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    Dancing the Night Away at Sold-out Passion Pit Show

    Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at The LC
    Photos by Ryan Reeves of Front Stage Photography

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    At 7pm, I was starting to think I accidentally showed up for some kind of high school battle of the bands instead of a sold out Passion Pit concert. It wasn’t just my imagination either, because as I stood on the sidewalk feeling a bit out of place, I overheard one of the LC workers laugh that only six people in line were given a “21 and over” wristband. Great, I thought. This is going to be fun. And I was right—minus the sarcasm, of course. Not only did the older kids show up eventually too, but the concert was one of the most eclectic, high-energy performances I’ve been to recently.

    Hailing from Cambridge Massachusetts, electronic-alternative band Passion Pit consists of five very normal dudes. In fact, before the concert, the guys could be found upstairs at the House of Crave Bar having a good time playing cornhole. The group formed in 2007 as frontman Michael Angelakos literally began experimenting with computer plug-ins and synth sounds in his dorm room. Not long afterwards, other band members joined and the group’s first album Chunk of Change was released. In 2009, Passion Pit’s second album Manners was released. Their current tour features hits from both albums.

    Although their set was actually pretty short (only 50 minutes), concert-goers afterwards looked as though they had just spent hours at the club. This is not far from the truth, as the concert itself was very much like a club—hot, overcrowded, and full of loud, energetic music. People were dancing, moshing, surfing the crowd (somewhat unsuccessfully), and sweating profusely. From “I’ve Got Your Number” to a great two-song encore including a long-awaited “Sleepyhead,” the guys put on a wonderful concert. It was lively, full of strobe lights, and we discovered that Angelakos has a mean “hop” move.

    Two opening bands began the night with very different musical styles. First to play was four-man Indie group Bear Hands from New York. While their performance was lacking in energy, the music was very good. Drummer TJ Orscher was especially talented, as was the bassist. Frontman Dylan Rau was also good, and I couldn’t help but notice he sounds an awful lot like Perry Farrell from Jane’s Addiction. I can’t wait to listen to more of their music, actually. My favorite of their songs was called “Can’t Stick ‘Em.” You can check them out at www.myspace.com/bearhandsband.

    The second to perform was Mayer Hawthorne and the County, consisting of vocalist and multi-talented musician Andrew Mayer Cohen, who calls himself Mayer Hawthorne. Since 2008, he has been producing some soulful singles, and his debut album titled A Strange Arrangement was released in 2009. His music is like a present-day version of The Temptations, combining a retro Motown-feel with jazz, funk, and hip hop. During one song, I closed my eyes and envisioned Boys II Men was up on stage instead of this 30 year-old Tobey Maguire look-alike. Hawthorne has a confident stage presence, and plays some other instruments as well. He got the whole crowd involved, having them do ‘falling rain’ choreography for a song called “I Wish it Would Rain.” Hawthorne’s set was a dramatic contrast from Bear Hands, but along with Passion Pit, it made for a very diverse night of music.

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    Walker Evans
    Walker Evanshttps://columbusunderground.com
    Walker Evans is the co-founder of Columbus Underground, along with his wife and business partner Anne Evans. Walker has turned local media into a full time career over the past decade and serves on multiple boards and committees throughout the community.
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