tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63019251282614623522024-02-08T02:13:04.733-08:00bigwesternflavorWestern Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.comBlogger293125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-91477263431521084182011-04-15T18:37:00.000-07:002011-04-15T18:37:38.492-07:00Sat and SunSaid it would take two posts to take care of this week's good local shows, and here I am back for part two.<br />
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Saturday night: electro-tinged rock outfit <b>Lean Hounds</b> play at Cheer Up Charlies with <b>Field Dress</b>. The busy <b>Megafauna</b> are in action again at Hole in the Wall. Then Sunday instrumental metal titans <b>Eagle Claw</b> return from an East Coast tour with a show at Red 7.<br />
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Back with more shows next week.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-27252569620738028442011-04-13T09:22:00.000-07:002011-04-13T09:22:41.723-07:00Feels Like SummerThe show calendar for this week is so crammed with good local options that it will take more than one post to get them all across. Tonight, there's grunge revivalists the <b>Bridge Farmers</b> at Beerland with <b>Leatherbag</b> and <b>The Pons</b>. That's a free show, as is the Trailer Space gig with the all-screaming, instrument-swapping <b>Dikes of Holland</b> and <b>Teenage News</b>.<br />
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Tomorrow night (Thursday) offers the 7" release show at Hole in the Wall for <b>La Snacks</b>, with <b>The Gary</b> and<b> The Zoltars</b> in support. Great variety for that show, which gives you the chance to catch up with three of our favorite Austin bands all at once. Sources say it's only three bucks to get in, as well. <b>Shells</b> and <b>Mermaid Blond</b> also play Thursday at Scoot Inn for another recommended show. Pick your poison.<br />
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Friday night minimalist noisemakers <b>Hatchet Wound</b> and <b>Soft Healer</b> are at Beerland; one-man looping dynamo <b>Daniel Francis Doyle </b>returns to Mohawk; the new-wavey big band <b>Rich Restaino & The Obits</b> play Carousel Lounge; and the dissonant-but-beautiful <b>Cruddy</b> play a house party with <b>Women in Prison</b> (check <a href="http://showlistaustin.com/">Showlist Austin</a> for more info).Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-18339545625688228362011-04-05T16:38:00.000-07:002011-04-05T18:04:58.428-07:00Springtime for WestySo it only took me five days of writing exercises to realize what I really wanted to do was cover local music again. For giving me a kick in the tail, let me thank <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coma-In-Algiers/103923021779">Coma in Algiers</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cruddy/248790773880">Cruddy</a></b>, and <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/cowabungababes">Cowabunga Babez</a></b>. I saw all of those bands last weekend and it made me realize again that local music can be a lot of fun if you approach it with the right attitude.<br />
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Here's some stuff from local bands for you to look at and/or listen to:<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mymegafauna">Megafauna</a></b> have a show on Thursday at Emo's and they also have a new, improved web presence with videos and words of wisdom from bassist Will Krause. As I've written before, the female-fronted trio is like Led Zeppelin meets Björk and their busy show schedule has rendered them into one of the tightest and most entertaining rock acts in town. We last saw them at Cheer Up Charlie's during SXSW and their set was full of new songs and cool riffs.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/themolepeople">The Mole People</a></b> have a free cover of Lou Reed's "I Can't Stand It" up for download on <a href="http://soundcloud.com/the-mole-people/i-cant-stand-it?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fthe-mole-people%2Fi-cant-stand-it">Soundcloud</a>. It's a slower, more sensuous take on the song with funk guitar and an amused lead vocal. They have a new record almost ready for release called <i>No Time for Love</i>. I ran into some Mole People Saturday at the Parlor and learned that they have an alternate identity. When not everybody can make a show, they play as the <b>Mole Men</b> instead. The whole band of people should be together for a release show soon. Meanwhile, you can see their sister band <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/bikeproblems">Bike Problems</a></b> Wednesday at Beerland or Saturday at the Parlor.<br />
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I've been listening to the new EP by <b>Rocketboys</b> leader Brandon Kinder, who has gone solo under the name <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/thewealthywest">The Wealthy West</a></b>. The five polished songs tug at the heartstrings in a manner that will be familiar to fans of <b>Quiet Company</b>, with a little bit of the <b>Eastern Sea</b>'s indie-folk style. Down-home production details on "Not a Pretty Pair" give a slight Americana flavor, and "Another Bad Idea" manages some singer-songwriter immediacy. The Wealthy West play Wednesday evening at the Cactus Cafe.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-55148343498190900352011-02-21T14:22:00.000-08:002011-02-21T14:31:58.218-08:00Break Time?Having a music blog in Austin, even one that practically no one reads, isn't entirely worthless. I've made a lot of good friends in bands and I'm glad of it. But I dedicated all of my time to this project for a full year and the results were not pretty... no job and a trip to the mental hospital.<br />
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After my eventful January, I didn't want to give blogging up entirely. I figured I'd keep doing show picks just to have a reason for people to keep sending me CD's in the mail. After a few half-hearted weeks, I don't see much point in recommending shows any more. The listings are easy to find for anyone who cares. Hardworking bands get the message out, one way or another. Most importantly, writing is making me totally miserable and lonely and that was never the point. Since I was 11 or so I always figured I ought to write about music, since I was a better writer than anybody I knew and I loved music more than anything else. But that's not how it works... to succeed as a music writer nowadays I would have to dedicate myself to locating opinions about music that means nothing to me. So before I go completely off the deep end, I'm quitting while I still have these relative shreds left of my dignity.<br />
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I'll still pass on show announcements on Twitter and Facebook. But no more Big Western Flavor. The last time I considered stopping, I wrote that the blog had "served its function." I meant that I had learned all I could from it and I wasn't going to make myself any happier in persisting. I may have been right the first time. You can't make inroads into the entertainment business merely by smashing your head against the wall until it falls. That goes for bands as well as writers.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-10120768773131147972011-02-14T11:20:00.000-08:002011-02-14T13:42:51.639-08:00Special for Valentine'sTonight at The Grand on Airport Boulevard, <b>A Giant Dog</b> and the <b>Flesh Lights</b> play a Valentine's Day formal and it's free to get in. Pretty cool! Anna C. and I will be there. Oh, and a Valentine's treat for you and those you love today: <a href="http://lasnacks.bandcamp.com/">New music from <b>La Snacks</b></a>! Let's see what we've got going the rest of the week.<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b> If you enjoy your music loud and crusty, <b>Eagle Claw </b>and <b>Bridge Farmers</b> at Red 7 is an excellent pairing. The former is instrumental metal and the latter revivalist grunge but they're both really, really high-volume.<br />
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<b>THURSDAY</b> It's a record release show for <b>The Sour Notes</b> at Mohawk (more info and a stream <a href="http://www.austinsound.net/2011/02/11/stream-the-sour-notes-new-last-looks-lp/">here at Austin Sound</a>), with <b>Mother Falcon</b> guesting on strings and <b>For Hours and Ours</b> in support. Meanwhile <b>The Gary</b> and <b>Blue Kabuki</b> hit Carousel Lounge. The Gary have a new record coming out real soon, too. It's called <i>El Camino</i> and I just got an advance... it's their first vinyl release and it was recorded by Steve Albini. The one and only.<br />
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<b>FRIDAY</b> <b>The Zoltars</b>, <b>Dikes of Holland</b>, and <b>A Giant Dog</b> play at... Emo's? Not Beerland? That can't be right. Also, <b>We the Granada</b> and <b>Megafauna</b> at Flamingo Cantina, with <b>Sweetmeat</b>. And new band <b>The Magnificent Snails</b> release their debut EP <i>Baby Acid Trips </i>at Club 1808. They have an indie rock-meets-worldbeat sound that's quite now; the EP is <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themagnificentsnails">worth checking out</a>.<br />
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<b>SATURDAY</b> I usually pick rock bands, so for a change of pace how about DJ <b>Nick Nack</b> and <b>Bird Peterson</b> at Beauty Bar? Been spinning Nick's <i>Dearly Departed</i> on and off since he handed me a download card at Fun Fun Fun Fest and it's cerebral, listening music... a contrast to the big beats he lays down as a club and hip-hop backing DJ. You can learn more about his world at the <a href="http://www.crowdcontrolrecords.com/">Crowd Control Records</a> site.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-55162358496456213662011-02-07T14:54:00.000-08:002011-02-09T15:51:28.752-08:00In the FleshIt's a real slow week for shows. I hope you'll write in and tell me if I'm wrong, but other than the XTC hoot night Saturday at the Carousel Lounge, I don't see too much to recommend this week. As for that gig, featuring <b>Baby Robots</b> and <b>Bee vs. Moth</b> among others, I really hope somebody does "Earn Enough for Us." And "Snowman." And "Senses Working Overtime." And the whole <i>Black Sea</i> record. But I digress.<br />
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Since there's not a lot of shows this week to write about, I guess I'll spend a second talking about one from last week. That Girls Rock benefit ended up being a heck of a good show, cold weather notwithstanding. I enjoyed all five bands! <b>Bottle Service</b> impress me each time I see them... they have winning chemistry. <b>Planets</b> have morphed from a rickety indie rock band into a hard rock powerhouse in front of our very eyes. <b>Cruddy</b> are a new name to me but I admire the way their discordant songs stop and start on dimes. They have a weird inbred logic working that might not be pretty but is definitely rock and roll. <b>Yellow Fever</b> are a band I've seen before and not liked, but I'm coming around on them. Their singer has an amazing voice, and although I don't like all of their songs I do like their drummer's cleverness and the tricks they pull out to keep being a duo from becoming monotonous. I made my mind up about them before too quickly. That hardly makes them alone among Austin bands. It's a good thing we're making second chances a major theme in 2011.<br />
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How about the <b>Flesh Lights</b>, though? What a good example of how writing show previews based on recorded material is doomed to fail. The Flesh Lights' recorded output is really good -- two excellent singles, with the A-side of the green one, "Jaye," standing as the song best lodged in my head by repeated plays -- but it doesn't give you any idea what they're like live. They're a force, with a hurricane starting on the stage sweeping the front of the audience up into it and pretty much everybody front to back shaking like their lives depended on it by mid-set. Their records are good, but they're not<i> wild</i> and <i>primal</i> the way they sound as a live band. The guitar races ahead of the bass and drums and it doesn't really matter when it laps them, because everyone's giving as much as they can. Even late at night on a frosty night, the crowd is ready to move when the Flesh Lights will it. I'm not leaving early when they're late on a bill ever again.<br />
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<b>UPDATE </b>Missed some stuff on Saturday: My homeboys in <b>World Racketeering Squad</b> are at the Parlor, the tread-laying post-hardcore kids in <b>Markov</b> hit up Trailer Space, and <b>STEREO IS A LIE</b> bring their high-intensity melodies to Ghost Room. Plus <b>Follow That Bird!</b> and <b>Dikes of Holland</b> at Mohawk. No excuse if you end up staying in on Saturday night!Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-26738894894437901062011-01-31T12:36:00.000-08:002011-02-01T15:56:08.365-08:00Enough JanuaryReady for a new month? I am. February brings my birthday and Anna C.'s as well, plus beloved holidays such as Valentine's Day, Groundhog Day, and Presidents' Day. It's a heck of a month. Start it off right with some local shows.<br />
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<b>TUESDAY</b> The Deerhoof afterparty at Mohawk is for serious: <b>Sunset</b>,<b> Cartright</b>, and <b>Zorch</b> will light it up inside after the headliners do their thing outside. I'm on the record as saying Zorch are my favorite band in Austin right now and this is your last chance to see them before the festival in March. Cartright are a band I am curious to learn more about. I saw them for the first time playing <i>with</i> Zorch on New Year's Eve. Zorch's full keyboard array wasn't working, so it was a bit of an experiment, but it still left me wanting to find out what the band Cartright sounded like in their own right. They also make really beautiful flyers.<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b> One-man show <b>Eagle Eye Williamson</b> is at Club Deville. Haven't seen him live yet but I know from recordings that he does blues at its most primitive, one guy playing drums and guitar and howling. If you like unique performers, might be a good option. Anna recommends the punk band <b>Teenage News</b> who are at Beerland.<br />
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<b>THURSDAY</b> Just saw <b>The Zoltars</b> for the first time at a house party yesterday. I liked them. If you like the honesty and directness of the Moldy Peaches, this band might be for you. Loved the way their drummer kicked a tambourine with his foot instead of using a big loud bass drum. Kept the focus on the lyrics and melodies.<br />
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<b>FRIDAY</b> <b>SuperLiteBike</b> and <b>Bali Yaaah</b> are at Red 7. Haven't seen the latter yet, though their songs online have a certain hypnotic quality to them. Remains to be seen whether the effect their bass, guitar, and keyboards have through headphones translates to the stage. But SuperLiteBike are legit... one of my favorite modern rock-arena acts in Austin. The last time I saw them I was impressed by how their set flew by like clockwork, no pauses in between songs and changes sharply choreographed. They stand out from the norm here. The Girls Rock benefit at Beerland is worth a look too: <b>Flesh Lights</b>, <b>Planets</b>, and <b>Bottle Service</b> are appearing among others. We saw Planets last night and they were <i>forceful</i>. Wouldn't have expected that from the first few shows of theirs we went to. But Anna and I are all about ladies who love it loud and that's the spirit for this show.<br />
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<b>SATURDAY</b> Haven't seen them live yet but I really dig the <b>Serious Tracers</b> seven-inch. They're at Ruta Maya Saturday with a Huey Lewis tribute band. No, really. Yes, I know. That <i>is</i> awesome.<br />
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<b>SUNDAY</b> <b>OBN III's</b> and <b>The Millipede</b> at Beerland. I'm getting a lot more punk as I assimilate in Austin. Why? Because watching bands have a really fun time when they play shows is way preferable to watching them be miserable. The garage scene here is all about having a good time with your friends, I'm learning, and that's a really hard objective to be critical about.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-67850190443391816152011-01-24T09:44:00.000-08:002011-01-28T09:46:12.083-08:00Show Picks Now!I'm still dazed and confused from Free Week, when I worked myself so hard to write about every band that I had opinion on that I ended up in the hospital. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do a music blog that takes advantage of my close listening skills without discouraging every band I come across from ever playing again. It's tricky. Here's some shows you might go to this week, if you like local music.<br />
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<strong>MONDAY</strong> <strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/ringodeathstarr">Ringo Deathstarr</a></strong> at Emo's. The trouble I have with "shoegaze" music is that the musicians often take the name literally. Just because some late-80's British bands thought it was cool to be completely motionless doesn't mean every current band influenced by that style has to stand still as well. The last time Anna and I saw Ringo they invited up some other local music friends to jam and then knock stuff over on their last song. It looked like they were having so much fun! That makes a big difference.<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b> A late update! Atmospheric instrumental space rock band <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/518314450">Landing Station</a></b> play Headhunters. Should be a free show. I have the Landing Station CD and it's pretty compelling for minimalist music. I wonder how loud they are live.<br />
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<strong>THURSDAY</strong> I hear people say that Austin has no good punk bands. Not true! It's just that there are so many <em>bad</em> punk bands that finding the good ones involves a lot of legwork. Let me save you some time and recommend <strong><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Creationists/111029298922131">The Creationists</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/thebangbangtheodores">Bang Bang Theodores</a></strong>, who play together 1/27 at Scoot Inn. Good arrangements, strong vocals, and big melodies from bass and guitar separate these two bands from the pack.<br />
