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May 1, 2007

Online Exclusive

Yeah

Band’s performance, opening acts make for memorable concert

Story by: Alyssa Fry

The Shorthorn staff

-Courtesy Art

After two charming albums, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah has garnered popularity in the ever-evolving indie genre, but two other factors helped make Friday’s performance memorable.

Dallas’ Granada Theater offered a classy setting with a hint of Texas charm. With its wall-sized indoor murals and menu items named after famous bands — The Cure quesadillas and Phish fish tacos, for example — the Granada was a good way to welcome the Brooklyn natives.

The opening act, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, was the other unexpected perk of the night.

On the same label as Thom Yorke and The White Stripes, Perkins, another East-coaster, made me glad I arrived on time.

The supporting cast of modest guys complimented Perkins, who also performs his acoustic folk solo. A shag haircut and harmonica around his neck made him like a melding of Bob Dylan and John Lennon circa 1965 — and the tunes reflected these icons without sounding emulated.

I was glad the rest of the crowd was with me in welcoming this refreshing, unpretentious folk for a new generation before Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ushered in its take on indie pop.

The headliners began with the circuslike intro of the first album, which features lead singer Alec Ounsworth on a bullhorn demanding that listeners clap their hands.

From the second song on, it was a nonstop dance party that intensified after the guys returned to the stage for an encore and again for the shocking second encore.

What seemed to ignite the crowd more than anything was when members of Perkins’ band were brought back to add a lively horn section to an extended version of the upbeat “Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away” from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s first album.

Though this tour promotes the second effort, Some Loud Thunder, I was glad to hear an almost-even mix of songs from both albums.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is one of those bands that is expected to continue wooing audiences, and Elvis Perkins is on the same path.

But if you missed the show, at least give Granada a try.