Q+A: Passion Pit

Jeff Apruzzese and Ian Hultquist, before their set at WILD. Photo by Matt Ström.  More on Flickr »

Few bands rocket into stardom like quasi-electro youngsters Passion Pit, whose two year anniversary marks milestones ranging from signing to a major label to touring the world.  ELEVEN caught up with Ian Hultquist (keyboards, guitar) and Jeff Apruzzese (bass, keyboards) before their set at WashU’s fall WILD concert to talk about how they went from Berklee to music festival stages at the drop of a hat.

Passion Pit – The Reeling

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This entry was written by Jonathan Fritz, posted on October 6, 2009 at 4:34 pm, filed under Q+A and tagged Passon Pit, Q+A. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Sea Wolf @ The Billiken Club, 10/2/09

Photo by Christina Sack.  More on Flickr »

Despite the fact that I rushed to SLU to be on time, only to find out that they decided to start the show an hour late, I had a great time seeing Alex Brown Church’s band Sea Wolf rock the small, intimate stage at the Billiken Club.  The first opener, Sara Lov, crooned to the audience in her rich voice, her only backup band a record player playing her tunes.  (more…)

This entry was written by Erin Woo, posted on at 2:17 pm, filed under Live and tagged Sara Lov, Sea Wolf, The Billiken Club. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Built to Spill @ The Pageant, 9/29/09

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Built to Spill’s frontman, Doug Martsch, sings with a delicacy that seemingly couldn’t work with indie rock… yet it does. Perfectly. Going from foot-tapping, driving rock songs, to melancholy 6/8 time ballads, Martsch’s voice is the common denominator. His resonant bell-like tone is both soft and focused at the same time and BTS’ vocal melodies soar over the roar of three Fender guitars with grace. At Tuesday night’s show at the Pageant, his lines like, “You were right when you said, we are all just bricks in the wall. And when you said manic depression’s a frustrating mess,” were sharp enough to cut glass but warm enough to feel like a letter written in longhand.

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This entry was written by John Stanley, posted on October 2, 2009 at 12:51 pm, filed under Live and tagged Built to Spill, Doug Martsch, The Pageant. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Kings of Leon @ The Scottrade Center, 9/30/09

photo by Ella Brandon More on Flickr »

One of the few peculiar things left about Kings Of Leon in the wake of the Top 40 top coat that has veneered them as of late is the fact that veteran fans still attest to their amazing live show. Whether or not this is an empty claim meant to justify their most recent and even emptier chart-topping album Only By The Night is debatable, but the quality of their performances is not: to any longtime follower expecting rowdy, rosy-cheeked hooligans stomping the stage ‘til the cows come home, the show will have certainly lost its luster. (more…)

This entry was written by Chloe Cooper, posted on October 1, 2009 at 11:00 am, filed under Live and tagged Kings of Leon, Scottrade Center. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.