Mercurial Man (#10), both offer interesting dynamics and time-changes. Technology Boy (track #5) is so catchy, it'll stick with you all day.

Bachelorette

I wanted to see the band live, wondering about the visual experience. Tuesday night at the Che Cafe on the UCSD campus, we arrived at 8:15pm, just in time for Bachelorette's sound check: Mac laptop, two women fronted, and a drum set in back. They checked one of the songs from the album and it sounded super nice right away.

Endless Bummer

After checks, the first band, Endless Bummer, started: two slightly slumpy guys, one with bangs covering 1/2 his face as well as a pretty well-grown beard, and the other resembling an uncle of mine from the 70s, mustache and all. The hairier of the two held the mic, tapped a laptop now and again as well a casio-sounding keyboard. My uncle look-a-like kept calypso-type beats during the kooky speak-singing with sort-of interesting lyrics.


Bachelorette

Adam and Eves

The second set was Adam and Eves, they were visually entertaining as well their stage presence. Along with the basic guitar, drum, and bass, an accordion, xylophone, and washboard added some very nice sounds here and there. The accordion especially stood out. The guitar/vocalist had amazing passion at times, though he was book-ended by oddly calm, smiling girls. It would be more exciting to see the rest of the band join in on whatever has the singer was on!

Adam and Eves

The third set was a solo performance by one of the three Bachelorette performers, Pikelet (Evelyn Morris from Australia). Her music was captivating, interesting, surprising...the best of the night so far. Watching her effortlessly tap pedals, pat the mic, drums, melodica, keys, xylophone, etc. ...massive loops of layers on top of layers, adjusting tempos and layering again, setting 5 to 6 levels of harmonies, to then sing in her almost-piercing high-pitched voice.

Pikelet

Finally, Bachelorette takes the stage, and after fussing around for 20 minutes with tuning the 12-string and flipping switches, they begin the set with track #2 from the new disc. With the lights down and a scribbly video projected atop the three, the song was good. I especially appreciated the drums beat with force against the main singer's sweet vocals. I was able to identify Pikelet's additions to the music and it made for a really nice set overall.