Beach Fossils, Young Rapids, and Go Cozy @ DC9 on 3/1/2013

Dustin Payseur of Beach Fossils
Dustin Payseur of Beach Fossils

Yet again does a slew of bands help advocate towards a joyful Friday night on Washington D.C.’s (in)famous U Street; an avenue scattered with clubs and venues that host live music nightly. While the 9:30 Club hosted Randy Rogers Band, and Mos Def was putting on a show out in Maryland, Beach Fossils along with Go Cozy and Young Rapids came around to give the first day of March a jangly vibe at DC9. Touring off their new album, Clash the Truth, Beach Fossils had arrived fresh in the Capital, and welcomed two bands within the District area as their openers for the night. In a venue as small and intimate as DC9 (normally serving as a bar), there is no evasion of the artistry and presence put on by each band, as they are merely feet in front of your face, or in my case, high-five range.

Shortly after doors opened, Go Cozy took the small, intimate stage which rose barely a foot off of the ground. Go Cozy is a band from Silver Spring, Maryland, and is composed of a lead guitarist/vocalist, rhythm guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist. I forget their names, but the rhythm guitar spot was being filled by a member of Sun Club, and the lead singer had a cool Spanish accent. Anyways, Go Cozy had a great performance. Surprisingly, with what seemed like a lack of pedals as none of the members had a full pedal-board, the band had a very jangly, gaze-y sound that was interesting enough to persuade me to grab some free tracks off of their bandcamp.

Following Go Cozy was a band straight out of D.C. itself, Young Rapids. Young Rapids has a very interesting line up that consist of a lead keyboardist/vocalist, lead guitarist, drummer/vocalist/bassist, and rhythm guitarist/vocalist/drummer. Similar to Go Cozy, the members of Young Rapids (for the most part) also have names I cannot remember, although their set was quite memorable. They have peculiar sound that draws similarities to bands like Radiohead and Local Natives. The vocalists were surprisingly on point, while each of their songs had well-rehearsed sequences and drawn out interludes that held spots for zoners, chillers, and thrashers. After their set, I spoke to Joe, the band’s rhythm guitarist/vocalist/drummer; inquiring as to if they could come by the station for a possible interview and/or in-studio performance. He said, “For sure, man,” and proceeded to give me his band’s contact information, so stay posted for possible future posts about Young Rapids. All in all, these guys are definitely worth the time to check out.

Alas, Beach Fossils took DC9’s puny stage as its crowded patrons cheered. Dustin, the band’s front man, kicked off their set with “Clash the Truth,” the title track and opener of their new album. Live, Beach Fossils delivers an energetic presence that causes a significant deviation from record, and alters the chill vibe of their tracks into youthful, thrash-y beach rock. I’m pretty sure there was a minute amount of moshing in the crown, although I couldn’t tell because I was sitting practically on stage. As Beach Fossils progressed through their set, they performed a majority of songs off of Clash the Truth, while also revisiting some tracks from their self-titled debut album. There was an apparent difference in performance between old and new. Songs like “Shallow,” “Clash the Truth,” and “Taking Off” held a post-punk presence similar to DIIV’s live presence, but not as hardcore. On the other hand, “The Horse” and “Sometimes” brought the classic beach vibe that Beach Fossils is known for to the night. If you get the chance to see these dudes live, take it. They’re a plain ole good time and I can guarantee you will enjoy the show, disregarding any other factors such as social awkwardness with the opposite sex. Especially with a venue as phenomenal and intimate as DC9.

-Morgan Rana

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