Editor's note: Tune in on 11/6 for our Subterranean CMJ edition which will feature an interview with Deerhoof.
Wednesday night we made our way over to Irving Plaza to see Deerhoof. On our arrival the first of the two opening bands, Flying [ed.: impossible name to Google!], was nearing the end of their set. The Brooklyn band had a subdued and mostly sweet sound with the occasional burst of energy. Their drummer and vocalist confessed to the audience that they had just recently overcome their on-stage jitters, but we're sure by the end of this tour they will be well seasoned.
Up next was Portland's Experimental Dental School. The duo obviously had a few more years of performance under their belts. Lead vocalist and six-string slinger Jesse Hall delivered thick power chords and quick dissonant solos with the aid of his stack of three amps, the top most being crafted from an old white hard-shell suitcase. Put all that on top of drummer Shoko Koko El Loco's heavy beats and quick fills (with some timid backing vocals a la Satomi Matsuzaki) and it's time to Rock N' Roll!
There is no doubt that Deer Hoof's genre defying/defining sound has earned them a large, loyal and every growing fan base who by the time the band took the sage had crowed onto the floor of Irving Plaza. The stage layout was very sparse with guitarists John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez opting for small combo amps placed far behind them and drummer Greg Saunier hunched over his minimal kit placed at the edge of the stage. Bassist Satomi Matsuzaki began quietly singing then she started presenting little traffic cop gestures and bunny hops as her band mates broke into a high energy sprint. After doing some bunny hops of our own we left fully satisfied having had at least as much as the band did on stage.
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