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RSSMartyrhead – July 23, 2010 – Hole in the Wall, Austin TX
Jul 23
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal No Comments
an energetic Motorhead cover band from San Antonio – could be just what you’re looking for if you’re looking for that sort of thing
Christy & the Plow Boys – July 23, 2010 – Museum of Natural and Artifical Ephemerata
Jul 23
they were providing the musical entertainment for a special exhibit at the Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata, an adorable example of Austin quirk – the exhibit was cave-themed and so they played old mining songs – I have become a fat sucker for Appalachian style music and this was a close approximation – I was in love forever when they explained to me that there’s a difference between bluegrass music (finger picking) and “old-time” music (hand strums more like a claw) – apparently what I like is the latter – the band consisted of three hobbyist musicians: a fiddle, banjo and guitar – I’m not sure that they play too often
The Fleshtones – July 14, 2010 – Waterloo Records, Austin TX
Jul 14
guaranteed, this band is quintessential garage rock, the definition of it – but their live show was kind of horrifying – really old men using the same-old ‘we’re-so-crazy’ rock star antics they’ve used for probably some 30-40 years now – one guy looked to have the same haircut he had in the 70s – jumping on the rails and running into the crowd is best pulled off by 20-somethings
The Psychedelic Furs – June 30, 2010 – Emo’s Austin TX
Jun 30
College Rock, New Wave No Comments
lead singer’s voice is some mix of Peter Murphy and David Bowie which sounds amazing but they’re not – they never particularly struck me in the 1990s and I figured out why once I saw them live some 20 years later – he’s just too happy – lead singer Richard Butler, looking either very old or wasted from years of drugs, wore a little scarf and danced with little glad-hands on the stage – this is not the sort of behavior I want from Peter-Murphy-voiced musicians – I’m being too hard on them though – lots of their songs are evocative of old times – I don’t know their body of work well enough to be critical (been together since the 1970s!) but they also don’t motivate me to find out more – there’s something one toned/bland about their music
She Wants Revenge – June 30, 2010 – Emo’s Austin TX
Jun 30
Modern Rock, New Wave No Comments
I hear mention of this band a lot but didn’t know their material or even their sound – I can’t stand Interpol and they’re definitely in that vein but I could stand them – sleek, dark and shiny – I always imagined them as a bunch of polished young rock stars but they were 2 pleasingly unaverage looking guys – they ought to be ashamed for ripping off Joy Division but I guess that’s the way of the world
The Ponys – May 28, 2010 – Mohawk, Austin TX
May 28
Indie Rock, Psychedelic No Comments
[Chicago, IL] when I hear this band, I hear hugeness, stages, and screaming in my head, and I genuinely thought this band was HUGE – “Double Vision” is one of my favorite songs of the last few years and they sound HUGE and everytime one of their songs come on I think ‘I like this band so much,’ but the crowd was modest and they were just average joes – apparently, this is achieved through the use of voice echoing, distorted guitars, walls of sound, and good musicianship … it’s a little contrived but it’s pretty effective – in person, they’re difficult for me to describe – although I had them classified in my head as garage punk, in person, they made me think of hard shoegaze and indie rock – I don’t know… they were cute and that song inspires me everytime and their sound pleases me immensely even if it’s kind of cheating – I particularly like the guy’s voice and their psychy-pop ethic – plus a female guitarist, always good, and she was appropriately detached and cool without being a hipster at all
A-Frames – May 28, 2010 – Mohawk, Austin TX
May 28
College Rock, Hard Rock, Punk No Comments
[Seattle, WA] so most of the bands tonight ended up being former members of the audience, easily identifiable since the audience started out pretty sparse – this band ended up being the guy next to me who had the shirt I was crushing on (‘No Trends’) and the guy in the ‘NoTV’ shirt – as you might expect, people who don’t believe in trends aren’t necessarily a lot of fun – the music was a distinct departure from everything else, no feedback and no distortion, just clanging slapping-your-face guitar, bass and drums – they intentionally chose notes that didn’t quite fit together and weren’t exactly rhythmic or melodic – more of a marching discordant sound – NoTV was the mid-40s bald-headed singer, and he sang spoken voice a la Henry Rollins – NoTrends was the bassist, proficient, but the theological ringleader from my perspective at least – the band was a cross between Primus and Cake but that’s making them sound better than they were – they were abrasive and unpleasant – so I was all prepared to give this band one of the worst reviews (at least for a group of good musicians) that I have in a long time, until they suddenly changed face and started playing faster and harder and were fantastic – so I conclude that they’re your average intently nihilistic hardcore band, who having aged, can’t turn to country or to writing ballads, so turn to slowed down hardcore that sounds like crap
Jeff the Brotherhood – May 28, 2010 – Mohawk, Austin TX
May 28
Hard Rock, Jam Band No Comments
