By some way of magic, the Thirsty Hippo played host to several Baltimore bands this past year, among them Dan Deacon, Video Hippos, and Beach House. I had vaguely heard of Dan Deacon and Beach House because they’re on the same label as one of my favorite Canadian artists, Montag. I can see a slight connection between those three, in the sense that what they do, they’re really good at. Then, there are subtleties, and finally what it boils down to is that their music is packed with downright emotion or gumption or something. Is it true? Is Dan Deacon’s music preaching to us heartfelt stories about his life? With a song-title like “Okie Dokie” you might assume he’s taking a rather apathetic approach to his songwriting. Honestly, what is the deep meaning behind Crystal Cat? And if Dan Deacon really has a rattlesnake gun, why doesn’t he have a rattlesnake gun holster beltside to him when performing? It doesn’t matter. Just take a look at the pictures, and you’ll instantly know that it’s not that words that count, it’s the music itself. I can’t even begin to fathom just how crazy his shows are. I’ve seen a lot of crazy acts in my life, among them Daft Punk and the Flaming Lips. And as amazing as those concerts were, Dan Deacon is no less crazy, and no less awesome. If Dan ‘the man’ Deacon ever reads this, I just want to thank you for: coming to Hattiesburg, laying down some seriously phat jams, and teaching a town like Hattiesburg how to dance again. And as a final note, I’m really sorry I threw confetti at you, Dan, and if it melted all over your stuff. At least it looked cool right?

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