Day One: The Yacht Club

Despite the fact that we had most excellent shows taking place in three fine venues in downtown Iowa City, my main destination was the Yacht Club, where i was most excited about These United States, a new-ish, very on the rise DC band. Making the decision a little easier for the night was the fact that Ladyhawk cancelled at the last minute, thus averting a catastrophic scheduling problem of Ladyhawk and Cartright fighting for my ears. i headed downtown early and caught up with Jesse Elliot, frontman for These US, as well as Adam Arcuragi, who is out on the road for a bit with These US. Jesse did some of his learnin' here in Iowa City, and was thus stoked to meet up with old friends and see the newly renovated Picador and Englert Theater. Back at the Yacht Club, Rykarda Parasol started the night with a solo set, kicked off by her claiming, "I have a band, but they had to stay in California because they're all in rehab." Nonetheless, she performed excellent renditions of songs from her Three Ring Records' debut "Our Hearts First Meet" as well as some new tunes from a forthcoming album. Her eerie, haunting delivery and mellow attitude set the stage for what was to be a mostly mellow evening of songwriter-type stuff...at least until Cartright played. More on that later.



Following Rykarda was Philadelphia's Adam Arcuragi, on tour for a bit with These US in support of his High Two self-titled debut. Adam shocked me with soulful acoustic songs that reminded me a lot of Rocky Votolato's "Makers," one of my favorite albums of the last few years. It was also quite a perfect complement when he brought These US's Tom up for some lap steel and guitar meanderings.



At this juncture, it was time for Jesse and Tom to take the stage, and Jesse's presence onstage is completely like his disposition in person. His smile is immediately commanding and he combines wit with an overall genuineness that makes him such a pleasure to be around. These US captivated the crowd throughout their set, with Jesse's delicate voice reminding me of a more polished Devendra Banhart and with Tom switching between guitar, banjo, and glockenspiel. After the show, Jesse kindly hooked me up with a copy of the forthcoming "Forest and the Garden" debut album which is currently being shopped. Honestly, it's fantastic and this is a band that absolutely must be heard. But i'm not letting you hear them yet.