One-Man Dancing Machine

Yesterday was the last of the McCarren Park Pool Parties for the summer, so I felt obligated to go despite the dismal weather. I definitely didn't stay the whole time though because it got downright cold the longer it rained, but I did catch YACHT and that made me really glad I went. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, YACHT consists pretty much of one guy - Jona Bechtolt (although his girlfriend joined him for the last two songs).

I'll admit, when Bechtolt first took the stage, all by himself, I was skeptical. It was just him. He didn't even have a DJ (the music played from his laptop). I wasn't so sure one person with a microphone could sustain the energy necessary to entertain the crowd, especially in the cold drizzle that started right as he took the stage. While I admired his courage, I thought it would be really hard to keep the energy level up without anyone else on stage to interact with or bounce energy off of. However, Jona quickly proved me wrong. He was a one-man dancing machine. He just never stopped grooving and he was so much fun to watch. Not only that, but he was funny too. Some of his lyrics made me laugh, and in between songs, he interacted with the audience.

Or maybe I shouldn't say he proved me wrong. I think he knew it's hard to keep the energy up as just one guy on a stage so distanced from the audience (it's a pretty significant drop from the stage to the audience), so at one point he sat down on the edge of the stage and had a "Q & A" with the audience - which was hilarious by the way, his improved answers were great - and then he even came out and danced in the audience for one song.

His girlfriend, who's name I don't know, is pretty cool too. She also just danced it up for the last two songs she was on stage for and had a blast. Although, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when he said the word "girlfriend" because I definitely developed a bit of a crush on him as he performed... Hehe.

It's Coming to Get You [mp3] - YACHT - "I Believe In You. Your Magic is Real." (iTunes)
See A Penny (Pick It Up) [mp3] - YACHT - "I Believe In You. Your Magic is Real." (iTunes)

And the cute video for "See a Penny (Pick It Up)" - his girlfriend is the girl who picks the penny up at the end:

And more pictures:

Jona dancing (yeah, I know it's blurry. My camera sucks...)

Jona standing on the partition between the photo pit and the audience

It's like "Where's Waldo?" but "Where's Jona?" This is when he was in the audience.

Jona's girlfriend joins him on stage

They get down low

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