YACHT (band)
Encyclopedia
YACHT is an American band from Portland, Oregon
, Marfa, Texas
, and Los Angeles, CA. The core group consists of Jona Bechtolt
and Claire L. Evans, but expands to include musicians Rob "Bobby Birdman
" Kieswetter, Jeffrey Brodsky and Katy Davidson as touring members.
YACHT (also printed as 'Y△CHT', 'Y▲CHT') has released albums on States Rights Records
, Marriage Records
, and DFA Records
.
from 2002-2008. During this period, he released three albums, Super Warren MMIV
, MEGA, and I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real
, on record labels in the Pacific Northwest area.
In January 2006, YACHT was commissioned for two performances for the New York
based art and technology platform Rhizome
, as part of their "Crap-tops vs Laptops" show. In February 2006, YACHT performed at the Museum of Modern Art
's P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center
and produced an hour-long internet radio program with Clear Cut Press
; a Northwest
-based publisher of new literary work. In April 2006, the Aurora Picture Show commissioned a YACHT performance as part of their Media Archeology Festival in Houston, Texas.
For the 2007 release of I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real
on Marriage Records
, Bechtolt performed a concert on an actual yacht on the Willamette River
in Portland, Oregon.
Live performances during this period included dancing along to music as well as elaborate PowerPoint
presentations.
The album cover for See Mystery Lights was designed by Texas-based artist Boyd Elder, who previously designed album art for The Eagles. Pitchfork rated See Mystery Lights an 8.5, calling it "a triumph," and Rolling Stone wrote that YACHT "split the different between Talking Heads and electro pop, and make a breakthrough album of digital ear candy.” It was chosen as a "Critic's Choice" by New York Times critic Nate Chinen.
In January 2010, YACHT added a live band, "The Straight Gaze," consisting of musicians Rob "Bobby Birdman
" Kieswetter, and Jeffrey Brodsky to their live show. This incarnation is known as YACHT and the Straight Gaze.
When performing live, YACHT is accompanied by the following band members:
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Marfa, Texas
Marfa, Texas
Marfa is a town in the high desert of far West Texas in the Southwestern United States. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, it is also the county seat of Presidio County. The population was 1,981 at the 2010 census....
, and Los Angeles, CA. The core group consists of Jona Bechtolt
Jona Bechtolt
Jona Bechtolt is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, United States. He is a former member of The Badger King and The Blow, and has released solo records under the name Yacht since 2003...
and Claire L. Evans, but expands to include musicians Rob "Bobby Birdman
Bobby Birdman
Bobby Birdman is musician Rob Kieswetter's stage name. Kieswetter is originally from Nevada City, California, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He has released albums on Hush Records, Not Not Fun, Fryk Beat, States Rights Records...
" Kieswetter, Jeffrey Brodsky and Katy Davidson as touring members.
YACHT (also printed as 'Y△CHT', 'Y▲CHT') has released albums on States Rights Records
States Rights Records
States Rights Records is an independent record label founded in 2001 by Steve Schroeder. The Portland, Oregon label's premier release was "Come Along" by Little Wings. Later that year, the label released "Tongue and Tooth" by The Badger King. Bobby Birdman, Yacht, Lucky Dragons, The Blow, The...
, Marriage Records
Marriage Records
Marriage Records is a small, independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was founded in late 2002 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The first release was a cd-r entitled Nothing by Thanksgiving. Marriage releases vinyl records, compact discs, CD-Rs, tapes, skateboards, books,...
, and DFA Records
DFA Records
DFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....
.
Early History
Jona Bechtolt chose the name YACHT in reference to Y.A.C.H.T., an alternative school in Portland, Oregon. Bechtolt told SPIN Magazine "It stands for Young Americans Challenging High Technology. It refers to an education program that was held in Portland, Oregon. I was enrolled when I was 16, back in 1996." Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans met at an alternative high school and have made music together ever since.2002-2008
YACHT was the solo project of Jona BechtoltJona Bechtolt
Jona Bechtolt is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, United States. He is a former member of The Badger King and The Blow, and has released solo records under the name Yacht since 2003...
from 2002-2008. During this period, he released three albums, Super Warren MMIV
Super Warren MMIV
Super Warren MMIV is an album released by Yacht on States Rights Records in 2004.-Track listing:#Jonathan Bechtolt - 0:30#SHTML - 3:45#Remember What This Feels Like - 4:40#I Needed a Change - 1:51#I Asked If We Could Have Sex One Last Time - 3:38...
, MEGA, and I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real
I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real
I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real. is an album released by Yacht on Marriage Records in 2007. The final track is a cover of an Ivor Cutler song.-Track listing:#"So Post All 'Em" – 3:42#"See a Penny " – 3:41#"We're Always Waiting" – 3:02...
, on record labels in the Pacific Northwest area.
In January 2006, YACHT was commissioned for two performances for the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
based art and technology platform Rhizome
Rhizome (art)
Rhizome is a not-for-profit arts organization, that supports and provides a platform for new media art.-History:Artist and curator Mark Tribe founded Rhizome as a small email list in 1996 while living in Berlin. By August, Rhizome had launched its website, which by 1998 had developed a significant...
