Nov 14
DaraHeavy Metal, Prog Rock
I might enjoy a little speed metal every now and then, but never ever never drama-metal – theatre geeks gone thrash – ech… soaring vocals and undertones… – what did fascinate me about this band was their synchronized head-banging… the long hair of all 4 guys incessantly swirling in simultaneous circles – it’s got to affect their musicianship – and I kept wondering what an uninitiated person would think of the whole scene – it’s pretty strange what sorts of behaviors we come to accept as normal
Oct 26
DaraA cappella, Art Rock, New Wave, Prog Rock, Thrash
complex and sophisticated music that was possibly based in Afro-pop or new wave but verged into prog rock – absolutely inventive – lead vocalist/guitarist communicated musical genius to me and I fancy he wrote the songs and what with his crazy guitar skills he couldn’t help but throw a little prog into the music – his voice was also very good… something between Antony and the Johnsons and Elvis Costello and Paul Simon – he was usually accompanied by three female backing vocalists who created a fabric of sweet noises that went from an ethereal drone to a’cappella to screaming – sometimes they would juxtapose their harmonizing almost in a beat boxing fashion so that it created a synthy sound which was amazing – departures from the general sound included the beginning of the set in which the lead guy used an electric guitar in a singer/songwriter style, when he accompanied the black-haired female vocalist in a very pretty jazz vocal, when the entire band would bend over at the waist and incongruously thrash to finish a song (just made me giggle), when the bass guitarist brought out an upright bass which added a jazz feel again to the music, and when the blonde female vocalist took over the stage in a liltingly funky M.I.A.-like song – in other amusing sidenotes, the band generally engaged in anti-cool posturing with the lead guy wearing two massive cardigans, the bass guitarist in an old-school sweatshirt that had some witty saying on it that I forget now, the black-haired vocalist in a plain black t-shirt with a little necklace, etc. etc. – there was also a drummer whom I’m sorry to say I could not see at all
Mar 20
DaraHeavy Metal, Prog Rock
this band was gripping and totally up my alley but WomanInCharge insisted on moving on – Sabbath-riffing stoner metal… blah blah blah… but with a Renaissance looking girl with wild long red curls as lead vocalist – from Canada – will look into further
Mar 19
DaraHeavy Metal, Prog Rock, Psychedelic
I had just stopped in for a place to sit and gather myself but when the nice man from Amsterdam showed me the showcase label’s CD sampler and the influential bands listed all tended toward the stoner psych droning metal I love, I knew fate had stepped in and decided to stay – Amsterdam man told me his story while we waited – he was in America for a month traveling from New York to Austin to Phoenix (?) to San Francisco – he had a badge although he is no longer in the music industry – his job in the music industry was acting as the national music librarian for Holland, i.e., he kept track of all the Dutch bands – we agreed that there is no parallel position in the US – his former job makes me giggle for some reason – the band was fantastic but I’m an easy sell for music like this – woman with long black hair whaled on the bass and wailed the lead vocals – two guitarists and a drummer – had elements of Godspeed You in some of the noodling but a lot more metal – hardest of the hard with a big rich sound and just a little discordancy
Sep 27
DaraHard Rock, Indie Rock, Prog Rock
these unassuming boys put on an intense show, a loud wall of noise though definitely not psych-metal – the meticulous melodies and indie yearning hurtled forward as if on a upward bound rumbling train give them a sound that is quite their own
Jul 11
DaraProg Rock
moody prog rock, excessive noodling totally lost the crowd
Feb 07
DaraHeavy Metal, Indie Rock, Jam Band, Prog Rock
proggy with a tinge of metal and Calexico, went from White Rabbits to Trail of Dead, little boys trying to mute their excitement: obviously from Colorado (…were actually from San Marcos and the excitement was because it was their first show in Austin), the happiest the bass player wore no shoes
Jan 16
DaraAmbient, Prog Rock, Psychedelic
pleasant surprise because have had their CD courtesy of BestGirlfriend’s ExHusband for years and have always liked it, reminiscent of my personal gods: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, found their live show captivating though may have just been suiting my mood, baseball-hatted man crouched over his pedal steel and glancing at a laptop (the source of the undertone of wind and drone I guess) convinced me of the versatility of the pedal steel by making it whine and wail in ways very counter to last band, accompanied by a drummer who managed to make his slow slightly off-kilter tempo look intense, basically a more ambient version of the proggy psych-metal that I really enjoy, I spent the set daydreaming about the darkness that must inhabit these two men, they’re probably frat boys.