[Nashville, TN] a skinny boy flouncing around in the audience kept catching my eye because he was wearing ridiculously short retro (80s) basketball shorts with the upcut thigh and an old-school sports tank top – by the time he made it on stage there was a foxtail attached to his shorts – silly boy – so they started their set with silly boy on the ground playing guitar and enthusiastic Bruce-Springsteen-drummer on stage (thrashed his head in time with the drumming throughout the WHOLE of their set) – of course, the crowd was moved by this novel approach but their sound kept the crowd in their grip – it was kind of incredible – so intense and full, it seemed impossible that two people were making it – they were channeling the spirit of Tia Carrera (local psych metal band) but were far more upright and composed – they were, in essence, a garage jam band, but the one you wish you’d been – there was a lot of Black Sabbath riffing but, in the end, I’d classify them as a dark Cheap Trick – I predict that punk-power-pop is the wave of the future
Woven Bones – May 28, 2010 – Mohawk, Austin TX
May 28
Hard Rock, Indie Rock No Comments
[Austin, TX] two skinny guys on guitars and a girl on drums – I enjoyed them but don’t have a lot to say about them – I guess they were garage punk but with shoegaze or noise rock overtones – music was minorly intense but felt simple – the bassist did go into nice groovy finger-intensive leads – what defines them to me is the intensity of their lead singer (on guitar) – he spent 10 minutes telling the sound man to turn up the monitors on the vocals and then harped on it in between songs too – amusingly, intense guy kept turning to the drummer girl to start songs with a 4-3-2-1 whatever and she (supposedly suffering from strep throat) messed it up like three times
Heavy Cream – May 28, 2010 – Mohawk, Austin TX
May 28
Garage Rock, Hard Rock, Punk No Comments
[Nashville, TN] I liked this band, partly because I am a sucker for female bands (there was one guy (on bass?)) – so I kept thinking that they were a mix between riot girrrl music (Babes in Toyland) and retro-garage stuff like the Donnas but finally came to the conclusion that they were basically a total ripoff of The Runaways – the girls, very young, were in high-waisted shorts and ugly 80s ankle-boots – take note, little hipsters
Jerry Lee Lewis – May 8, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 08
Blues, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly No Comments
[Louisiana – he might not live there now but he is forever Louisiana] Oh Jerry – he was the point of this whole weekend (for some of us) – sure I know his hits, but he was never momentous to me – I appreciate his music though and I appreciate his style, especially after weeks of tutelage in his finer moments – so I’m all amped up to see this wild-haired, piano-bench-thrusting guy who made 50s kids writhe like they were possessed, and I’m even prepared for the fact that he has aged since those days, but I wasn’t quite prepared to see a hunch-backed old man helped out onto the stage to sit on his piano bench, where he sat stiffly for the remainder of the show – a lesson in mortality, my friends: age will seriously tame even the wildest of us – where’s his 13-year-old cousin now? – anyway, he actually put on a great show – he can still sing and he can still play – the piano honestly sounded a little muddy to me at times, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen piano, boogie piano at least, live and maybe that’s just the way it sounds – by the late-middle of the show, he was cracking jokes with the audience and telling some rowdy little jokes and it’s clear he’s a man who has enjoyed his time in a serious way – despite that, he has been described as worrying more than other sinners over his post-death fate, what with his fundamentalist religious beginnings (and continuings possibly) which is a pretty fascinating way to have endured through life
The Supersuckers – May 8, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 08
Country, Garage Rock, Punk No Comments
[?] I am a fat sucker for this band despite their silly rockstar posturing – they act like pretentious partiers and play like rockers and it works – it’s the over-the-top tongue-in-cheekness of it that makes it hilarious and then suddenly I’m kind of believing it – even falling for the sexy LA sunglasses at night – plus, like other long-playing bands, they’re just so fast and professional and… tight (I don’t know another word for it) – they totally reminded me of The Hellacopters (I forgot they did last time too) which is such a good good thing – if you’re going to rock, then don’t mess around = garage punk
Rick Trevino – May 8, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 08
Country, Latin, Rock and Roll No Comments
[Texas] this band was all defamed before the show as a pop-country nightmare but they weren’t all that bad – upright quick-paced snare drum country with loads of Latin influence, particularly mariachi brass – none of us really liked him even so – and he won a Grammy too
Matt Hole – May 8, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 08
[Corpus Christi, TX] pretty standard hyped up rockabilly – sure it’s quality but I’ve heard it before and there are new things under the sun after 60 years [I think this review is more a result of my disregard than their musical quality b/c they sound a lot more interesting on myspace tonight than they did that night: psychedelic distortion!]