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<strong>FRIDAY</strong> I discovered <strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/transmography">Transmography</a></strong> because their Michael Frazier doubles as the drummer in La Snacks; the bands toured together last year. Transmography is another one of those video game music/indie rock hybrids that are so prevalent nowadays. I haven't seen them live yet, but I hope to check them out Friday. They're releasing the first in a series of color-coded EP's and are asking fans to come attired this weekend in bright yellow. The show is at Beerland. Anna C. says she is interested in this concert because <strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/awesomedeathtexas">Awesome Death</a></strong> is playing it. Their combination of punk rock and theremin is more than she can resist. Also, at Beauty Bar art rockers <strong><a href="http://paperthreat.bandcamp.com/">paperthreat</a></strong> are having a release party for their new single. Can't wait to find out more about that; they're one of my favorite new bands in Austin. I've been listening to <strong><a href="http://johnvinyard.bandcamp.com/">John Vinyard</a></strong> quite a bit for the next Demo Sweat column. If you're into the minimal, lyric-driven Iron & Wine neo-folk style, perhaps go check him out Friday at the Central Presbyterian Church (200 East 8th).<br />
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<strong>SATURDAY </strong>I haven't seen <strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/amplifiedheat">Amplified Heat</a></strong> in a few months and I feel like it's time to go check them out again. The last I checked in with them they were finding an original voice by blending in hardcore punk with their Jimi Hendrix-Clapton-Zeppelin classic rock center. <strong><a href="http://www.whiteghostshivers.com/">White Ghost Shivers</a></strong> are playing with them, and that's a band I've been recommended several times. I recommend <strong><a href="http://weracketeer.com/">World Racketeering Squad</a></strong> shows all the time because I'm a big nerd and those guys are proof positive that being a nerd is no handicap to rocking triumphantly. They've been talking up this band <strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/conquistadorband">Conquistador Incorporated</a></strong> for weeks. I've only listened to Conquistador's CD a little bit so far, but they are intriguing... kind of a mixture of Ween-ish genre shifts and Tool-like heavy guitar. Some of the tracks on their <em>Ballads </em>CD are awkwardly political, but when they hit the mark they're something new and substantive. Going to try and see them really soon.<br />
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<strong>SUNDAY</strong> My friends Justin, formerly of Sissy Face, and Andrea, currently of <strong>Bubbleface</strong>, have joined forces to start some sort of face-related supergroup. (That would be a good band name, Facial Supergroup. I can see it on t-shirts even now). They will mix Justin's guitar pop background with Andrea's interest in pure experimental noise and you can see them for the first time 7 Sunday at Blue Velvet (vintage store at 2100 Guadalupe).Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-84839146285948768142011-01-22T07:14:00.000-08:002011-01-22T09:39:59.928-08:00Easing Back InSo I have been waiting for the universe, or at least some of my readers, to tell me what to do. I don't feel at all in the same critical space I was all last year, when I was angry and embittered towards most bands. My time with Anna C. in Austin has taught me that the whole point of making music is to have a good time with your friends, and part of me wants to delete every review I've ever written. A couple of days in a mental institution can fill you up with impulsive thoughts about dramatic gestures. But Austin does need good music writing, and bands do need to hear from time to time that they're not perfect. So I guess I can't quit the blog. And I guess I have to keep being honest about who I am, because otherwise how is anyone going to relate to my point of view?<br />
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Went to see <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Good-Lazy-System/193356450676560">Good Lazy System</a></b> last night at the Parlor. There were some other shows this week I was more excited about going to. <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/literatureohyeah">Literature</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Giant-Dog/24526752851">A Giant Dog</a></b> were at Beerland on Wednesday and I really like both of those bands. Their seven-inch singles have been in regular rotation at our house. But I'm on some new medications, very strong ones, and I chose to sleep instead. Anna went and reports that those bands are still excellent, and she also liked the punk band <b>Teenage News</b> who were sharing the bill. Wanted to see <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/isleofwhite">Isle of White</a></b> on Thursday since I quite like their songs and they were one of the first Austin bands I ever wrote about. But again I was out like a light by 9:30. So much for my rock and roll lifestyle. I guess I will have to work out how to stay up a little later.<br />
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I like<b> </b>Good Lazy System a bunch. I think they're on their way, and they were a lot tighter last night than the first time I saw them. They also chopped down a lot of the waiting between songs, which was their major hangup before. I listened more for their style than their individual parts this time, which is what I usually do when revisiting a new band. They have a good group sound and I particularly like the interplay between three different singers. They remind me of a Lookout! Records punk band, like Screeching Weasel or NOFX. Ben Gibbs contrasts Ariel Sauceda's more melodic singing with a rap-like bark. Guitarist Adam Antonacci sings a bit of lead too, and my favorite parts of Good Lazy System's songs have all three shouting together. I love multiple vocalists in bands of any type. I think drummer Aaron Bromberg should sing too, if he could hear himself through his heavy-duty ear protection.<br />
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My new strategy is to write about bands <i>after</i> talking to them, so I don't make any goofy mistakes. Some of the stuff I wrote during Free Week, when I was in a hurry and losing my sanity, presupposes that a writer can tell what a band's story is simply by listening to them and observing them from a distance. That's wrong. I always justified writing negative reviews based on the principle that you can learn something from every band, good or bad. I still think that's true, but I think for my part that if I'm going to learn anything and get better at whatever it is I do, I have to let bands tell me their stories themselves. Everybody is seeking something different out of their music.<br />
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So I'm going to keep telling you what I think, but I'm going to try and get the voices of as many Austin bands as I can represented on Big Western Flavor as well. It's what I need to do, personally and professionally. I bought a new phone and everything!Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-51730826649130431342011-01-17T06:52:00.000-08:002011-01-18T07:27:09.788-08:00Show Picks 2020So I'm still not sure what the plan is for the blog in the new year. I got way too focused on being a know-it-all and sort of lost the plot the last few weeks. Now I'm seeing things from a different perspective. I could use some feedback from regular readers. I think I'm going to stick to doing show picks and maybe some interviews until I shake the nagging feeling that I've been devoting all my energies to ripping apart something I don't fully understand. Anyway, hopefully I'll see you out at some shows this week.<br />
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<b>TUESDAY</b> I haven't seen them live yet, but I really liked the hypnotic quality of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/baliyaaah"><b>Bali Yaaah</b>'s recordings</a>. I hear some Clinic, some 60's psychedelia, and some Depeche-modern electronic coming from the three-piece (guitars, bass, organ). I'm curious to see them do it on stage and Tuesday the 18th at Beauty Bar they're playing with <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/odetooscillator">Ode to Oscillator</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/knifight">Knifight</a></b>, and <b>Mass Rituals</b>.<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b> I traded in some old LP's for a clutch of local seven-inch singles at <b>Trailer Space</b> last weekend. Along with some cool stuff from the <b>Flesh Lights</b> and <b>Serious Tracers</b>, I picked up "The Grand" b/w "Qyjara" by <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/agiantdog">A Giant Dog</a></b>. Anna spent most of last night watching YouTube videos of the five-piece, who have a live show you need to see to appreciate -- a frontwoman with no fear, Motown bass with muscles, rowdy crowds. They're at Beerland with <b>In Beds</b> and <b>Literature</b>. Literature are a band my friend Sean likes to describe as "the Strokes fronted by Daniel Johnston." I think that's a bit glib but as good a description as any. Anna C. likes the way their lead guitar player dances lightly on his feet like Michael Jackson. For me, what's winning about Literature is the way the two guitar players interact instead of play on top of one another.<br />
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<b>THURSDAY</b> We've also been jamming the "Hot Pink Flares" 45 by <b><a href="http://thesournotes.com/">The Sour Notes</a></b> on a day-to-day basis. I'm a huge fan of bands and songs with multiple lead vocalists, and the tradeoff on the A-side of the single from Jared to Kelly is sweet. The Sour Notes are playing the Cactus Cafe, which is still alive! I believe the cover is six dollars which is a good deal for the Cactus. Saw <b>The Eastern Sea</b> there playing to a packed room and they sounded great. <b>Little Lo</b> open for the Sour Notes Thursday.<br />
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<b>FRIDAY</b> Flesh Lights and <b>Bike Problems</b> at Red 7. The "Jaye" single by Flesh Lights is nice. <b>Bike Problems</b> are nerdy punk of the highest order. Or, to go in the another direction entirely, <b>Opposite Day</b> and <b>Megafauna</b> at Flamingo Cantina. I love Opposite Day! Their songs and playing are unique. I wrote about them during Free Week, but it turned out that they weren't playing due to their bassist Greg being in Australia. I said then I'd reprint my praise of them when they <i>were</i> playing a show, so here it is: "I'm glad Opposite Day are playing... because I always feel like I should be doing more to spread the word about them. I think a lot of other writers have faced the same problem before me: How do you make a compelling argument for a band that really has no single obvious comparison point? Elvis Costello meets Primus? No... Richard Thompson meets Oingo Boingo? I'm stumped. They change meters and play bewildering figures like a prog band, but have many hooks and harmonies you don't need a calculator to appreciate. No matter what your tastes are, I defy you to watch Opposite Day and not come away astounded by their musicianship. Not only that, they've never let their ridiculous technical ability get in the way of songwriting -- 'Safety First' is unforgettable -- and despite their long years of high effort and low rewards, they still maintain a palpable enthusiasm and good spirit when they're on stage."<br />
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Megafauna, like The Sour Notes, are right off a tour. Will, Cameron, and Dani were tight already, and they bring a heck of a lot of force as a trio. I like sitting and listening to their CD <i>Larger Than Human</i> closely and trying to count through all the time signature changes.<br />
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I hated everything and now I like everything! The power of Austin music has brainwashed me.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-87869804805033333412011-01-13T20:37:00.000-08:002011-01-14T11:14:55.866-08:00YikesSo, I bit off more than I could chew trying to cover every show going on in Austin during Free Week. I'm glad of it... last year around this time there were only three or four venues participating, but in 2011 the idea really took off and extended beyond downtown. Very cool. Best time of the year, except of course for the weather.<br />
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But doing work, writing, going to shows, and other stuff, I didn't leave myself enough personal time. I stopped talking to my friends. I was mean to my cat. And mostly I took out my frustrations on Anna C., who deserves a <i>lot</i> better. Long story short, I needed a little vacation in the mental illness ward. Confinement, being presented with many new faces at once, and feeling threatened by the many schizophrenics and aggressively manic people that habit these sorts of wards (of which I have seen the insides of too many) all make the hospital a place I associate with sheer terror. This visit wasn't a cakewalk, but it went by more smoothly than the earlier ones. Belief in myself, and faith in the Austin community at large, made for less of an alienating effect than some of the other mental health clinics I've passed through.<br />
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So what made me work so hard I went crazy? Guilt, I guess... I started writing under the assumption that people in bands, especially bands in Austin, know that there's no such thing as bad press. But a whole generation has grown up living in a world of interconnectivity such that you don't <i>think</i> about what you like; you merely follow the consensus. Why try and make up your own interpretation of <i>Black Swan</i> when you can go read thousands of them online until you find the one that most closely resembles what you yourself was going to say?<br />
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So, for a few days I thought I had to kill the blog. Now I think I'm just going to use it for interviews and Demo Sweats. What I really want to do is move into writing press materials for bands. And continue to play music, but in as low-key and nondescript roles as possible. I'm going to learn the triangle and the maracas.<br />
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Again, I'm sorry if I hurt you or made your band break up because of a bad review. It's only one perspective, but I feel worn out trying to make this clear each and every time I make a negative comment. So I'm knocking it off with the live reviews and concentrating on doing interviews with the Austin bands that I think best fit my ideas about originality, style, command of the stage, and so forth. And if you want me to write a bio for your band, I can do that too. Find "Western Homes" on Facebook, send me a message, we'll work out a rate.<br />
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And Demo Sweat? People keep sending me CD's. I hope they will keep doing it. Getting obscure music for free almost every day is terrific. If I could just get some more acts to give me 45's, life would be grand.<br />
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Speaking of grand... we've been spinning a bunch of singles I got at Trailer Space on Saturday. <b>A Giant Dog</b> have an A-side called "The Grand" that's a boogie-woogie with X harmony vocals. <b>The Fleshlights</b> sound <i>exactly</i> what you would expect a band called the Fleshlights to sound like, with a sneaky good singer. And the Wesley Coleman Minor Threat tribute is pretty fun, oddly fun medleys of old humorless Dischord straightedge hardcore deconstructed by Austin's own drunkcore overlord. Buy local singles!<br />
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<b>UPDATE</b>: I forgot about show picks. I'm going to keep doing show picks too. Every Monday. If you're in a band and want me to recommend a show, same e-mail address as before.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-84255544890870915222011-01-06T17:23:00.000-08:002011-01-07T04:05:47.985-08:00Free City, Part FourI am learning new things about myself every day this week, it seems. A lot of them are so obvious I feel self-conscious now. I think that the disconnect between my emotional difficulties and my wealth of music knowledge is keeping my blog from finding any regular readers besides those who agree with me most firmly. It's nice to know I'm not totally alone, but at the same time, there are a lot of Austin bands I love and my recommendations of them would carry a lot more weight if more than a handful of people read them. Trying to figure this out is going to be bumpy. You can already see it in action. I got a nice e-mail from Matthew Grusha from <b>She Sir</b> asking me to go see his band. I did. From my point of view, they sucked. I tried to explain why I thought so, once in a review that was written in such an awful equivocating style that a few regular readers AND a couple of first-time ones wrote in to tell me to knock it off. Then I tried to explain even more an in e-mail to the poor guy. I tried to point out how I'm a bass player, and I listen really closely to how bass and drums fit together, and I felt like their rhythm section was just no good at all in combination. He wrote back that lots of people had told him he was really good at bass and now he was so sad he was thinking about quitting music. Well, I give up. But please don't quit music because of me; I just really geek out on bass playing.<br />
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See, I never point out stuff like this. I just say "this is bad" or "this needs work" and I don't talk about the basis for it, because as a journalist I was taught to take myself out of my writing and as a human nothing makes me feel more awful than looking at a person I've just met and realizing I've been doing nothing but talk about myself at them for half an hour. I'm a good writer, but I'm a <i>horrible</i> communicator. I just can't express myself succinctly to save my life. In the sound-bite, 140-characters-or-less era, I'm an anachronism. I have the refined music tastes of somebody who's been writing or playing for 20 years (because I have indeed been doing so), but I have the social skills of somebody just out of college. Nearly all my friends, and Anna, are way younger than I am. I think the reason I love <b>The Gary</b> so deeply is because my two biggest hangups in life are becoming a grown-up and being in a good band and those guys do both so well.<br />
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<b><u>FRIDAY</u></b><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Beauty Bar: Brownout, Maneja Beto, Roxy Roca, Este Vato</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Beerland: Hex Dispensers, Damn Times, Manikin</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Club Deville (Mind of Adi): uLOVEi, DJ I Wanna Be Her, One Hundred Flowers, STEREO IS A LIE, Monarchs, Erin Ivey, Eagle Eye Williamson, BK & Mr. E</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Emo's outside: What Made Milwaukee Famous, The Lemurs, Ovenbirds, Salesman, The Authors</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Emo's inside: Los Skarnales, Nick Curran & The Lowlifes, Jungle Rockers, El Pathos</div>Mohawk outside: Indian Jewelry, The Laughing, Astronaut Suit<br />
