The Beach House that Juan Built

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Juan Pieczanski, Nick Bentgen, Jeff Curtin, and David Yoonha Park

Juan's Basement, a television show that syncs up a band's style with a like-minded visual aesthetic, has come a long way from its days on Plum TV, since when we last checked in with them (in our June/July '07 issue). They've recently upgraded to a spot on Pitchfork's newest (and heavily fawned over) media project, Pitchfork.tv, and it's evident the quality of the show has exceeded its primary expectations.

But the space? That’s still the same -- real fucking tiny. I have the battle scars to prove it: a bump on the head (because I didn't learn the first, second or third time to duck when going down the stairs), a cramped leg from sitting perched on the corner of a mattress -- the authentic Juan's Basement experience. It's gritty, intimate, and an excuse to get messed up on a Sunday afternoon.

Host of the show Juan Pieczanski admitted that his show originally "was supposed to be just like a party. Now, it's super like --"

"It's like a job," noted David Yoonha Park, the director.

Beach House came through two days ago, and they looked in their realm as we listened to their sultry warblings. "It's way more comfortable than playing at the Bowery Ballroom," said Beach House's guitarist Alex Scally. Victoria Legrand, the singer/keyboardist, added how "Bowery feels comfortable for the first six rows and then you look out and you see that people aren't even paying attention at that point. And it's not that you want tons of attention, but intimacy is very very powerful."

"That's sort of the point; that you've gotta cram down here. And that's part of doing it," said sound engineer and Juan's roommate Jeff Curtin. So who would they (in a dream scenario) try to fit in the basement? Some big name bands with some big-ass legacies: Justin Timberlake and R. Kelly (David's picks), Radiohead and Yo La Tengo (Juan's picks), Bobby Conn and Islands (Jeff's picks), and Metallica (dirctor/dp Nick Bentgen's pick).

"But I kinda feel like R. Kelly would bring people whether we asked him or not," said David. Juan assured him, "They can sit around R."

The Beach House // Juan's Basement episode will be set live in about a month.