REVERB Review: Everyone Loves Rachel Flotard (Especially the Kids)

Justin Dylan Renney

Visqueen played The Salmon Bay Eagle, Saturday, as part of Seattle Weekly's Reverb Festival. (More photos after the jump) For all our festival coverage, visit SeattleWeekly.com/reverbfestival.

On stage, Visqueen lead singer Rachel Flotard is the kind of woman you'd want for your best friend. She's funny, charming, and unafraid to poke fun at herself--and others--when the moment's right. Case in point: when introducing Visqueen's new cello player during Saturday afternoon's show, she commented on how rock musicians "have lower IQs" than classical artists. (That's hard to believe, given the smart, harmonic songs Visqueen performed). "Barb came in with charts," Flotard said about her first practice with the cellist. "Some people call that 'sheet music.' I say she's full of sheet."

And the woman knows her audience: the all ages CD release show was filled with kids under the age of 10, and Flotard engaged those fans, too. Between songs, she spoke directly to a child in the front row wearing a Michigan State sweatshirt. "You want to come home and live with your new mommy?" she joked. To her surprise, the boy said yes. But he probably not the only fan who'd follow Flotard anywhere. With her energetic vocals and bright, bubbling guitars, she's like the pied piper of salty-but-sweet pop.