Mohawk inside: Motel Aviv, Attak (In)Formation, Zorch, Look Mexico<br />
The Parish: The Frontier Brothers, The Eastern Sea, MaryAnn and the Revival Band<br />
Red 7 inside: Golden Boys, Broken Gold, A Giant Dog, Air Traffic Controllers, The Dead Space<br />
Red 7 outside: Power Trip, Rat King, Black Congress, One Against Many, Tow the Line, Venomous Maximus<br />
Red 7 early show: Thieves, The Stampede, Fingers Crossed, A New Hope<br />
Scoot Inn: Thunderosa, Squidbucket, Rust<br />
Stubb's: Art vs. Industry, The Pulse Electric, Lauren Burton<br />
U.S. Art Authority: Low Victor Echo, Grand Child<br />
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Wow, what a night. Where to begin? Well, how about the band whose <i>demo</i> cracked my year-end top ten list.... sliding in right at #1. Holy gee, <b>Zorch</b> are an amazing band. They might not be quite for everybody -- I've played it for a few singer-songwriter types, like my former bandmate Dana, and they were bored up until the vocals came in. But if you're interested in the collision of modern genres, and like seeing the sort of band that leaves most listeners fumbling for meaningful comparisons, get into this band. The prodigiously talented and hilarious drummer <b>Shmu</b> plays live dubstep with one half of his body and skronky jazz-fusion with the other, all while singing in a voice that you almost have to step away and listen to his fine solo stuff to appreciate the pure beauty of. More than anything I like experimental music that isn't afraid to be pop when the mood calls for it, and Zorch are so good at that it's scary. The Gary are my <i>favorite</i> band in Austin, but Zorch are the <i>best</i> band in Austin the way I see it. I was talking to Evan Kleinecke, who records them, and apparently Zac Traeger has so many different crazy sounds coming from his keyboards and Omnichord that it's going to take literally dozens of amplifiers to make their in-progress album come out the way they want. Zorch are playing with the elusive <b>Attak (In)Formation</b>, who may or may not be the same band that made this CD <i>We Are All Alive in Tune</i> Butcher Bear dropped off here a few weeks ago. I've been jamming that stuff, man... it sounds like the missing link that led to <b>Haunting Oboe Music</b>, the first Austin band I really got excited about to immediately break up as soon as I realized I liked them. The other side of the coin -- pop music that's not afraid to get in there with bare hands and mess stuff up.<br />
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<b>Squidbucket</b> are a band I admire the heck out of, but they're such quiet guys that I don't know if they're going to be able to locate the progressive metal fans that would eat up their chops-intensive blend of Primus finger-popping bass, Tool-like guitar that has some southern rock in it, and the long-running epic structures of Mastodon and their ilk. How can we bring the hipsters to the hipster metal? If you like heavy stuff and/or guys who can play their instruments <i>really</i> well, go check it. Drummer Eric Brown barely breaks a sweat. Jason Erwin is a virtuoso guitarist with taste -- unlike a lot of guys with his chops, I can actually imagine myself learning to play a few of his parts by myself. Although not most of them. And Kurt Rightler is a gentle beast. His bass playing also drives the rising, Volta-esque jazz-jam-metal <b>Tornahdo</b>.<br />
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<b>The Eastern Sea</b> are a band whose It Factor is almost terrifying. When I first moved here, I listened to about a million different local bands on MySpace, just picking links at random from Austin blogs. There was one song by The Eastern Sea -- "The Box," I believe it was called -- that was one of those songs that I had almost memorized from the first time I heard it. ("Tupac's Herpes" by <b>Explosion Horse</b> is another one, although not for the same reason.) At the time it was recorded, The Eastern Sea was one guy, Matt Hines. I don't think very much of solo singer-songwriters, which is exactly what you would expect from somebody who played bass his whole life and just started playing the drums. The only two guys I feel can pull it off? Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. (Sorry, Iron & Wine, overdubbed harmonies are cheating.) But wow this song by The Eastern Sea before they were a band... it had a subject (working in a movie theater), a point of view, and a melody that put you right on the narrator's shoulder. Songs like this got Hines hooked up with Tomas Olano, a friendly bass player with amazing stage presence and a DJ-like ability to have a huge effect in songs by <i>not</i> playing, and Zach Duran, a drummer whose enthusiasm for playing quietly suits the band's naturally gentle approach. They've worked for a while on getting the rest of the lineup together, but that core trio is pretty golden. Matt would die in peace if nobody ever compared them to Death Cab for Cutie again... yeah, he has a high voice, but his fingerpicking style on the electric guitar and Duran's often orchestral drumming make them original. You know how I know they're legit? Because they can perform a song that totally diverges from their basic style, like the sorta Smashing Pumpkins raver "The Name," and totally maintain their personality while doing it.<br />
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<b>However</b>... <b>The Golden Boys</b> are representative of a billion garage bands I saw last year that I totally misunderstood. I get garage music in theory, but you have to understand about me that I just don't pick up on how people are trying to be perceived. I keep seeing garage bands, not having any idea what they're supposed to be and writing about the instrumentation, and then realizing I'm stupid. Hey, if you're in a band that is about attitude, please let me know that when you ask me to come to see you. Unless you have so much attitude that even an autistic person can tell, like <b>ELVIS</b> or <b>Pataphysics</b> or <b>A Giant Dog</b>. I like to flatter myself thinking my witless reviews are useful to people in bands because, hey, now at least they know what would happen if a Vulcan came to their shows. Live long and prosper, Golden Boys.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-4684632343470943962011-01-06T03:12:00.000-08:002011-01-06T11:39:05.880-08:00Ambles Round TownWanted to make a few comments about the shows we went to Tuesday night... we tried to see <b>Riders Against the Storm</b> at Red 7, but they cancelled. Every few months I ask myself why we go to so few hip-hop shows, and then we try to go to one and when we show up half the names of the bands on the "playing tonight" list are crossed out. I guess that's why. We went to Beauty Bar to see what was up there. Something kind of cool, a rock band with a lot of really antic upbeat-striking guitars. Luther from <b>Eagle Claw</b> was there to fill me in: name of the band is <b>Pink Sugar</b>.<br />
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We went to Emo's. <b>We'll Go Machete</b> were letting 'em have it. I tend to side with musicians as opposed to writers, since unlike most writers (and like many musicians) I'm a poor verbal communicator. I know from long experience that musicians are very sensitive about comparisons. It is strange to have someone you don't know tell you that your band, which you work very hard on and have very firmly set ideas about, totally sounds exactly like some obscure act you've never heard of... or worse, a band you <i>have</i> heard and don't like. Which is why it's good that I sat in my den a few months ago and watched We'll Go's Paul's eyes light up when I put <i>Automatic Midnight</i> by Hot Snakes on the turntable. There's some proggy construction to We'll Go Machete, but it's pretty well hidden underneath all the bludgeoning. Their drummer is tremendous. The <b>Half Mile Fox Fur</b> guys were there rocking out; they're another band that's all about rhythm, rhythm, rhythm. Melody? Ha, melodies are for sissies.<br />
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I'm meeting up with <b>STEREO IS A LIE</b> later on this week to do a story... they've got a record coming out, you know. They're one of the first bands Anna and I saw in Austin, and I have always been impressed by the way they do the part dreamgaze-part modern rock thing with suitable loudness, good vocals, and writing that gives each song its own distinctive arrangement signatures. They're a good example of the vast differences in the way Anna and I perceive bands... she's just not super into the style, but I don't care at all about styles. The way I see it it's not my business to tell a band how they should choose to present themselves. As a critic, you have to take the band on its own merits -- OK, given what style they are, what do they do or not do that makes them unique from another bands in that genre? With STEREO IS A LIE it's principally the songs, although the use of two-and three-part singing sweetens things further.<br />
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It was a weird experience seeing them. It reminded me that almost all the time, I see bands that are pretty early on in their existence and made up of musicians learning as they go. I went to maybe... dunno, five out-of-town shows all last year, and the last two weren't bands exactly notorious for their polish (Pavement and Guided by Voices). It was a genuinely peculiar time watching a band that's a finished <i>product</i>, as SIAL is. Rather than adjusting my internal mix around looking for errors to point out I just kept finding more strengths. Their bass player has some strong rock moves, not flashy, but just super confident, something I always like to see since I'm nothing like that myself. After the show we met Stereo singer Glynn, who has been one of the biggest Bell Riots supporters since we started, and now we know why... he pulled down his shirt to show us his "Star Trek" tattoo. Musicians, even handsome ones with great voices and British accents, are <i>geeks</i>.<br />
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A pretty girl handed me an <b>Art vs. Industry</b> flyer while I was at the SIAL show. I noticed also they had a ton of skillfully arranged flyers out in front of Stubb's, where they play on Friday. And I got an e-mail from a PR fellow saying the band always mentions <i>me</i> as someone they want to write about them. What the heck? You don't need to hire a PR guy to get me to write about you. You never have. All it takes is an e-mail. I like to claim I have a perfect record when it comes to remembering to check out bands who write me and ask, but obviously I need to start taking notes instead of relying on memory because I totally spaced on <b>Western Ghost House</b>, who wrote me middle of last year. But I did go see them briefly this week, and I'm going to try and go see more of them Saturday, when they're playing at Red 7. <b>Black Eyed Vermillion</b>, the band of the guy from my job Gary I was talking about the other day is playing there too. With multiple Mastodon side projects.<br />
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Oh yeah, left a thought hanging there. Nothing wrong with PR. If you have money and you want to spend it that way, it shouldn't affect how people judge you. And there's a lot of kinds of PR short of the ritzy full-service packages another musician at work was telling me about yesterday: "Ten grand <i>just to play ball</i>, man!" I know a lot of people who do promotion for musicians out of the good of their heart. <b>Andrew Stone</b>'s manager Harrison is just a guy with a little agent experience who saw Andrew at a show and was so blown away he offered to rep him. He does it out of belief. <b>Zorch</b> seem surrounded by pretty girls who have been drawn to spread the word by the sheer radicalness of their music (and their considerable charm). I've been trying to help my friends <b>Squidbucket</b>, but frankly I suck at it and that's why it's been on my mind a lot lately. I tried pretty hard to read all of the metal blogs and magazines they were interested in, figure out how to write each of them, make a pitch and construct a story... and I got shut down. 0 for 45 or something. Not a single e-mail returned. This is the reality we live in (and the end of my PR career, sorry, Jason). There's just so much static out there -- anybody can record and burn a CD and sent an e-mail to a blog -- that it takes clout just to get a band listened to. Musicians in Austin owe it to themselves to be aware of this state of affairs, and do their best to spread the word on bands they like that don't have the means.<br />
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I'm <i>not</i> anti-PR. It's a free country, I'm not trying to become a Marxist rock critic or something. I feel like as a local music writer balance has to be maintained: I've got to go out and look extra hard at all these bands that have no money because somewhere among them are <i>great</i> ones, and no one will ever know because no one is looking at them. I can still go see a band that's being promoted heavily and think objectively. I don't mean to crack on AvI in particular, I'm going to go see them soon and I'll write whatever I think. I'm just pointing this stuff out because while I know that local <i>musicians</i> all know the deal back to front, I don't think enough young local <i>writers</i> do. You know that Spoon song, "Who Makes Your Money?"Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-26881912127398247072011-01-06T02:18:00.000-08:002011-01-06T02:24:49.676-08:00Why I Wore Panties to the Rock ShowSo, we played a show. It was not so great. I knew not everything was going to go right, so I figured it would be smart to deflect criticism by doing something outrageous. In the middle of the set I stripped down to nothing but Anna's panties. That helped me to have a sense of humor about a performance so disastrous I nearly started crying afterwards and only pep talks with Robert from La Snacks and Dave from The Gary allowed me to turn around and view the whole thing as a humbling step in the road. I will never view a band being terrible for the same reason at a show quite the same way again. (Although I am going right back to ripping them however I feel like doing. One experiment with "gentle talk" got enough negative feedback to let me know it was a stupid idea. Thank you for writing in, people!) The tradeoff is, if I am going to be honest about what I think, I have to be open about my own flaws. And the show tonight was a difficult emotional experience for me. Before we even started playing I began to freak out, and the entire show all I could think about was the fact that I would have to write the whole truth about how miserably The Bell Riots were failing.<br />
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So, here's what happened: We forgot about equipment. I feel stupid admitting I allowed this to happen and as the leader of the band it's totally my responsibility. We got used to having plenty of time to set up at practices and we forgot that at a show everybody needs to get everything set up and ready as quickly as possible. This isn't automatic... it requires practice and planning. We were running around like chickens with our heads cut off during a sound check that seemed to me as if it lasted 200 years. Scott had to set up Anna's amp and his own, Mike couldn't get his keyboards set up and didn't have a flashlight, I had no idea what had become of the setlists. I started to melt down and panic as the sound guy waited... and waited... for us to be ready to play. Scott salvaged the situation by staying calm, keeping a positive attitude, and cutting me off and talking into the mic before I started totally losing it. Then I had to struggle through a whole set knowing we were doomed before we even started. I am really proud of Anna, Mike, and Scott for having good attitudes. I am really proud of myself, sort of... I played a deeply sucky show and even though I knew it, I sat there with a huge smile on my face and rocked out as hard as I possibly could. Wearing nothing but very tiny panties. So there's that. Also, the songs themselves sounded great. We made mistakes, but not atrocious ones, and nothing that was near as bad as just the endless sound of silence.That was what so heartbreaking: If you just cut out the long, horrible quiet stretched between songs, it would have been a solid show, for our sixth ever and first downtown. But it was not to be. We have to spend half our next practice just working out equipment assignments and drilling on setting up and breaking down.<br />
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Has this happened to any bands before, in the history of bands? Yeah, it happens all the time. I know it. I knew it and I should have known it was coming. I thought I could manage work, practice, promoting, writing, baking, and quality time with my cat and still play a pretty good show. But I screwed something up. During the set itself, it was excruciating. I don't think I'll ever forget the experience of sitting there drenched in flop sweat listening to the sound guy say, "Yeah, some bass would be great" and realizing that two songs later I was going to have to take my pants off. We were doing a "bedtime" theme -- Anna wore a nightie, Scott longjohns, Mike pajamas... and I was supposed to strip down, as a bit. It would have worked awesome if I wasn't completely miserable. But hey, people still said they liked the songs, and a few guys (that no one in the band seemed to be able to identify) danced and yelled supportive stuff the whole time.<br />
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We're so lucky to have friends who came, supported us and said nice things even in the wake of a show that had me thinking at one point during the middle of it that I was all done, I was quitting music for good. That's how bad it was. Right after we finished Anna and I went to Emo's to see if A Giant Dog were playing yet and I had to hold her hand to keep from crying. I sat down and had a long talk about Austin music with Robert La Snacks and drank three beers, which is three more beers than I usually have at a show. I talked to some people and at least heard that our stage presence was good, the lyrics were audible (we were going for that with intentionally muffled drums), and that we sounded like the record.<br />
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At the end of the night Dave of The Gary and Anna and I had a chat about how every band has to suffer through nightmare shows sometimes. I don't know if Dave came back from his band's other show at Red 7 because he saw me really falling apart during our set or or just to be polite, but either way, I really appreciated his support. And that of everybody else who came. Thank goodness I made donuts. And thanks especially to the sound guy... I was so freaked out at the start of our set, and he was super cool about it... he even told us "Hey, it's Free Week" on the way out. I was careful to tip him. I wish I could have afforded more.<br />
