This week – tomorrow night, Jan 17 to be exact – Portland’s Wishyunu will be bringing their minimalist, atmospheric, two piece pop to the cozy confines of Le Voyeur in Olympia, playing a show with Soft Hills and Thought Bandit. Following the release of Wishyunu’s third full length, Age of Revealing, the band seems in the mood for, well, revealing their artistic amazingness – despite the fact amazingness is not even close to a word.

Anyway, the band was smart enough to send me Age of Revealing through the magic of standard ground mail – and the light and eerie disc was enough to tickle my interest in their show coming up at Le Voyeur. So much so, in fact, that I got in touch with the band’s drummer and guitarist, Tony Bertaccini, to see what was up.

Take a gander…

Weekly Volcano: Describe the chemistry. Why does Wishyunu work? Who brings what to the table?

Bertaccini: Bei and I started playing music together in 2005.  It was pretty informal... just jamming at home.  I played the drums.  She played the piano and  synth.  After a while some of our jams began to sound pretty interesting.  We got into 4-track recording and found that our ideas complimented each other pretty well. 

WV: Talk about the pluses and minuses of being a two piece. Is there more freedom or more restrictions? Do you ever feel limited, or would any other people just get in the way?

Bertaccini: It's great being a two piece.  Bei and I are pretty much on the same page so I don't ever feel restricted by it.  The only down side is that there's a little bit more pressure live.  Generating a big sound with only two people can be difficult.

WV: Is there an appeal for you in the guy/girl dynamic, or did it just kind of work out that way?

Bertaccini: We didn't set out to be a male/female duo.  Bei and I were close before we ever played music together so I'd have to say it just worked out that way.

WV: What bore Age of Revealing? Does it capture a moment in time for you guys, or is it broader than that? How long did you work on it? Did you go in with a specific goal - and was it achieved? Or was it more of a free form experience than that?What's the record's strongest quality?

Bertaccini: Age of Revealing came together pretty quickly.  We began recording it in February 2008 and it was released the following June.  When we began work on it the only thing we knew is that we wanted to make an LP.  I'd have to say that it really came together without much pre-meditation.  Don't get me wrong, we worked really hard on it, but the songs just seemed to come out naturally one after the other. It was a pleasant experience. I think the record's strongest quality is that each track is interesting.  There aren't any fillers on it.  It has a pretty mellow vibe and I love the artwork.

WV: Compare Portland to Olympia, if you can. Do you feel like you fit in down in PDX? Have you had any experiences to speak of in Oly?

Bertaccini: Olympia seems more laid back.  When I'm in Portland I know I'm in a city.  There's a huge music scene here and tons of bars/clubs.  I wouldn't say we fit in necessarily.  Sometimes I feel like there's a bit too much emphasis on style over substance.  Still, we love living in Portland.  The people here really appreciate original music.

WV: Talk about the bill at Le Voyeur. You're playing with Soft Hills and Thought Bandit. Is this a bill you helped put together?

Bertaccini: John (Manini, Le Voyeur’s booking guy) put the bill together at Le Voyeur.  We're psyched.  The Soft Hills and Thought Bandit have a really cool vibe to their music.  I'm looking forward to it.

[Le Voyeur, Thought Bandit, Soft Hills, Wishyunu, 10 p.m., free, 404 Fourth Ave E Olympia, 360.943.5710]