Superhumanoids w/ Rademacher and Mike Sempert @ Sophia’s – 7/22/11

First night back for a complete night of music at the Sophia’s porch after a long stint without due to travel, though I do miss Santa Fe’s green and red chilies. I think the crowd was up there with some of the best I’ve been a part of. I was a bit concerned at the start as it started of a little empty, however once things got going, the place was shoulder to shoulder and I would guess that a majority of the people were dancing. Okay, admittedly, it was hard for me to judge because I was cutting a rug myself, but there did seem to be a significant number of people who were “feeling it”. If only every crowd could be this enthusiastic.

Seeing Superhuminoids with a much more receptive crowd made all the difference in letting their dance-pop get people moving and make it much more entertaining for me. The band from L.A. had a tough act to follow with Rademarcher getting the place going, but they pulled through and gave the crowd a great show. At the end, the audience was desperate for an encore that wasn’t given, though, Davis sometimes get’s a bit too needy about that kind of thing. The set was good regardless.

Rademacher was hyped up during Mike Sempert’s set and the lived up to it. The band from Fresno, CA played through their songs like they were the headliner with the crowd treating the same way. The band had a singer who delivered some great rambling lyrics, but with more than a few sing along moments, throughout the epic sounding indie-pop set. You could tell that the band themselves were having a great time by the way they were bouncing off the walls while they played their songs. Those are always the best kind of sets.

Mike Sempert is better known, to me at least, as the front man/musical force behind the band Birds & Batteries. On this night, the Oakland based singer/songwriter played a few B&B “classics” as well as new material not heard yet. I’m usually not a fan of the looped/sampled tracks that solo electronic artists use to get by, but Mike is certainly an exception. The reason for this is that every part he could play himself during the songs, he did. Drumming and triggering samples while singing and playing the keys was impressive and met the criteria I attest all great music should have. It inspires you to make music yourself.

---