Buzz Campbell & Hot Rod Lincoln – May 8, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 08
[El Segundo, CA] pretty standard hyped up rockabilly – sure it’s quality but I’ve heard it before and there are new things under the sun after 60 years
Asleep at the Wheel – May 7, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 07
[Austin, TX] so all the young people and the hip people cleared out before this show, leaving the middle-aged and old people and the genuinely cowboy hatted people, and the mildly embarrassed remains of some young or at least younger people – this band is mildly legendary in Austin but pretty much just among the adult contemporary set – I found out at the show that they’d won a Grammy and was prepared to still not be impressed but they were just so polished and pretty, I couldn’t help it – it was kind of country swing but very sophisticated with hints of old-timey jazz – besides being all shiny, the music was complicated with little surprises at every turn and lots of heart – not to mention that I found myself wildly attracted to the lead guy, a mammoth long-legged old mountain-porch of a man – maybe I was being delusional but I recognized both his name (Ray Benson) and him… past lives
Lee Rocker – May 7, 2010 – Revival Fest at The Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 07
College Rock, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly No Comments
[California now] surprisingly probably my favorite show – former bassist of The Stray Cats – he conveniently played some of their stuff and then did a sort of homage to Sun Records’ musicians – while same-old same-old rockabilly bands get tiresome tiresome, hearing his very apt renditions of Stray Cats’ songs reminded me how un-same of a band they were – cool darkness, style, distinctive pacing with the bass lines – they were a great band and he translated that to us all by himself (with a backing band) – and then he reminded me, something I only learned upon moving to Texas, of the pivotal-ness of Sun Records’ musicians, a good lesson for any young person
The Blasters – May 7, 2010 – Revival Fest at Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 07
Country, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly No Comments
[LA, CA] I came into this show all prejudiced because Rockboy (a HUGE fan) links this band back to the 80s LA cowpunk scene and I hear their songs and get disappointed because to me the only thing punk about them is that they hung out with X and Gun Club – you know how people sometimes get confused when they love too much… anyway, their music was as expected, an slightly edgier rockabilly-tinged bluesy country rock with a slightly nutsy lead singer (less famous Alvin brother) – BUT they were just fantastic: guys who have played for so long and so often that they’re astounding simply because they are the definition of tightness – while Alvin was the supposed main attraction in his long red coat, I stared at the bassist and lead guitarist who strummed hard in perfect synchronicity with legs spread, no show, just business – they also had Nick Curran, a local growl-voiced blues singer recovering from tongue cancer, playing with them – he sang one song, his first since treatment, and it was inspiring and heartbreaking all in one
Wayne Hancock – May 7, 2010 – Revival Fest at Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 07
[Austin, TX] retro music bores me more quickly than some of my associates but Wayne was kind of gripping – his voice was so quintessentially twangy and old-timey country, even though he’s not, plus he had an assortment of minor face ticks that kept you watching – very good ‘juke joint swing,’ as he terms it, with lots of Hank Williams in there – will remain forever baffled by the Hawaiian-sounding lap steel accents of country swing music
Two Tons of Steel – May 7, 2010 – Revival Fest at Nutty Brown Cafe, Austin TX
May 07
Country, Rock and Roll No Comments
[San Antonio, TX] we didn’t get to this band ‘til about their last song because of the multitude of logistical problems at this way too expensive little festival – regardless, all of the music was of high caliber – these guys seemed to be pretty standard country rock with some retro overtones – I did appreciate the lead singer’s rock leg kicks and flexibility
Darren Hoff & the Hard Times – April 2010 – Hole in the Wall, Austin TX
Apr 13
Americana, Country, Jam Band, Southern Rock No Comments
former member of The Weary Boys, a band that never impressed me as much as they did the general Austin populace – I wasn’t feeling moved by this incarnation until I realized I really liked them, I did – they’re founded in harmless country rock but there’s just enough Southern rock and jam band posturing to make them just up my alley
