May 28
DaraCollege Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
[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
May 28
DaraGarage Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
[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
May 08
DaraCountry, Garage Rock, Punk
[?] 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
Mar 19
DaraHard Rock, Modern Rock, Punk
[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
Mar 19
DaraHard Rock, Punk, Thrash
[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
Mar 19
DaraModern Rock, Punk, Thrash
[Japan] I think rock must be a required class for elementary students in Japan because the Japanese bands are always tight as hell and hard, including the girls, the tiny little girls – so this was another band of tiny hot Japanese girls who shredded like men – they were great but nothing inventive or remarkable
Mar 19
DaraArena Rock, Pop, Punk, Rock and Roll
[New Orleans, LA] a band Rockboy discovered in SXSW research that led us to Jay Reatard’s tribute – they were described as an inspiration for Jay in the little pamphlet memorializing him – they were not Reatard-punk but totally illuminated his sound – they were perfect power pop with a punk edge and I mean perfect – they were a terrific band – the lead singer was a non-shirt wearing sweaty large man and it didn’t even matter – they were loud and fast and hard but had perfect melodies and lyrics and hooks – a top show
Mar 19
DaraPunk, Rock and Roll
[Tempe, AZ] a rosy light was cast over the whole day when we chanced upon a Jay Reatard tribute because of a band Rockboy wanted to see – this band was verbatim Reatard-punk (I’m making it an official genre to save energy) and thus very good – supposedly one of their members was also in Lost Sounds (my favorite Jay band) and Destruction Unit (a band Jay produced) and is also a member of Tokyo Electron
Mar 19
DaraPop, Punk
[Richmond, VA] all I wanted to do was see The XX but somehow everything was a mess and I was watching some slick emo band – I appreciated their musical prowess and their confidence but just not my style – the best part was the free Taco Bell tacos offered by women walking around with them in original wrappers on upheld trays – a lame but tasty attempt by this venue trying hard to pretend it was elite
Mar 18
DaraPunk, Rock and Roll
[Yahama, Nebraska though I swear he used to be from Arizona] this was very confusing as the band sounded nothing like what I knew and loved by Digital Leather but sounded all like Jay Reatard, even down to the singer never revealing his face what for the hair in his face – only difference was his voice wasn’t as schizophrenic as Jay’s – then I remembered Jay Reatard produced Digital Leather – this was the beginning of a string of Reatard-themed events – I know their original material was pretty explicitly homosexual and I think the bassist and guitarist kissed mid-song but there was no reaction in the crowd so maybe I was hallucinating
Mar 18
DaraHard Rock, Punk, Rock and Roll, Southern Rock
[Nashville, TN] hard tight punk ‘n’ roll with a swampy influence – great
Mar 17
DaraGarage Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
[Los Angeles, CA] I found them through internet radio stations (“Action” and “The Split”) and was pretty excited to see their show – it was immediately apparent that the five guys milling around in long lean black jeans and black pointed boots and black shirts were “The Lords” – their dress code was simultaneously hilariously and effective – as was their music… sleazy fast garage punk with big-drama vocals… love them – Rockboy heard the Fuzztones in them and it was (sketchily) confirmed that there is a former member of both The Fuzztones and MC5 amongst The Lords – and, the sullen girl on the sideline with long black hair and long black boots and a long black coat jumping to stay warm transformed into a jumping go-go dancer with tremendous breasts only restrained by a black bikini once The Lords got on stage
Mar 17
DaraElectronic, Punk, Rap
[Philadelphia, PA] – two white guys with a very East coast working class look – I thought that they were going to be rappers but ended up being some weird amalgam of punk, electronica and hip-hop – the frenzied audience seemed to already know them – didn’t quite like them but they were interesting
Mar 17
DaraPunk, Thrash
[Japanese but now in New York] purportedly the one band that gets asked back to SXSW year after year – because of their hilarious inventive crazy shows that gets even the cool guys to smile – there’s red Peelander, green Peelander and yellow Peelander all from the land of Peelander – there was also one sad little Peelander in a black suit hidden behind a speaker playing the lead guitar, I guess he didn’t fit the dress code – so they crowd surf, hold up signs with stupid lyrics, make the audience dance in a snake line with them, use band members to bowl, and generally create a legend – they made all of the Mikes in the audience get on the stage and hold a sign that said Mike above their heads for the song about how there’s too many Mikes – there were audience members on stage as often as they were down on the ground with the crowd – and beyond all that, they play well: fast punk
Dec 09
DaraGarage Rock, Hard Rock, Punk, Thrash
There really is no other musician who has mattered more than Jay Reatard in the last couple of years. I realize I may say this more often than I should, but for Jay Reatard, it’s the truth. He reins in diverse aspects of rock into a sound that is all his own, a sound that encapsulates the fury and angst of frustrated youth. I envision him as a troubled prodigy who can’t start enough bands to keep himself sated. His Lost Sounds material is what changed my world, but this night he played his solo material which is similar but less synthy and gothic. A barrage of raw garage punk. Unceasingly intense. Which could have been a boring annoying wall of sound, except that his material is also finely crafted and well executed. The sound was not what you would call crisp or tight, but it didn’t displease me. The show ended with two audience members jumping on stage and attacking him. Rather than an amusing band antic, it was disturbing and upsetting. Rockboy maintains it was staged, but I maintain that PMS and Jay Reatard being attacked do not go well together.
