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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Live: Rilo Kiley and Art in Manila

Last Thursday saw the end of Rilo Kiley’s sold-out two-night performance at 9:30 Club.

Kiley, who is of relative indie fame having recently been covered in an issue of the fashionable Nylon Magazine, is fronted by two child stars: Jenny Lewis (“Troop Beverly Hills” and “Foxfire”) and Blake Sennett (“Boy Meets World,” “Salute Your Shorts”). While Lewis rocked the house with her powerful Loretta Lynn-meets-rock vocals, Blake Sennett showed equal skill with his playing of both electric and acoustic guitars and a ukulele.

Opening for Kiley were two up-and-coming indie bands: Art in Manila and Grand Ole Party.

With catchy piano hooks and strong percussion, singer Orenda Fink’s captivating voice in the title track of Art in Manila’s first album, “Set the Woods on Fire,” quickly caught the attention of the audience.

Fink formed the six-piece Omaha-based group – whose band name pays homage to Art Bell, the founder and longtime host of a popular paranormal-themed radio program.

In an interview with The Hatchet, Fink said that the band was originally going to be called Art Bell, but they couldn’t get in touch with him to get permission. While reading on the Internet about Bell and his move to the Philippines, Fink came upon a picture entitled “Art in Manila,” and she named her band.

While often compared to the solo work of The New Pornographers’ Neko Case (which isn’t a bad thing), Art in Manila provided a satisfactory pre-show to Rilo Kiley. In the interview, Fink described how the environment and atmosphere of the South influenced the music of Art in Manila, metaphorically, in the way that humidity and kudzu vine “blanket the South in a hazy gauze.”

Following Art in Manila’s performance, the slightly more obscure California-based trio Grand Ole Party (whose first album “Humanimals” is presently only available at concerts and the iTunes music store) took to the stage. With potent vocals reminiscent of Aretha Franklin, Kristin Gundred and her punchy playing of the drums was a refreshing break from other guitar-strumming or keyboard-playing female singers that seem to saturate today’s music scene.

When Rilo Kiley finally came on stage, both Fink and Gundred returned to accompany Lewis with backup vocals, guitar and percussion, adding to Rilo Kiley a more well-rounded sound.

While fans have criticized Kiley’s latest album as being too generic and mainstream, those who attended the concert were nevertheless pleased by the gold-themed performance, offering heavy applause following a two-song encore.

As a cap to their final evening in D.C. following the performance, which Fink described as a “good show,” members of all three bands went out to dinner at a nearby soul food restaurant.

Art in Manila’s album, “Set the Woods on Fire” is out now on Saddle Creek records. Rilo Kiley’s latest album, “Under the Blacklight” is available on Warner Brothers records. Grand Ole Party’s album, “Humanimals” is available online on the iTunes music store.

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