Still Time – March 20, 2010 – Flamingo Cantina, Austin TX
Mar 20
Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Jam Band No Comments
[San Luis Obispo, CA] no mystery here: boys in plaid shirts and worn jeans from a coastal California town playing party-time jam band country – I would assume, with my own prejudices and on the basis of the row of fancy guitars that outnumbered the people in the band, that they’re well off kids ‘dropping out’ for a bit before they become well-respected businessmen – they were fine musicians but just ordinary, singing songs about 12-pack time instead of 9 to 5 time – amusing part was the guy, who after dozing on the side of the stage before the show, transformed into the band’s showman, jumping into the crowd and then playing from the balcony… like a wicked evil badass
Royal Bangs – March 20, 2010 – American Youthworks, Austin TX
Mar 20
Electronic, Indie Rock, Modern Rock No Comments
[Knoxville, TN] on my and Rockboy’s lists – it was just too cold to listen properly – they were fine but I was more impressed by WhoMadeWho – this band was similar, electro-rock, but they were more indie and less bombast – this band deserves more listen
WhoMadeWho – March 20, 2010 – American Youthworks, Austin TX
Mar 20
Electronic, Modern Rock No Comments
[Copenhagen, Denmark] it was so fiercely cold, I was out of my mind, but from what I could tell, this band was fantastic – three in-synch dance rocking guys from Denmark – they played hard-driving precise disco rock – they joked when they switched form dance rock to electro rock that they were stepping back a year
The Mighty Stef – March 20, 2010 – The Ale House, Austin TX
Mar 20
College Rock, Modern Rock, Rock and Roll, World Music No Comments
[Dublin, Ireland] average-joe middle-aged guys doing very enjoyable raucous rock that was a mixture of U2 and Irish pub songs
Miss Li – March 20, 2010 – The Driskill Hotel, Austin TX
Mar 20
Blues, Jazz, Modern Rock, Pop No Comments
[Stockholm, Sweden] out of all of the many female-vocalist semi-retro bands we saw (thanks to the Rockboy), this was my favorite – Miss Li had a genuine edge and sang creatively and enthusiastically while pounding on her little keyboard – she didn’t seem like she was acting but like she was really just that passionate and that much fun – they’re really less retro revival and more indie pop inspired by retro jazz and blues – she was backed by a guitar, drums, a sax (I think?) and an upright bass, but we particularly enjoyed the two very Swedish looking gents – oddly, we’d tried to see her earlier at an outside stage, even willing to brave ridiculous 40 degree weather, and been told she’d gone home due to the weather
Rye Rye – March 20, 2010 – Peckerhead’s, Austin TX
Mar 20
[Baltimore, MD] I wanted to see her badly because she’s 1) a female rapper, 2) from Baltimore, home to Spank Rock and The Wire (I know), and 3) features M.I.A. in several songs – the last reason was the only one that convinced Rockboy to join me – so her DJ was too repetitive and simple to compare her to M.I.A. but she was fast and cute – hard dance rap as you’d expect from Baltimore – best part was the two matching MALE dancers flanking her all elbows out and knees up, seemed more inspired by traditional African dancing (super sped up) than hip-hop dancing – really liked the dancing – the 2nd floor bar was filled to capacity but with everybody crowded into 1/2 of the bar to see the 2nd stage – when the floor started bending and shaking, Rockboy and I made plans to save ourselves by jumping on the bar when the floor collapsed
The Magic Kids – March 20, 2010 – Beerland, Austin TX
Mar 20
[Memphis, TN] thin graceful boys singing that looked like magical kids singing saccharine sweet happy pop – reminded me of 60s jangle pop and the 60s in general – they were pretty good and a nice change from the same-old indie sounds – lead singer had a jean jacket with ‘Punk and his hunx’ painted on the back
Girl in a Coma – March 19, 2010 – Buffalo Billiards, Austin TX
Mar 19
Hard Rock, Modern Rock, Punk No Comments
[San Antonio, TX] this was honestly the one show I felt ‘dragged to’ by Rockboy but it ended up being a top show – I am officially in love with the gorgeous Latina tattooed lead singer – I figured this out because she referenced him, but I think her voice is totally influenced by Jeff Buckley, both edgy power vocalists with lots of emotion – they’re an indescribable girl rock band – there’s pop punk in there, latin rock, and just plain hard rock – the bands you adore but can’t sum up quickly are bands that are going to endure– upon further research, the drummer is the lead singer’s sister and the guitarist is the drummer’s lover – because they’ve got the musical talent, the stage presence, the creativity, and the street cred that makes you wonder about them, they’ve opened for a lot and lot of verifiably huge bands – she referenced Jefferson High in a song and I fantasized that it was a poor inner city school but it’s a fine arts magnet school, which.. is.. fine.. – lastly, a woman whose name was indistinguishable to us at first, came up to accompany them on The Runaways “Cherry Bomb” – come to find out, it was a former member of The Runaways, Cherie Currie, which was exciting