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It could have been worse. Scott felt the same way I did, we talked about it, by the time all four of us got back to the house where Anna and I live we had agreed to see the whole experience as a positive one and made plans to practice our gear-schlepping this weekend. And also, the show as a whole was a real success. The club never seemed empty, <b>Half Mile Fox Fur</b> was <i>unreal</i>, and I was reminded yet another time that if you choose to make your music for bigger reasons than selfish ones, even the most embarrassingly terrible show can be a wonderful time. Everybody who came to see us, especially the many who wisely walked out in the middle of our set, I'm grateful that you listened at all.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-80381226944636990332011-01-04T19:36:00.000-08:002011-01-06T13:23:11.239-08:00Learning Is FunWow, I had an educational day. One of the guys at my work is a <i>real</i> drummer; I found out my first day he drums for Hank Williams III's metal project Assjack but I have been avoiding going up to him and peppering him with questions because, well, that's not my job description. During the day anyway. But today he overheard me nattering on about my blog (as I will do) and without even having read it he gave me three hugely important points of advice that I'm going to repeat here. In 2011, I hope to hold myself to them.<br />
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1. <b>If you're going to give criticism, write "I feel" or "I think" or "the way I hear it."</b> I am really stupid for doing a blog for this long and not figuring this out. Well, not stupid, but emotionally disabled. I write exactly as I think and as I speak. It doesn't occur to me when I'm writing to be more careful about what I say will be received. I read everything intellectually because my brain doesn't process feelings naturally, so to me there isn't that much of a difference between "the band's performance was awful" and "In my opinion, the band's performance was awful." I am very fond, perhaps too fond, of my particular writing style, and including lots of wussy qualifiers makes me think I've deliberately weakened my point. <i>But</i>, now that people are actually reading from time to time, it's not all about me any more. I need to have more empathy for bands and I hope people will call me on it whenever I forget about this... while remembering to respect my point of view as well.<br />
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2. <b>Most people only read what's written about themselves or their friends</b>. That's why #1 matters, and why I end up having the same argument with people who get their noses bent out of joint over something I've said every couple of weeks. I have been assuming that people are following along as I am, reading every post. Boy, I am incredibly naive in a lot of ways. At least I know how to recognize when I've been obstinate about something for no reason! For the first few days at work I wouldn't use the handcart to move books because... I dunno and three days later when my back, legs, and knees were killing me I realized that there might be a reason why every other person who worked there was using a handcart. I want people to read Big Western Flavor as a story, because that's what it is: Anna and I and our adventures in local music. If I say something particularly overblown and realize it later, I often correct myself and apologize in a later post. Of course that does no good to the many fans of the band I offended who will never read my stuff again and tell people I'm a jerk. But even if I did write something mean about your band, I hope you will give me a little bit more of a chance to convince you I'm not just out to help myself or my own band.<br />
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3. <b>Style matters</b>. This is the biggest problem I have as a music writer... everybody, especially nowadays, is conditioned to hear everything first in terms of what genre it is and then move outwards critically from there (if they ever move beyond mere comparisons). I don't hear that way. I prefer not to give comparisons at all until I've seen a band a few times, which means sometimes I see a band once, don't like them, and end up totally missing the point. <i>Of course</i> I understand that garage bands aren't supposed to be tight, and punk bands aren't supposed to have complicated progressive songwriting, and for some bands the thing that makes them great has nothing to do with anything they're doing musically. Although I know this intellectually, it is very, very hard for me to listen to a band and immediately figure out what "style" they are. I have to listen to and absorb all the parts first. I examine all the details before looking back at the whole, and that's the total opposite of most people. So... again, I owe some bands an apology. I wish more bands' fans would react to negative reviews the way <b>Quiet Company</b>'s did... when I dismissed them, I got a number of really smart, civil comments and e-mails from people who cared about the band pointing out a bunch of things I had missed. I saw them again with more to listen for and liked them a lot better. If you feel I was unfair to you last year, please e-mail and tell me -- nicely -- and I'll come to another show, look you in the eye and shake your hand, and write another review.<br />
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And I'm going to add my own #4, because I talk about "supporting local music" all the time and seemingly people don't know what I mean. Here it goes. Supporting local music does <i>not</i> mean writing <a href="http://austinist.com/2010/12/15/psychadelics_with_pataphysics_talma.php">show previews for the Austinist</a> that include factual mistakes that make it clear you have never seen the band in question. It doesn't mean telling somebody you love their record when you don't because they have a trust fund and if you kiss their ass they might use their parents' money to press your seven-inch. It means going to shows. That's it. Go to local shows. Not just Free Week, all year. If you're in a band and you don't have infinite cash resources, pretty much your only chance of building an audience is going out to kajillions of shows and making lots and lots of friends, <i>especially</i> friends in other bands. If you're playing in an Austin band and you don't see at least two or three local shows a month that your band <i>isn't</i> included in, shame on you.<br />
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OK, finally, last night at the U.S. Art Authority, Anna and I checked out <b>She Sir</b> and <b>Hidden Ritual</b>. She Sir we'd seen once before at Emo's, and I'm glad I saw them a second time because it really drove the point home about what people keep telling me about the huge differences in sound from one Austin venue to the next. At Emo's, which has a great, powerful, PA, what stuck out most about She Sir to me was their vocals, not quite harmonious in the traditional sense but using two different voices in an arresting way. Their drummer was fantastic both shows. But at the USAA, perhaps in part because I was standing much nearer the stage, also probably because the PA sucked and the vocals couldn't be heard, all I could fixate on was the way one, both, or all three guitarists (they don't have a bass player, just two guitarists who trade off faking it on bass) seemed to be strumming up and down in the same pattern on every song. I would have liked to see more moments like the set highlight where they suddenly switched from vocalist to the other right as a dramatic change kicked in. I really love bands with multiple lead vocalists.<br />
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Anna didn't really pay attention the last time we saw She Sir... she is prejudiced against four-dude bands, but is working on it. She really quite liked them at this show, with the vocals, the drums, and the key sounds among the things she mentioned as digging. I kept trying to make myself listen for their keyboards, since that was a new addition from the Emo's show, and although there were a few sounds and rhythms that came from that direction that were interesting, I was preoccupied the entire time waiting to see something besides choppa-choppa-choppa tambourine guitar playing. Is it totally out of bounds to play the guitar that way? Of course not, but if it you do it, something else has to play off of it. As I heard it last night, She Sir only occasionally got the bass playing splitting the difference between drums and guitar. That Austin tragically lacks for bass players is common knowledge. Am I ever tempted to get the instrument I have played for 20 years out again and "go for it?" No. One look at the <a href="http://austin.craigslist.org/muc/">Austin Craigslist Musicians</a> section is all it takes to remind me that I really like being in a no-pressure, having-fun-and-making-friends band with Anna C. Even if I am the worst rock and roll drummer since Meg White.<br />
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<b>Hidden Ritual</b> were a good band to catch for the first time last night, as my mind was buzzing about ways to keep giving my honest opinions while perhaps not needlessly making so many enemies. I don't want you to get an inflated opinion of their quality because I'm in a lenient mood -- I thought more than half of their songs were drab, and if it were up to me I'd flip the ratio of slow songs to fast completely. During the slow ones I started wondering if the enthusiastic applause I'd given them after their first song was too generous. But they gave me a lot of things to notice besides their mistakes. They used shaker a lot, which I always love... it's really hard for somebody not to dance while playing the shaker, and when one comes in and out over a drumbeat, it's a whole different layer to an arrangement that throws all the other parts to new places. The errors I heard by their drummer and keyboardist were totally overshadowed by their good part choices. The drummer used an unusual setup that had hand percussion instruments instead of big toms and (I think) a cajon instead of a kick drum. The guitar player shows a lot of awareness in the many different sounds you can make on the instrument even without years of instruction. I never heard anything in the least flashy, but I never started getting impatient waiting for something different to happen on guitar like I did with She Sir. The best thing about Hidden Ritual's set was that first song, which was an extended number with long building sections that, while keeping the same basic underlying structure, kept escalating the tension with new details from the guitar or keyboard. At the very end they juiced up the tempo suddenly and after all the gradual building it was a nice gust of wind in the face. They seemed more comfortable doing the long, slow drawn-out thing. My suggestion would be to try tightening up the ballads -- just cutting out a lot of repetition and making them short and sweet -- so they contrast more against the longer-form rockers. Almost forgot, their bass player is terrific, and I could hear others in the audience pointing out the same thing. He really helps the band out when it comes to those long builds. His parts are well worth hearing for longer stretches. And I feel I should reserve judgement on the singing, which was not quite loud enough.<br />
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Oh, man, this is going to be hard. I really hate putting lots of "I" statements all over the place in my writing. Obviously I'm the one writing, who else would it be? I feel already like my points are being obscured. Oh well. It's a new year, time to be a grown-up and act with some consciousness about how the rest of the world sees me. (Update: Nah, I was wrong. No one cares what I think really and the few people who do think "gentle talk" is the enemy of clear communication. That resolution went by the board <i>fast</i>; it's good I am getting the feedback I need as I continue to evolve the blog.)<br />
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Speaking of seeing me... if you want to see Anna and I wearing really slutty outfits while eating donuts (you can write a nasty review if you want, even one without "I" statements), <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162255270485479">Wednesday at Barbarella</a> we have a show.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-84132164046059279732011-01-03T06:45:00.000-08:002011-01-03T06:53:45.846-08:00Twist My ArmI hate end-of-year Top 10 lists. They suck. They're always the same, they're just everybody patting themselves on the back once again and agreeing that indeed they all have wonderful taste and you can tell because they all have the same opinions and read the same blogs. Do Beach House and Sleigh Bells have ANY chance of lasting careers? Geez. I hate the state of "indie" music culture so much nowadays that I've completely stopped listening to it, risking missing out on occasional stuff that's worthy of the hype (Grizzly Bear) so I can save myself the abject misery of listening to the stuff that isn't (FUCK the Arcade Fire).<br />
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Anyway, I did do a top-ten list quickly because John Waycuilis of <a href="http://www.last.fm/group/austin+radar">Austin Radar</a> asked me for one and I wanted to try and rig it to get some local bands on the charts. I guess I can't mention it in passing and not replicate it in full. Here is the list exactly as I sent it to John, with no comments.<br />
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1. Zorch- demo<br />
2. The Gary- Logan<br />
3. The Cocker Spaniels- Sometimes You've Got to Fight to Get a Bit of Peace<br />
4. Black Keys- Brothers<br />
5. For Hours and Ours- On a Weekend (12" EP)<br />
6. Markov- This Quiet<br />
7. White Rhino- Heroin Thunder (EP)<br />
8. Rich Restaino & The Obits- We're In This Thing Together<br />
9. Megafauna- Larger Than Human<br />
10. Spoon- TransferenceWestern Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-77849204707642755832011-01-03T06:17:00.000-08:002011-01-06T21:12:40.014-08:00Free City, Part ThreeThere's an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" where, having just turned eighteen, Buffy has to pass a test from the Watchers' Council where she is injected with a chemical that takes away her super strength and speed. At work yesterday, I couldn't help thinking about that episode, "Helpless." I kept carrying stuff I was supposed to stock halfway across the floor and then realizing I was walking in completely the wrong direction, or sticking a whole roll of the wrong labels onto a stack of textbooks. The guys I work with, seemingly all of whom are musicians or photographers or graphic designers or creative people of some kind, were really forgiving about this. Seems like I'm not as different from everybody else as I like to think. Especially after getting a total of maybe four hours' sleep in five days.<br />
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All right, I'm well-rested now, and my superpowers are back. Let's do some more shows.<br />
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<b><u>THURSDAY</u></b><br />
Beauty Bar: La Snacks, Black Gum, Boy + Kite, Grandmas Ghost<br />
Beerland: OBN III's, Love Collector, Teenage News<br />
Emo's inside: Yellow Fever, Missions, Spells, Silent Diane<br />
Emo's outside: Ringo Deathstarr, The Carrots, The Ugly Beats, The Hi-Tones<br />
Mohawk: T Bird and the Breaks, East Cameron Folkcore, Bridge Farmers, Maneja Beto, Guns of Navarone, Money Chica, Jacob Jones<br />
Parish: White Rhino, Smoke & Feathers, Devil in the Drink, Ancient Wisdom<br />
Red 7 inside: Woodgrain, Shitty Carwash, Betarhythm, Markov, (Devo Tribute) Big Mess, Pink Sugar<br />
Scoot Inn: The Creamers, Expensive Shit, Air Traffic Controllers<br />
Stubb's: The Long Tangles<br />
U.S. Art Authority: Amasa*Gana, Venison Whirled, How I Quit Crack, Smokey Emery<br />
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Who would have thought the highlight of the "Local Music Is Sexy" show at Mohawk right before FFFF would be four guys (and a rotating tree branch) playing one note for twenty minutes? I didn't have any money for beer that night, like always, and by committing and concentrating on <b>Amasa*Gana</b>, I was able to attain a natural change in consciousness that was startling... and a total validation of the band's musical legitimacy. By watching their movements very, very closely, I was slowly trying to work out how and why the players were making minute adjustments to the mixers into which they ran all different kinds of sound sources... keys, guitars, violin. A lot of the time they didn't even <i>play</i> the instruments in the traditional sense: a guitar will make a little buzzing sound on its own when it's plugged in, so at times two guys in the band would be sitting there with guitars on their laps that they weren't strumming, they were playing the sound it was making on its own with their sound gear. That's really creative! By the end of the performance my frame of reference had changed, instead of hearing the band <i>play</i> I perceived I was listening to <i>them</i> listen. Fascinating.<br />
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With their hearts in DC, their feet in San Diego, and their actual bodies in Austin, <b>Markov </b>played the same show but they got a totally opposite reaction from me: I rocked out and banged my head so hard I was a little sore the whole weekend. Nobody at the whole festival proper got me moving more (except Big Freedia). After the set Markov's guitarist Andrew came to run out and give me a CD copy of <i>This Quiet</i>, which totally is on my 2010 top ten list. He didn't recognize me, although I had reviewed the record. People: If the sight of somebody rocking out in the audience happens to Markov so infrequently that the band members <i>run</i> to give the one person who does a free record, something is desperately wrong with Austin music fans. This band <i>kicks ass</i>. Put your black-rimmed glasses in your pocket and get stupid.<br />
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<b>Update</b>: Wow, news of more shows just keeps streaming in. Can't miss the chance to praise my friends in <b>La Snacks</b>. Robert Segovia is my favorite frontman in town, with his provocative stage banter, patented rock moves (most involve drinking beer in some way or another), warped convictions, and original vocal approach and lyrics. The band careens around behind him delightfully, and their rock smarts keep each song its own thing. I know Robert really, really hates his band being compared to Pavement (he never loved 'em) so I'm going to do it here just to tweak him.<br />
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Didn't I just say that I needed to see <b>White Rhino</b> somewhere with better sound? Parish tonight. Hmm. That could work.<br />
