May 08
DaraBlues, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly
[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
May 07
DaraAmericana, Jazz
[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
May 07
DaraCollege Rock, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Rockabilly
[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
May 07
DaraCountry, Swing
[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
Mar 20
DaraBlues, Jazz, Modern Rock, Pop
[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
Mar 19
DaraBlues, Jazz, Performance
[Durham, NC] a top show – their album is called ‘Genuine Negro Jigs’ and that’s a pretty perfect description – this show was being broadcast live over a radio station in Chicago – the formal setting of chairs and big cameras and big lights might have made them uncomfortable because all three sat stiff and unsmiling while they were waiting to play – they came alive with a vengeance once they started to play, adding dancing and facial expressions and stories to the music – ended up being an incredibly charismatic band – in addition to encompassing all artistic aspects of the music, they embrace it anthropologically, which is transmitted to the crowd with little spoken bits in between each song – they alternated through finger clackers, dobros, banjos, fiddles, a jug and a kazoo – they encouraged the audience to sing along to their first song ‘Don’t Get Troubled in Your Mind’ – they got their next song ‘Georgia Buck’ from Joe Thompson, an old guy who taught them a lot of what they know – they switched into early jazz with Papa Charlie Jackson’s ‘Your Baby Ain’t Sweet Like Mine’ – highlights: 1) ‘the jug solo’ as Rockboy called it, 2) Rhiannon’s barefoot tap-style dancing, and 3) realizing the kazoo is responsible for that wacky old-timey vaudeville sound
Mar 18
DaraJazz, Prog Rock, World Music
[Los Angeles, CA] this band was at the top of both Rockboy and my’s list and we were not let down – traditional Cambodian pop vocals backed by psychedelic jazz rock – a great concept well executed by a very appealing band – I was especially a fan of the extremely tall man on bass guitar and the long-bearded man on guitar – the band had a charming air of authenticity and exotic mystery, with the men dressed like shabby serious musicians and the little lead singer in a cheesy but quaint Vegas call girl outfit: short black dress and black stilettos, both of which had diamondy attachments – they even managed to make throwing piles of glitter during key points of songs genuine and naïve rather than contrived
Mar 17
DaraJazz, Pop, Swing
[Sydney, Australia] a sassy vixen with a big red flower in her big blonde waves – she sang with the attitude of Amy Winehouse and the voice of Macy Gray and she danced like a little jogging train throughout the whole show – her backing band was sort of special, incorporating little jazzy bits
Jan 25
DaraCountry, Rockabilly, Swing
a fine boss-girl of a lead singer in her red dress with zig-zagging fringes and scattered arm tattoos – in addition to her solid version of low-toned female rockabilly vocalizing, she handled DJ responsibilities in between sets – the band was completed by an upright bass guitarist, drummer, and lead guitarist – some covers, old country, rockabilly, swing; and then a song where the vocalist left and the musicianship was turned up and it was very exciting psychosurf; and then our personal finale was a song that started like the Flipper song with “HA HA HA HA HO HO HO…” lyrics, was dedicated as “The Laughing Song” to the upright guitarist’s “partner,” and has been determined by the wonderous Google to be a The Residents song of the same name that is described as sounding like The Flipper song – it must be noted that the venue was satisfyingly swanky rock club and the environment on their ‘Swing Night’ was earnest, clean dance devotion with a crowd of youngsters, hipsters, oldsters alike
Sep 09
DaraAmericana, Bluegrass, Country, Jazz, Swing
the more that I understand the sound of Texas swing, the more I appreciate this band – they elaborate on the sound and play intelligently and creatively – always based in country but sometimes leaning more toward the bluegrass then toward a solid swing song and then a waltz and then almost jazzy – they’re very good musicians and make the song their own while maintaining its integrity – Jeremy, the lead singer’s, voice might not be remarkable but what is remarkable is his deft management of the band and dedication to the music he loves
Jan 23
AndrewJazz
A jazzy five-man jam band with funk tendencies, Persian Blue played the opening set at Johnny D’s on a Friday night. Their set started flat but picked up with the addition of vocalist Nina Evans, and from then on, the group put on a sizzling, energetic performance. The tempo definitely picked up when Evans stood in front of the mic, but to their credit, the guys kept it going through a number of substantial jams. Fronted by Shah Hadjebi, Persian Blue is one part guitar, one part bass, one part drums, one part keyboard, and then there is the guy that plays everything else. They closed with a version of No Doubt’s Hella Good that was in some respects better than the original.