Jan 09
DaraHard Rock, Prog Rock
10PM band: kid on drums and a kid on guitar, boring version of Tia Carrera, stupid spoken word loops that were too rapesque to be part of their show, they weren’t bad – they just weren’t Tia
Oct 05
DaraClassic Rock, Heavy Metal, Prog Rock, Psychedelic, Thrash
like rain, they are my religion — 30 minutes, 2 songs – the heaviest never-ending climax
Apr 14
DaraCollege Rock, Indie Rock, Modern Rock, Prog Rock, Punk
Pixies style with a clipped voice. Lead vocal brimming over with boyish humor. Then melodic punk. Very very young – Rockboy says that besides the guitarist they look like former band geeks which may be why they were so excellent. Rockboy heard hints of Husker Du mid to early 80s. Drone rock suddenly. Still trying to find their sound. Then The Killers and then Weezer. Lot of variability. We both notice that the drummer (possibly a 12 year old girl though more likely my 30-year-OLD-feeling) is ‘kicking ass.’ Then unpretentious proggy rock song a la Trail of Dead. Officially, I suppose that they must narrow their sound down but they’d satisfy my ADD-music-listening forever if they kept doing all of what they do as well as they’re doing it.
Mar 30
DaraProg Rock, Psychedelic
They were fantastic until their psychedelic/prog noodling became never ending. The 80s throwback lead singer had the voice of Ric Ocasek though Rockboy disagrees. They were very uncharacteristic of the Hole which is a good thing.
Mar 16
DaraAlt-Country, Prog Rock, Psychedelic
Hail from New York City and in Austin for SXSW. Lovely deep melodious voice. Country music with mystery. Per Rockboy, lead singer looks like Joe Strummer and Elvis Costello. Sometime noodly, as in My Morning Jacket but with a solemnous sonorious voice. Nice diversity, trippy moments, alt country rockers on acid says Rockboy.
Aug 22
DaraOutlaw Country, Prog Rock, Surf Rock
fantastic dark country, noodling like a spaghetti western, actually casting long shadows on the wall behind them, no vocals, prog to me but surf guitar to Rockboy, really liked them
May 17
DaraBlues, Classic Rock, Prog Rock
had seen him before but was impressed anew at his guitar dexterity (beginning to buy into Rockboy’s multiple seeings of same band), particularly enjoyed his ventures into prog rock after playing old standard blues, he clearly knows a wide range of music, worry that his appealing freshness and innocence will be denigrated
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
Nov 20
DaraIndie Rock, Prog Rock
have long yearned after this band after seeing them at ACL Fest and downloading some songs and they are talented but their prog wore on me on Sunday, my world was falling apart a bit too though
Oct 16
DaraHip Hop, Prog Rock
oh my god they sucked ass, interesting concept—three prog guitarists with a cheerleader hip-hop girl and a gawky girl, high energy and no grab, they had their 70s moments I guess and the prog without hip-hop girl was fine but overall just CRAP
Sep 16
DaraHard Rock, Prog Rock
phenomenal, maybe the contrast with the other bands there effected me but immediately stirring and passionate without being cheesy
Aug 24
DaraBlues, Classic Rock, Prog Rock, Singer/Songwriter
a dreamboat of a performer, knows he’s cute, plays guitar like a mofo, Exnonboyfriend and Exnonboyfriendboyfriend saw him years ago and raved about him like he was a prodigy because so young, he sings old-time blues with a gorgeous and intent voice, then he went into prog and then crap singer-songwriter, knows his music and knows how to play with the crowd, outstanding
Sep 18
DaraIndie Rock, Prog Rock
near top, looked like hair metalists and behaved as such but meadow crooners, 90s dreamy indie rock, good melodies, watched clouds and found peace
Apr 16
DaraFolk, Jam Band, Prog Rock, World Music
rowdy and sweet Irish music and then blew us away with some kind of prog-rock craziness, astounding violin player hooked up to a whammy pedal, drum and violinist competed for ferocious fastness, a jam band really, many many references to alcohol and rehab
Feb 21
DaraHard Rock, Heavy Metal, Prog Rock
1/2 –1 hour set like one song in their black hole, reminiscent of Black Sabbath, old school hard-driving rock, dark dark, both guitarists faced drummer away from audience—drummer God of the band supposedly, liked their hole a lot
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