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I still haven't seen <b>Guns of Navarone</b> play yet and shame on me. Do you know how hard it is to play alt-country in Austin? Talk about a saturated market. I've heard so many bands in exactly this same style and the great songwriting on the Guns of Navarone demo sticks out in my memory like a power forward in a crowd of jockeys. I haven't listened to it in a few months and yet just hearing their name makes me start singing to myself: "They grow 'em COLD up there."<br />
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<b>The Long Tangles</b> are a really cute couple who have a lot in common with Anna and me: drummer Earl has been in bands a long time, keyboardist Coco is just getting started. By being adorable married people who play drum-keys pop, they're just begging to be compared to Mates of State. I will support them because every day I live with the challenge of being in a relationship with a person I'm also in a band with. Man, Anna is so awesome. You think it's easy being the girlfriend of a guy who sees <i>everything</i> in terms of how he can criticize it? I love you, Anna! Fuck that guy who shoved you at Emo's.<br />
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<b>However....</b> I just flat-out don't like <b>Yellow Fever</b>. To me they are cool, but not good. Their music and their vocals are jabby, atonal, and unpleasant to listen to for me. Anna still has a little bit of cognitive dissidence going between her intellectual opinion and her emotional connection to our mutual heroine Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), who wrote about Yellow Fever on her old music blog before she welcomely quit to start Wild Flag. Yellow Fever are <i>opening</i> for Wild Flag on some tour dates, so I don't think a dissenting opinion from the likes of me is going to slow them down much.<br />
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I need to hear it from someone I trust that <b>The Carrots</b> have gotten their vocal harmonies together before I ever go see them again. Harmonies are really hard to do, and if I made a rule about only seeing bands who were perfect at them I could never see anybody except the Eagles (and maybe <b>Band of Heathens</b>) again. <i>Especially</i> my own band; we <i>want</i> to do four-part harmonies but our ambitions wildly exceed our experience. But The Carrots, though, for them harmony is the whole sales pitch, and when last I saw them I was not sold.<br />
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<b>Bridge Farmers</b> are one of those rare bands whose appeal I understood immediately, despite not liking them very much myself. If you're the sort of person who thinks the louder a drummer is, the better they are, you will love them. Good singer, too. I think the lack of quiet parts for contrast makes them rote, but super loud roaring psychedelia (Blue Cheer?) isn't exactly a field noted for its studied songwriting. They sound absolutely nothing like STEREO IS A LIE but they do have one thing in common... having talented singers who can project over high volume guitars and drums and be heard. That really helps. I have it out for singers, usually... it's because when I sing, it sounds in my head like Alex Chilton crossed with Mac McCaughan but apparently it sounds to other people like Fred Schneider crossed with Michael Gira. Seriously, I had NO IDEA I had a bass voice for like my first 10 years of playing in bands. It's hard to hear yourself objectively.<br />
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I hope nobody is getting the impression I only like dude-rock. I've given props to a bunch of good bands with female musicians lately... <b>Ringo Deathstarr</b>, The Creamers, Bike Problems, Blue Kabuki. I just don't particularly feel the need to point it out every time I see a band that has a girl in it. And I also feel like it's really important to hold females to the exact same standards I do guys. I'm really lucky to have Anna around for balance, although the more time she has spent drilling her guitar parts, promoting shows, and suffering through seven-hour band practices, the more she has come around to my side. Lazy musicians suck.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-84257429018678299922011-01-02T00:37:00.000-08:002011-01-03T05:37:02.472-08:00Now It's Here, Now It's Gone<b>The Gary</b>, <b>Shells</b>, <b>Blue Kabuki</b><br />
Beerland, 1/2<br />
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I first saw <b><a href="http://bluekabuki.com/Blue_Kabuki/Home.html">Blue Kabuki</a></b> at the Midgetmen's Neil Young tribute night. By the way they handled their business on "Hey Hey My My," I knew I needed to see a set of their original stuff as soon as I could. Now I need to go and see a full set, because Anna and I got there a bit late tonight. I saw enough to know that they're the real deal. Super-loud kick drumming locks in with the big strokes on a meanly downtuned guitar. I love bass players. I think almost any band without one could use one. But Blue Kabuki have it down so tight that they pull the duo thing off. The way the drummer makes up for the leftover space with pure force reminds me of Local H, a great Chicago band who deserved to be more than a one-hit wonder.<br />
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I've seen <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/shellstheband">Shells</a></b> a few times before, but never anywhere with good sound. Hearing them clearly and well-mixed pushed my estimation of them up a few notches. I thought they were good before; now I think they're <i>damn</i> good. It's funny how setlist choices can change the way you enter and follow the progress in a set. I've always read Shells as a blues-influenced band but last night at Cheer Up Charlies bassist Mike told me they listened to a lot of country too. They opened their set tonight with their most overtly shufflin' tune, city names in the lyics and everything, and it made me surprised their country jones never became obvious to me before. That's another good reason bands should try and write songs in multiple styles -- an audience can receive and warm to you in an entirely different way if you begin with different-styled openers each time. Boy, they're a good live band. After two years together they should <i>probably</i> have some stage tuners, though. The major thing about them I would change if it were up to me would be song lengths. Ryan Lentell's guitar solos are great and <i>never too long</i>, which you seldom see with players this good. He has a way of bending a single note in just that soulful wrong-but-right timing that makes me go "Woo!" before I even think about it. But frequently they intro a song with an instrumental that's the same as the verse and pull it out a <i>little</i> longer than necessary. They could start more songs going right into the verse, or use two forms instead of four. And more of a suggestion than a criticism: Mike gave me some nice comments about my writing that really picked me up in a big way the other night. He's a charmer. I think he should do the talking in between songs, if it needs to be done. It would fit the fire and ice balance he and Ryan have. Mike rocks out, hard, throwing his whole body about and going to his knees or over the drums if that's what the intensity of the moment calls for. Ryan communicates so effectively with his guitar that it doesn't matter that he doesn't dance a ton or have any knack for stage patter.<br />
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We ran over to see <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/westernghosthouse">Western Ghost House</a></b> at Emo's, but only in time for their last song. However: It was a knockout. It was good enough that I not only thought of several things I wanted to say about it, but I've resolved to see a full show of theirs as soon as I possibly can. Here's what they did: As I walked in, they were playing a very homey, very well-worn chord progression. They were tight, and the singer immediately impressed me (which is rare because I don't particularly listen for or have a particular affinity for singers). But just as I was about to write their songwriting off, KABLAM it went in a totally different rhythmic direction, the singer started to<i> really</i> grow on me, the drums handled the change completely on point and continued to rock out, the lead guitar went somewhere way different than he was when I came in. And then the song had <i>another</i> change where the same thing happened again. Well, hell yeah. I'm not going to try and describe their sound having only heard one song live, but... yeah, go see them.<br />
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I wish Emo's sound guys didn't try to make every drummer sound like "When the Levee Breaks." Going right from Beerland to Emo's, the contrast was extreme. Although by the same token drummers should know how to express their wishes to the sound guy if a mighty, reverberating, kick-centric arena sound isn't right for their playing style or their band.<br />
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Back to Beerland for <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/thegaryatx">The Gary</a></b>. Every time I listen to them, even, let alone see them, I fall in love with them more and more. I've always appreciated Dave Norwood's singing in an academic sense: from the first I loved the way his low voice worked in tandem with his unique bass playing, and I knew his lyrics were really special. But I'm different from most music fans in that I really concentrate on singing last of all when I listen to anything. I go drums, guitar, bass, vocals in that order. I mostly write about instrumental performance because I think most people barely give that stuff any consideration at all, and I hate being like everybody else. But I listen to The Gary's records <i>a lot</i>. And also Jared from the Sour Notes told me something after that Neil Young show that totally made me go back and listen to them some more just purely focusing on the vocals. Jared said they "won" the night (which had a whole bunch of local bands giving their own spin on NY compositions) and what stood out to him was Dave's passion belting out the lyrics (which he had totally just learned and was reading off a sheet of paper). Could he sing the phone book and make it poignant? Totally, if he found a way to invest it with the joyful twilight desperation of The Gary's music and his own lyrics. Anna says they sound like a midlife crisis, but I don't think they're quite as bleak or dark as they would seem if you took every word literally. Their songs are often about people giving up on going nowhere. But their music itself is a celebration of the fact, one shot through with the intensity of a terminal illness, that for these guys it's getting dark but <i>it's not dark yet</i>. The fact that they can do this now but can't do it forever inspires them, and it's beautiful.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-36263836867874989922010-12-31T20:22:00.000-08:002011-01-05T03:23:01.001-08:00Free City, Part TwoSomething weird is happening: I feel great. After being out of work for so long, even a temp gig shelving books at the university co-op feels immensely validating. Plus everybody else who works there, seemingly, is a musician. I was terrified all week that I wasn't going to be able to keep up with my new schedule and all of my plans for Free Week would go down the tubes. Quite the opposite! I'm energized! I'm feeling more confident than I have in ages, and if you though I was obnoxious before... well, just you wait! I was also overjoyed to see that somebody <i>finally</i> ripped my band in the comments section after I'd been fishing for it for like three straight months. With a legitimate factual argument! Even my haters are feeling my influence.<br />
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Look, I know exactly how hard it is to be in a good band. I've been trying since I was 12. No luck so far. I'm not critical because I think I have all the answers. It's because I know how much work is involved. A better understanding of that might lead to musicians in Austin working more closely together. Part of that is being honest to ourselves and each other about everything we can do to improve.<br />
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I'm going to keep updating both this and Part One as news of more shows trickles in. If you're playing somewhere this week and it's free... you know what to do.<br />
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<b><u>TUESDAY</u></b><br />
<b>Beauty Bar</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/askyjetblack">A Sky Jet Black</a>, Pink Sugar, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/KNIFIGHT/182746474020?filter=1">Knifight</a>, Young Girls<br />
<b>Beerland</b>: Creamers, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/cruddysux">Cruddy</a>, Reicide<br />
<b>Mohawk inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/onehundredflowers">One Hundred Flowers</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/invisibleinks">Invisible Inks</a>, Burgess Meredith, Golden Beach<br />
<b>Emo's inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/woodgrainnurface">Woodgrain</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/gomachete">We'll Go Machete</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/watchingthemoon">Watching the Moon</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/comeandtakeitband">Come and Take It</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/halfmilefoxfur">Half Mile Fox Fur</a><br />
<b>Parish</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/stereoisalie">STEREO IS A LIE</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/motelaviv">Motel Aviv</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/newromantimes">New Roman Times</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Final-Exam/160203037344003?v=wall&filter=3">Final Exam</a><br />
<b>Red 7</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/crew54">Crew 54</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rasridersagainstthestorm">Riders Against the Storm</a>, Kill City, The Means<br />
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Spot of Trailer Space Records wrote a few weeks ago that people should come see <b>The Creamers</b> at his place before they were playing Beerland three times every month. The man speaks truth. I should really buy something at his store now that I have a job; we've been going there for free music and spending no money for a whole year. In any event, they're a happy sloppy punk band with incredibly short songs and that indefinable chemistry that happens sometimes between musicians who aren't great at their instruments but have a shared love for what they're doing and no self-consciousness about it. <b>We'll Go Machete</b>, the more aggressive side of Paul from The Gary, aren't much for range but their intricately designed jackhammering layers of drums and guitar demonstrate ably that you can be forceful and sophisticated at the same time. <b>STEREO IS A LIE</b> have a fashionable yet elusive ability to be delicately pretty and really, really, <i>really</i> loud at the same time. I never forget to put their name in all caps! Would it be redundant to call an actual Englishman (leader Glynn Wedgewood) an Anglophile? Seems as if it would, but Manchester Invasion melodies and shoegaze volume levels have maintained their appeal on both sides of the Atlantic. I'd say more but I'm working on a feature on them for later in the month, stay tuned. Their debut LP <i>Monolathe</i> drops in February. Or how about some hip-hop? <b>Crew 54</b> (out of Killeen, but with many Austin ties) have two strong-voiced MC's who mainly flow in tandem backed by a skilled live band who throw in funk, jazzy solos, and a touch of hard rock. Authentic rap that innovates on stage is uncommon. Seriously, why don't more rappers tour with pocket rhythm sections and really good horn soloists? Who would be against that?<br />
<br />
<b>However...</b> Although I've been as hard on them as any band in Austin, I have nothing but best wishes for <b>Love at 20</b>... their leader Mike <i>gets it</i> when it comes to press (as in there's no such thing as the bad kind), and he promotes like he means it. I have seen them compared to Muse a lot recently, and I think that's weird... sure, the high, dramatic vocals (the band's best feature) I can see, but stylistically the rest of the band couldn't be further removed from Muse's harsh acid-metal guitar and bass shredding. They're more mainstream arena rock... Weezer, KoL. I wish people would learn to listen past the singer when it comes to making comparisons. I think Love at 20 need to move their focus away from polishing their recordings until they gleam and work on their live arrangements. I will keep tabs and let you know when they nail it down.<br />
<br />
<b><u>WEDNESDAY</u></b><br />
<b>Barbarella</b>: <a href="http://www.dayvsnight.com/">Day vs. Night</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bubbleface/153376714695902">Bubbleface</a>, <a href="http://thebellriots.bandcamp.com/">The Bell Riots</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/halfmilefoxfur">Half Mile Fox Fur</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thegaryatx">The Gary</a><br />
<b>Beauty Bar</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/dirtyolfrank/">Neon Cobra</a>, <a href="http://www.snake-handler.net/">Snake Handler</a>, <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/emilywarfield">Emily Warfield & The Cosmic Bats</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/paperthreat">paperthreat</a>, <a href="http://warplanes.bandcamp.com/">Warplanes</a><br />
<b>Beerland</b>: Easy Tiger, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/stphilistine">St. Philistine</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thebubblesmusic">The Bubbles</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/americansharks">American Sharks</a><br />
<b>Emo's inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/agiantdog">A Giant Dog</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/shapeshavefangs">Shapes Have Fangs</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/elvishatesyou">ELVIS</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rayonbeach">Rayon Beach</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/fleshlightsaustin">Fleshlights</a><br />
<b>Emo's outside</b>: <a href="http://www.quietcompanymusic.com/">Quiet Company</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theboxinglesson">The Boxing Lesson</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/smokeandfeathers">Smoke & Feathers</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/myeducation">My Education</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/redleaves">Red Leaves</a><br />
<b>Mohawk inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/vagabondpro">Vagabond Collective</a><br />
<b>Parish</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/freshmillions">Freshmillions</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/focusgrouppage">Focus Group</a>, <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/sphynxmusic">Sphynx</a><br />
