BY LAINA PETRINEC

Roosevelt performing at August Hall, SF. Photo by LAINA PETRINEC

A band that has recently gained in popularity due to their catchy, yet not obnoxious, electronic pop beat had a range of bay area folks out groovin’ in midweek December show. Roosevelt (Marius Lauber) from Germany sold out their show to some really good looking people. Maybe it was the glimmering new venue, or the fact that I tend to go to shows filled with either dirty hippies, intense punk kids, or melancholy bearded old dudes, but I was surprised at the level of attractiveness surrounding me. The breed in here seemed like posh Nob CHillers mixed with trendy Missioners, and dare I say, a dash of energetic Marina.

Roosevelt performing at August Hall, SF. Photo by LAINA PETRINEC

The former Ruby Skye club venue has been transformed into a lovely 1,000 person capacity space with ornate arched ceiling details, a fabulous open second floor with ample viewing space (and a less crowded bar), clean bathrooms without a line, and a dance floor that doesn’t (yet) smell like beer. I found the sound quality to be quite good even at the upper level, and just the right volume for Roosevelt’s set. Despite being sold out, the crowd felt the perfect size: full and fun, but not too crammed that you couldn’t dance.

August Hall in the space formerly known as Ruby Sky

Roosevelt’s “Young Romance” second and newest album provided a short list of groovable songs. His songs aren’t the hard-hitting techno type with massive drops that are overdone by DJ’s, but more of a flow of easy-going beats. Because of this, the whole crowd was in a constant state of wiggling. It was nice to see some good lookin’, hard workin’ people undo their top button and keep a nice mellow groove on. Some people in the crowd helped out their friends from not tiring out too quickly by fanning them mid-wiggle. That is some dedication to the groove.

Roosevelt played a synth-pop cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” in the encore and sent the good looking SF people home a bit less uptight, and with a bigger smile than when they all arrived.

iamRoosevelt.com
August Hall Calendar 2019