Review: The Arcs Melt the Faces Off Moore Theatre Attendees

Dan Auerbach, known primarily as the guitarist/vocalist for The Black Keys, over the years has participated in a variety of projects, from producing such artists as Jessica Lea Mayfield, Valerie June, Nikki Lane and Dr. John to his latest project, leading a band called The Arcs.

The Arcs came to Seattle to play the Moore Theatre to a less than half-full venue. This, I must say, surprised me since the last time Mr. Auerbach was in town with the Black Keys, he played to a sold-out crowd at Key Arena. Truly, the fans that were there were in the know regarding The Arcs.

I had learned about The Arcs last year when they released a 10” EP record on a previous Record Store Day (which is coming up at your nearest independent record store on April 16^th) called The Arcs vs. The Inventors, Vol. 1. Touring in support of their current album Yours, Dreamily, The Arcs’ sound is big and loud! It was so loud that I had to relocate from the front of house to the upper level.

I love the musical styling of The Arcs, which at times was a driving, pulsating, psychedelic, blast of sound, and other times doing a cover of the Undisputed Truth’s “Smiling Faces Sometimes.” Dan commands the stage, thrashing away on his various guitars in a frenzied performance. Simply, the guy can play, and watching him attack each song was amazing.

Opening the evening was New York’s first all-women mariachi group called Mariach Flor de Toloache. All decked out in their traditional mariachi attire, four of the group members opened with a rousing rendition of the song Guadalajara. Then the surprise of the evening, performing a mariachi infused melody of Nirvana songs. The crowd went nuts! Additionally, Mariachi Flor de Toloachi was nominated for a Latin Grammy for “Best Ranchera Album” in 2015. Keep an eye out for these amazing performers!

The full photo gallery for The Arcs can be found at http://www.peterdervin.com/20160412_the_arcs.html. The full gallery for Mariach Flor de Toloache can be found at http://www.peterdervin.com/20160412_mariachi_flor_toloache.html.