<b>Red 7 outside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thegaryatx">The Gary</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theartificialheart">Artificial Heart</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/themidgetmen">The Midgetmen</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/beautifulsupermachines">Beautiful Supermachines</a>, <a href="http://bluekabuki.com/Blue_Kabuki/Home.html">Blue Kabuki</a><br />
<br />
Wow. I mean, wow. Forget about that one festival and that other festival. This is one of the single greatest menus of music I've ever seen available on a single night in Austin. Every single one of these shows would be worth going to. There's at least one band I <i>adore</i> playing each one except the Beerland show, and people have been pitching <b>The Bubbles</b> pretty hard to me. I've got to catch up with them. Not tonight, though, I have to be at Barbarella, where of course I've booked my first ever Austin show on an evening where there are ridiculously great bands playing everywhere else for free. It makes me feel inferior. Not quite as much as when Sam from Zorch, the best drummer I know, showed up at the first-ever Bell Riots show to watch me screw up all over the place, but pretty awful. So let's see. <b>ELVIS</b> are part no wave, part performance art, with a must-see frontman who's like a queer Iggy Pop. He marks his territory. <b>paperthreat</b> are a rapidly rising electro-rock-pop quartet whose diverse instrumentation is complemented by really original, smart lyrics and friendly, self-effacing stage presence. <b>A Giant Dog</b> are a sex-and-blues institution, the impossibly desirable and confident Sabrina Ellis rampaging about wearing next to nothing at all, belting with improbable force given her petite size, while her (also cute, in a boy way) bandmates dirty up old rockabilly and R&B grooves they ought to be too young to know about. In addition to being one of the most unfailingly entertaining live bands in town, A Giant Dog also does a great job scouting Austin bands and setting up good shows. <b>Red Leaves</b> got their lineup and their sound together this year and went from a band we disliked to one we're crazy about. Arty rock with a real creative drummer and bassist who never pop up in the obvious places, co-leaders David (dah-VEED) and Singer can both sing really movingly alone... but even more so when they harmonize. <b>Quiet Company</b> are a band I don't particularly enjoy seeing myself, but I recognize how hard they work giving their audiences a good time at their shows. If you're in a band in Austin you should pay attention to how they maintain a community among their listeners; there's nobody better at it. <b>Freshmillions</b> and <b>Focus Group</b> are both crazy rock-instruments-crossbred-with-samples bands, but in <i>totally</i> different styles. Freshmillions are digi-funk; Focus Group twitchy but driving post-fusion. They're both way better live than recorded (thus far) so get on that.<br />
<br />
<b>However...</b> So I should probably warn you about my band. We're not very good yet. We might never be good. That's why we only play free shows and we apologize to our friends with delicious homemade snacks. Anna C. has never played in a band before, and neither has our keyboard player Mike. I put down the bass to learn drums because, well, I always wanted to be the drummer in a band. Also, whenever I try and play bass along with Anna playing guitar, I become impatient and demanding and obnoxious. I would rather she and I be on an equal footing than show off how good I am on bass. (Not that good.) You know how I talk about different goals for different bands often? Well, our goal is to have fun, learn from one another, support everyone's ideas (everybody in the band writes songs and sings at least a bit of lead), and make records that have crazy running prog-rock storylines about fantasy Communist superheroes and limb-stealing alien/government conspiracies. Are we tight? Hell no. Are we very good, by my standards? Not even close. Am I learning a lot and building important relationships and maybe easing into a little tiny bit less of a perfectionist control freak? Yes, I am! So go ahead and hate on my band. In order to hate us first you have to listen to us!Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-19486171025070658582010-12-31T06:10:00.000-08:002010-12-31T18:19:28.354-08:00Free City Interlude: An Unauthorized AutobiographyI'm in the process of changing my approach to Big Western Flavor because my life circumstances have changed. For most of the past year, I've sat around mothballing while my saintly girlfriend worked to pay the bills. It was really nice having the luxury of two or three entire days to think about a piece, construct arguments in my head, fiddle around with multiple drafts, and edit out most or all of my self-indulgent personal digressions.<br />
<br />
But I have to go fast and shoot from the hip now, because I'm working again, and re-reading the post from last night I realize that without that extra gestation time, my quick shifts from effusive praise to withering criticism seem a bit arbitrary... like I'm deliberately singling out bands for abuse. Not my intention. I read every mean comment and e-mail I get and try and weigh their arguments as best I can. I don't plan pulling my punches when it comes to describing the bands I see. If I'm not going to tell the whole story I might as well not write at all. But a well-stated recent challenge to my style made me think about whether I owed it to my readers to better explain who I am and why I think the way I do. I'm self-conscious about talking about myself constantly, but I'm not a private person. I don't take myself seriously enough to feel like the details of my life must be closely guarded. Maybe a little background will help folks to appreciate why it is I listen to music the way I do and why I feel so compelled to point out every flaw and imperfection.<br />
<br />
All right, as quickly as I can possibly manage: For the last year and change I've been trying to write the blog from the perspective of a newspaper columnist. I used to do a "all submissions accepted" deal in the <i>Daily Californian</i>, some years ago, and my first big inspiration to write was the local demos feature in <i>Illinois Entertainer</i>. They would rip clueless people, and by reading critiques, listening for myself, and drawing my own conclusions, I learned to think critically about music myself. A journalist is supposed to cut their own narrative out of their writing to as great an extent as they can. I liked taking this stance on my blog for a long while partly as a defense mechanism, and partly because I'm sick of talking about myself after spending most of my 20's precisely working out all of my myriad personal issues.<br />
<br />
I'm not angling for sympathy here (I have a neurological order that makes it socially acceptable for me to rip crummy bands on the Internet!), but despite my obvious talents I've made something of a hash of my life up to this point, and I'm aware of it. I have a long-held pattern of starting things with flying colors and then finishing a few months later in a withered heap, often with an accompanying trip to the mental hospital. The <i>Daily Cal</i>? I was a star writer as a freshman, the arts editor my sophomore year and fired before I was a junior. I wouldn't let anybody else write for my section because nobody met with my high standards; I did the entire thing, music, film, arts, and theater reviews, by myself each week. I was not really with the program when it came to the idea of the "student newspaper." A similar thing happened at the radio station in high school; I was a board member as a sophomore and then got kicked off entirely as a senior. At the time it seemed like the world was out to get me. After years of therapy and self-reflection, I get it now: <i>I was a huge dick</i>.<br />
<br />
A few years ago after several diagnoses and medication regimens that made life no better, some professional or another decided I had Asperger's Syndrome. It's very rare to not be described as having a condition on the autism spectrum until your early 20's, but a combination of high intelligence and a severely indulgent upbringing kept me "passing" right up until the time when I was about to graduate from college and my subconscious terror about facing a real world I was in no way prepared for sent me into a two-week dissociative psychotic episode on the mean streets of Oakland. By the time I had worked all this stuff out, most of my connections in journalism were out of the business and nobody was willing to hire me given my spotty work history. I'm not 100% sure I agree with the diagnosis or not... the older and more self-aware I become, the more I feel like Asperger's pretty much describes every introspective, creative American male under the age of 25 or so. But I do have some particular tics. Some are quite beneficial -- my sense of hearing, as you may have surmised, is amazingly powerful, and I have the ability to recall precisely large chunks of conversations without taking notes. But I also make super weird facial expressions (they tell me). I've never quite figured out how to smile right, and apparently when I am lost in thought I make a face that seems utterly miserable, pained even, to others. (Which is actually kind of useful when it comes to meeting girls at parties.) I don't have the ability to compose myself at will, though, and I don't realize it when I making other people uncomfortable. It makes first impressions and job interviews in particular really challenging. And terrifying.<br />
<br />
During a long period cooling in my heels in Colorado, I met Anna C. (at a Sleater-Kinney concert). She is the most awesome and giving person in the universe and also a ludicrously talented songwriter and guitar player. I was finally starting to feel confident about myself and I really wanted to play in a band with my best friend and partner. The high cost of living in Boulder started choking away our spirit so we moved to Austin to get a fresh start. I started writing about local music first because I perceived I was filling a void, and then because I had a vain hope it might help me to get some paying work in the field in which I belong.<br />
<br />
I get it now, though -- journalism has changed too much in the past few years for someone as literal and bloody-minded as me to advance in it. With so much advertising gone to the Web, newspapers simply can't profit from objectivity any longer. They have become PR machines. The <i>Chronicle</i> would be stupid to hire me, because I would immediately start ripping Transmission and C3 and exposing bands whose parents paid for every good review on their MySpace. That's who I am. So if I'm not blogging in pursuit of work, what am I doing then? Let's call it public therapy. The reason I rip into all of these obnoxious, lazy, self-centered young musicians is because I <i>totally</i> see myself in all of them, and to keep making progress in my own personal development I have to remind myself constantly of the tool I used to be and would quickly go back to being if I didn't focus every day on how valuable the perspectives and support of other people are.<br />
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That's right, I'm going emo!Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-14182637383315707672010-12-30T22:46:00.000-08:002011-01-05T01:57:55.603-08:00Free City, Part OneI know what you're wondering... is the post title an allusion to Sonic Youth, or Nelly and the St. Lunatics? The answer... is <i>both</i>.<br />
<br />
This is <i>it</i> for Anna and me. Free Week is like Kwanzaa, the Super Bowl, and Martin Luther King's Birthday Observed all in a row, a whole seven days and change of warm fuzzy hats, club doors thrown open, and the whole of Austin local music rubbing its eyes (unused as we all are to natural light) and realizing for a cold fortnight or so that we're a <i>community</i>. It would be really nice if there was another comparable event in the summer... but until local bands start bringing in capacity crowds, you can't really blame local club owners for trying to run their businesses profitably. But for just the first few days in January, there's no bands touring and the university is on break. There's nobody left but we musicians and our loyal friends.<br />
<br />
All right, I say this over and over again, so much so that I've made up a mantra-like chant of it: <i>If you're in a local band, go to local shows</i>. If there's any good Austin band that you've heard about before but haven't gotten around to seeing, go do it now. Even if you've had your head buried in the sand behind your practice space for eleven months, just pick a show at random or go to a club you like and see some bands. For gosh sakes. If you have a family or a real career and you play music for fun, that's one thing. But there are untold <i>legions</i> of pinheaded Austin guitar nerds who moved here to Make It Big who have never been to a show downtown that they didn't pay a steep service charge (or a scalper) to get into. Go out and learn something, you mooks!<br />
<br />
And maybe meet some people. Anna and I had curry and a six-pack with many of The Sour Notes to celebrate their new 7" and their New Year's show recently. We've always gotten along like gangbusters with leader/guitarist Jared and bassist Amarah (we had Christmas dinner at their place) but I also appreciated the chance to get to know gently intense guitarist/utilityman Chris Page a bit better. Chris related an anecdote that night that has been ringing in my ears quite a lot recently. He talked about being in a music class in college and the professor asking for a show of hands. How many musicians would be happy playing covers of established genre hits their whole lives, if it meant they could make a living doing it? Ninety-seven percent of the class, according to Chris, had their hands raised. He and only two or three others demurred. Think about that. It takes a special kind of person to dedicate their lives to making music on their own terms. It usually involves sacrifice, back-breaking labor, and little to no financial reward. It can get lonely. That's just one more reason why people in local bands should seek out and support other Austin bands. Even if they don't make remotely the same kind of music as you, you probably have a ton in common with them.<br />
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<b><u>FRIDAY</u></b><br />
It's not technically a part of Free Week, but <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161599417197850&index=1">the show at Cheer Up Charlies New Year's Eve</a> doesn't cost anything and is jam-packed with Austin bands you need to see: <b><a href="http://myspace.com/followthatbiiird">Follow That Bird!</a></b>, <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/mermaidblonde">Mermaid Blonde</a></b>, <b><a href="http://myspace.com/nomasbodas">No Mas Bodas</a></b>. Plus a unique <b><a href="http://myspace.com/zzoorrcchh">Zorch</a></b>-<b><a href="http://myspace.com/cartrightmusic">Cartright</a></b> faceoff! I have absolutely no idea what to expect from that set... the regularity with which they completely defy my expectations is what makes Zorch my single favorite band in Austin right now. Another cool thing about this show is that the estimable Tiffanie Lanmon will be playing with both her bands (the Bird and the Blonde). You don't have to be a dude to be a capable guitarist <i>slash</i> bassist <i>slash</i> drummer. We need to work on teaching Anna the drums. Guys, when you see us New Year's Eve, tell Anna she should resolve to learn drums next year. (We could start her on bass, but when she tries to wield mine she tips over.) All this, <i>and</i> (show organizers) <b><a href="http://www.thesournotes.com/">The Sour Notes</a></b> release their seven-inch and launch a tour! Almost forgot: They're raffling off some cool stuff; <a href="http://do512.com/event/211188">RSVP at this link</a> to have a chance to win if you go to the show.<br />
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Even if I just restrict my comments to the bands I have seen play before and enjoyed, this is going to take a while. But too many of these bands deserve props! I will go on at length, because I'm as much convincing myself to get in gear and go out every night as I am others. But it's totally contrary to my nature to write anything of this scale and not include some pointed criticism. I'm happy to be recognized for my enthusiasm and my energy, but I hang my hat on my honesty! If I wrote a whole post only praising Austin bands my reputation would be ruined. So I'm including some of the bands that I have seen before and don't wish to see again immediately, and telling you why. I'm not discouraging you from going to see those bands. Mine is only one perspective. If it makes you terribly angry that I gave my honest opinion about a band you love and you think I'm totally wrong, then make your own argument as to why! I might be harsh but at least I'm totally up front about why I like what I like. Maybe if your band pays real close attention and improves, I'll reverse field and recommend you <i>next</i> Free Week!<br />
<br />
For me "supporting" doesn't meet "unambiguously praising everything." It means showing up and listening really intently and then being honest about what I hear. I wish more people felt the way I did.<br />
<br />
<b><u>SATURDAY</u></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Beauty Bar</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/motelaviv">Motel Aviv</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/masonic">Masonic</a>, Lovies, Last Nighters</span></b></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span>Beerland</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/shellstheband">Shells</a>, <a href="http://bluekabuki.com/Blue_Kabuki/Home.html">Blue Kabuki</a>, Killdeer, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thegaryatx">The Gary</a></span></b></span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Emo's</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/crookscountry">Crooks</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/westernghosthouse">Western Ghost House</a>, <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/blackbooks">Black Books</a></span></b></span></b><br />
<b>Mohawk outside</b>: <a href="http://hundredvisionsband.com/">Hundred Visions</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/leanhounds">Lean Hounds</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thewhitewhitelights">White White Lights</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wofr">Watch Out for Rockets</a><br />
<b>Mohawk inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/butchrbear">Butcher Bear & Charlie</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tilwereblueordestroy">Til We're Blue or Destroy</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thelaughingmusic">The Laughing</a><br />
<b>Red 7 outside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/carstereowars">Car Stereo (Wars)</a>, Parking, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/gobi">Gobi</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ilovepolitics">Politics</a><br />
