Time for another sporadic update from Austin. Since I last checked in I've seen Bad Veins, The Dustys, Brazos, White Denim, and Future of the Left. None disappointed and a few were outstanding. A quick recap of White Denim and FOTL:
White Denim solidified their position as my favorite Austin band with a searing and breathless set featuring many songs off their new album, Fits. Halfway through, Lou Barlow and his band made their way to the very front of the stage. They must have walked over immediately after finishing their set at Stubb's. Lou looked blown away by White Denim and could be seen excitedly talking with the band after the show. While that celebrity sighting was pretty cool it didn't compare to the VIP at the Dirty Projector's show earlier this week: Ron Jeremy. I'm serious. The Hedgehog was in the house.
The Future of the Left delivered exactly what I expected. Their set was raucous, headbanging, and hysterical. By the end they had completely dismantled the drum set and were playing what instruments were left out in the crowd. There wasn't a lot of people at the show, but those there had a shitload of fun.
After those bands I decided to stay in this weekend. However, I'm heading to Mohawk tonight to see Le Loup. They're touring in support of the new album, Family and I don't want to miss a chance to see them perform their haunting and infectious music. Here's one of the singles off of Family:
"Beach Town" by Le Loup
I wasn't a fan of Le Loup right off the bat but each time I listened to their first album I found more to love. The second album is more accessible on first listen and every bit as good, if not better. If the live show comes close to the quality of the records, we're in for a treat tonight.
There are a bunch of very, very good shows going on this weekend in Austin. Let's work backwards, shall we? Sunday night Art Brut comes to town. Tomorrow night Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, White Denim, Brazos, and Future of the Left are all playing within 3 blocks of each other. I'm planning to catch both Future of the Left and White Denim. I've been a huge Dinosaur Jr. fan for many years and have yet to see them live, but they drew the proverbial short straw. Better luck next time Mr. Mascis.
I kick off the weekend tonight at Emo's. There are a plethora of bands on the bill. The inside stage features The Subjects, Bad Veins, and MoTel Aviv while the outside stage has The Bravery, Crash Kings, and DC's own The Dustys. Seeing The Dustys and Bad Veins are my priority. After that we'll see what happens. I'm interested in The Subjects but I can't say I have much desire to see The Bravery.
In case you aren't aware of Bad Veins, they're a duo from Cincinnati that are known for their "irresistible hooks, propulsive beats and inventive use of vintage electronics, such as megaphones, telephones and a reel-to-reel tape machine." Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz are also known for their dynamic live shows which have garnered praise up and down the east coast. For those in DC, you can check them out on Wednesday night:
Bad Veins and The Subjects Wednesday, Oct. 28th DC9
Here's Bad Veins ode to the golden shower, "Gold and Warm". It gives you a sense of their fuzzed out anthemic indie rock and their sexual perversions:
Getting tickets to Austin City Limits, the PBS show not the festival, is tough. Fortunately, the local PBS station that hosts the series, KLRU, has started a new Web-only music series called ACL Stage Left. They feature local artists and provide "a space where the very best, most unique, passionate music artists can capture great moments and tell their tales, turning their listeners and our viewers into life-long fans." I can support that.
A few weeks ago a friend and I went to see Brazos on ACL Stage Left. It's in the same studio as Austin City Limits, just with different staging. In typical Austin style there was plenty of free beer, which was nice. Two days prior to the taping I saw Brazos open for Wye Oak. I love me some Wye Oak but Brazos was the band that impressed me most that night. They have a unique style that combines folk, rock, and jazz. It's often quiet and melodic, moody but reaffirming. The music is strong but the lyrics are equally compelling. It's rare for a band strike that balance. Perhaps their greatest asset is Martin Crane's effortless vocals. Here he is performing the first song he ever wrote, "Mary Jo":
Not bad, huh? The vocals on that one remind me of Band of Horses. I look forward to seeing the entire performance when it's posted online. In the meantime, here's another great video from ACL Stage Left. It's Leatherbag (who looks and sounds like a combo of Buddy Holly, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan) performing "On Down The Line":
Quick preface to my review: Wye Oak and Pomegranates play the Black Cat backstage this evening. Yeah, I know, it's Monday. You're tired from the weekend, yada, yada. Take my advice: get off your ass, get out the door, and go see these bands. How good were they? Put it this way: I skipped a viewing of The Room at the Alamo Drafthouse to attend the show. Go see Wye Oak tonight. You can thank me later.
