Oberhofer at Black Cat

Merrijoy June 12, 2012 DC Live, events, News No Comments

Energy could be the one word description that would sum up what Brooklyn-based Oberhofer had to offer last week at the Black Cat. Filling up the Backstage with college kids screaming “BRAD! BRAD!” until their voices got raspy, was all part of experiencing the young band live.

Originally from Tacoma, WA, Brad Oberhofer moved to Brooklyn recruiting band mates Ben Roth, Pete Sustaric, and Matt Scheiner to form what would be his namesake, Oberhofer. The foursome played their catchy indie-rock hits from their recently-released album Time Capsules II. Not intentionally making dance hits, the young crowd at the Black Cat found themselves grooving to the summery, yet powerfully poppy tracks, especially the crowd favorite “oOoO” that had the everyone in the audience singing along with their catchy hooks. But then again, most, if not all, of their tracks have some sort of “Ooooohs” going through them, it would be hard not to find yourself singing along to the repetitiveness of the tracks. While their record might’ve seemed a little more constrained, Oberhofer’s live shows shows inevitable potential for the young band if given the chance. I walked out of the Black Cat that night feeling hungover without having a single drink…and I mean this in the best way possible.

Local bands, The Danvilles and our pals, The Sea Life opened up the night. The Danvilles from VA had this sort of modern-rock-rockabilly thing going for them that I could’ve got down with. Honestly, I might’ve dug them more than the headliners that night. Maybe. The Sea Life, sans original bassist, played the set that we’ve become quite familiar with. The young band is getting their name out there, getting on bills in many of DC’s small, yet popular clubs. I’m glad to see them grow and look forward to hearing the new tracks they’re working on.