The schedule is now online! Considering the staggering number of good bands they've booked, there are bound to be conflicts on your "Must See" list. Should I see Danzig or Of Montreal? The Jesus Lizard or Destroyer or Ratatat? Fucked Up or Death? The options go on and on. Sure, it sucks we can't see every great band but it's not exactly a bad problem to have.
You've all heard plenty about SXSW and Austin City Limits but do you know about the Fun Fun Fun Fest? If you've always wanted to visit Austin and catch tons of great music, head on down the weekend of Nov. 7 & 8th.
This year the festival has 91 bands, rappers, DJs, and comedians to choose from. Transmission Entertainment truly did an incredible job curating this lineup. Here are some of the bands and performers I'm most looking forward to:
Brian Posehn - I'm still trying to hunt down the video he did for Black Moth Super Rainbow. If you've been to their show you know what I'm talking about.
Danzig - Seriously. Fucking Danzig. It'll be worth the price of admission just to see them perform "Mother". Or to hear Danzig discuss his favorite books.
I was holding off on this post until I could access my pictures and videos from the festival. Laptop is still down though. Oh well. I managed to load a few pictures before the technical difficulties set in.
Dan Deacon
I scooted from Deerhoof a little early to catch Dan Deacon. I've seen him a few times already and I still listen to many tracks off of Spiderman of the Rings. When I first arrived the sound was absolute crap. This isn't surprising since he performs with throngs of kids jumping all over him and his equipment. The issues were fixed soon enough and the party continued (not that the poor sound mattered to most).
Here's the thing with Dan Deacon. I've seen his shtick and each show is basically the same. Nonetheless he's a funny guy and never fails to crack me up with his commentary to the crowd. And you have to give credit to a dude that can make kids go totally and completely ape shit. They love the fat man. I admire all those things (including his girth) but he's mostly a novelty to me. If I was still in my teens or early twenties, it might be different. I'm guessing the kids in the middle of his mad dancing frenzy feel similarly about bands I liked at their age. They might listen to early Dinosaur, Jr. and wonder, "what's the big deal?" Music often defines periods of your life and Dan Deacon just doesn't do that for me. However, one band that did: The Dead Milkmen (that's what I call a Segway, bitches).
Dead Milkmen
As I mentioned in my preview of the FFF Fest, I once snuck backstage and hung out with the Dead Milkmen when I was 17. It was right when "Punk Rock Girl" was the #1 video on MTV. Naturally, I thought I was hot shit for chilling out with the band. I continued to listen to the Milkmen as I entered college. In fact, at parties Freshman year we'd all pile into our tiny bathroom and crank "Gorilla Girl" as we moshed around and beer flew everywhere. Why? I have no fucking idea. Looking back it may be the ghey-est thing I've ever done. And believe me, there's lots of competition for that title.
This was a one time reunion for the band so I wasn't sure what to expect. Reunions can easily go awry. The Milkmen were in fine form though. They kicked things off with "Punk Rock Girl" and the crowd went ballistic. I actually wormed my way to the front before the start and quickly was being thrown every which way. It was insane. I lasted exactly two songs before I exited the mob. I may be too old for that nonsense but it was fun to relive some memories for a short time. I watched the rest of the set from a safe distance on the hill.
Okay, this is getting too long so let's move onto the speed round...
The Dead Milkmen - nostalgic bliss. They should do a big reunion tour. They were fantastic.
Frightened Rabbit - good but not great. It was their last show of the tour and it wasn't as intense as their shows at Mohawk. It was still funny to see a bunch of Scots dealing with the Texas heat. The sweaty lead singer commented, "So this is winter in Texas? Jesus Christ."
The Spinto Band - not exactly groundbreaking stuff but they make some delightful indie-pop. I like the Kinks influenced stuff.
The Annuals - wasn't impressed when I saw them in DC and this time was no different. It just seemed messy.
I went into fanboy mode as I spoke with James Petralli of White Denim:
Shortly after this photo was taken security forcibly removed me when I tried to retain his pants as a keepsake. Side Note: if you haven't bought their new album, Exposion, go download it now, listen, and repeat. It's sure to be in my list of top albums of 2008.