Oct 30
DaraNew Wave, Punk
for some reason, I remembered this band as sounding like The Slits but they don’t and they didn’t so I can get over that disappointment – they’re pop punk at best and 90s pop alt-rock at their worst – they’re from Australia – they’re not bad but get tiresome, especially with the lead singer’s need to constantly promote her personal image of a life-embracing free-spirit hippie-punk – although I did enjoy her description of having to clench her vagina to hold on while sitting on the shoulders of one of the audience members – is Australia more sexually liberal than the US? – she rode the shoulders of this white Mr. T in order to swirl her ribbon in the middle of the crowd in burner fashion – the awkward Mr. T was forthwith smitten and the most engaged member of the audience and the first to the merch table after the show – otherwise she was all pretty smiles and engaging friendly banter – of the same school as all of the bands that have ‘clap’ in their titles and the joyous-thrash neo-new-wave bands – her jumpy performance made it clear why they opened for The Go! Team the first time I saw them – the more moderately happy guitarist did an impressive and thorough job with the soundcheck, I thought – there was a bearded keyboardist – my favorite though is the drummer: she’s a little awkward curly haired school girl with round eyes and when she gets going on the drums, her eyes glaze over and she smiles vaguely at nothing like a bobblehead
Oct 28
DaraHeavy Metal, Punk
totally chanced upon this show and were surprised it wasn’t more hyped and more crowded – I had a clear vision of the lead singer of the Dead Kennedys since I was a girl and Jello was not that man – he is a middle-aged tubby slightly flamboyant (although straight per google) loud opinionated man – this is his new band and I don’t know how extensively they tour or if they even put out CDs – they were great – I heard punk-metal but Rockboy insists just hardcore punk – although he leapt around the stage like an angry fairy, he was backed by two scary-and-mean-looking metalhead-type guitarists, 1 stoner boy guitarist, and a drummer – the songs were prefaced and followed by political ranting from Jello – most of the songs were also explicit references to political issues close to Jello’s heart or residence, such as working in the dot.com industry in northern California – I don’t like songs that deal with such specific political issues, not timeless and kind of cheesy for some reason – Jello came out in a weird pinkish sack of a jacket but removed it to reveal a shirt made from an upside-down American flag and removed that to reveal a black t-shirt and removed that to reveal his 50-year-old belly – he’s an astonishing performer – in addition to bounding around the stage and singing ferociously in his unmistakable theatrical voice, his face was constantly contorting to further get his message across and he was a remarkably good mime – I wasn’t always sure what he was acting out but it was precise – a unique performance – when they finally played “California Uber Alles” and “Holiday in Cambodia,” it was very very exciting
Oct 28
DaraBluegrass, Folk, Punk, World Music
I loved this show and so did the crowd –I think this band is basically the foundation for slam-grass and the gypsy punk movement – impossible not to dance to a rowdy accordion – and then the old Irish ballads communicate a sense of warmth and companionship – although not always the vocalist, Shane McGowan was the center of the show – the band wouldn’t be half as interesting without his slurred snarling vocals – having just watched the movie biography of his life (Should I Fall From Grace), I was firstly amazed that they were charging so much to see a man who was such a high liability for not showing up or not being able to perform and secondly felt a kinship with him like I kind of knew him – I figured he must have sobered up if they were touring like this – not a bit – his spoken words were so unintelligible (partly because of his accent but mostly because of intoxication) that a band member would translate what he was saying for the audience – funny and horrifying all at the same time – like the irresistible draw of looking at a car wreck – he frequently left the stage between songs and progressively relied more on the microphone to hold him up – despite all of that, his singing was mostly on target–it was disturbing or touching that his band members accommodate him as he is so that he can perform and that his fans almost celebrate his self-destruction – part of his mystique – oh and he’d gotten his first set of false teeth recently but didn’t wear them to perform…. someone said the movie about his life should be shown to kids to terrify them into sobriety – “hghgthzzz” as Shawn would say
Oct 16
DaraGarage Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
a motley crue for sure and Austin no-names but I thought they were great – a happy-dad keyboardist, a stringy haired lurching ex-hippie lead singer, a punk kid on bass guitar and a slick-guy drummer (smelled like a ‘session drummer’ to Rockboy) – their music reflected these disparate influences – some blend of a garagey, punky, post-punky rock – lots of energy too
