The Party, The Americas, Robots Hate Cowboys & Botchii

Walking into the Senator, I witnessed at least 20 grand worth of equipment: five drum sets, guitars, a xylophone, organ, etc. cluttered the stage. People hid behind instruments in the darkness. I anticipated an amazing show.
On the left side of the stage, the light shown on Botchii and they started playing. They were loud and fast, the guitar overpowering the drums. Quickly, they died down and the light shown on Robots Hate Cowboys. They were just as good as Botchii, playing at about the same tempo, but the bass went more smoothly with the drums. When they died down, the light switched to Casey Deitz, who stood up in the audience playing the accordion. Slow, mournful sounds were heard as he walked up the stage and around the back to the front. He then joined Travis Weurthner who was quietly playing guitar, and they busted into “The Grueling Task of Mending Chicken Wire.” Every time I see Deitz play, I think the same thing: he beats the shit out of those drums. Even with a broken cymbal, the sound of his drums never faltered. I was mesmerized by the introduction provided by these three bands.
Some sounds came from an unknown part of the stage as lights flickered in the right and left doorways of the stage. The Party came on and played every style of music I’ve ever heard, beginning with a song that had kind of a country twang and then moving into rock ‘n’ roll and softer emo-like songs. They constantly changed volumes, from loud to quiet. Then, a screen came down and a video was shown. Jackson Woodhouse played some chords on the guitar as a guy was seen walking in front of his house toward the street, his red tie flipping out from under him. He watched cars, and then he went back in his house. He came out again, walked down the street with a red flag, and people from cars saw him with the flag. They came over and started break dancing in front of the house and doing the caterpillar. Laughter erupted from the crowd. Then the guy with the red flag was seen in the Senator, walking with the flag in front of the stage. He actually came out with the flag, imitating what was on the video.
The Party finished with five more songs, playing with as much vigor as the first set. There was a song with Phil and Becky Anker singing together, and it sounded beautiful. Her voice was smooth and soft, and I felt like I was listening to an intimate conversation between them in the park. When Becky Anker and Connie Cassidy sang together, the sound of the two ladies’ voices was so harmonious that I wished I could have heard them longer. In one of the slower songs, Jackson Woodhouse brought out the triangle, which I haven’t seen since I was a little kid. The tiny tapping of the triangle added an enormous sound to the song.
The Party’s performance lasted for about an hour-and-a-half, bringing in poetry and audio samples of Blue Velvet and It’s A Wonderful Life. It was exciting to see all these local bands come together in an immaculate performance. I was impressed with how well everyone played together and how the lighting was perfectly in sync.

– Kayla Anderson
– Photo by Matt Beier

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