STRFKR/Trust/Blackbird Blackbird

All you need to know about STRFKR’s current tour is that singer-guitarist-keyboardist Josh Hodges has got an 8-foot LED wall of lights in tow. Awesome! “The wall was featured in Popular Science magazine,” says Hodges, who formed STRFKR in 2007 and has slowly perfected the band’s very danceable indie rock. “The guys who built it are friends from Portland. They’re electronic wizards. It’s really impressive. The guy who designed the physical structure is really clever. It’s this greenhouse plastic wall that holds the LED strips really well. It’s really cool. It syncs with the music and adds a lot to the live show. Going to see a band, the venue, the sound and the visual experience all contribute to how much you enjoy the show. We want to cover all the bases as best we can.” The band’s new album, Miracle Mile, is a sonically dense mixture of live instrumentation and synthetic beats. It’s one of the young year’s most buzzed about releases. And despite the obscene moniker, the group’s popularity is escalating. “We’re playing crazy rooms on this tour, and it’s selling out,” says Hodges. “I’m really excited for it.” (Jeff Niesel)