, as part of their "Crap-tops vs Laptops" show. In February 2006, YACHT performed at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
's P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center
P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center
MoMA PS1 is one of the largest and oldest institutions in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art. It is located in the Long Island City neighborhood of New York City...
and produced an hour-long internet radio program with Clear Cut Press
Clear Cut Press
- About :Clear Cut Press was founded by novelist Matthew Stadler and Up Records co-founder Rich Jensen in 2002. Jensen began talking to Stadler while taking a poetry class in 1997. Their mutual interest in cultural movements and the role of books lead to a discussion resulting in the press...
; a Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
-based publisher of new literary work. In April 2006, the Aurora Picture Show commissioned a YACHT performance as part of their Media Archeology Festival in Houston, Texas.
For the 2007 release of I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real
I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real
I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real. is an album released by Yacht on Marriage Records in 2007. The final track is a cover of an Ivor Cutler song.-Track listing:#"So Post All 'Em" – 3:42#"See a Penny " – 3:41#"We're Always Waiting" – 3:02...
on Marriage Records
Marriage Records
Marriage Records is a small, independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was founded in late 2002 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The first release was a cd-r entitled Nothing by Thanksgiving. Marriage releases vinyl records, compact discs, CD-Rs, tapes, skateboards, books,...
, Bechtolt performed a concert on an actual yacht on the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
in Portland, Oregon.
Live performances during this period included dancing along to music as well as elaborate PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint, usually just called PowerPoint, is a non-free commercial presentation program developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X operating system...
presentations.
2008-Present Day
In 2008, YACHT expanded to a duo with the introduction of longtime collaborator Claire L. Evans as a full member, contributing vocals to many of the songs on the 2009 album See Mystery Lights, YACHT's first full-length release on DFA Records. From this point forward, YACHT re-identified itself as a two-piece.The album cover for See Mystery Lights was designed by Texas-based artist Boyd Elder, who previously designed album art for The Eagles. Pitchfork rated See Mystery Lights an 8.5, calling it "a triumph," and Rolling Stone wrote that YACHT "split the different between Talking Heads and electro pop, and make a breakthrough album of digital ear candy.” It was chosen as a "Critic's Choice" by New York Times critic Nate Chinen.
In January 2010, YACHT added a live band, "The Straight Gaze," consisting of musicians Rob "Bobby Birdman
Bobby Birdman
Bobby Birdman is musician Rob Kieswetter's stage name. Kieswetter is originally from Nevada City, California, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He has released albums on Hush Records, Not Not Fun, Fryk Beat, States Rights Records...
" Kieswetter, and Jeffrey Brodsky to their live show. This incarnation is known as YACHT and the Straight Gaze.
Band members
- Jona BechtoltJona BechtoltJona Bechtolt is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, United States. He is a former member of The Badger King and The Blow, and has released solo records under the name Yacht since 2003...
– vocals, programming, guitar, drums, bass, percussion, claps, synths, keyboards, piano, effects - Claire L. Evans - vocals
When performing live, YACHT is accompanied by the following band members:
- Rob "Bobby BirdmanBobby BirdmanBobby Birdman is musician Rob Kieswetter's stage name. Kieswetter is originally from Nevada City, California, and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He has released albums on Hush Records, Not Not Fun, Fryk Beat, States Rights Records...
" Kieswetter – vocals, bass, keyboard - Jeffrey Brodsky – drums, percussion
- Katy Davidson - guitar, keyboard, vocals
Studio albums
- Super Warren MMIVSuper Warren MMIVSuper Warren MMIV is an album released by Yacht on States Rights Records in 2004.-Track listing:#Jonathan Bechtolt - 0:30#SHTML - 3:45#Remember What This Feels Like - 4:40#I Needed a Change - 1:51#I Asked If We Could Have Sex One Last Time - 3:38...
(2004) States Rights RecordsStates Rights RecordsStates Rights Records is an independent record label founded in 2001 by Steve Schroeder. The Portland, Oregon label's premier release was "Come Along" by Little Wings. Later that year, the label released "Tongue and Tooth" by The Badger King. Bobby Birdman, Yacht, Lucky Dragons, The Blow, The... - Mega (March 8, 2005) Marriage RecordsMarriage RecordsMarriage Records is a small, independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was founded in late 2002 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The first release was a cd-r entitled Nothing by Thanksgiving. Marriage releases vinyl records, compact discs, CD-Rs, tapes, skateboards, books,...
- I Believe in You. Your Magic Is RealI Believe in You. Your Magic Is RealI Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real. is an album released by Yacht on Marriage Records in 2007. The final track is a cover of an Ivor Cutler song.-Track listing:#"So Post All 'Em" – 3:42#"See a Penny " – 3:41#"We're Always Waiting" – 3:02...
(May 15, 2007) Marriage RecordsMarriage RecordsMarriage Records is a small, independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was founded in late 2002 by Curtis Knapp and Adrian Orange. The first release was a cd-r entitled Nothing by Thanksgiving. Marriage releases vinyl records, compact discs, CD-Rs, tapes, skateboards, books,... - See Mystery Lights (July 28, 2009) DFADFA RecordsDFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....
- Shangri-LaShangri-La (Yacht album)Shangri-La is the fifth album by Portland, Oregon-based musician Yacht . This is YACHT's second album to include Claire L. Evans....
(June 21, 2011) DFADFA RecordsDFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....
Other releases
- Summer Song 12" Single (August 2008) DFADFA RecordsDFA Records is an independent record label and production team, launched in September 2001 by Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, musician James Murphy, and manager Jonathan Galkin. The label has an exclusive distribution deal with major record label EMI....