Once again I'm pressed for time so I'm basing this review on my Twitter comments. Lazy? Yes, but what else would you expect from us?
10:11 PM - at @mohawkaustin for Wye Oak. Salesman playing now. I dig them playing on floor w/ the crowd.
10:17 PM - Salesman are a drummer-guitar duo that doesn't play garagey blues rock. More spacey-psychedelia w/ rock jams.
I didn't stay for much of their set but I liked what I saw. They set up their gear in the middle of the room and just started jamming away. Looking at them I expected a White Stripes sound but they went in a totally different direction. The songs were moody and wandering. Good stuff all around.
10:54 PM - Pomegranates onstage. Thought they had a girl singer. Nope. Just a high pitched dude.
11:00 PM - Pomegranates - Bloggy eunuch rock. Sounds bad but it's actually quite good.
I seriously thought they had a female singer. His singing reminded me of Dirty On Purpose, which gives me an excuse to post this picture of Sacklunch and Potsy's doppelgangers:
11:14 PM Pomegranates drummer very animated. It's hysterical. Like fast paced miming without the face paint or being French.
11:15 PM - Oh and he has a budding mullet as well. Hockey haircut WIN.
The drummer was by far the most amusing but the whole band put on quite a show. Each song was catchy, perfect pop music fun. I made a lot of dooshy Twitter comments (I dislike the terms "Tweets") about these guys but they were great. Seriously. I defy you to see them live and not like them. I've been listening to their albums almost nonstop since the show.
11:48 PM - Brazos takes stage. I'm seeing these guys on Friday as well. They're doing a taping of Austin City Limits.
Brazos played the Austin City Limits Stage Left program at our local PBS station on Friday (review later in the week). I didn't even realize they were also playing with Wye Oak until the day of the show. The only other time I'd seen them was at a "secret" show in the middle of some woods. I was given sketchy directions - drive to a remote park, follow train tracks for quarter of a mile, listen for the music. I eventually found a huge group of people drinking beer, smoking dope, and listening to music. Unfortunately, after two songs by Brazos it started to downpour and we all scattered for our cars. End of secret outdoor party.
11:59 PM - Brazos - effortless and beautiful voice. I want to say something snarky but just can't. It's great stuff.
12:04 AM - Just one snarky comment. Drummer looks like Sulu from Star Trek. OK I'm done.
12:11 AM - Singer has played whole set w/ his fly down.
12:17 AM - Brazos closes w/ a rocking tune called Interlocking. Great set. Looking forward to the ACL taping.
I'll have more to say on Brazos when I review their Stage Left performance but must add they were terrific on this night. They instantly became one of my favorite Austin bands.
"Take It In" is the first single off their forthcoming album The Knot (out on Merge Records July 21st). I could not be more excited for this release. I'll be at Waterloo Records on the 21st to pick up my copy. "Take It In" sounded great live as did all the other new tunes.
1:08 AM - Wye Oak plays an amazing cover of Neil Young. Of course anything Jen sings sounds incredible.
They covered "Pocahontas" by Neil Young & Crazy Horse off their Rust Never Sleeps album (the one with "Hey Hey My My"). I love when a band includes a interesting cover song to their live show. Excellent choice by Wye Oak.
James Lipton on Inside the Actor's Studio often (always? not sure since I really don't watch) asks his guests, "What's your favorite sound?" The people usually respond with something lame like "a child's laughter". If asked I'd answer, "Jenn Wasner's voice as it trails off, just before the drums crash in and guitar feedback begins." I love the contrast of her soulful voice and the band's loud, layered dissonance. It often sounds as if there are 5 or 6 people playing instead of just two. Speaking of which...
1:22 AM - Andy playing three instruments at once. He's like a one man band...who happens to be in a band.
