To See Rating 7/10
Just curious Rating 5.5/10

Band Members
Rachel Flotard – vocals, guitar
Ben Hooker – drums
Tom Cummings – guitar
Cristina Bautista – bass

Rachel Flotard and her band Visqueen have had an eventful 2009.  Their album Message from Garcia was released in September, nearly five years after their sophomore release, Sunset in Dateland.  The band was then featured in several high-profile events here in Seattle, all of which SSG has had the pleasure of attending.  Beginning with a spot at Bumbershoot in September, Visqueen then opened for Shonen Knife in October, and ended the year by kicking off 107.7 The End’s annual Deck the Hall Ball (DTHB) on December 15th (and being the only local band on the list).  Also, the day before DTHB, Visqueen received double coverage on NPR, first with a Morning Edition interview that recounts Rachel Flotard’s poignant inspiration for writing Visqueen’s latest album, followed by musical honors on All Songs Considered. With all of this attention, it will be interesting to see how Visqueen fares from here on out!

For a band that opens for such a huge event as Deck the Hall Ball, it often means that attendance is  sparse and coverage is minimal, especially when key bands Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars are scheduled to play four hours later.  While the latter seems true since sponsoring radio station did not mention Visqueen in any of its DTHB advertisements, attendance was anything but futile.  During sound check, frontwoman Rachel Flotard gazed out at the audience and exclaimed that it was probably the biggest crowd that Visqueen had ever performed for. Indeed, DTHB was a sold out event, even though there was so much open space at the WaMu Theater throughout the entirety of the event that it did not seem like a sold out show.

Visqueen opened with their biggest hit from the new album, “Hand Me Down,” which Flotard describes as a “rocker,” and rock the house she did.  With radiant energy that flowed as vibrantly as the red in Flotard’s hair, Visqueen launched into a twenty-minute set, getting the audience warmed up for the rest of the evening’s bill. Unfortunately for the band, the lighting and sound setup at WaMu Theater did not do justice for Visqueen, or any of the bands at DTHB, for that matter.  The bass was blown out and turned up much higher than necessary, and the lighting did not flow appropriately for a majority of the performances.  Despite the venue’s setbacks, Visqueen played the edgy power-pop tunes laden with Flotard’s feisty commentary that elicited audience feedback. Flotard also expressed her appreciation for the band’s opportunity to finish the year by decking the halls of WaMu Theater that evening.

While it may not have been Visqueen’s best-sounding show of the year, due mostly to technical faults, it was certainly one of many recent showcases of the band’s talent that put them in an excellent position for gaining more national attention next year.  Even though Rachel Flotard will be in Southeast Asia doing aid work for the beginning of the new year, keep your eyes on Visqueen.  Their late 2009 successes have proved that the band is refreshed and ready to take it to the next level!

(SSG was not able to film at Deck The Hall Ball. Please enjoy a video of Visqueen from earlier in the year.)