Red Bacteria Vacuum – March 19, 2010 – Elysium, Austin TX
Mar 19
Hard Rock, Punk, Thrash No Comments
[Japan] top show – these girls, as go the Japanese, rocked hard and loud, but with verve and style and depth – the music would stop and shift up or down and then left or right – the vocals went from romantic gothic wailing to screamo screaming – dead ringers for Babes in Toyland which is a beautiful thing – amusing part was that they rocked smart and hard in little mono-colored t-shirts and crisp bobs – I adore this band
Mr. Sicc – March 19, 2010 – Club 115, Austin TX
Mar 19
[Auckland, New Zealand] after being rejected from the Band of Horses show, I wandered off into stranger lands where New Zealanders are gangster and hard – so Mr. Sicc is a rosy cheeked rotund boy in a baggy clothes, tattooes and cap – his rapping was spot on hardcore except for when he’d break to blush and talk to the crowd – when the crowd (of 20) didn’t pick up on chanting “Mr. Sicc” quickly enough, he took a break to explain, kindly, that in his country he is actually one of the top 3 rappers – I heard once that people who don’t ride horses or herd cows ought not sing country and maybe people who aren’t growing up in American ghettoes ought not sing hardcore rap…. but I guess these terms have been violated across all realms of music
Sex With Strangers – March 19, 2010 – Jaime’s, Austin TX
Mar 19
Electronic, Indie Rock No Comments
[Vancouver, Canada] this show was so hilarious I could hardly stand it and it wasn’t even intentional but a perfect storm of the setting and the band and the audience… – so I had this band listed as a mid-level possible show from my research but we decided to go because Rockboy had heard that SPIN listed them as 1 of 7 top unheard bands… and because we were exhausted and it was close to where we were – so it’s the worst venue ever, a little alcove in a crappy Mexican restaurant with timid waitresses crossing right in front of the stage throughout the entire set – the first audience members to arrive were two pre-pubescent boys who were totally subdued but clearly thrilled to be at a rock show – they tried to stand as coolly as they could which amounted to being totally stiff and uncomfortable except for when they’d shake their heads to shag out the hair as 00s middle school boys do – the band was unremarkable looking except that the female co-vocalist had crazy curls and a cute little body and an obviously fun attitude AND the lead singer was a dead ringer for Jack Black – he was genuinely funny, talking to the crowd with his little Canadian accent and apologizing for the band’s drunkenness – the band sounded like a pretty decent version of The Faint and a frumpy stocky jokey guy fronting them was just an incongruous fit: he’d switch from stomping his feet and hopping around with his voice altered into a robot’s voice to telling us stories about beavers from Canada – plus, being drunkish and all on Texas margaritas, he’d step into the ‘crowd’ of 10 people and sing in their faces or follow the waitresses around – he was so cute and harmless, it was like a family mixer instead of a rock show – when he stomped up right in front of the 2 boys, they did their best to look unmoved even though it was clear they were simultaneously horrified and thrilled – when he danced in front of the mid-teen emo-girl, she totally lost it and actually broke her aloofness to giggle – when he danced after the waitresses, they screamed a little and hurried faster on their way – when he strayed into the rooms of the restaurant where people were eating, he was totally ignored and returned to the stage a little defeated – his antics (and the great music) eventually drew a crowd of 15-20 people but it seemed to be people who’d been dining there for the most part – but suddenly everybody was dancing including the kid with flip flops and a backpack on and the curly haired girl with a military jacket and the sweet laughing woman with her boyfriend – at one point, he had to yell at his bandmate who had joined the dancing crowd, “Hey, you’re in the band, remember?!” – so, in sum, I say listen to this band, but recorded rather than live, because otherwise you’ll just laugh
