Kelley Hecker Loves the Whispertown 2000

By Venus Zine Staff
Published: June 1st, 2010 | 12:00am

The first time I heard the Whispertown 2000 was the fall of 2004 when they were a duo (vocalist-guitarist Morgan Nagler and guitarist-percussionist Tod Adrian Wisenbaker) who went by the name Vagtown2000. Their only available tracks came from a soundboard recording of an opening slot they played for Blake Sennett’s the Elected at L.A.’s Echo. It was an event that made me long to live in Los Angeles, if only for a night.

The openers (who all played solo acoustic sets) began with Rilo Kiley bassist Pierre de Reeder. He performed some of the material that later found its way on his 2008 debut, The Way That It Was (Little Record Company). Next was Vagtown2000, and—drum roll please—Jenny Lewis, who, armed only with her guitar and occasional vocal assistance from the Watson Twins, premiered many of the songs that would comprise 2006’s Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love). Oh, 2004. A time when a solo Jenny Lewis show was considered rare and Rilo Kiley was top priority...

Anyway, initially, I kind of hated Vagtown. Nagler’s voice! Her lyrics! The simple guitar work! I could do that, I thought, yet I went back to the bootleg and eventually came to adore them. She’s not a great singer, but there’s something about her voice that I love, and she seems so darn genuine. Since ’04, I’ve been to all but one of the W2K's Chicago shows and it’s always a treat. The band, now rounded out by vocalist-guitarist-percussionist Vanesa Corbala and guitarist-percussionist Casey Wisenbaker, is always a joy—a bunch of charming goofballs equipped with a set of catchy songs. They have two full-lengths out, 2006’s self-released Livin’ in a Dream and 2008’s Swim (Acony), and with any luck will release another later this year.

If you’d like to download any of the live sets—complete with some pretty funny banter, particularly from the sloshed Sennett—head on over to Lullabyes or click the direct links below. Note: These recordings were originally hosted by the Cutting Room.

June 10, 2004 at the Echo in Los Angeles:

Kelley Hecker is a Venus Zine editorial intern