Aug 15
DaraPunk
old curmudgeon of a lead singer yelled at the crowd halfway through the first song, something about tossing stuff on stage – crowd wasn’t deterred and continued to mosh properly – mix of 70s punk that I really like (“I Love Livin’ in the City”) and frat-punk that I really dislike (“More Beer”) – the heat was ridiculous and I was in inappropriate shoes: lost the energy to analyze and remember but, as far as I remember, they were good
Aug 15
DaraPunk, Surf Rock
can’t go wrong blending surf into punk
Aug 15
DaraPunk
relatively clean cut older guys – looked and sounded so California that I was awash in homesickness – reminded me very much of Offspring though maybe more skatepunk – made the huge mistake of never playing the song I love by them, “Gutters of Paradise,” the lyrics of which express the punk ethic that I most appreciate
Jul 21
DaraAlt-Country, College Rock, Hard Rock, Punk
sported the polish and confidence of a band who has performed for years and years – almost want to write them off as silly party boys but they managed to pull off sunglasses at night, coordinated movements, and holding the guitar up for the audience to worship because they are sincere in their worship of rock and because they can back it up with some really good music – very nearly 3 separate bands within one: they had very tight garage punk songs that were distinguished by short punctuated segments a la The Hellacopters, they had songs that were spot-on expressions of the nichey genre ‘punk n’ roll,’ and they have their country a la Cracker – lots of wah wah pedal too – they’re fun for the whole music family
Jun 07
DaraBlues, Glam, Punk, Rock and Roll
an accessible mix of post-punk, blues rock, glam, and punk n roll sounds but in reality proto-punk which makes them even more amazing: the sounds are rightfully theirs – basically a genuine classic old-school rock band insofar as the music, the talent, the stage presence and the look, especially Mick-Jagger’s-doppelganger David Johansen singing in his frilly shirt – only other original member of the band was Sylvain Sylvain in a little salmon-colored beret (he charmingly joined Black Joe on stage) – my favorite might have been the heavily eyelinered goth-esque guy on bass guitar who was wearing an incongruent pinstriped shirt and black vest and baseball cap (?) – enjoyed the lack of pretension and posturing – “Stranded in the Jungle,” “Personality Crisis,” original version of “Trash” followed by a reggae version of it
May 27
AndrewHard Rock, Punk
A supposedly “joke” band, the Bozos were fronted by a straight shirtless guy. The music was more Top Gun than anything, it sounded good and looked good but it was obvious this wasn’t a real band. They headlined for the Burnt Fur on purpose, I heard.
Entertaining but who was left to care.
May 22
DaraHard Rock, Punk
Apparently the boy band of punk bands. I was pretty excited for this show for no good reason except I adore “Baby, Baby” and their general take on punk – popped up in the friendly hard rock way – melodified – complexified – hate the emo. When the frat boys’ girlfriends started yelling for “Baby, Baby” I was shamed and had to tame my clapping. But in truth, they were definitively solid and had a wide range of styles. I was surprised at first at how hard they were – but they do have a history of opening for a variety of 70s punk bands, such as Sex Pistols, etc., etc. Plus they’ve been a band for as long as I’ve been alive, just exactly, which is unimaginable: impressive, worrisome. So being a band for 32 years results in impeccable tightness, record-quality polish, and the problem of having to not look bored to death with playing the same songs you’ve played for 30 plus years. They did good. They were enthusiastic and obviously chose the right career path for themselves. The drummer was ignorant and sticking his tongue out at the crowd like a silly pervert – original member of the band. The lead guitarist was not an original member – he was technically good but had a suburban-man-mowing-the-lawn outfit on – fine fine. The lead singer/guitarist was the core of the band but when I realized he was a walking skeleton, I was torn between oh-this-is-real and oh-poor-man. He’s clearly a man easily persuaded by fads – he might as well have been Scott Weiland in his overwrought attempt to stay current and punk. They went from hardcore punk to Oi-ish punk to just hard rock. The crowd was insane but it was basically a pack of extremely drunk cotton-t-shirt boys. Oh, and they were thoroughly British which is always charming. Austin is undergoing the mini punk festival, Chaos in Tejas, and these classic fellows were not included, which made me wary of them, but I think I was lucky to see them, even if they don’t discriminate against melody. Highlights were “Baby, Baby” AND when they covered The Members’ “The Sound of the Suburbs.”
