Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt and Robocopter Recap / Upcoming Scenester Pick: William Elliott Whitmore at Granada on Friday

Despite all our talk about how much we love adorable bands, we have to be feeling pretty fucking twee indeed before we don an animal suit and bounce around soberly to some funky beats early on a Tuesday evening. So we slipped in toward the end of Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt's set at Wonder Fair last night, yet still with plenty of time to witness what might best be described as one part New Age seminar (at one point everyone shouted a mantra of "I like you" for several minutes) and one-part freewheeling dance party set to bouncy songs with angsty lyrics about how shit will get better, with interludes for group hugs, a dance showcase by audience members, and a coming-together under a giant parachute (also, inflatable snow men, shirtless dudes, and dudes in dresses a la Of Montreal). The very young (and no doubt VERY high) audience had a blast participating. As for us, we needed a beer (which was not on sale: come on, Wonder Fair!).

The place cleared out quite a bit prior to our reason for attending: a three-song set by our local Twitter-buddy Robocopter, whose shouty hip-hop delivery of weighty-themed songs about the hollow "mechanism" of American institutions makes for an amusing contrast to his multimedia display of cute animal videos.

@Oxfordist was on hand shooting photos and videos for I Heart Local Music, which you should go peruse and experience the madness from the safety of your own home, with no danger of group hugs. Here's a sample from @oxfordist's photo gallery :
















---

But perhaps you're asking yourself, do scenesters these days ever get excited for things that aren't preposterous? Perhaps so, since William Eliott Whitmore and his banjo will be headlining a KJHK-sponsored show at the Granada on Friday. We remember the days when Whitmore and his gravelly voice shut up the drunken revelers at the Replay and the Jackpot. Will the younger set pay attention in a larger venue? Show up on Friday and found out. He's joined by ever-popular locals Drakkar Sauna, a cover band called Horse Weapons, and something out of Denver called Me For Radness, which will likely bring a dose of silliness to the evening.

Pitchfork gives a 7.5 to Whitmore's recent Field Songs, writing:

"Whitmore plays scrappy, acoustic folksongs on banjo (occasionally augmented by a bass drum), singing earnestly about things like hammers, steamboats, and dying. It's embarrassingly easy to picture him attacking logs with an old, rusted ax, or sitting by a campfire chewing on a stick of black licorice. There's a dignity to his work, which is unfussy and ambivalent to trends; sometimes that simplicity can feel admonishing. Whether he intends it to or not, something in his voice seems to say: "Stop Tweeting. It's stupid."

Expect to see a lot of young scenesters tweeting in front of him on Friday.