Despite graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in library and information science, Ernest Greene couldn’t find a job as a librarian.
Instead, his career path took an unanticipated turn when he began producing songs in his bedroom while living with his parents. By 2009, Greene had become “Washed Out”: a lead singer, songwriter and producer.
Accompanied by his band of four musicians, Greene performed on the U.S. Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre on Monday evening as a part of Washed Out’s North American tour. Performing songs from both his freshman and sophomore albums, “Within and Without” and “Paracosm” respectively, Washed Out brought life to downtown Knoxville on an otherwise dreary day.
“It was a lot different from what you’d expect,” Smith Anders Vaughn, junior and geography major, said after the concert. “A lot of his first stuff was really sample-based and mashed, but he really knows how to make something more groovy.”
The hour-and-a-half long set was energized, yet harmonious. Bodies were swaying and heads were bobbing with each song, even the ballads. The audience was quite rowdy for a weekday evening as Washed Out filled the room with music and light. Throughout the performance, blue and purple shadows danced across the Bijou’s walls.
Small Black, a band from Brooklyn, New York, opened the show as the crowd filed in. Despite audience disruptions, the band created a nice atmosphere for Washed Out.
After her first Washed Out concert, Madeline Miller, sophomore in animal science, said the show exceeded her expectations, though she imagined a larger turnout.
“He had a good energy,” Miller said. “He really seemed like he knew what he was doing.”
During his stage time, Greene didn’t volunteer any personal tidbits, unlike Small Black’s lead singer Josh Kolenik. Kolenik shared a story about narrowly escaping a car accident caused by a deer on his band’s drive to Knoxville from Washington, D.C. Greene’s behavior, however, was less conventional, periodically reaching out to audience members for hand shakes and high fives.
“For somebody that makes that kind of music, they kind of act like they don’t care and (are) indifferent on stage, but (Greene) was really excited and that’s always nice to see in musicians,” Vaughn said.
