Konzert / Electro Yacht

YACHT is a lot of things. It’s kind of a band, but it’s mostly a genre-and-media-spanning life project founded and led by Jona Bechtolt of the Northwest’s very own Portland, Oregon. Bechtolt (and new member Claire L. Evans) make anthemic power jams, play them backwards and soak them in nearly-psychedelic cherry cola. YACHT’s heart is the shows: uncluttered, inspiring sessions of damaged dance moves and synchronized crowd-waving, backed by constantly changing elements — PowerPoint presentations, audience Q&A sessions, and shamanistic video environments. ​“With their haywire melodies and an exuberant stage show featuring massive puppets, video, and shadow theater CASIOKIDS combine electro-pop bliss and indie-kid abandon into one ragtag effusion. Junky analog synths bleat and whistle in a long overture; with the introduction of Windsor-knotted guitars, timbales, and Muppety harmonies, it starts resembling a DiskJokke/​Vampire Weekend mash-up.” (Pitch​fork​me​dia​.com review of Togens hule 2008)