Recap: #OccupyValentines with Wye Oak, Hilly Eye and The Red Lions

Last night, our friends at WCDB and b3nson recording organized a mid-week break-in-routine featuring live music and good people in the form of the Red Lions, Hilly Eye (featuring Amy from Titus Andronicus) and Wye Oak. All associated acts have plenty going on; with the Red Lions currently recording their next album (yes!), Hilly Eye promoting the new songs off their latest E.P., and Wye Oak kicking off their fall tour opening for Explosions in the Sky.

Andrew Franciosa

The show brought together a good gathering of people, that pleasant ratio of familiar faces and people I’ve never seen before was in full effect. Not to mention the bill of acts worked very well together while still individually providing something different with each respective set. Good job, WCDB.

Be sure to check out Andrew’s full gallery on flickr.

Between playing the Red Lions on air practically every week during KAB’s show on WCDB and beginning to feel like a borderline groupie, I’m just going to say check out their music for yourself, and be careful: their new song “Just Getting Round to Loving You” is ‘sexy as hell‘.

Hearing Amy from Titus Andronicus play alongside Catherine Tung was a treat; as I’ve never been exposed to their music before. Both girls have a quirky, nerdy and all-around adorable stage presence, with Amy on lead vocals and guitar, and Catherine multitasking with drums and vocals (probably one of the hardest things to do musically). Simple ingredients mixed with pure talent and an awkward flair made for a surprisingly fun set. Amy admitted that one of the songs they played was written the day before, but without her letting us in on that secret, we’d likely have had no idea.

Wye Oak took to the stage last as headliners. As another band that I’ve only heard in glimpses, their live performance held a rougher quality than the bands that played prior, and the fiercely blonde lead singer admitted she didn’t shower and wanted the lights dimmed, setting the mood for their set in the awesome ‘it is what it is’ mindset. Their songs were hauntingly beautiful without igniting any drowsy reactions and managed to get people out of their wallflower states, dancing and finally waking up.

Check out “Civilian” they released back in March on Merge Records for a taste!