May 22
DaraPunk
… have lost all hearing in the right ear, except that the sound of my air conditioning hurts – I thought my mind was zapping every time there was a screech because I was tired but it appears that my suspicion that the sound was off was correct. Must start wearing earplugs like the old rockers. Despite this, the band was fantastic. It was odd at first because the lead singer was my pizza man – I watched him vacantly shovel pizzas into the oven last night as a matter of fact. The man was transformed. He was a dynamo of punk passion. A solid column of fury and energy. This band had beers, shoes, etc. flying halfway through their set. They’re really good. Maybe I haven’t seen music in too long but they’re my favorite Austin punk band now. They’re hard but in no way boring or repetitive. Both guitarists were excellent – fingers flying – and the music was complex – touches of post-punk. But predominantly hardcore punk in attitude and overtone. Oh and to top it off the lead singer (my pizza man) and the lead guitarist obviously adored each other – and this would have been apparent even if they hadn’t kissed mid-set. I always enjoy a band that enjoys each other. Lastly, his coworkers, including my pizza-man-crush, were in attendance to support.
May 21
DaraGypsy, Punk, World Music
Austin’s own Man Man. I came specifically to see this band, whom I’d always remembered from a chance sighting at an Eastside art show years ago. And they’ve grown from a ramshackle three-man band to an organized orchestrated eight-member-band (accordion, washboard, guitar, drums, upright bass, trumpet, clarinet, and violin). A motley crue in a good way. Definitive gypsy punk with some touches of Irish bar ballads. Irresistibly danceable. Their energy and showmanship is coupled with genuine musical talent – the music was accompanied by yells, yodels and jigs from the band members. The best moments were the clarinet player tooting an upswung clarinet with left hand while pumping his right hand, the washboard solo, covering a The Bike Band song when half of the members of The Bike Band were in this band, and the accordion player calling out some scientific word to describe them playing a new song they hadn’t played before. They have the potential to be an Austin favorite for me if they don’t disband because of other interests.
May 21
DaraFolk, Gypsy, Jam Band, Punk
I was annoyed at first with their youthful self-important casual-hipster postering. They were basically gypsy-punk-lite with a folky-campfire bent. If they were being serious, they started the band when they were biking to Mexico and Canada together and “are still friends.” The vocalizing and music was intentionally messy but the 8-band-member choruses were engaging. I was especially charmed that their second song was “Daisy, daisy, give me your answer true…” Some of the band members were of questionable talent (spoon guy), but some had former band geek potential.
Mar 21
DaraDance, Heavy Metal, Punk
so tight and hard, they almost approached math metal – in addition to this, they were distinguished by their ‘fun’ take on the whole serious rock/metal thing: they started with a “dance party” that really made you want to dance and had audience participation which is atypical for this sort of music – eventually played songs that approximated rockabilly/metal if there’s such a thing – would call them dancepunk if hard-pressed – I keep wondering why there was so many Japanese bands at SXSW? Or was this just a Dara experience? – this was one of my favorite shows at SXSW and I was moved DESPITE extreme weariness
Mar 21
DaraPop, Punk
really bad Japanese punk-pop, dull as all get out
Mar 21
DaraDance, Pop, Punk
the show I won’t forget – I recognized their name but knew nothing of them – first and only band who was actually introduced by a SXSW official (I guess) – he said that they were the only band who was asked to return to SXSW because they “bring it” when they perform – top-notch showmen with costumes, stunts, antics, acrobatics, lame jokes, and general insanity – and then they made me think, why do all of these bands NOT put more effort into their shows!!?! – they bill themselves as comic punks in their fluorescent spandex outfits – the guitarists were guys and we thought the drummer was a girl (either way s/he was adorable with spunky grin throughout the show) – they climbed on top of their speakers, into the 2nd floor crowd, on top of the tarp covering the 1st floor crowd – they flashed cardboard signs that said “healthy,” “steak,” and just nonsense – everything they said in their Japanese accents was nearly unintelligible – they created a bowling alley in the middle of the crowd with their bodies as the ball and the pins – this all would have begun to annoy me if they didn’t also have the music but they did – it was this insanely tight, intense dance punk, actually similar to other Japanese rock bands at SXSW
Older Entries
Twitter
Facebook
RSS
