KTRU 19th Annual Outdoor Show

4/8/10 7:00pm

Ghost Mountain

At their best, Ghost Mountain plays like the love child of Animal Collective neo-psych and a syrup-slowed, heavy-lidded MC Paul Barman, incorporating vocab-heavy lines with layers of bright, warm-and-fuzzy M83 synths, cloud-sweeping atmospherics and a gleeful sense of childish abandon. At their weirdest, they near Four Tet territory, crafting intricate blankets of warm, comforting instrumental melodicism. The band's closest analogue at points is probably Bay Area freak-hoppers cLOUDDEAD, particularly in terms of the oddball lyrical imagery and the waves and washes of noise that occasionally threaten to drown vocalist/sampler-wielder [Daniel Berkowitz's] voice, but really, I can't bring myself to label this "hip-hop" of any flavor. It just doesn't fit; Ghost Mountain's vocals are primarily rapped in Daniel's nerdy-guy deadpan, but they're only a tool, a piece used to build the whole contraption.- Jeremy Hart, spacecityrock.com

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Rachel Buchman's Homemade Band

We are a group of friends and family that like to make music together. We are all connected to Rice in one way or another. We just released our first CD, Rachel Buchman's Homemade Band. We started playing music informally in our living rooms years ago. In spring of 2008, Rachel was invited to play for [the KTRU Outdoor Show], and asked Scott and Jacob if they'd like to start a band to play for that show. We've been playing together ever since. We've played for the West University fundraiser Fathers and Flashlights, the Bayou Bend Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts (twice!) and KTRU. We're hoping to play the Jewish Community Center for their Young People's Performing Arts Series, and then some of the venues around town and beyond. Who knows? The main thing is we're having so much fun! Visit us on Facebook and Myspace.

- Rachel Buchman's Homemade Band

Rafter

Rafter Roberts stands no taller than your average human male, yet his fiery red-haired head is filled with the minutiae of music, swirling and churning constantly. Fortunately this leaves little room for fear, of which Rafter has nearly none. His fearlessness has led him to do just about everything he sets his mind to, which of course includes free-for-all rowdy sweatiness, hanky panky, and rolling on the stage, yelping. (Not to mention playing in bands since the age of two, new fatherhood and marriage, running a business, goin' to shows, building a new studio, makin' his own music, recording bands and eating raw . all without going furiously nuts.) His is a strong will tempered by humor. One of the most intense and powerful music nerds you may ever meet, there is a refreshing lack of poseur hipness to Rafter Roberts. In its stead is a pure enthusiasm for people, for doing it yourself, and the helping hand, for kicking against the pricks and kicking out the jams.

- The Windish Agency

Office Party

Since the dawn of time, gods have walked among us. Yet only now do they make themselves known. Soaring down from Olympus on their eagles of truth, Office Party plays rock music and is from Jones College. Our members are Jesus Cortez, Ryan Oringer, Shawdon Molavi and Daniel Sprinkle. United this year, we are Houston's 100th-ranked rock band on reverbnation.com, despite having played, like, two shows. But seriously, Office Party is about having fun, playing good music and taking amazing pictures. Office Optional. Tie and Party Required.

- Office Party

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