Telepathe and Abe Vigoda share confidence and sincerity in New York

October 16, 2008, at Webster Hall

By Eleanor Whitney
Published: October 19th, 2008 | 6:50pm

Brooklyn’s Telepathe and Los Angeles’ Abe Vigoda, two bands that are surprisingly different and yet share a musical kinship, appeared together at Webster Hall to open for celebrated DJ Diplo on his Mad Decent tour. Telepathe took the stage nonchalantly and began its set amid electronic drones, sparse echoey guitar, and frantically delivered vocals. While the house music fans in the audience seemed unsure about the sounds Telepathe made on stage, others standing in the front took a chance to groove along.

The trio delivered its hypnotic, circular compositions with minimum audience interaction. As the songs looped, repeated, and built upon layers of reverb and effects, it was difficult to make out any distinct structure. The three members of Telepathe cultivated an air of aloof confidence as they concentrated on their drum loops and reverb-saturated, dual-vocal delivery. At times the songs were ethereal and reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins, but tempered by heavy, New Wave–style synths and dark, danceable beats. As they played “Chrome’s On It,” the three musicians were bathed in heavy blue and pink lights, lending a spooky, art-rock–meets-Goth flavor to the song.

Shortly after Telepathe finished, the four members of Abe Vigoda bounded on stage. They enthusiastically and energetically played a nine-song set of surf-inflected punk rock. After Telepathe’s synth-drenched set, Abe Vigoda sounded positively stripped down and freshly sincere. The guys threw themselves into their songs full of trebly guitar lines, jerky tempo changes, and breathless percussion full of floor tom and cowbell.

The band was confident and collected when lead singer Michael Vidal began to have guitar troubles. “Oh, we had a problem, big surprise,” guitarist Juan Velazquez joked. “That’s what happens when you bring a band that’s not very professional on tour.” As Vidal continued to fix his guitar, Velazquez found a tried and true stalling strategy: “What should I talk about?” he asked the so far fairly reticent crowd. “Sarah Palin!” was the overwhelming response. While Abe Vigoda’s songs lack a political angle, Velazquez squeaked out a convincing imitation of the Republican VP nominee. “Oh, Sarah,” he scolded afterwards, “That’s really bold, but it sounds cute!”

Guitar problem resolved, thanks to a loaner from Telepathe, Abe Vigoda leapt back into its set without seeming the least bit flustered. Featuring songs from its recently released record, Skeleton (Post Present Medium), as well as songs from an upcoming EP, the band’s sound was skittish and had high energy. The group’s no-frills approach was straightforward and didn’t vary much in dynamics, tone or approach, which, at times, made the set feel a bit flat.

Throughout the show, the house music fans continued to hang back, while the audience in the front danced enthusiastically. At the end, Velazquez threw himself on the floor of the stage in front of his amp to generate feedback, then leapt up to give the audience an earnest thanks.