Chatty as ever, nonchalant, sing-song often non-sensical lyrics: these are words used to describe the performance by Stephen Malkmus at the 930 Club here in Washington. I’ve always enjoyed his wimsical “flow” – the way that he molds imagery with his quick witted style. Stephen Malkmus, formerly of Pavement (R.I.P. circa 2000) – brought his latest ensemble, including, Janet Weiss, the former drummer of Sleater-Kinney to the 930 club for a stellar show. Catchy hooks, sprawling jams, comical interludes, and Malkmus talent for bringing a blend of garage rock, narrative, and flowing solos had heads bobbing late into the night.

Local boy, John Vanderslice, opened up with his own brand of political-pop-indie-rock – giving shout outs to his mom between songs, and ending his set with a not-really-visible-or-audible-to-anyone-but-the-20-folks-around-him-acoustic-jam on the floor. A novel idea – and I’m sure a pleasure for those in the cirlce, but frustrating for the rest of the crowd.

You can listen to this show in its entirity at NPR’s website.

Here is the video I captured, shot from the upper level with my Casio Exilim. I’m continuing to experiment with this nifty little camera. Not so great in low light levels, audio not so hot.