Yacht is a lot of things. It's kind of a band, but it's mostly a genre-and-media-spanning life project founded and led by Jona Bechtolt of the Northwest's very own Portland, Oregon. Bechtolt (and new member Claire L. Evans) make anthemic power jams, play them backwards and soak them in nearly-psychedelic cherry cola. YACHT's heart is the shows: uncluttered, inspiring sessions of damaged dance moves and synchronized crowd-waving, backed by constantly changing elements -- PowerPoint presentations, audience Q&A sessions, and shamanistic video environments. In 2007, YACHT played more than 200 shows in 17 countries around the world, chasing album releases in North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China, and touring with such luminaries as LCD Soundsystem, Architecture in Helsinki, High Places, and Vampire Weekend. With the addition of Claire, YACHT hopes to double their stamina and play over 500 shows this year and in more unlikely places: on airplanes, in planetariums, underwater, and on the roofs, and/or bathrooms, of very large buildings.

Photo: Steve Schroeder