Two bands, two sides, one show

A glimpse of the contrast between East Coast and West Coast tunes blew through Bear's Place Friday night, where two bands far from home played back-to-back. With New York natives Asobi Seksu leading off to Los Angeles-based Earlimart, musical style differences ran high. Singer and lead guitarist Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart found the contrasts distinctive, but not too surprising. "It seems like there's a lot of real flowing music in L.A.," Espinoza said. "Music from New York is sometimes jagged and dark. We're more melodic." His words rang true -- audience members literally sat up straighter as Asobi Seksu's staccato sounds blasted off the stage and leaned back into their chairs when some of Earlimart's slower ballads rounded out the evening. Despite the differences, the camaraderie between the musicians was genuine, considering the experience of the "on the road" lifestyle is universal among touring musicians. Hand slaps, compliments and questions flew between the two groups in a bonding moment on the Bear's Place turf -- and no amount of miles between the groups divided their common ground. ASOBI SEKSU - EXPERIMENTAL EAST COAST ROCK
Two years ago, flyers called its music "Tokyo pop meets My Bloody Valentine" -- but that really doesn't fit any more, the band agrees. The four members of Asobi Seksu (Japanese for "playful sex") have now been making music together for over two years -- and they still can't decide how to define it. "It's ummm … pop-y and noisy," offers Yuki (just Yuki), the lead singer and keyboardist. "It's whatever the critics say it is," jokes Glen Waldman, the bassist, saying that its music has been labled everything from "euphoric walls of white noise" (Nylon magazine) to "grimly cinematic" (The New York Times). And whatever it is, it's definitely loud. Yuki's short stature (she stands only at shoulder height to the next shortest band member, even with white three-inch heels on) doesn't deter her, as her voice and fingers produce enough noise to make the average concert-goer do a double-take. Her fingers pound the keyboard as hard as drummer Keith Hopkins beats his drums. When she sings, she tosses her head up to throw her voice out. Her voice, delivering lyrics both in Japanese and in English, is practically an instrument itself. Her voice, combined with the screeching guitars, silenced all extraneous conversation in the room. Bear's Place is the first venue Asobi Seksu has played in Indiana -- and in fact, it's the furthest they've been from their Brooklyn home. The band claims not to have unchecked biases about the Midwest -- but, guitarist James Hanna said, "We did see a Confederate flag on the side of the highway that really freaked us out." But they applauded IU's homecoming parade and complimented local coffeehouse The Copper Cup for its tea. The caffeine is sort of a part of their pre-show ritual, said Hopkins. The band's future looks bright right now. Its song "Walk on the Moon" was on MTVu's online dean's list for two weeks in July, and their fall tour takes them all the way through Florida. But Hanna sums up one of their underlying reasons for wanting to rise as a band. "We just want to not have real jobs," he said. EARLIMART - LAYERED WEST COAST ROCK
In contrast to Asobi Seksu's experimental electronic sound, Earlimart's rock 'n' roll with folksy undertones is almost easy listening. But the group can hardly be dismissed as soft. Afterall, drummer Davey Latter did manage to smash through his snare drum head onstage at Bear's. ("That sucked -- we don't have a backup," Latter said after the show.) Its set list is upbeat, yet intermixed with slow ballads. The combination is partially what Earlimart is known for, as the group has moved from music characterized by a lot of distortion and feedback to a sound with heightened piano parts and melodic vocals. Onstage, it multitasks. Tour manager Joel Graves plays guitar, bass and piano, and Ariana Murray plays bass and piano and even adds backup vocals. Though rather crowded on the small stage at Bear's, the five musicians that make up Earlimart showed their tight chemistry, often centering themselves around frontman Espinoza and reacting to each other's melodic lines. "Everbody's really talented," said Espinoza, talking about the layered effect that the group tries to promote by having so many musicians playing so many parts at once. "There's lots of stuff coming into the music, so it's kind of a necessity to have us all up there." Latter agrees, though he sticks to drums when Earlimart plays. "A lot of texture is going on in the music, and everybody goes back and forth all the time," he said. Like Asobi Seksu, Earlimart's star is starting to rise. The group is touring all over the country, its third CD Treble and Tremble was just released at the end of last month and several radio stations have picked up some of its songs. "The record's really starting to sell; we're touring all year long and three big stations have picked us up," said Latter. "It's pretty awesome." This concert was Earlimart's first time playing in Bloomington as well -- but it was hard pressed to pick up on the local weekend vibe in a college town. "We're all really old -- frat parties are the last thing we need," said Latter. It may have been fate for Asobi Seksu and Earlimart to meet in Bloomington, but it will hardly be the only time. Though neither band professed to know it when they met, they will meet again mid-November for a show in Philadelphia. Maybe by then, each group's star will have risen even higher.