Guest Writer/Photography: Brooks Hays

The 9:30 Club in downtown Washington DC is an amalgamation of three of my all time favorite venues: The Tabernacle (Atlanta), The Norva (Norfolk), and The National (Richmond). It may lack the intimacy of the Black Cat, DC9, or Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel, but don’t worry, the domestics are the familiar seven dollar bargain. Seriously, the 9:30 is the perfect size. It’s big enough to house a large, energetic crowd, but small enough to always have a decent view of the stage. And much like the night’s act Blitzen Trapper, the club has plenty of grungy attitude and funky character.

Opening acts are by nature hit or miss, and The Moondoggies were somewhat of an air ball. By their name, I wasn’t sure if to expect an opening band or some promo-act marketing a new TV show for preschoolers. Disappointingly, The Moondoggies were not a Nick Jr. show, they were a striving folk band that just didn’t quite do it for me. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the true Northwest attraction took the stage. A plume of thick smoke billowed down from the top floor, and I could only assume, if it wasn’t the product of a fog machine, that it was a sweet smoke spewing from the opening of the green room. Either way, it signaled the beginning of the real rock show.

Blitzen Trapper opened with a solid rendition of Furr’s “Black River Killer.” It was a nice reminder of why I first got hooked on these fellas in the first place, and I got the sense I wasn’t the only one present who felt this way. Afterwards they announced their intention to play many songs from their just released album Destroyer of the Void. You could hear the collective murmur and mumble throughout the crowd as a few “pre-release” downloaders wondered if singing along to these new songs might publicly reveal their copyright transgressions. Thanks to the band’s free streaming of the album, it was a moot point. BT quickly moved into an electrifying version of “Love and Hate” with Eric Early channeling a bluesy David Bowie, and his bandmates providing spooky harmonies and funky tonal textures. The band went on to play almost all of their newest album (highlights being “Dragon’s Song” and “Below the Hurricane”), while sprinkling in a few crowd favorites like a pounding, pleasure-filled “God and Suicide” and a lighter/cellphone-inducing “Furr.” Blitzen Trapper doesn’t seem to have a particularly bad song, so my attention never entirely left the stage, but their collective energy seemed to come and go, catching stride for short periods, but coasting into vague disinterest and mediocrity for stretches all the same. Early’s lyrics, vocal projection, and piercing passion for song were most impressive when he turned to the piano and held the spotlight for several “almost” solo performances (I recall particularly moving versions of the “Not Your Lover,” “Sadie,” and “Heaven and Earth”). The band’s romping encore left me intrigued and anxious, as they played two lesser known tracks “Jericho” and “Big Black Bird” and closed with Wild Mountain Nation‘s funky opener “Devil’s a Go-Go”. Eric Early and friends employed a strong alt-country folk meets frolicking Honky Tonk vibe, as the band never stopped firing on it’s rock n roll cylinders. The boys from Portland left the stage on the same high note they came in on leaving the crowd and myself in a complete state of Blitzen bliss.

Setlist
1.“Black River Killer”
2. “Laughing Lover”
3. “Fire + Bullets”
4. “God and Suicide”
5. “Love and Hate”
6. “Destroyer of the Void”
7. “Evening Star”
8. “Not Your Lover”
9. “Below the Hurricane”
10. “Lady on the Water
11. “Silver Moon”
12. “The Tree”
13. “The Man Who Would Speak True”
14. “Furr”
15. “Sleepy Time in the Western World”
16. “Dragon’s Song”
17. “Sadie”
18. “Wild Mountain Nation”
19. “Heaven and Earth”
Encore:
20. “Jericho”
21. “Big Black Bird”
22. “Devil’s a Go-Go”