Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. at Silverlake Farmers Market on 1/19/13

By Marie Farrand

It was noon on a hot winter day at Silverlake Farmer’s Market when the distant sound of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s “Vocal Chords” began to rise above the market chatter. As the song grew louder, I could see band members Daniel Zott and Josh Epstein performing live in a decked out MINI Cooper convertible as it traveled down Sunset Blvd. The car drove up a ramp to a small, slightly elevated stage at the edge of the market. As they played the remaining minute of the song, a crowd of about fifty people began to form—some who’d obviously planned to be there, and others who seemed confused why on earth two guys were performing in a MINI.

MINI had contacted electronic/indie-pop band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to perform for the last show of the Not Normal Crashing Tour, produced by MINI and the music website RCRD LBL. The tour consisted of a series of shows that took place in abnormal locations: a furniture store in Chicago, a hardware store in Brooklyn, and the South Austin Trailer Park and Eatery in Austin. The bands Twin Shadow, Real Estate, and AraabMUZIK, respectively, were also part of the tour. For the Los Angeles show, however, MINI went beyond the abnormal location. Excepting the driver’s seat and controls, they exchanged just about everything in the car for a guitar amp, stools, a synthesizer station, mics, and powerful speakers. I was certainly surprised to see such an elaborate set up, not to mention that the sound range and clarity was impressive.

Once the band completed their entrance song and adjusted the sound, they opened up the show with “Simple Girl,” the first song that the duo ever wrote together. The seven-song set relied almost entirely on tracks from their first and only full-length album, It’s a Corporate World (Warner Bros./Quite Scientific). That said, the set was still fresh since the band stripped some of the drum and electronic layers from the songs. This arrangement allowed the warmth of the vocal harmonies and Zott’s acoustic to compliment each other, and gave the guitars a more prominent role than on the record. The band certainly didn’t abandon their electronic sound altogether though. The synth supported and filled in the space created by the dreamy vocal harmonies reminiscent of Paul McCartney and The Beach Boys. Epstein also skillfully controlled two MIDI controllers as he sang—sometimes into a normal mic, and other times into an effected telephone receiver plugged into one of the controllers.

I was surprised to see how comfortable the duo was from the beginning considering the atypical setting and cramped “stage.” Yes, Zott’s urge to rock out with the music occasionally seemed hindered by the tight quarters, but he eventually settled in and hung his feet over the car door. After a few songs, their ease seemed to rub off on the crowd and people began sitting on the grass and singing along. The duo got the crowd to clap along with “An Ugly Person on a Movie Screen” and engaged in friendly banter in-between songs. While the staccato guitar in their cover of “God Only Knows” seemed to break up the song’s necessary fluidity, they closed the set with an impressive version of “Nothing But Our Love” that built to a flurry of electronic sounds similar to scratching on turntables.

In short, the set clearly displayed the talent of these two. The lighthearted music was matched by the relaxed attitude they took towards the unusual setting. After the show, the duo talked with fans as they baked in the Silverlake sun.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has completed their next record, but there is no release date yet.