The nation’s capital must feel like very familiar turf to the members of Wild Flag.
Not only did the band play here last year, Carrie Brownstein, the co-creator of the popular television show “Portlandia,” just came to Washington — to the 9:30 Club, in fact — on a tour behind that TV comedy.
“She has been working really hard. When we had time off, she was touring with ‘Portlandia,’ ” said Washington-based band member Mary Timony of Brownstein, who lives in Portland, Ore. “I feel like the show is really good for us. She gets a lot of exposure, and that gives us exposure. I really feel it is helping us.”
| Onstage |
| Wild Flag |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW |
| When: 7 p.m. Monday |
| Info: Sold out at press time, but tickets might be available through resellers; 800-955-5566; 9:30.com |
Just as the members of the female indie rock band have roots on both sides of the country, they also have ties to an array of bands including Helium, Sleater-Kinney, Quasi and the Minders. The musical outcome is a punk rock mix that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Think of the B-52s with the Go-Go’s and Chrissie Hynde, and you have an idea of the sound.
Even before the band self-released its debut album in April 2011 and followed it up with a release via Merge Records, the band was a hit.
In an interview last year, keyboardist Rebecca Cole said the media and fan attention was a bit unnerving.
“It’s a new experience, one I really like!” she said. “I spent a lot of time in bands playing to 40 or 50 people. Now we go to towns and play for 500 people or more. I don’t know if it’s a disconnect, but it’s a new experience for me.”
The new experiences keep rolling along with a recent tour in Europe and Australia. Although the audiences were very respectful and enthusiastic, there were some comedic moments.
“In Australia, there was one dude in the front row wearing a full-body koala suit,” said Timony with a laugh, displaying the same deadpan humor as Brownstein does on “Portlandia.” “It was kind of nice. I had wanted to see a koala over there but didn’t get to go. I guess that kind of counted.”
Although fans might not see other audience members in such animal-friendly attire, they can expect Wild Flag’s shows to have plenty of surprises. The bandmates are planning to play an array of new songs they wrote for their next album, which they may start recording in the fall.
“We really like the songs a lot,” said Timony. “They feel a little bit more like they are coming from a band that’s been together for a few years. The other ones [on the debut album] we wrote when we first started playing together. These songs are a little more us!”
