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Friday, July 29, 2011
Live Reviews Live review: Andy the Doorbum, Emotron
Posted By Jenny Lou Bement on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Andy the Doorbum and Emotron
Danger Danger, Philadelphia, Penn.
June 27, 2011
The Deal: Andy the Doorbum and the Emotron are probably two of the most amazing and talented people I have ever come into contact with. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to see both of them develop as artists throughout the years and evolve into what we know them as today. Starting July 6, the two of them took off on an adventure — a month long tour from Charlotte to Canada and back to Charlotte. Going through Andy and Emotron withdrawal and discovering my immense love for Philadelphia, I decided to take a trip up north to see the two of them play. I was excited to see what kind of developments they had made after being on the road so long together. I was also interested to see what Philly thought of Charlotte's own Andy the Doorbum and the van-dwelling, former Philadelphian, maybe one day Charlottean, Emotron.
I arrived in Philly a couple days before Andy and Emotron, staying at the infamous 409 house so I could explore the city a little more and become acquainted with the music scene. After two nights of basement shows, I was absolutely stoked as to how similar their scene was to ours. Everybody appreciates and loves music to the degree we do. Their scene is not quite as tight but much larger than ours. They are certainly more seasoned and mature, with a buffet of shows going on every night and with the common feature of basements in houses, most shows are in the dank, dingy downstairs below as opposed to your traditional venue.
The Good: When Wednesday came, I waited on the 409 porch for the boys to arrive. I was antsy to see them both, wondering what kind of attitude and quirks they would have after being together for so long. As Zac Camp, the Emotron's van-home, pulled up, I immediately began grinning like a kid with a credit card in a candy store. Charlotte was in Philly and the boys were sane and in one piece. I couldn't really ask for much more. After catching up with them on the 409 porch and getting a hoagie from the delicious Fu Wah down the street, it was time for us to head out to Danger Danger, the established basement venue that they were playing in.
Danger Danger is a neat place. They have followed all the protocol and established themselves as a business while they still have residents that live there, making it a true basement venue. Imagine the Milestone combined with the Sewercide Mansion and you have the best idea possible of Danger Danger. The walls are adorned with graffiti and the vibe is laidback. A basement stage area, as well as another stage on the first floor (in what was probably supposed to be the living room) were set up and ready to go for the night. Andy and Emotron set up their merch including the famous Emotron traveling thrift store and patrons began filing in, ready for their faces to be rocked by the good old south.
After two awesome, female fronted local bands, Nona and Very Happy, Andy and Emotron took the stage upstairs and to our surprise, instead of one of them solo before us, they sat together on a makeshift couch, an abnormal psychology book at their feet with a hatchet. With the lights flashing on and off, Andy began strumming his guitar and singing his new song, "Medicamentum," with Emotron complementing with back up vocals and makeshift textbook destruction percussion. Experiencing these two artistic geniuses working together and more abstract creatively was absolutely mind-boggling and enchanting. I was in disbelief of how perfect their musical attributes lend to one another. Emotron's bellowing, eerie voice complemented Andy's rasp in a way I did not know was possible.
They continued the set like this, alternating back and forth between their songs, Andy backing up Emotron in the same fashion as he lurked around the stage. The sheer dramatics of their show was enough to keep the entire crowd fixated on what was going on in front of them, some absolutely intrigued, some utterly confused. In between songs, Emotron and Andy turkey called to one another and bantered back and forth. It seemed as though, through their travels and time spent together, they have adopted small traits from one another. It was entirely their show, not Emotron, not Andy the Doorbum but them as an entity of their own.
I wish I could explain it more thoroughly and intricately but these videos will help you understand what I mean:
The Bad: Ha.
The Verdict: This show was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Andy and Emotron have been switching up their set every night, making each entirely unique. I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience them in Philly in a way I had never seen them before and I cannot wait to see the variation on their show when they come back this Sunday, Aug. 31, to conclude their tour at Snug Harbor. I cannot even begin to stress how unusually brilliant these two are together. I highly recommend coming out to celebrate their safe, sane return from a totally DIY month long tour and to experience something you only have one opportunity to take in. I assure you, if you like either of these two, you will regret it otherwise.
Set List:
Medicamentum (ATDB)
The Ditch (ATDB)
Busted (Emotron)
Centralia (ATDB)
The End (ATDB)
Don't Tell me I'm wrong (Emotron)
80s Nightmare (Emotron)
Love Song for Cigarettes (ATDB)
Life Without Horses (Emotron)
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