All Photos by Jeremiah Garcia
In June, I had the opportunity to see Death Cab For Cutie at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, which at a capacity of around 1,000 people, was a particularly small venue to take in the successful group. At the time I felt particularly privileged, knowing that I would probably never have another opportunity to see them at such an intimate setting again. But, when One Thirty BPM was invited by Santa Monica public radio station KCRW to watch Death Cab For Cutie record a concert that will be aired on Morning Becomes Eclectic on November 1st, any preconceived notion I had of the term “intimacy” went out the window.
As the band would reveal during the interview portion of the evening, hosted by a giddy and endearing KCRW DJ Anne Litt, Death Cab For Cutie are currently celebrating their 14th year as a band, and over that time the band didn’t follow any typical method of gaining notoriety or success. Years were spent as indie darlings in the club circuit, but since then the band has crossed over into commercial success, and has managed to maintain a firm hold on that level, as well. This experience allows the Seattle four-piece a certain familiarity and ease with playing such a small and personal performance, never having completely shed the every-man quality that allows them to be such an important band for many people.
Death Cab offered up ten songs to the small audience at the Apogee’s Berkeley Street Studio, a space that offers the comfort of a living room and has generously played host to a number of KCRW recording sessions. As the band’s history is so rich, the group reached deep into their back catalog for such cuts as “A Movie Script Ending” and “Blacking Out The Friction,” both from 2001’s The Photo Album. And, of course, Death Cab pleased to most casual of attendees by bookending their set with two of their best known songs: “Crooked Teeth” and “The Sound Of Settling.”
But, the reason Death Cab For Cutie are touring right now is in support of their newest album, Codes And Keys, which came out in May and has seen the band headlining large venues and festivals around the country. So, the set leaned heavily on material from this, with “Doors Unlocked And Opened” and “You Are A Tourist” in particular finding the band passionate and focused, easily on par with some of their indie rock peers who may have something more to prove than the already-successful act. And, as Gibbard would tell it in the interview segment, this was something the band recognized from their first five minutes of ever playing with each other, with guys quickly realizing it was “the best band they had ever played in.”
The interview went on to touch on a number of topics, ranging the difficulties in maintaining healthy band relationships over the years to the Seattle Mariners to books, at which Litt suggested that Death Cab might be the most intellectual band in the industry, to which Gibbard quickly corrected that that title goes to The Decemberists. Everything about the evening was a unique experience, with the audience getting an up-close glimpse at the band that very few others ever have. But, due to the wonders of technology and the tireless work by the good people at KCRW, everyone will have the chance to share in the experience. On November 1st, the entire show and interview will be broadcast on KCRW as part of the Morning Becomes Eclectic series. In addition, the show will be available in HD video on KCRW’s website at that time. You can check out more photos at KCRW’s website here and check here on the 1st for video and audio of the session.
Setlist:
Crooked Teeth
A Movie Script Ending
Doors Unlocked and Open
You Are a Tourist
Portable Television
Blacking Out The Friction
St Peter’s Cathedral
Stay Young, Go Dancing
Home is a Fire
The Sound of Settling
