Fans of Phoenix music already know that Dry River Yacht Club can rock all the best local music venues. They get down at the Crescent, they can pack the Sail Inn -- Marquee Theatre, Rhythm Room. Check, check, check.
But a lot of local bands can do that. Where the Yacht Club stands out is its ability to not only play for your average music fan, but keep the ears of crowds at events like Sunday's A'Fair at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts. Or down in Tucson at the more spiritual All Souls Procession.
While they were pleasing those diverse crowds, they were putting the finishing touches on their video "The Legend of El Tigre" -- released today 1:13 p.m. Watch it below.
The two-hour Sunday afternoon set in Scottsdale was a jovial midday concert opened by Walt Richardson and attracted nearly 1,000 people. The Yacht Club played a plethora of songs from its catalog. Of course, much of the set came from the November release El Tigre, but the band also dipped into its older repertoire, playing "Spider Song," "Broken Back, and "Happy Ending Love Lost" off of their sophomore release, The Ugliest Princess.
The Yacht Club also unveiled two new yet-to-be-titled tracks, one of which, an upbeat ragtime/swing song, was a song written for Lee Jacobson, one of the biggest donors to the band's Indiegogo campaign for El Tigre.
The members of DRYC seemed jazzed to see an older crowd. Much of the group's fan base comes from a bar-and-club-going demographic, but playing a show like Sunday's affords DRYC the opportunity to engage new listeners.
The video was put together by premier Arizona video-maker Matty Steinkamp, with the assistance of Future Loves Past lead guitarist Tristan Dede. "Tristan, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He shot most of the video," says drummer Henri Benard.
The video was shot when the Yacht Club traveled to Tucson to open for A Tribe Called Red during the Dance of the Dead at the All Souls Procession. The members essentially went to the event together and filmed their experience walking the streets with the participants in full costume and spooky makeup.
"[Singer] Garnet was really adamant that we have fantastic makeup. She definitely pushed that for the video," says Benard. Garnet's wish was brought to reality by Tucson native Johanna Martinez, who coordinated the Yacht Club's face paint. Adding to the makeup and costumes, Steinkamp also used filters to add a certain cartoonish, Sin City vibe.
"People really put their heart and soul out there and try to put out positive energy and healing at this event, and we really just wanted to do something theatrical and exciting that honored the moment," says Brnard.
Dry River Yacht Club's next performance will be Saturday, February 8, at Last Exit Live.