<b>Red 7 inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/yuppiepricks">Yuppie Pricks</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thedistantseconds">The Distant Seconds</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mistressandcat">Mistress Stephanie and Her Melodic Cat</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/12488032">Jesus Christ Superfly</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/blowholesucks">Blowhole</a><br />
<b>Scoot Inn</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/vanishedclan">Vanished Clan</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/oppositeday">Opposite Day</a>, <a href="http://www.muchosbackflips.com/">Muchos Backflips!</a><br />
<br />
<b>Shells</b> are a terrific laid-back trio with a talented lead guitarist and a sound that is bravely the opposite of what you'd expect from a current blues-influenced indie band, crisp, restrained, and sort of timeless. <b>Blue Kabuki</b> are a duo, girl guitarist/singer and drummer, who were one of the highlights of the Midgetmen's Neil Young hoot night for me. I haven't heard an original set by them yet, but I can't wait! Stripped back, with mean riffs and powerful vocals, Sleater-Kinney is a good comparison for them... only a more overtly classic rock S-K. <b>The Gary</b> are fantastic and even the <i><a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/MusicListings?StartTime=2011-01-01%2004:00:00">Chronicle</a></i> knows it, although I wish they'd chosen to recommend their <i>other</i> show Wednesday since I booked it. I don't care when you see them; go see The Gary. Dave Norwood's passion and intensity as a singer is something I have overlooked before since I admire their guitar-bass-drums combination so much; but so many people have told me they've been moved by watching Dave and The Gary play that I've started listening to them from a whole new perspective. His lyrics are great, too. Any other time of year the show at Scoot Inn would be a must for me. It's a new band that I have high hopes for in the cinematic instrumental post-hardcore <b>Vanished Clan</b>, an established veteran band that amazes me each and every time I see them in <b>Opposite Day</b>, and another Austin institution I somehow keep missing but need to see soon in <b>Muchos Backflips!</b>. I'm glad Opposite Day are playing during Free Week because I always feel like I should be doing more to spread the word about them. I think a lot of other writers have faced the same problem before me: How do you make a compelling argument for a band that really has no single obvious comparison point? Elvis Costello meets Primus? No... Richard Thompson meets Oingo Boingo? I'm stumped. They change meters and play bewildering figures like a prog band, but have many hooks and harmonies you don't need a calculator to appreciate. No matter what your tastes are, I defy you to watch Opposite Day and not come away astounded by their musicianship. Not only that, they've never let their ridiculous technical ability get in the way of songwriting -- "Safety First" is unforgettable -- and despite their long years of high effort and low rewards, they still maintain a palpable enthusiasm and good spirit when they're on stage. I guess I just convinced myself which show to go to Saturday. <b>UPDATE</b>: Sadly, Opposite Day are not in fact playing (see comments). I'm going to leave up everything I wrote though, and I might reprint it word for word the <i>next</i> time they play in Austin.<br />
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<b>However... </b>Unless you really like costumed men and distorting electronic beats, maybe skip <b>Butcher Bear and Charlie</b>. I've been jamming to a big stack of Butcher Bear-related material lately, and his new record <i>Car Bomb</i> is the bad apple in the bunch. I felt the same way at Fun Fun Fun Fest: as a producer/songwriter/force-of-nature, the big red guy needs a foil with a ton of charisma. Pretty but totally uninteresting singer Charlie isn't it. She makes absolutely no impression on their record, except for the part where she steals lyrics from the Gin Blossoms. She has no personality, nothing in particular to say, and totally fades into the background, which I don't think was the plan. The jams with guest rappers, and where Butcher Bear himself takes the spotlight with his lovably bizarre half-shouting, half-toasting style, all suggest that he's better off working with a wide variety of guests like he has in the past with Attack Formation. And <b>Watch Out for Rockets</b> are every bit as terrible in concert as their lazy, self-involved recordings suggest they would be. They just have no rhythmic sense at all, which is a shame because they do have good melodies. They should start over as a real band instead of one guy's four-track fantasies.<br />
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<b><u>SUNDAY</u></b><br />
<b>Beauty Bar</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sexdragonrocks">Sex Dragon</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/notinthefacemusic">Not in the Face</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thevitaminsatx">Vitamins</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/shittycarwash">Shitty Carwash</a><br />
<b>Beerland</b>: The Lilies<br />
<b>Club Deville</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/shesir">She Sir</a>, <a href="http://www.candiandthestrangers.com/">Candi & The Strangers</a><br />
<b>Emo's outside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/letthedead">Let the Dead</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thebrigadetx">The Brigade</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/falsettametal">Falsetta</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/setaflame">Set Aflame</a><br />
<b>Emo's inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theriotsceneband">The Riot Scene</a>, <a href="http://www.doublestereo.com/sayhellototheangels">Say Hello to the Angels</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/12488032">Jesus Christ Superfly</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theblindpets">The Blind Pets</a><br />
<b>Mohawk</b>: <a href="http://www.amplifiedheat.com/">Amplified Heat</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thehitonesmusic">The Hi-Tones</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theboxinglesson">The Boxing Lesson</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/theblackforestfire">Black Forest Fire</a><br />
<b>Red 7 outside</b>: <a href="http://godsareghosts.com/">Gods Are Ghosts</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/fatbackcircus">Fatback Circus</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/obsoletemachines">Obsolete Machines</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sheerkhanandthespacecase">Sheer Khan & The Space Case</a><br />
<b>Red 7 inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/whiterhinorocks">White Rhino</a>, Lights Go Out, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sideshowtragedy">Sideshow Tragedy</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/whitedressmusic">White Dress</a><br />
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<b>Amplified Heat</b> have had kind of a low profile lately, but they're another in a huge group of Austin bands who would have the key to the city by now if they lived nearly anywhere else. A searingly loud mixture of (mostly) Electric Church psychedelic blues and (just a little) punk attitude, they can wear sunglasses at night in January and pull it off. <b>The Riot Scene</b> are a taut local punk outfit with really good songs. I haven't seen them in a long time but I remember their guitarist/singer Jimmy and his talent for playing weird rhythms off of his vocal melodies using palm mutes quite clearly. <b>Sheer Khan & The Space Case</b> are a guitar effects-crazed hippie jam band. They're a good one, if you like that sort of thing. And <b>White Rhino</b> are a mighty, crusty, gas-guzzling 70's American muscle car of hard rock, with a sense of humor and a surprising depth of influences in their songwriting. I have yet to see them somewhere with great sound. Too bad they're playing inside and not outside.<br />
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<b>However...</b> I like the idea for <b>Obsolete Machines</b>' sound, but the last I saw them, they had yet to fill in the details. All their "songs" rode the same keyboard patterns for six or seven minutes, and the supporting cast around their supple-voiced frontman didn't bring much to the party. Thinking out loud, it may be time for me to check them out again, because they've had a lot of time to get better. <b>White Dress</b> are a band we've had recommended to us a few times. We were psyched to finally see them at Ditch the Fest Fest, but they left me totally empty and, surprisingly, Anna too. (She's coming along but still tends to give any band with a female guitar player extra slack.) Sometimes guitar and drum duos sound just fine, and sometimes they don't. In White Dress's case it might be a fit issue, because while their frontwoman's guitar playing is gnarled, busy, and interesting, as a whole they just kind of cancel one another out, and the vocals don't punch through like they theoretically should. This is another thing that totally could have improved through experience. Great, as if I didn't have enough bands I already like to see, now I'm starting a list of bands I <i>don't</i> like that I should watch again.<br />
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<b><u>MONDAY</u></b><br />
<b>Beauty Bar</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/onehundredflowers">One Hundred Flowers</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/deervibes">Deer Vibes</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thebubblesmusic">The Bubbles</a><br />
<b>Emo's outside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/packofwolvesband">Pack of Wolves</a>, <a href="http://eagleclawhurts.com/">Eagle Claw</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tiacarrera">Tia Carrera</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thysouthernsting">Scorpion Child</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/6082406">High Watt Crucifixers</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/blackearth">Black Earth</a><br />
<b>Emo's inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/wildamerica420">Wild America</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tenementwi">Tenement</a> (Wisconsin), <a href="http://www.myspace.com/womeninprison">Women in Prison</a>, Uppers, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/serioustracers">Serious Tracers</a><br />
<b>Mohawk</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/hatredsurgetexas">Hatred Surge</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/shittycarwash">Shitty Carwash</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/nawdude">Naw Dude</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/nightsiege">Night Siege</a><br />
<b>Red 7 outside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/soberdaze">Sober Daze</a><br />
<b>Red 7 inside</b>: <a href="http://www.myspace.com/zestofyore">Zest of Yore</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bikeproblems">Bike Problems</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/distancerunnerband">Distance Runner</a>, Medium Head Boy<br />
<b>U.S. Art Authority</b>: Ringo Deathstarr, She Sir, Hidden Ritual<br />
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<b>Eagle Claw</b> are a good band, nice guys, and a classic story. Four musician dudes all met at their job and started a band together, playing what they felt like (instrumental but not that progressive metal, pretty much just cool riff after cool riff with not too much mucking around and everybody drilled to precision with their parts). Because they're good, and friends with seemingly everybody, they've gotten to play some bigger shows and they haven't taken the opportunities lightly. In contrast to the many musicians who arrive in Austin assuming that the world is going to be delivered to their door, these dudes put community first. I still have to take bassist Luther up on his offer to get together to watch MMA videos. <b>Distance Runner</b> are a band in the pop-conscious, but not formulaic style of rock I'd term "post-emo." The funny thing is, back when I was originally introduced to the idea of "emo," it meant bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Cap'n Jazz who were pretty structurally sophisticated. Then things devolved. Now we're back where we started. Distance Runner separate themselves with strong vocals and prominent use of keyboard... often the guitars follow the keys rather than the other way around, and that's cool to see in any style. <b>UPDATE</b>: Whoa, how did I miss this one, this is a goodie: <b>Ringo Deathstarr</b> and <b>She Sir</b> at the USAA. I try quite hard to listen to bands on their own merits, not judge them for choice of style... whether it's a popular one or unpopular. I haven't quite caught the nuances of<b> </b>She Sir's style yet, but when I saw them I could for sure hear that there was legitimate songwriting going on. Anna owes them a second chance after She Sir's Matthew Grusha (mildly) wrote and said that her lack of interest in his band versus Ringo Deathstarr might take different perspective were she to know that he was their previous bass player.<br />
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<b>However...</b> The loutish <b>Hatred Surge</b> are an example of the kind of band that turned me off from metal in the first place, loud and violent but with no tact or cunning. Effective heavy music has to use tension and release, put some quiet in with the loud, not just beat you over the head. When I was 12 I went to my first-ever rock concert at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois. The band I was all fired up to see? Megadeth. And they might have been awesome, for all I know, but all I remember of the experience was being surrounded by gigantic tattooed drunken assholes who thought it was perfectly cool to shove a 12-year-old kid in the face. Just because you love "Hangar 18" doesn't mean you've signed up to get the crap kicked out of you by Berwyn's chapter of the Hells Angels. From 1990-92 I was all about metal, but that one show scared me away for nearly 20 years. (OK, that and the fact that right about that time Pantera showed up and killed metal's artistic development for the rest of the decade.) I love powerful music. But I hate senseless violence. If you're the sort of band that holds shows as an excuse for your friends to get wasted and punch each other, I am not your friend. I'm not saying that is Hatred Surge's intent (although look at their name). I'm just saying I am strongly conditioned to reject music that is all force, no shading. Also, <b>Zest of Yore</b> are one of a very few local bands that I'm pretty sure I have seen and yet remember <i>absolutely nothing about</i>. Punkers <b>Bike Problems</b>... their bassist/singer's snotty humor is great, their drummer sways back from side to side like a violent human metronome for every minute of every song, but I want to tell their guitar player it's OK to move. You're good! You can really play! Go ahead and rock out, man, the music is calling for it!<br />
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Wow, it's 1 AM and I am only on Monday. Do I have to get on a bike and ride to work at 8:15 tomorrow? As it so happens I do. Part Two will be up well in advance of Tuesday! Parting note: If Googling "[your band's name] band austin" doesn't bring up one of your links within the first two or three hits... you probably need to change it.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-35843312367687531712010-12-30T00:09:00.000-08:002010-12-30T00:14:44.536-08:00New Regime<b>J. Wesley Haynes Trio</b><br />
Hole in the Wall, 12/29<br />
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Anna and I only managed to step in for a handful of songs by <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/thejwesleyhaynestrio">J. Wesley Haynes Trio</a></b> tonight, but it was an important show for me to go to, and also to write about. I never want to pass up a chance to give these guys some attention. They're wonderful players, and I think they (with others) serve a specific role for developing music fans in Austin. You don't necessarily have to know the composers of "Eighty-One," or how to count in 5/4, to dig the kind of jazz they're playing. I think every music fan should listen to more jazz... appreciating it really involves a different level of concentration.<br />
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When I play "The Sims 3" and I have a little person in the Music Business career path, I'm always amused by how having them study music theory extensively makes them become irritable when another Sim puts pop music on the radio. You don't have to learn theory for your opinion to matter... but once you've learned how to listen in an educated way, nothing really quite sounds the same again. Anna C. gives me grief all the time for ruining her ability to enjoy all the riot grrl and nu-metal bands she admired as a teenager. You know me: I apologize for nothing.<br />
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It's cool to watch people instantly recognize a theme JWHT drop for indie kids -- like "Hey" by the Pixies -- and follow along as the band first states the familiar melodies, then embellishes and extemporizes around them. Although familiar with all the material I saw Wesley (keys), Willy (upright bass), and Matt (drums) play tonight (and their guest trumpet player), this show had a different vibe to it. The band was playing with some pretty involved computer projections behind them. I'm of two minds about using video when a band is playing. On one hand, I argue all the time that better shows require a visual element of some kind. It can be the band members moving, or backup dancers. One night at Bubbleface's noise residency we saw a "band" with two guys, one of whom did all the singing and playing while the other stood perfectly still wearing a silly costume. That was pretty great. But if a band is just doing video for lack of a better idea, it can distract from their music.<br />
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As an instrumental, improv group that's going to appeal to a lot of listeners with related interests in bright shiny objects, J. Wesley Haynes Trio can use the visuals. But it has to be the right stuff. Just showing the "Twin Peaks" credits when they do their version of the Angelo Badalamenti theme is a bit too on the nose. I wonder what the right visual signature is to match their marriage of timeless uptown cool and modern hipster irreverence. "Mad Men" episodes in 8-bit?<br />
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While we were walking back to our car we saw a very terrible singer/guitarist playing to an entirely empty Mellow Mushroom. Anna said she felt sorry for the guy. I wasn't so sure. You can never assume that people are just going to show up. Most musicians who end up playing for no one deserve it.<br />