Andy Stack is one talented dude. He carries the rhythm section all by himself and does it well. It was cool to see people stare in disbelief as he played drums, keyboard, and blew into some horn-thingee all at once. My only disappointment was the band did not play longer. Hopefully, they'll tour again over the summer and make their way back to Austin.
Final note, the band was selling posters made especially for the show (see image above). I snagged one to put in my daughters room. Sacklunch decorated his kids rooms with a bunch of very cool indie rock posters and I'm stealing his idea.
In a little over two years Rock Club has seen roughly 300 bands (no, My Morning Jacket is not one of them). Some good, some bad, a lot in between. I always wondered if I'd head out one night and be completely blown away by a band. You think it'll happen but it doesn't. Maybe I've become cynical. The more likely answer is that while yes, there are a lot of good bands out there, you rarely see a band that unexpectedly melts your face. We've seen some amazing shows. Sleater-Kinney, LCD Soundsystem, and The Dismemberment Plan reunions shows come to mind. But I expected as much going into those shows. The only band that truly caught me off guard was The Gossip. Well, on Thursday night in Austin I saw a band that even topped The Gossip. That band is White Denim.
I hadn't planned on going out until we received an email suggesting I go see Peel at Mohawk. I'm always up for seeing Peel. I love those guys (and girl). Peel, Zookeeper, and White Denim were all opening for Brazos.
Peel was up first and were great. I never get tired of their first album and the songs off their new EP, August Exhaust Pipes (go download it for free!), are just as good, if not better. The set was much better than when I saw them open for Oxford Collapse and Frightened Rabbit. After they finished I debated whether to call it night. I decided to stick around since the place was packed and hopping. The crowd seemed anxious for the next band to begin so I settled in on the railing overlooking what I thought was Zookeeper.
The first thing that came into my mind when they launched into their set: MC5. They had a bristling energy from the get go. I was dumbfounded. I turned to the girl next to me, Olivia, and asked if she had seen Zookeeper before. She replied, "That's not Zookeeper, that's White Denim!". Over the next few songs Olivia brought me up to speed on the history of the band, including their devasting performances at this year's SXSW which landed them on the cover of the Arts Section of The New York Times.
The band is an explosive mix of punk and blues rock. That mix of punk, blues and soul is tough to pull off but when you do, it's a something to behold (think early White Stripes). It makes for great rock and roll, the kind I've been dying to hear since the onslaught of beardy bands started a little over a year ago.
Josh Block on drums sets the tone for the band. He beats the drums like they sassed his momma. James Petralli on guitar and lead vocals has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. He produces a myriad of sounds from the guitar, from funky riffs to sonic distortion. When singing he utilizes two microphones. The extra one distorts the vocals with a sampler (as best as I could tell). Also, while onstage he has the perfect rock persona, which doesn't hurt. The real star though is the bassist, Steve Terebeki. He lays down the sweet beats. His fast, funky riffs and amazing skills aren't what you'd expect from a tiny man who has the boyish looks of a 7th grader. Seeing him jam away and clearly love every moment only got the crowd more into the show. You can't help but like these guys.
The set seemed short and before I knew it they thanked the packed crowd and started packing up their gear. In my mind I was thinking, "What? That's it?! NOOOO! KEEP PLAYING!!!" But it wasn't to be. There was no encore. I'm forced to wait until their set at ACL. You can be sure I'll be up close for that.
After the show I was speechless. I had never been so blown away by a band. I wasn't prepared for it at all. Inside Mohawk I ran into my friend Callie (a.k.a. Show Lush). She's seen White Denim a few times and said my reaction was fairly typical. The band simply crushes.
I feel like this is my Jon Landau moment. In 1974, the influential music critic went to see a 25-year-old singer-songwriter. Amazed by what he heard, Landau wrote the famous line, "I saw my rock and roll past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw rock and roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen." Now, I'm not saying that White Denim is the next Bruce Springsteen (who is?) but I know one thing for sure. They're one band I'll be following for years to come (or as long as they're together) and I'll go see them live every chance I get.
After those bands I decided to stay in this weekend. However, I'm heading to Mohawk tonight to see Le Loup. They're touring in support of the new album, Family and I don't want to miss a chance to see them perform their haunting and infectious music. Here's one of the singles off of Family:
Yahoo