Aug 14
DaraArt Rock, Jazz
rock-jazz, very good, upright bass – trumpet – sax – guitar – drums – they had it all plus a female drummer, anti-pop but not abrasive, diverse songs and sounds, the type of band whose album wouldn’t get boring since there’s a lot to pay attention to
May 02
DaraArt Rock, Jazz, New Wave
great: intense and interesting, jazz art rock, tangential rock with lead vocalist playing the sax at times, got a little more direct as they kept playing, Rockboy described as the real New Wave before it became pop
Mar 14
DaraCabaret, Gypsy, Jazz
the fantasmous band, all hoppy and Charlestony with the 7 foot man in short pants as their lead singer, they’re not meant to play outside – better in an old bar with wooden floors!
Mar 14
DaraArt Rock, Goth, Jazz
mix of Tom Waits and Nice Cave; Rockboy hears Jim Morrison in the singer’s voice, I hear sex in the singer’s voice: incredibly literate with a wry humor and ‘subtle’ neck tattoo; lead vocalist was dressed like a hobo and the rest were loungey in sharp clothes and sunglasses; drums, guitar, bass, guitar, percussion, saxophone, keyboard; nice and dark
Mar 05
DaraAmericana, Jazz, Texas Blues
Burton on pedal steel and singing – young hipster too self conscious to seem comfortable singing old Texas swing songs, rest of the band is a conglomerate of people from other bands in the Austin swing scene
Feb 28
DaraBluegrass, Country, Jazz
Rockboy was all enthused about this band now that he is officially a member of the anything-rootsy scene in Austin, I was bored silly by this band initially – western swing but it sounded like lounge music to me, and lounge music basically takes good songs and sucks the character out of them, BUT as the set went on for hours they went into their bluegrass selections and some moody wailers and the three are the fantastic musicians that they are purported to be: French jazz guitar, Elana James as lead vocalist and fiddler and then the thumpiest upright bass player I’d ever seen (he seemed to bounce his hand as he slapped so getting more out of each motion), the drummer is not always with them and did not seem to be having as good of a time as the rest of them, Rockboy heard about them through Shotgun Party connections and though Elana sometimes sings in a similarly old-timey cute girl fashion her voice is no match for her violin playing or Shotgun’s voice, the happy hour bands at The Continental are generally high quality, they’re heading out for a three week tour in Australia next week
Feb 14
DaraCabaret, Country, Jazz, Latin
so good that I was in continuous state of body prickles and it wasn’t only because of the horror of the previous band, one of the most charming and engaging bands I have seen in a long time, in large part due to the charismatic lead singer – a pug girl with a shock of blonde hair and a puppy dog enthusiasm and energy, she sang in an old-timey cutesy voice – kind of playful but high high quality, she verged on insane – jaw bracing, eyes darting – and I kept waiting to see a dark side but she maintained this tremendous aura of joy and quirkiness before, during and after her set, she also played guitar, the violinist was fantastic – a wispy near-severe former gothic woman in a red satin dress and ripped arms – purportedly one of the best in town, the positive interaction between the lead singer and the upright bass player when leaning in to share the microphone also built the appeal of a band that enjoys each other and enjoys what they’re doing, mostly old-timey swinging jazz and country songs, cute lyrics, one Spanish guitar song, one more modern-sounding song that reminded me of CocoRosie, the girl has it is my point
Jan 31
DaraJazz
an unnamed banjo player opened (Carousel Lounge…) – a shabby fellow totally entranced with himself – actually played several rootsy instruments, was really excited to see Bee vs. Moth because described as ska, post-punk, jazz, etc. but after being two hours late they were definitely more jazz than the two former, I didn’t stay for the majority of the show so may be an unfair judgment, they were a hopped up Miles Davis, very freeform, assume they’re good musicians, need to see again
