Review: Hub Lawnapalooza (5-14-09) - The Cave Singers / Telekinesis / Hey Marseilles

HUB Lawnapalooza 2009

The University of Washington was treated with three great musical performances today on the lawn in front of the Husky Union Building. The event, fittingly named the HUB Lawnapalooza, drew quite an audience to support the three local acts Hey Marseilles, Telekinesis, and The Cave Singers. Sadly, due to a combination of issues in the lab and the crappy weather, I missed nearly all of Hey Marseilles. From what I heard, though, I thought they sounded quite nice.

The second set of the day was performed by Telekinesis. By the time the band had set up their instruments, the rain had actually stopped. While it was still a very grey Seattle afternoon, it was appreciatively dry. Originally just a one man band (Michael Benjamin Lerner), Telekinesis took the stage as a quartet in order to support a live act. As observed in the picture above, lead singer Lerner also plays the drums during shows. I have a lot of respect for singer/guitarists, but singer/drummer enters a whole other realm of greatness. Telekinesis started their set with "Foreign Room", one of the many upbeat, power-pop anthems off their eponymous debut LP. A full set list is below:

Telekinesis - Lawnapalooza set list (5-14-09)
Foreign Room
Imaginary Friend
Tokyo
Great Lakes
Awkward Kisser
Calling All Doctors
Cover (couldn't place what song this was)
Coasts of Carolina
One Step Forward
All of a Sudden

Strangely enough, with the opening verse of the band's last song, Telekinesis magically called upon the graces of Mother Nature - as the lyrics "All of a sudden it's summertime" were uttered, the clouds broke and the sun beamed down upon all. Luckily local UW radio station RainyDawg Radio had distributed 80's style sunglasses prior to the show, helping to shield our surprised eyes.

The last set was owned by The Cave Singers, who promised us all a great show before taking the stage. Playing heavily off their new album due out this August (which I was informed after the show will be entitled Welcome Joy), the band played nearly an identical set list as their previous Crocodile show. I will say that every time I hear their new songs live, they seem to sound better than the time before: I think Welcom Joy is going to be one sweet record. Oldies-but-goodies from Invitation Songs included "Helen," "New Monuments," "Seeds of the Night," and of course, "Dancing On Our Graves." Sadly, about a minute into the set closing "Graves," a power outage cut the song abruptly short. When the band failed to fix the problem, the concert ended without the finale of the song. Oh well, the rest of the show was amazing. Big props to Kirk Heynen and the SAUF for putting such an ambitious line-up together. The show was fantastic, and those in attendance were all smiles.

Finally, just a friendly reminder: later this month the ASUW Arts & Entertainment will be putting together another kickass show on the HUB lawn. Friday May 29, Ra Ra Riot and Built to Spill will be rocking out for UW from 3:00 - 7:00 pm. Again, this will be a free show. Unfortunately I can't make this one, but it's bound to be another winner.