Seraphina Lotkhamnga on April 15th, 2012

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Who: tUnE-yArDs at the Outdoor Theatre
In 3 or Fewer Words: Rainforest R&B.
Memorable Because: Well, she’s the only artist I forgive for wearing face paint. If you’re in a rock or electro band, you don’t need to be wearing face paint, or body paint, for that matter. However, Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs plays tribal music that provides her with some justification. Garbus isn’t just rock, she isn’t just Afro-pop, and she isn’t just R&B. The fusion of all these elements in her repertoire almost forms a new genre that seems like it would originate from somewhere deep in the rainforest. With all the tricks she performs on her pedal board, it’s about the nature of sound and not exactly the process. Of course, Garbus is not without extraordinary musicianship. In addition to her looping of drums, ukulele and empty Coke bottles, the dramatic shades in her powerhouse vocals enhance all her idiosyncratic charms. She may have attracted more festival goers by opening with the feisty “Gangsta,” but she proved her worth when the high notes in “Powa” were flawlessly delivered. Even when the speakers went out during “Bizness,” Garbus still kept her cool. Now only if she didn’t randomly capitalize her moniker like a teenager on AOL messenger.
What I’d Tell My Friends Who Were at the Head and the Heart: How much did you stay awake for?
– S.L. (Concert photography by Scott Dudelson)