Jan 31
DaraCountry, Folk, Gypsy, Jazz, Singer/Songwriter, Surf Rock
this is not who played (Carousel Lounge!), was a lone middle-aged cowboy with a posse of three young girls and more of a moody rock aura than country, struck me as a singer/songwriter whose songs you know are good if only he had a band backing him and somebody who could sing except that he could sing, he had an unimposing scruffy whining voice, especially liked him because he incorporated so many sounds: jazz, country, swing, rock, gypsy, surf, his rebel songs were kind of embarrassing because I just didn’t buy it
Jan 16
DaraJazz
three Hawaiian-shirted guys and one obnoxious self-obsessed gypsy girl, big tatted upright bass for a tatted man, pedal steel (theme of the night), mini guitar for the gypsy girl, steel-plated guitar, jangly Hawaiian jazz swing, pretttty basic but I guess that’s the point, did one super fast song that was impressive, in the end the gypsy girl had a nice voice to complement the male vocalist, kept making me think of those old movies…
Nov 18
DaraJazz
so incredibly young, very good musicians, gypsy jazz to swing jazz, female vocal lead playing violin/fiddle, excellent little drummer, upright bass, several guitarists
Sep 16
DaraAmericana, Jazz
solid Texas swing, rockabilly kid in a pale blue shirt does the classic vocalizing and keyboard, brought up a woman to vocalize as well, pleasant family atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon kind of music
Jul 15
DaraJazz
one of the five bands that my upstairs Neighbor plays with, was surprised to be liking it as much as I did b/c expected zydeco but Neighbor clarified that it’s traditional Cajun music rather than zydeco, he said that zydeco has traditionally been black music but that whites are opening their arms to it, all the guys are from Louisiana, there was Neighbor on drums, two on guitars and one on accordion, they sang in a French that sounded different – Neighbor said it was because it was Cajun, little kids loved them and were moved to dance – Neighbor said that bands with syncopation move the kids to dance but can’t watch them or you lost your rhythm, it was a very happy environment
Jul 13
DaraAmericana, Jazz
three guys and one thumping on an upright bass, pleasing, reminded me of The Weary Boys and South Austin Jug Band, old men in young bodies in the end
Aug 11
DaraAmericana, Jazz
honky tonk – we tried to define it apart from country and came up with twangy guitar, pedal steel guitar, Hawaiian guitar sounds (I say), and traditional uptight singing, I don’t much like the style but it strikes much nostalgia in Rockboy
Apr 15
DaraAmbient, Jazz, Modern Rock
free acoustic show that we had to arrive two hours early for, buzz made it exciting but the show was quite good, they were a little weird to me, homey . . . well acoustic I guess, bland lead singer with average voice, what was very special about them was their trumpets and the songs that were black Spanish magic
Apr 08
DaraCollege Rock, Jazz, Singer/Songwriter
very full-of-himself youth in loose-fitting jeans, button down and barefeet, jazz lounge covers of 80s soft rock, some “intelligent” rap bits a la Slug, really annoying guy
Mar 22
DaraJazz, Prog Rock
Girl Friend’s illicit beau, jazz crossed with prog rock, lots of covers, good musicians but jazz doesn’t do it for me generally and this was extremely noodly, they were better than I’m making out
Jan 06
DaraJazz
really great, that whiny girl voice vaudeville music that I imagine being on the streets of New York during the days of the flappers
Dec 30
DaraBlues, Industrial, Jazz
either I really like Tom Waits or really like this band
Dec 10
DaraJazz, Rockabilly
fantastic rockabilly loungey female vocalist, Rockboy developed immediate crush and made her his icon
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