STS9 | 09.28 & 09.29 | New York City

Words by: Brian Bavosa :: Images by: Mitch Manzella

Sound Tribe Sector 9 :: 9.28.07 & 09.29.07 :: Nokia Theatre :: New York, NY

STS9 :: 09.28 :: NYC

When the leaves begin to change color, hoodies and zip-ups become necessary, and the scene shifts from outdoor amphitheaters to the closed confines of clubs and arenas. As the undeniable cool, crisp nip of fall began to fill the air, Sound Tribe Sector 9 rolled into New York City.

Friday night got started with one of the better DJs on the scene: Lorin Ashton, aka Bassnectar. His hour set was a prelude to the serious after party he played at Rebel the following night while also setting the table for the weekend’s headliners, STS9. Consisting of five core members – David Murphy (bass), Hunter Brown (guitar), Zach Velmer (drums), David Phipps (keyboards) and Jeffree Lerner (percussion), STS9’s approach is truly a unique one that is spearheading the technological push of the 21st century. Friday’s show saw the band focus more on downtempo beats with hints of their hip-hop and electronica roots. First set highlights included a spirited “Evasive/Kamuy” and “One a Day.” The second set opened with old favorite “Moon Socket,” which was the first song off their debut, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle, which many fans (myself included) latched onto in the late ’90’s. Along with important but not overwhelming lighting and floral stage decorations, this weekend also had live, onstage painting by J. Garcia, further adding to the ego-free persona the Sound Tribe family so soundly represents.

Friday night also saw Murphy make a stop a few blocks away at B.B. King Blues Club to join The Disco Biscuits‘ Aaron Magner and Marc Brownstein for their baby known as Conspirator. Murph lent his PA skills for a slew of numbers including a cover of Prometheus’ “Grow More Pot” and “Brooklyn Tech.”

Hunter Brown :: STS9 :: 09.28

Saturday again boasted a hot opener in The Glitch Mob. Consisting of Ooah, Kitty-D, Boreta, edit and Kraddy, they are a knob twisting, electro-hyphy hip-hop act that had the electricity of Times Square pulsing directly onto the stage. The keyboard-tingling “GLOgli” had the crowd “GLOwing,” and the band also played a completely reworked “You Don’t Say.”

In my eyes, the best STS9 set of the weekend was hands down the final one. If Friday was a Xanax, Saturday was nothing short of a Red Bull and vodka. Velmer is without a doubt at the forefront of this band as he switches between break-beats, hip-hop hooks and a straight-up rat-ta-tat-tat attack. With that said, the band manages to check their egos at the door, instead opting for a seamless sonic soundscape. From the attitude of “Lo Swaga” to the loose, funky “ReEmergence,” to the slamming “Ramone & Emiglio” and haunting show-closer “Open E,” the second set had it all, whether it be for diehards, hippies or dance floor patrons, all of whom blended together on Saturday night. Also worth noting was the “Circus” encore, an uplifting rarity that captures the essence of not only their music, but also the live painting, flowers, crystals and Mayan interests in STS9’s “circus.”

With their feet firmly planted in the “we’ve made it” zone for some time now, including contracts with Apple Records, Sound Tribe Sector 9 manages to be the minister who marries live improvisation and electronic music into a union that is acceptable to all shapes, sizes and types of fans. With another successful weekend in the Big Apple under their belts, there will surely be enough electricity pumping through Times Square to keep the fluorescent foliage of fall burning bright until STS9’s next stop here.

09/28/07 :: Nokia Theatre :: New York, NY
Set 1: Bigs > Rent, F. Word, Arigato, Dem Be, Evasive/Kamuy, One a Day
Set 2: Moon Socket, Instantly, The Rabble, Move My Peeps, This, Us, Hi-Key, Peoples
Encore: Somesing

09/29/07 :: Nokia Theatre :: New York, NY
Set 1: Be Nice, The Unquestionable Supremacy of Nature, GLOgli, You Don’t Say (reworked), Mischief of a Sleepwalker, Aimlessly, Tooth
Set 2: Lo Swaga, Surreality> EB, Abcees, 1103, ReEmergence, Ramone & Emiglio, Open E
Encore: Circus

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