Friday Night Videos - Esmé Patterson, You Won't, and Takoma Porch

Tonight we kick off Friday Night Videos by droppin' some knowledge on ya, TED-style. We have a presentation by Colorado singer, songwriter, and gambler Esmé Patterson from TEDxMileHigh 2013. In this collage of speech and song, she highlights the inspirations behind three of the songs from her 2014 release, Woman to Woman. On that album, she took popular songs about relationships, from artists as diverse as Townes Van Zandt, the Beach Boys, and Loretta Lynn, and wrote each song's inverse - looking at each relationship from the perspective of the woman who was the subject of the original song.


As an added bonus, we also have audio of "Wantin Ain't Gettin", the new single from her forthcoming We Were Wild. In it she tells the story of a man played games with her head, telling her he wanted her only so long as he couldn't have her. This self-described "sad bastard song is emblematic of her shaking off her folk and Americana roots to explore new soundscapes and musical styles.

You can catch Esmé Patteson tomorrow at 1pm at New Belgium's Tour de Fat bicycle festival at Yard Park. The event is free, and beer sales benefit area cycling non-profits.



Next up is another visual explosion of mirth from the Massachusetts duo You Won't. I could sooner explain the plot of a Fellini film to a golden retriever than try to parse exactly what this video means. This locomotively percussive video features a horn section comprised of organ grinders' monkeys, a fat Elvis, a Michael Jackson tribute, and the ever-present rubber chicken that serves as the band's mascot.

You Won't is touring in support of their sophomore record, the self-produced Revolutionaries. On it, they aim for a sound that's expansive yet still intimate. They combine the finely honed pop sensibilities of Vampire Weekend with the folky weirdness of Neutral Milk Hotel. You Will catch You Won't tomorrow night in an early show at DC9. Doors open at 6, and the show begins at 6:30



You Won't on MetroMusicScene

I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to our sister neighborhood across the border, The People's Republic of Takoma Park. Tomorrow afternoon is the fourth annual Takoma Porch festival, where musicians play on the front (or back) porches of houses and businesses in Old Takoma. It's a mix of professional and amateur musicians gathering to celebrate community. I found this video of a lovely untitled instrumental by Maryland's Bold Deceivers. The festivals takes place between 2 and 6 tomorrow afternoon, rain or shine.

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