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I'm going to try and write more frequent show posts in this style. It's part of an adjustment I have to make as my schedule goes from being completely open to somewhat less so. With Free Week coming up, there's no lack of awesome bands who deserve my attention and less good ones who might value my candor. Becoming a notorious local music writer on no budget was too easy. I'm ramping up the difficulty level for 2011! If I can ride Anna's bike 45 minutes to my temp job, work eight hours of physical labor, ride back, rehearse, see a band, wash the dishes, write a review, cook dinner, and pack a lunch for tomorrow while still fitting in five to six hours of sleep, the least <i>you</i> can do is try to make it to some more local shows. Perhaps <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162255270485479">Wednesday at Barbarella</a>!Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-72635310089625586422010-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:002010-12-29T19:18:36.389-08:00The YearsI'm a nervous wreck right now. Since moving to Austin a year or so ago, I've been doing everything possible to avoid getting a "day job." Many years ago in Colorado, in better times, I worked as an editor and a freelance writer and made <i>almost</i> enough money to call it a living. When the bar band I was playing bass in started getting well-paying ski town gigs, I was really living the dream... paying my expenses through writing and music. That was an awesome couple of months. Anyway, I got laid off from my editing job. Got a job at Circuit City; they went out of business. Got a job delivering sandwiches; showed up for work one day and there was a handwritten cardboard sign in the window saying that the government had seized the property for failure to pay back taxes. It seemed like life in Colorado was trending inexorably downwards. So we moved.<br />
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For a year or so I did everything I possibly could to avoid getting a "paycheck" kind of job down here. I played bass in an orchestra production of <i>The Sound of Music</i>. I did some mostly boring archival editing for rollingstone.com, which was nice work while it lasted. (And I got a credit for the rewrite I did of the <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/guided-by-voices/biography">Guided by Voices</a> bio, which was exciting.) But mostly I've been a bum, baking and cooking and going to as many free shows as humanly possible. It's time for me to go to work now, but as a student of history my acute awareness of my own past makes me edgy. I don't respond well to outside control of my schedule and long, continuous periods of time in the presence of other people wears me down. I expect to do better in this new foray into the working world than my last few because I have a better attitude about it and I'm literally in a better place (Austin is <i>so</i> much better than Denver for me), but I still am prepared for my creativity and energy as a writer to go plunging downward. I'm less inclined to go out and seek beauty in the world when I'm tired and cranky.<br />
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I know I'm going to make myself go to shows and keep writing about Austin bands, though. I'm <i>invested</i> in it now. Despite my oddities and annoying traits I've been welcomed into a community here. I lived in a few cities and haven't found any other to be as welcoming. Perhaps I can only get along with music nerds. Either way, there's no place I'd rather be than in Austin 2010/2011. I could use some hope for the future at the moment, so rather than the knee-jerk "Best of 2010" year-end entry, here's some Austin music stuff I look forward to in 2011.<br />
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<b>1</b>. <b>Learning my history</b>. There are a couple of really young local bands I like, but I have a clear bias towards experienced veterans. It has less to do with instrumental acumen than letting the <i>idea</i> of the band mature and develop. As in the case of <b>La Snacks</b>, nearly as old as <b>The Midgetmen</b>, not exactly <i>tight</i> but totally in control of their vision. Playing shows in Texas for a nearly a decade has to teach you something, particularly if you're still alive and sucking air as a band. La Snacks are representative of a lot of Austin bands in that they have their roots elsewhere in Texas (Beaumont) and continue to have links through their hometown, here and there. The more bands I talk to the more I realize that understanding music in Austin requires learning as well roots and family trees of bands in Houston, San Antonio, Denton, El Paso. The complex inner workings of Austin's music scene require for understanding consideration of a much wider and broader setting and timescale. <b>Butcher Bear</b> brought me a fistful of seven-inches and CD's from his (iN)Sect Records label a few weeks ago. Listening to the whole stack of it, from hardcore comp to the radical, theatrical four-track parodist <b>Explosion Horse</b>, I realized what I was experiencing was a museum exhibit of tastes. I didn't like every moment of every release, but I knew that a story was being told.<br />
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2. <b>Booking more shows</b>. I talk a lot about how bands should try and challenge their listeners with weird, interesting show lineups with lots of style juxtapositions. I'm going to do my best to put on some shows of my own in that spirit. Rather than focusing on picking bands that sound alike, I want local musicians to concentrate on figuring out which other acts take the jobs of booking and promoting seriously. We can all work together more closely and share the benefits. My first Big Western Flavor show is coming up during Free Week at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162255270485479">Barbarella next Wednesday</a>. You should come to it. I'm going to make homemade donuts.<br />
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3. <b>New albums</b> from <b>The Gary</b>, <b>Zorch</b>, <b>The Eastern Sea</b>, <b>The Sour Notes</b>, <b>White Denim</b>, many more. The greatest challenge facing most musicians here and everywhere else? Continuing to exist. Especially for young bands, entropy is a constant threat. There are plenty of players here willing to insist stubbornly otherwise, but keeping together a consistent lineup of musicians who benefit creatively from each other's presence is the surest -- and yet most seemingly difficult -- path to success. I'm always willing to listen to a band's second record with fresh ears, because nothing is harder than surviving your first one.<br />
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4. <b>More music everywhere</b>. Necessity drove us further and further off the beaten path to find bands to see this year, and I hope if we continue to go in that direction in 2011 this time it's by choice. House parties, record stores, co-op parties, parking lots, bridges... music is happening everywhere in Austin, not only during the festivals, and it's in unexpected places that you find unexpected bands.<br />
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5. <b>METAL</b>. Anna C. and I first noticed it happening at Fun Fun Fun Fest... we were first drifting, then walking briskly, then outright sprinting past the "indie" Orange Stage to get between the Blue Stage (hip-hop/dance) and the Black Stage (punk/metal). A few nights ago we went to Emo's to see <b>Ume</b>, <b>Follow That Bird!</b>, and <b>Ringo Deathstarr</b>. Local thrash outfit <b>Powderburn</b> were playing the other stage and we ended up watching and enjoying them way more than most of the standstill indoor bands. There's a reason metal and hardcore consistently maintain cult audiences no matter how in or out of style they are. Metal bands, even the shabbiest, know they're not supposed to stare at their feet and frown when they're rocking out. I've only dipped my toes into the metal and 'core scenes in Austin but what I've heard (<b>Squidbucket, Eagle Claw, Markov</b>) I've really liked. If we don't see more "indie rock" bands showing they care -- the way <b>Pataphysics </b>or <b>A Giant Dog</b> do -- we're just going to have to get black hair dye and Tool shirts and go to Red 7 all the time.<br />
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6. <b>Continuing to not care about stupid expensive festivals</b>. One of the best trends of 2010 that I would love to see repeated in 2011: local bands and promoters getting together to give fans <i>really</i> appealing alternatives during Those Festivals. Ditch the Fest Fest at Cheer Up Charlies was epic and in March the music got cooler the further away you got from the downtown area. I plan on spending even less time listening to pointless outsider "hype" music next year than I did this year. And so should you.<br />
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7. <b>Seeing where music writing in Austin goes</b><i>.</i> I don't know if this one qualifies as something I'm "looking forward" to. I am more filled with morbid, self-interested anticipation. As matters stand right now, the nature and the function of the independent press in this city is not serving the needs of the creative community nor its potential audience. The handful of big-dollar local promoters exerts <i>far</i> too much control over the tone and the content of entertainment coverage in the local daily and weekly. Local music writers and bloggers alike are all engaged in a race upwards to see who can get into the flashiest and glitziest afterparties; hardly anyone save for few musician slash critics is much interested in seeing local music covered intelligently. However... it's almost too bad to continue the way it is. I hear too many horror stories from local bands about bloggers who scam their way onto guest lists only to completely ignore all but the headliners in their reports, writers who assert you'll have a good time at a local show when they haven't seen any of the bands in question and are only doing a favor for an L.A.-based "indie promoter" who got them in to see Sleigh Bells or whoever. It can't possibly get worse, can it? I hope to see soon, if not in the next year, some sort of new voice or voices. Not necessarily someone who thinks the same way as I do, but at least someone who has some sort of compassion for local bands and a willingness to view them as more than a stepping stone to fame and glamour. The press should work to discover exciting new music and put it in front of people, not merely promote those few bands that have the money to pay someone to make them do it. They have a college campus here in Austin, right? Somebody with an intact brain has to fall through the cracks of the journalism school once in a while.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-25734992961073890522010-12-27T16:49:00.000-08:002010-12-27T16:49:32.725-08:00Phoning It InShow picks for the last week of 2010. 2011, and Austin Free Week, start on Saturday! Check back here later for as complete a listing of Free Week events as I can throw together. I can tell you right now that you should go to the show at Barbarella next Wednesday night (the 5th), because I booked it and <b>The Gary</b> and <b>Day vs. Night</b> and <b>Half Mile Fox Fur</b> and <b>Bubbleface</b> are all playing. And in the spirit of the week, there will be free cookies and cupcakes.<br />
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<b>TUESDAY</b> <b>A Giant Dog</b> at Beerland... always worth seeing.<br />
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<b>WEDNESDAY</b> Two free events mentioned earlier this month still apply: Bubbleface at Club 1808, <b>J. Wesley Haynes Trio</b> at Hole in the Wall.<br />
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<b>THURSDAY</b> <b>No Mas Bodas</b> at Chain Drive.<br />
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<b>FRIDAY</b> Why spend a fortune on your New Year's evening activities when you can go to Cheer Up Charlies and get <i>free stuff</i>? <b>The Sour Notes</b>, <b>Zorch</b>, <b>Cartright</b>, <b>Missions</b>, <b>Mermaid Blonde</b>, <b>Tiny Tin Hearts</b>, no cover, free food and giveaways, pretty awesome. Spend the night before Free Week at <i>another</i> free show and be thankful you're in Austin.Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6301925128261462352.post-78121076572747664652010-12-20T12:56:00.000-08:002010-12-20T12:58:01.076-08:00Gifts for Your EarsDecember-January is my favorite time of year in Austin, because it's the slowest part of the national concert calendar. Not so many bands choose to launch tours in the dead of winter with the "holidays" looming. As a result, the local press outlets that normally ignore local music have no choice. <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bubbleface/153376714695902?v=wall&filter=1">Bubbleface</a></b>, one of the weirdest bands in town, got a show recommendation from the Austinist last week. Granted, the writer got their name wrong, but still. It counts as progress to me.<br />
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I feel like this should go without saying, but I guess I need to mention explicitly that every band I recommend here is a band I have seen in person. It makes no sense to me that some bloggers happily assert that folks will have a good time going to see a band they've never actually witnessed. It's bizarre, but multiple times just in the past week musicians have told me that nobody else who's ever written about them has actually come to a show. That's so weird to me. Would you tell someone to go see a movie having only seen the preview?<br />
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<i>This</i> week is going to be a tough one for picks. I've only got one show for you. It's a good one, though, and it's free. <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thejwesleyhaynestrio" style="font-weight: bold;">The J. Wesley Haynes Trio</a> play acoustic jazz in the mold of Miles Davis's great second quintet, throwing out conventions for rhythm and lead roles and concentrating on sympathetic group improvisation. Punk rock upright bassist Willy Jones and in-demand drummer Matt Shepherd get just as much of the spotlight as the Rhodes-playing nominal leader. Like Medeski Martin and Wood they put groove first and foremost, and their creative arrangements of themes drawn from rockers like Stephen Malkmus, the Pixies, and Radiohead is another reason why they should be a perfect gateway drug for music nerds who haven't caught the jazz bug yet. They're joined by the similarly-minded <b><a href="http://www.myspace.com/musicaboutblank">About:Blank</a></b> at Hole in the Wall on Wednesday night.<br />
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Since it's a slow week for shows, let me fill in the leftover space with a few recent (and upcoming) releases in Austin music that you might want to note as last-minute gift ideas. The compelling and direct American songwriter <b><a href="http://andrewandersonmusic.com/">Andrew Anderson</a></b> has a beautifully packaged holiday EP that's way more than a seasonal cash-in. The way Andrew honestly sings "Home for the Holidays" shades the cheery lyrics with the doubt and desperation that are hallmarks of his own writing. He turns "Snoopy's Christmas" into a honky-tonk smoker that's perfect for December in Texas, and the original "Ideal Christmas List" is a sharply written plea for an end to oil-company insanity that demonstrates his rare gift for linking the political with the personal. The ambitious take on "Oh Holy Night," building from traditional folk to epic space rock, doesn't quite gel. But on the whole it's another triumph for the best <i>real</i> country singer around, and it's lovely to hear him working with talented (Boise-based) drummer and producer Luke Meade again. <i>Christmas EP 2010</i> comes in a gorgeous screen-printed sleeve with a custom holiday ornament stamped with Anderson's logo and signature. I'm really proud to own one and I'll file it happily right next to the fine full-length <i>As Long As This Thing's Flyin'</i>.<br />
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The ultra-nerds of <b><a href="http://weracketeer.com/">World Racketeering Squad</a></b> and their sexy robot mascot are back with a quick but fun EP, <i>Talking to the Radio</i>, that builds upon the <i>What Is Nerdwave?</i> album that came out earlier this year. It's more of a consolidation than a step forward for the Squad, although the increased prominence and difficulty level of the vocal harmonies on this one show that they're not standing still. "She Thinks She's Got It (Going On)" is a very funny spin on their irrepressible jangle-rock style, and the efficient song lengths are welcome. The title track has some snappy 12-string guitar playing... although they could have cut down on repetitions of the chorus hook. I want them to get really ambitious for their next record. At the very least, they should wear capes.<br />
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We just gave the new 7" by <b><a href="http://thesournotes.com/">The Sour Notes</a></b> its first three spins. It's called "Hot Pink Flares" and it comes on... guess what, hot pink vinyl. As a teaser for their upcoming LP <i>Last Looks</i>, the A-side is beguiling... it's more aggressive than anything on <i>It's Not Gonna Be Pretty</i>, at least at first, with roaring guitars and a Jared Boulanger vocal that sounds almost <i>pissed</i>. But then it runs through a series of well-worked out links into a rigid waltz tempo and Kelly DeWitt steps in to sing in her lovely choirgirl voice. The dramatic changes make it like a three-act play, and you know how much I love songs that don't end up in the same place where they started. Cannot wait for this full-length. The B-side is a studio take on their new arrangement for the song "Psychological Thriller," which was electro-pop in its first incarnation. Retitled "Psych Thrill" and recast as an electro-acoustic number with accordion and DeWitt vocals, it sounds like an entirely new song. Packaged in a nifty screenprinted sleeve designed by <a href="http://www.underbellyprinting.com/">Underbelly Printing</a> of San Antonio, the single is another example of why a lot more people than just me think The Sour Notes make the best records in Austin. Like all of their releases, this isn't just a collection of songs... it has a specific point to make about where they are right now, where they will be in a few months when the new LP is finished, and their relationship to their earlier material. This is what you have to do if you want people to buy a record, not just download a few songs from it.<br />
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I'm going to be writing more about the Notes in a few days because I really want you all to come spend <a href="http://futuresounds.com/blog/archives/2032">New Year's Eve at Cheer Up Charlies</a> with Anna, me, and many of our very favorite local bands!Western Homeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00882482458981562935noreply@blogger.com0