And finally, here's a video synopsis of Day 2 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest. You should watch if only to see the remarkable transformation of the Frightened Rabbit drummer. At their last Austin show, he looked like Turtle from Entourage. Now he looks exactly like one of the Geico Cavemen. Check it out:
The 2008 Fun Fun Fun Fest - 2 days, 4 stages, and over 60 bands. The music included indie rock, Hip Hop and DJ's, and Punk/Hardcore bands. They was a little something for everyone. Here are some of the bands I opted to see:
Bishop Allen
This clean cut crew plays catchy, literate, unoffensive tunes. The type of stuff your girlfriend likes and that gets played on NPR's All Songs Considered. Listening to their set I was reminded of Death Cab, The Decemberists, and The Shins. Not exactly edgy stuff. Of course, I kind of like those bands so it's not surprising that I enjoyed Bishop Allen. I was on the fence going in but I'm a fan after seeing them live. Sometimes you just want to hear a good pop song and they delivered with "Click, Click, Click", "Rain", and "Middle Management".
One final comment about Bishop Allen. A few songs into the set the lead singer starting doing this odd dance. He was bopping around the stage kicking his heels up towards his ass. It looked like a retard doing Jazzercise. Which is to say that it was awesome. Oh, and he had a huge head so that may have added to the effect. Just thought I'd mention that.
Octopus Project
This was my first time seeing Austin's most experimental band. Primarily an instrumental band, Octopus Project were as entertaining as they were innovative. There was so much going onstage and within each song (odd structures, myriad of instruments and effects) it was easy to forget there were no lyrics (there were vocals in only two songs). At times they were angular and dissonant and other times they were beautifully melodic. They displayed impressive creativity for sure.
A quick example of their showmanship: dancing ghosts. Behind the band there were a series of green and white sheets with funny faces and little ears. They looked to be covering the amps and hanging from the ceiling. Assuming they were just decorations I didn't pay attention to them until 3 or 4 songs into the set when half of them started dancing around. The crowd loved it.
The band isn't all gimmicks though. Their talent was evident as each member played at least two or three instruments. My favorite was Yvonne Lambert on the theremin (the Moog device she controls without touching). It produced lots of eerie sounds as if she was channeling the thoughts of the dancing ghosts behind her.
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
By the time Trail of Dead took the stage, the festival crowd had grown quite a bit (the will call line was LONG). They had big lineup with two drummers, two guitars, bass, and keyboards which helped create the quiet/load contrast found in many of their songs. The band had a big wall of sound dynamic that worked perfectly in a festival setting.
The group was dressed in all black, as if they were representing the dark side of indie rock, and the music reflected it. Early on they played "The Betrayal of Roger Casement and the Irish Brigade," a searing instrumental from their recent Festival Thyme EP. The set included a nice mix of new tunes along with their standards. Personally, I enjoyed "Caterwaul" of their poorly reviewed Worlds Apart album (underappreciated album IMHO). Listening to the new songs I'm guessing the album due in January will be less produced and more straightforward rock. They even had one song that was pure hardcore punk.
I used to wonder if they were blessed or cursed when Pitchfork gave Source Tags and Codes a 10.0. Answer: probably cursed. Since that review each successive release has been over-scrutinized and a backlash has occurred. There were also label troubles and a general decline of interest in the band (playing a mid-day slot at their hometown festival being one sign of this). However, none of that was reflected in their performance. They put on a blistering show and the crowd was very much into the entire set. I look forward to the new album in 2009. The Trail of Dead is ready for its Lazarus moment.
Deerhoof
I'm down with any band that has a sick drummer and Greg Saunier is as bad ass as they come. He's the soul of the band pounding away on his spare drum kit. Not to take away from the rest of the band. The guitarists, Jon Dietrich and Ed Rodriguez, are incredible musicians, and Satomi Matsuzaka is one of the most unique front women in indie rock. All combined they produce sloppy brilliance that keeps you guessing where they'll go next (musically that is).
The band has a reputation for inspiring live shows and this was no exception. Admittedly, it wasn't as good as the past shows I've seen but it was solid nonetheless. They played a series of favorites from their last five albums. I was happy the set wasn't too heavy on the new album (Offend Maggie) because frankly, I'm just not that into it. Although I must say "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back" is better live than on record.
I hope Deerhoof makes another Austin visit soon. I prefer seeing bands in smaller venues instead of at festivals. I tried to get close to the stage but had to leave the mob after about 10 minutes. My old man back was acting up and there were some seriously drunk people around me. One dude passed in front of me holding his hand over his mouth as puke ran down his shirt. Nice.
In the second recap I'll cover The Dead Milkmen, Dan Deacon, Frightened Rabbit, The Spinto Band, and Annuals. I'll also lament the many bands I failed to see (due to either scheduling conflicts or my nasty cold).
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